Staff Spotlight: Lily Gordon, Program Coordinator

Lily Spotlight and Thank You

When Lily Gordon applied for a part-time, temporary role with Nature Linc in 2022, her secret hope was to be able to stay on in an expanded capacity. Luckily for both Lily and Nature Linc, the stars aligned! During her time here, Lily’s role has grown and evolved along with the organization. While she initially started teaching at just two afterschool sites, her role grew to include managing the on-site garden for summer programs and expanded to lead more community-based sites. As she became an even more integral part of the core staff, Lily also took on grant writing, birthday party management and curriculum development. 

Lily came to Nature Linc with a strong desire to work with youth coupled with her own deep appreciation for nature and the ways that it supports our mental health and well being. With previous youth work experience at the Boys & Girls Club, she settled well into her role leading sites, and she identifies the relationships she built with youth as one of her proudest accomplishments here. She is also proud of the ways that she has leaned into new challenges and opportunities to learn skills that support Nature Linc’s mission and growth.

As one of her formative work experiences, Lily appreciates how much Nature Linc taught her to be a professional in an environment that feels very human and compassionate. From her initial group interview experience to her supervisor giving her space in nature to decompress on a tough day to her role being tailored to her interests, Lily cites the culture of care and flexibility as one of the key ways she has been impacted by working here. 

This summer, Lily will start a Master’s in Social Work program at Smith College with an ultimate goal to support youth in a mental health capacity through small group and 1:1 support. Her impact at Nature Linc will continue to be felt for years to come, through her influence on youth in our programs and on the curriculum and systems she has built. We will miss Lily greatly and wish her all the best in her next adventure - we know that she will continue to do incredibly meaningful work.