MEET OUR TEAM
Scott Quitel, Founder & Executive Director
Scott Quitel, JD, MBA has extensive experience in ecologically-based land use planning, ecological restoration analysis, and ecological landscape design and construction. Scott is a faculty member at the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship at Drexel University, where he is also the Director of Social Entrepreneurship. He also teaches at Philadelphia University/Jefferson, serves on several local boards, and is a frequent invited speaker on planning, design, and ecology. He has led hundreds of educational ecology and design-oriented tours/hikes for people of all ages in natural areas in and around Philadelphia. Scott graduated from Brown University, has an MBA and JD from Temple University, holds a wetland delineation certificate and is an ISA Certified Arborist. Prior to founding LandHealth, Scott was a Principle Ecologist for Philadelphia's Applied Ecological Services (AES), where he led the visioning, public process, and design of a wide range of design-build projects, including the Washington Avenue Pier and the Meadow at Longwoods Garden.
Kristina Kvavle-Slay, Managing Director
Kristina was drawn to LandHealth over their shared belief that healthy land leads to healthy communities. A tree-hugger native to the Pacific Northwest, Kristina trained as a Master Resilience Trainer for the Air Force before going on to receive a degree in Landscape Architecture from Thomas Jefferson University. There she focused on supporting Philadelphians by protecting gathering places, advocating for accessible transportation through walkable neighborhoods, and designing beautiful, educational stormwater management solutions. She is driven to connect communities with the resources they require for vibrant, healthy lives and will continue to advocate for access to stellar education for all.
Steve Jones, Nursery Manager
Steve Jones contributes to operations at LandHealth's Nursery and to LandHealth's education programs. Steve is the Treasurer of the Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers, a nonprofit, community-based ecological restoration program in the Wissahickon section of Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. He serves on the Kelly Green Committee, a community/student/teacher collaboration at J.B. Kelly School in Germantown, and the Wissahickon Sustainability Council at Cook-Wissahickon school in Roxborough.
Email: steve@landhealthinstute.org
Sara Mae Henke, Nursery Operations Lead
Sara Mae is a writer raised on the Chesapeake Bay. Their background is in public programming at the intersection of arts and sustainability. They have been doing community organizing since they were 19. Their writing appears in POETRY, the Georgia Review, Muzzle, and elsewhere. Their second chapbook of poetry, Phantasmagossip, won the Vinyl45 chapbook competition and was released from YesYes Books in spring 2025. They received their MFA in Creative Writing from UT Knoxville. They write and perform indie music as The Noisy. Sara Mae lives in Fishtown with their fiance on the first floor, and their best friend upstairs, like a sitcom.
Shanae Savage, Community Development Specialist
Shanae serves as LandHealth Institute’s Community Engagement Specialist, helping to develop and implement programming that connects residents, builds community, and fosters stewardship in the Cobbs Creek area. She brings a deep commitment to intentional community-building, creating safe spaces, and facilitating programs that promote awareness, connection, and positive change. Her work supports LandHealth’s mission to strengthen the relationship between people and nature through hands-on engagement and education.
Jackson Quitel, River Program Coordinator
Jackson has been an avid outdoorsman for his entire life. Growing up, he would spend his days looking for frogs and salamanders in the woods. Fast forward to today, and his passion for the environment is stronger than ever. Currently Jackson spends most of his time near the water, whether it be hiking, herping, birding, fishing, boating, or swimming. Fresh out of Drexel University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, Jackson looks to begin his career at LandHealth Institute. Jackson dreams of helping the world through environmental restoration and education.
Olive Rowell, Development Specialist & Assistant to Director
Olive is a community organizer, multi-media artist, and lover of the outdoors, who grew up in the woods of New Hampshire and Vermont. Her work experience weaves together environmental justice, youth education, public art, community building, and climate-resilient farming. Olive finds joy in admiring and caring for the earth alongside others. She is driven by her belief that all people deserve access to green spaces, fresh produce/food, and environmental education. Through her work with groups like LandHealth, it is her dream to help make these essentials accessible to all. Olive earned her B.A. in Art Studio and Politics, with a Nexus in Law, Public Policy, and Human Rights from Mount Holyoke College in Western Massachusetts. Her coursework centered the rich intersections of art and activism, examining how creativity, social justice, environmental equity, mutual aid, and anti-racism intertwine to shape more just and resilient communities.
We Remember
In Memory of Paulette Rhone
We remember Paulette Rhone who passed away in February 2019. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Paulette served as the Executive Director of LandHealth. Paulette's passion for nature and community empowerment through experiential educational opportunities in nature A founding board member of the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, Paulette served its president, 2012-19. The restoration and preservation of this 200-acre cemetery, abandoned in 2011, was a great passion of hers. She also served on the Board of the Mount Moriah Cemetery Preservation Corporation. Paulette was with US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics as the region's Budget Analyst until 2007. She enjoyed her family, her church, lifelong learning, reading, and gardening.