Jacob Meyers

SPP Prairie Conservation Nursery Coordinator
MES Program, The Evergreen State College

Jacob was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up down the street from the fabled Blue Slide in historic Frick Park – an area the locals affectionately call ‘Blue Slide Park’. Having a 644-acre park so close to home is still something he feels extremely fortunate and thankful for; from hiking, biking, and basketball to sledding and dandelion picking, Frick Park was the best “backyard” a kid could ever ask for. Frick Park planted a seed of love for the outdoors, trees, and all things nature. In the summer, he and his family would vacation to Cape Cod where this seed would grow and grow with each passing low-tide walk on the Bay and afternoon spent catching frogs and minnows at nearby lakes.

Staying close to home, Jacob attended the Pennsylvania State University where he earned undergraduate degrees in both Psychology and Advertising/Public Relations. Following college, he worked for a year at the Pittsburgh Food Bank. He then spent a couple years working as a mobile therapist with children with developmental disabilities.

Enjoying his time working in the non-profit and education sectors, Jacob felt compelled to mesh his work with his love for the Earth and environment. It became important for him to learn more about ecology, horticulture, and restoration so as to serve as both an environmental steward and educator. Just before moving to Washington, he worked for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy managing invasive species and caring for the landscaped gardens outside of the brand new Frick Environmental Center (one of a dozen “living buildings” in the world); bringing him back to the same park that planted his environmental passion. Jacob is very excited to be able to share this love for nature with incarcerated individuals. He hopes to inspire more people toward sustainable living while working at the Sustainability in Prisons Project and attending the Evergreen State College’s program on the Environment.