30 Jan Welcoming Justine Berk, Regional Manager

We are always growing here at Tiny Trees, and with that growth comes new leaders joining our team. We are excited to welcome Justine Berk as our new Regional Manager, who will be leading efforts to open new locations in South King County, and support existing King County Parks locations.

As a young girl Justine’s parents provided her with all kinds of opportunities to play outside—in their backyard, in the woods by their cabin, at the ocean, you name it. Growing up in California Justine spent lots of time playing outdoors with her brother, hanging out at the beach and making mud tacos and rock soup for her family.  After earning degrees in marine biology and environmental studies from the University of California Santa Cruz, Justine taught High School biology and marine biology at a private school in Atherton, Ca.  In the classroom she shared her passion for the ocean with her students and created opportunities to go on field trips and learn outside of the classroom whenever possible.  Justine moved to Seattle in 2008 to pursue a Masters in Museology at the University of Washington.  With newfound skills in museum education, evaluation and collections management she spent the next 7 years working in the education department at the Seattle Aquarium.  As the mom of a toddler and an infant she is thrilled to join Tiny Trees where she can make a difference for other local families. Motherhood has helped Justine “understand more than ever the importance of learning through play and spending time outdoors.” Outside of work Justine spends all of her time with her husband, kids and dog, juggling playtime, house projects and getting out and about in Seattle.

Justine is inspired by the dedication to not only provide excellent education in an outdoor setting, but also to provide this service to more people in our community through financial support and careful selection of locations. We are grateful to have Justine joining our team, and leading the charge of opening our new locations next year!