WHO
WE ARE
Oak Leaf was founded in September 2021 by a group of parents and educators. Our directors and officers manage the nonprofit infrastructure that supports our programming.
Board Members & Executive Leadership.
Verria Newbery
Chair
Verria is a parent of twins who attend Oak Leaf programming. She has a background in business and supports Oak Leaf as a board member because she believes in the richness of outdoor education. She has seen its benefits first hand as she has seen how it has helped her children grow in ways that simply cannot happen within a traditional classroom.
Liana Grey
Founder & Director Emeritus
Liana is an early childhood educator originally from the New York City metro area. She taught Pre-K at a public school and directed nonprofit educational programs, including a summer camp that brought children from diverse backgrounds together through cooking and community service.
Liana has a Master’s degree in Childhood Education from Pace University and is certified to teach in multiple states.
Before moving to the Chicago area with her family and founding Oak Leaf, Liana was the teacher and director at Glacier Way Cooperative Preschool in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She worked with the parent board to develop an outdoor learning program that encouraged respect for people, plants, and animals.
Liana loves the warm community spirit of cooperative schools and is excited to have brought nature-based co-ops to the Chicago area and to Atlanta, where she relocated. Liana currently teaches and directs the Little Oak Co-op Preschool in Atlanta.
Abigail Derby Lewis
Vice President
Dr. Abigail Derby Lewis is a Senior Conservation Ecologist at the Field Museum. She works in the Keller Science Action Center, a division dedicated to translating museum science into lasting results for conservation and cultural understanding. Abigail lives in Glenview with her husband and three boys and is a strong advocate for children having opportunities to experience the wonders and joy of nature-based learning.