Holly C. Merker

Holly C. Merker has a diverse work experience in the field of nature-based wellness and birding. Holly C. is currently a Co-Host at The Mindful Birding Podcast since 2023. Prior to this, they founded and operated Ornitherapy & Nature-based Wellness LLC, where they provided birding services and programming as part of a nature-based wellness program. Holly has also worked with the National Audubon Society as an Audubon Camp Instructor and Program Director since 2016, where they have instructed various birding camps and programs. Additionally, they have served as the Director of Teen Birding Camp at the American Birding Association and as an Environmental Educator at CCWA-Paradise Farm Camps. Holly has also co-owned and operated ID Boot Camp, LLC, which offers outdoor bird identification programs. Holly C. has experience as a Teacher-Naturalist at the Delaware Nature Society and as an Environmental Instructor at Brandywine Valley Association. In the early years of their career, Holly worked as an Activities Assistant/Therapist at Westminister Canterbury and as an Art Therapist at Levindale Hospital.

Holly C. Merker holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Art Therapy/Therapist, which they obtained from Arcadia University between 1987 and 1991. In 1990, they also pursued studies at London Metropolitan University, where they focused on Sociology of Health Care and Art History. Holly has additional certifications, including Wellness Counseling from Cornell University, which they obtained in January 2023, and Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide from the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, which they completed in July 2022.