Hi and welcome! I’m Kate Tillery-Danzer, writer, naturalist, educator, and outdoors enthusiast. I’m passionate about engaging kids of all ages with nature and science.
Currently, my big projects are focused on the Tilli Thompson middle grades nature adventure books. These fun novels focus on the adventures of 11-year-old nature detective Tilli Thompson along with her cousin Maverick Wolf and their friends. The first book, Tilli Thompson and the Case of the Bog Bones takes place in northern Wisconsin wetlands and deals with illegal wildlife poaching. The second book, Tilli Thompson and the Case of the Forbidden Cave (a work in progress) takes place in the rivers and caves of Missouri. I also have a whimsical picture book twirling around the recesses of my brain and my sketchbook that may or may not involve portals and friendly monsters.
I have worked worked as an elementary school teacher, a nature educator at Trees for Tomorrow in Wisconsin, a magazine writer, an academic researcher, and in video production. I’ve spent much of the past decade running the Imagely Fund, an environmental and humanitarian photography grant that was judged by three top National Geographic photographers each year, along with writing and leading some nature workshops. I’m also the founder of the International Nature Detectives Association, an new organization that strives to get kids (and their grownups) excited about the many mysteries found in nature.
I hold a degree in Elementary Education and Spanish from Marquette University, and Master’s degrees in Life Sciences Communications and Water Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I was a Fulbright Scholar to Indonesia where I had the privilege to research the communication side of water and sanitation programs in that interesting and beautiful country.
Currently, I am honored to serve as a Board Member for the Mountain Top Explorium in Breckenridge and on the Fundraising Committee for the Junkyard Social Club. I call the Foothills of the Rocky Mountains home, and try to spend as much time as I can exploring the outdoors with my family.