Debbie Gleeson was born and raised in Lynn, MA and even as child was a natural-born nurturer, who excelled in academics and loved messy, creative activities and the great outdoors, evidenced by her five years as a Girl Scout. By the time she was applying to college, her pursuit of elementary education and teaching was not even a question. After graduating from Salem State University and spending a few years working the field, Debbie decided to take some time off from teaching to raise her family of three daughters with her husband, Denis Gleeson. When Debbie returned to teaching several years later, she discovered a newfound passion for early childhood development, but also found the state of education at that time to be disheartening. As a result, she began attending graduate school at Antioch University New England and, for her Master’s thesis project, decided to establish The Nature of Things, LLC with Denis (MBA, Boston University). Nearly three decades later, that small prekindergarten class has grown into a full "farm, field, and forest" campus with a child care center, elementary, and middle, and high school, summer camp programs, and working farm, all with curricula designed by Debbie herself. She continues to approach teaching with tireless passion and the ultimate goal to provide the best educational experience possible to her students.