People

Our people make everything possible. At NAAEE, we strive towards an inclusive and innovative workplace—one that encourages growth and fosters creativity, while keeping our mission in mind. Learn more about who we are and how we work to provide education we need for the world we want.

Board

Judy Braus profile picture

Judy Braus (she/her)

Executive Director

Judy Braus brings to her role as NAAEE Executive Director a wealth of experience in the environmental education profession, with a focus on conservation education, diversity and inclusion, and using the power of education to help create healthier communities that empower local communities, stakeholders, and individuals to help restore and protect the environment. She comes to NAAEE from the National Audubon Society, where she was the Senior Vice President of Education and Centers, overseeing an extensive nationwide network of nature centers and educators. Prior to that, she led the education programs at World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the U.S. Peace Corps, and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).

Jbraus@naaee.org

David Chase

David Chase

Board Treasurer

A focus on the environment, education, human service, social justice, and sustainability has been at the core of Dave Chase’s professional life for more than forty years. For twenty-five of those years, he successfully led and managed a variety of nonprofit organizations within these fields at the local, regional, and national levels. For almost twenty years, Dave has worked as an independent organizational consultant, concentrating his work as Founder and Principal of DRC Consulting on various aspects of organizational development, including strategic planning, board, and staff training and development, process facilitation, program evaluation, and conflict resolution.

dawn

Dawn Chávez

Board Vice Chair

Dawn Chávez joined the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) as the Executive Director in June 2023. A native of the Bronx in New York City, Dawn has lived and worked across the country in many different communities, from wilderness outposts to small towns to large urban centers. Throughout her career, Dawn has been passionate about equity issues, environmental protection, and the intersection of the two. 

Laura

Laura Downey

At Large Board Member

Laura Downey, Executive Director,Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education--From an early age, being outdoors in every season was an important part of Laura's time growing up. The woods, ponds and sand dunes of Michigan were where she spent time exploring and observing the world around her. As important to her as time spent outdoors was playing "teacher" and that interest carried into her professional life. 

Mary Ford

Mary Ford

At Large Board Member

Mary Ford is the Senior Director of Roots & Shoots, the youth action program of the Jane Goodall Institute. Mary has an undergraduate degree in environmental science and policy from Harvard University and a master's degree in environmental management from the Yale School of the Environment. Her career has focused on environmental education and citizen science. 

Jaime Gonzalez 2023

Jaime González

Board Chair

Community and Equitable Conservation Director, The Nature Conservancy in Texas


Jaime González is an interdisciplinary conservationist, environmental educator, and network weaver who works to better ensure that the practice and benefits of conservation are more equitable and inclusive in Texas communities, including Greater Houston. This includes providing better access to conserved lands, engaging the public in community science and conservation opportunities, supporting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) initiatives within the TNC-Texas Chapter, and contributing to policy development.
 

Kenji Hakuta

Kenji Hakuta

At Large Board Member

Kenji Hakuta is the Lee L. Jacks Professor, emeritus, at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. He received his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Harvard University in 1979, has held faculty positions at Yale University and the University of California at Santa Cruz, and served as the Founding Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts at the University of California, Merced. 

Veronica

Veronica Lin

At Large Board Member

Veronica Lin is a researcher working at the intersection of technology, education, equity, and sustainability. Currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Veronica works as a User Experience Researcher on the Hardware Wearables team at Google. She earned her doctorate from the Stanford University Graduate School of Education in Learning Sciences & Technology Design and an M.S. in Computer Science; her research examined how we can design digital technologies to facilitate computational thinking and environmental learning for young children and families in informal learning environments. 

Diego Román

Diego Román

Board Secretary

Dr. Diego Román is an Assistant Professor of Bilingual/Bicultural Education at the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to this appointment, he was an Assistant Professor of Bilingual Education at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. 

LaTresse Snead

LaTresse Snead

At Large Board Member

LaTresse Snead is the Chief Executive Officer of Bonsai Leadership Group. She has nearly 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and business sectors and a reputation for being bold, authentic, and transparent. As Birkman Certified Consultant, Certified Executive Coach and BoardSource Certified Board Consultant, she helps nonprofit executives cultivate inclusive, dynamic and high performing teams to succeed in an increasingly complex workplace. She is passionate about environmental justice and a vocal champion of equity and inclusion in outdoor spaces.

Beth Stevens

Beth Stevens

At Large Board Member

Beth Stevens is a former Senior Vice President of Environmental Affairs at Disney Worldwide Services. Her responsibilities included reducing companywide CO2 emissions, promoting nature conservation efforts, and creating a culture of "environmentality" within the corporation. Before joining Disney, Beth worked at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, and then led conservation, science, and education programs at Zoo Atlanta. After joining Disney, she became the Conservation & Science Director and then Vice President of Disney's Animal Kingdom, and later led the environment and conservation portfolio for Disney's Corporate Citizenship team. Beth is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Tubingen and holds a PhD in Biology with emphasis in animal behavior from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Danni

Danni Washington

At Large Board Member

Danni Washington is a TV host and science communicator who is also the first African-American woman to host her own nationally syndicated science television series. Most recently, Danni was featured as a correspondent during the first season of Mission Unstoppable, which aired weekly on CBS with host Miranda Cosgrove. Danni has also hosted a variety of other STEM productions including Xploration Nature Knows Best on FOX, Science the $#!* Out Of It for Facebook Watch, Untamed Science for Pearson Publishing and Ocean GEMS.

Sheila

Sheila Williams Ridge

At Large Board Member

Sheila Williams Ridge is the Director of the University of Minnesota Child Development Laboratory School. Sheila has worked in the field of environmental education since the early 90s and is the mother of four adult children. She has an EdD in Education Leadership, an MA in Education, and a BA in Biology. Sheila teaches courses at the University of Minnesota and Hamline University including Nature-Based Learning in Early Childhood, A Sense of Wonder, Equity and Inclusion in Environmental Education, and Student Teaching Seminar in Early Childhood. 

Michelle

Michelle Wyman

At Large Board Member

Michelle is the Founder and Principal of Biosphere Strategies, a boutique consulting firm specializing in work focused on science, sustainability, climate and the environment. Biosphere Strategies works with government, academia and industry on the use of science and knowledge to design and implement environmental policies, plans and strategies.

Staff

Judy Braus profile picture

Judy Braus (she/her)

Executive Director

Judy Braus brings to her role as NAAEE Executive Director a wealth of experience in the environmental education profession, with a focus on conservation education, diversity and inclusion, and using the power of education to help create healthier communities that empower local communities, stakeholders, and individuals to help restore and protect the environment. She comes to NAAEE from the National Audubon Society, where she was the Senior Vice President of Education and Centers, overseeing an extensive nationwide network of nature centers and educators. Prior to that, she led the education programs at World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the U.S. Peace Corps, and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).

Jbraus@naaee.org

Carrie Albright

Carrie Albright

Communications and Data Specialist

Carrie earned her B.A. in both Environmental Studies and Spanish, a dual major she explored hands-on while studying in the cloud forests of Ecuador. After attending Indiana University to complete her Masters in Public Affairs, with concentrations in Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management, she took on the role of Environmental Educator with the City of Bloomington. Here she connected with community members of all ages, teaching about habitats, sustainability practices, and conservation efforts. 

carrie@naaee.org

Man wearing glasses smiling at the camera

Adrian Ayson

Program Consultant

Adrian has enjoyed a lifelong career in environmental education. Starting out as a park ranger, he has since served as Statewide Director of Education at Massachusetts Audubon, Director of Operations at the Center for Whole Communities, in Vermont, and as NAAEE's Senior Director for Technology Programs. As the founder of eeMatters, an environmental education and interpretive planning consulting group, Adrian led professional and community-based teams that developed strategic plans, master interpretive plans, exhibits, and technology-based communication tools for clients as varied as NAAEE, Maine Audubon, Vermont Institute of Natural Science, Trustees of Reservations, Monadnock Media, Old Sturbridge Village, and New York Botanical Gardens. 

adrian@naaee.org

Sarah Bodor

Sarah Bodor

Director of Policy and Affiliate Relations

NAAEE’s Director of Policy & Affiliate Relations, Sarah Bodor comes from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, where she held a number of program management and leadership positions throughout the organization. She worked closely with state education agencies in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia to develop and pilot standards-based curricula and provide teacher professional development. Her background also includes communications and fundraising. In 2008, she served as the writer of Maryland’s Children in Nature Plan, which resulted in passage of Maryland’s environmental high school graduation requirement.

sarah@naaee.org

Grace Charabati

Grace Charabati

Event and Executive Coordinator

Grace joined the NAAEE team in September 2021 and works as an Event and Executive Coordinator. She was raised in western Massachusetts where she developed a deep appreciation and love for the surrounding environment. Grace began her journey in Washington, DC by attending American University, where she earned both her BA and MPA in 5 years. She studied a combination of environmental studies, public health, public administration, and nonprofit management. She comes to NAAEE with a background in programming for youth development, education, and in-person and online farmers markets.

grace@naaee.org

Jimena Cuenca picture

Jimena Cuenca

Digital Community & Website Specialist

Jimena Cuenca is happiest when she is a part of a community working towards positive change. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and she started her career volunteering to outreach and present bicycle safety workshops. Jimena holds a Bachelor's degree in Geography from UC Berkeley. Since graduating, she's worked as a seasonal research technician on avian field projects in the Copper River Delta and the northern coast of Alaska. More recently, she has developed and led environmental education programs as a park ranger. In her work as a communicator, she seeks to elevate conversations about the environment and social change. When not at work, she's walking her huskies, and drawing comics about wildlife.

jimena@naaee.org

Andrew David

Andrew David

International Programs Coordinator

Andrew (Andy) David grew up in Washburn, Wisconsin, a small town on the shores of Lake Superior. In 2019, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Geography and Political Science and minors in African Studies and Development Economics.

andrew@naaee.org

Megan Fink

Megan Fink (She/Her)

Partnerships and Policy Manager

Megan Fink serves as the Partnerships & Policy Manager for the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and brings a robust place-based, outdoor education background to the NAAEE team.

megan@naaee.org

Madeline

Madeline Halvey

International Programs Specialist

Madeline is an international programs specialist at NAAEE, supporting the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP), youth leadership programs, and other global initiatives. Madeline received her Master's degree in Global Environmental Policy from American University in Washington, D.C. She previously worked as a researcher for the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, focusing on sustainable agriculture policy. Her other published research has explored climate change resiliency, environmental activism, and public-private partnerships. Madeline has a B.A. in Writing and Rhetoric and a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies-Social Sciences from the University of Central Florida (UCF). 

madeline@naaee.org

Nina Hamilton

Nina Hamilton

Director of International and Leadership Programs

Nina Hamilton supports NAAEE's leadership initiatives and supports the Global Environmental Education Partnership's efforts to build capacity for EE across the globe. Nina is particularly passionate about working across cultures to connect people with the resources they need to maximize their impact, while combining her interests in the environment, social equity, and youth engagement.

nina@naaee.org

Kit Harrington

Kit Harrington

Policy Advisor, Natural Start Alliance

Kit is the co-founder of one of the country's first urban outdoor preschools, the Fiddleheads Forest School at the University of Washington. In 2015, Kit founded the Washington Nature Preschool Association to support the regional growth of nature-based early childhood education and successfully advocated for the passage of the first licensing regulations for outdoor preschools in North America. Today, she continues her work to support the field as the Policy Advisor for the Natural Start Alliance, helping improve equitable access to nature-based early learning experiences and develop meaningful support for educators around the country.

kit@naaee.org

Maxwell Kennady

Maxwell Kennady

Technology and Analytics Advisor

Maxwell works part-time on website, technology, and analytics projects for NAAEE. He was an NAAEE intern during the summer of 2012 and then worked as NAAEE's Project and Technology Coordinator from 2014 to 2015. In this role, he was part of the team that worked on designing and building eePRO and NAAEE's new website.

maxwell@naaee.org

Bashiru

Bashiru Koroma

GEEP Fellow

Bashiru Koroma has over 12 years of experience in conservation leadership, natural resource management, ecotourism, and environmental health (water, sanitation, and waste management). Currently, Bashiru is the Product Planning and Development Officer at the National Tourist Board Sierra Leone, focusing on the initiation and implementation of national tourism policies, programs, and projects in Sierra Leone. Bashiru is also the Executive President and Founder of Keep Africa Beautiful Sierra Leone, a youth-led environmental company in Sierra Leone, and the National Coordinator for Climate Live Sierra Leone, using music and concerts to engage, educate, and empower young people to ensure that local leaders take actions to combat the climate crisis.

bashiru@naaee.org

Ariel Lumpkins

Ariel Lumpkins

Contract and Office Coordinator

Ariel joined the NAAEE team in September of 2021 as a Senior Administrative Assistant. Prior to this role, she has over 15 years of administrative experience in a laboratory and office setting. She is originally from the suburbs of Illinois and moved to Washington DC in 2009, where she attended Howard University. She received her B.A. in Psychology at the College of Arts and Sciences with a minor focus in Administration of Justice. She aspires to travel the world to learn and experience cultures outside her own. Should Italy be next?

ariel@naaee.org

Lori Mann

Lori Mann

Director of Conferences and Programs

Lori Mann has nearly 40 years of experience in environmental education at the local, state, and national levels. Lori joined the NAAEE staff in 2012 as Program and Conference Manager and now serves as Director of Conferences and Programs. In this capacity, she manages all aspects of the NAAEE annual conference and coordinates several national projects related to building capacity to deliver high-quality environmental education. 

lori@naaee.org

Christy Merrick

Christy Merrick

Director, Natural Start Alliance

Nearly 20 years ago, Christy took her first job in environmental education at a conservation summer camp, and she hasn't looked back. She has worked in universities, international nonprofits, local organizations, state agencies, and private companies—always with an eye toward helping people build environmental literacy and meaningful connections to nature. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida and a Master's Degree in Environmental Management from Yale University. When she's not working, Christy likes to swim, surf, and play with her family on the beaches of South Florida, where she lives and works.

christymerrick@gmail.com

Laurie Monserrat

Laurie Monserrat

Digital Accessibility Consultant

Laurie Monserrat supports NAAEE's work to provide accessible content on webinars, media, and websites. Laurie began with NAAEE as the Corporate Initiatives Educator Consultant promoting the UL Innovative Education Award and the Cal Water H2O Challenge.

lmonserr@gmail.com

A smiling Preethi Mony with short wavy black hair and wearing a purple blouse

Preethi Mony

EE Grant and Program Manager

Preethi Mony brings to her role as EE Grant and Program Manager varied experience in environmental education, evaluation, and grants from her work in India and the US.

preethi@naaee.org

Martha Mulokoshi

Martha Mulokoshi

Manager of Operations

Martha started her conservation career in Namibia, where she worked for World Wildlife Fund. Her role was to support tourism business development and bolster communal conservancies in establishing viable joint ventures with private partners. She also supported business enterprise efforts of a nonprofit organization that aims to empower the San people socially and economically in the rural Nyae Nyae Conservancy in northeast Namibia (the first conservancy in the country).

martha@naaee.org

 

Sydney Murray

Sydney Murray

Conference and Communications Coordinator, Natural Start Alliance

Sydney spent the bulk of her childhood learning and growing under the canopy of the southeastern deciduous forests that make up her home state of Virginia. She earned her B.A. in International Studies with a minor in Environmental Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.

sydney@naaee.org

Colleen Norton

Colleen Norton

Consultant, Climate Education Policy Coalition

Colleen supports the NAAEE Coalition for Climate Education Policy communication and coordination efforts and climate change education policy research. She joins us from the National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Office, where she worked closely with the Environmental Literacy and Diversity working groups. She gathered and analyzed data on environmental literacy and educational policies in the Chesapeake Bay region to support the infusion of environmental education and green career awareness into more school content areas. She also supported NOAA’s B-WET grants which aid in the systemic implementation of Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) into K-12 curriculums. Her interests lie at the intersection of environment, social justice, education, and policy. She will be pursuing a master’s degree in Environment and Sustainability Management at Georgetown University during the 22-23 academic year.

colleen@naaee.org

Mary Ocwieja

Mary Ocwieja

Director of Technology

As the Director of Technology, Mary serves as the project lead for NAAEE online technology, including the NAAEE website and eePRO, the hub for professional development. She collaborates with developers, designers, staff, leaders, and end-users in building out features and improving user experience; coordinates with NAAEE project managers to support the technology used to deliver their programs, including the in-person and virtual conferences; and leads and collaborates with the communications team on association newsletters, web content, and community outreach. 

maryo@naaee.org

 

Betty Olivolo

Betty Olivolo

Senior Advisor, Natural Start Alliance

Betty has a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of New Hampshire and is currently Senior Advisor for the Natural Start Alliance, NAAEE's early childhood program. In addition to being a classroom teacher for more than 15 years (in the US, Taiwan, China, and South Africa), Betty also worked in the field of environmental education for 25 years. She worked with Judy Braus at World Wildlife Fund, and prior to that, Betty worked at other environmental NGOs, including National Wildlife Federation and as Director of Project Wild. She currently lives in Kittery, Maine, and in her spare time, Betty’s hobbies include traveling, photography, sailing, swimming, and walking.

bettyolivolo@gmail.com

Stacie Pierpoint

Stacie Pierpoint (she/her)

Director of Communications and Technology

Stacie joined the NAAEE team in April 2020 as the Communications, Marketing, and Membership Specialist. Stacie has worked in the education field for almost two decades. Prior to joining NAAEE, she managed communications for Annenberg Learner, a leading national nonprofit that connects K–12 educators with classroom content and professional development to support and strengthen their practice. She also taught Spanish at a high school in Washington, D.C. for six years. She holds an M.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies from American University, and a B.A. in Modern Languages and Linguistics, and Certificate in Secondary Education from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She recently completed a Certificate in Social Impact Storytelling at Georgetown University. Throughout her career, she has been committed to bringing exceptional educational opportunities to underserved areas and educating to promote civic engagement.

stacie@naaee.org

Drew Price

Drew Price

Consultant

Drew is an organizational and logistics specialist with nine years of project and program coordination. Drew has expertise in creating and implementing systems to ensure program success and federal regulation compliance, including budget management, reporting, and program activity coordination. Drew started working for NAAEE in 2012. Prior to that, he worked for ChemStewards, an environmental, health, and safety program, and as a Sustainability Assistant for the City of Sioux Falls in South Dakota, focusing on data management as well as community engagement. He has a bachelor's degree in Political Science, with a minor in biology, from the University of South Dakota.

drew@naaee.org

Danielle Rodriguez

Daniella Rodriguez

ee360+ Consultant

Daniella earned her B.S. in Conservation Biology and Ecology from Arizona State University.  She holds a certificate in Sustainability and Behavior Change from the University of California-San Diego and is pursuing her master’s degree in Environmental Studies from Prescott College. She has been in the Environmental Education field for over a decade. This includes working as a gallery interpreter for the Arizona Science Center, as a Recreation Coordinator for the City of Chandler Nature Center, and then as a Water Conservation Specialist for the City of Chandler. Daniella recently transitioned to the East Coast and has helped the Shaw Institute, a nonprofit marine and environmental research center in Blue Hill, Maine, with outreach and special projects. She’s excited to join the NAAEE team and help support the ee360+ program.

daniella@naaee.org

Krishna Roy

Krishna Roy

Development Consultant

Ms. Krishna K. Roy is a conservationist and social activist.  She has worked in the nonprofit sector for three decades as a grantmaker, consultant and in senior management positions specializing in capacity building, strategic planning, development, marketing, event planning, and public relations.  She was a Branch Chief at the US Fish and Wildlife Service and held positions at Island Press, San Diego Zoo, The Nature Conservancy, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation among other assignments.

kroy12@gmail.com

T'Noya Thompson

T'Noya Thompson

Consultant

T’Noya Thompson Being born and raised in the Bahamas fostered a deep connection to the ocean that inspired a career path at an early age for T’Noya. She began her career at Moody Gardens in the animal care department, where she served several roles, including connecting with communities in various capacities for twelve years. After Moody Gardens, she worked at Galveston Bay Foundation for two and a half years as the Advocacy Programs Manager. There she educated and encouraged action to improve the overall health of Galveston Bay, Texas’ largest estuary. T’Noya joined NAAEE as the EE Specialist in 2019 and then became the Manager of Research, Evaluation, and eeBLUE in 2021. She worked with various partners on eeBLUE, eeWORKS, eeRESEARCH, and developing eeVAL, an evaluation portal with Duke University. Currently, T’Noya serves as a consultant for NAAEE.

tnoya@naaee.org

Emily Van Laan

Emily Van Laan

Manager, Discover the Forest

Emily earned her B.A. in Elementary Education from Ball State University and went on to teach first grade in Indianapolis, IN. At that time, the lack of widely accessible environmental education in urban areas led her away from formal education and into the field of informal science education at Lincoln Park Zoo. She worked on developing inquiry-based science curriculum for the zoo’s Conservation Camp program and later found her niche as the Early Childhood and Family Programs Coordinator.

emily@naaee.org

Bruce Young

Bruce Young (he/they)

Affiliates Relations Specialist

Prior to coming aboard with NAAEE Bruce worked as a freelance environmental education consultant, educator, and volunteer for a variety of schools and organizations including the Rivanna Conservation Alliance, Greensboro Science Center, Tandem Friends School, and Free Union Country School. 

bruce@naaee.org

Advisory Council

Janet Ady v2

Janet Ady

Division Chief, Retired

Janet Ady is the Chief of the Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships Division for the Bureau of Land Management’s National Conservation Lands and Community Partnerships directorate. The division provides national level program support, training, and products for environmental education, interpretation, volunteer management, and partnership programs; leads the Junior Ranger initiative to connect people with nature; and coordinates the BLM youth and stewardship programs.

Nicole Ardoin

Nicole Ardoin

Associate Professor, Stanford University

Nicole Ardoin is an associate professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a senior fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University. She is also Stanford's lead researcher on the eeWORKS initiative in partnership with NAAEE. Professor Ardoin´s research focuses on environmental behavior as influenced by environmental learning and motivated by place-based connections. In particular, she is interested in considerations of geographic scale, which is an understudied yet crucial aspect of people-place relationships in a rapidly globalizing, urbanizing world. Professor Ardoin has current studies on the use of education, communications, and other social strategies in informal and community-based settings, including nature-based tourism programs, to engage individuals and communities in deliberate dialogue, environmental decision-making, and informed conservation behavior.

Paul Hart

Paul Hart

Professor of Education, University of Regina

Paul Hart is Professor of Science and Environmental Education at the University of Regina in Western Canada where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in his subject areas as well as courses in research methodology and curriculum inquiry. He is the author of Teachers’ Thinking In Environmental Education: Consciousness and Responsibility (© 2003, New York: Peter Lang).

Ashley Hoffman

Ashley Hoffman

Executive Director, Kentucky Association for Environmental Education

Ashley Hoffman has served as the Executive Director of the Kentucky Association for Environmental Education since 2010 and as the part-time Executive Director of the Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance (SEEA).  The SEEA is a collaboration of environmental education organizations in the eight southeast states (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, and TN). Ashley Hoffman holds a B.S. degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida and a Masters in Nonprofit Administration. Ashley is a Certified Professional Environmental Educator and the Kentucky State Coordinator for Project Learning Tree. In her free time, she enjoys traveling to new places and enjoying time outdoors with her husband and children.

Stefan Jackson smiling wearing a dark button down shirt in front of trees

Stefan J. Jackson

Principal of NATURAL DIFFERENCE, LLC

Stefan J. Jackson is principal of NATURAL DIFFERENCE, LLC, specializing in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Consulting & Coaching and Mediation Services, with a focus in natural resource and environmental conservation, stewardship and education organizations. Stefan has nearly 30 years in land and water conservation, over 35 years in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and over 20 years as a trained negotiator and mediator. In Maine, he’s been a land trust executive director, development associate, watershed-scale project manager, public policy manager, and master of Leave No Trace instructor, as well as diversity program director. Stefan has negotiated the protection of over 6,000 acres and closed multiple LMF and FRPP projects. He’s mediated hundreds of cases for Maine’s Judicial Branch, dozens of cases for the Maine Human Rights Commission and privately.

Charissa Jones

Charissa Jones (she/her/hers)

Equity and Inclusion Group Moderator, Outreach and Inclusion Coordinator, OSU Extension Service -- Outdoor School

Charissa V. Jones (she/her/hers) is the Outreach and Inclusion Coordinator for the Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Service Outdoor School Program and a third-year doctoral student at Oregon State University in the College of Education’s STEM Education program. She is a cultural and community connector with over 15 years of experience in outdoor and environmental education. Originally from Suriname, South America, she is interested in (re)connecting folks to their environments by exploring the intersections of EDIJA (equity, diversity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility), and environmental and outdoor education with a particular interest in exploring how culture filters community sense-making around “environment/outdoor/nature-based” and learning.

J Drew Lanham

J. Drew Lanham

Wildlife Ecologist

J. Drew Lanham is a native of Edgefield, South Carolina with a B.A. and M.S. in Zoology and Ph.D. in Forest Wildlife Ecology from Clemson University. He is an award-winning faculty member and was named as Distinguished Alumni Professor and Master Teacher at his alma mater in 2012. Dr. Lanham is a Certified Wildlife Biologist and an active board member in several organizations, including the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, Aldo Leopold Foundation, and BirdNote.

A Michael Marzola

A Michael Marzolla

4-H Youth Development Advisor Emeritus, University of California

Michael is an emeritus 4-H Youth Development and Master Gardener Advisor with UC Cooperative Extension in Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties. He has over thirty years of experience in the field of non-formal environmental education in national and international settings. He is the Principal Investigator of the Agua Pura and Pescadores watershed, salmon, and steelhead youth education project.

Heidi McAllister

Heidi McAllister

Assistant Director of Conservation Education, US Forest Service

Heidi McAllister currently serves as the Assistant Director of Conservation Education at the U.S. Forest Service. Her background includes a wide variety of national and international experience in environmental education. She is the recipient of the 2006 Renewable Natural Resources Foundation’s Sustained Achievement Award, which recognizes Heidi’s contribution of more than 25 years to the teaching of environmental education and the sustainable management of natural resources. Heidi holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from Yale University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Education and Outdoor Leadership from Hampshire College. Heidi is a published author in two languages and three countries. One of her books is used by the Ministry of Education in Mexico as a text for 35,000 students per year.

Kathy McGlauflin

Kathy McGlauflin

Senior Advisor

Kathy McGlauflin has served as the National Director for Project Learning Tree and Senior Vice President of Education for the American Forest Foundation since 1985. She was responsible for all the materials development and professional development implementation, as well as supporting the network of PLT state leaders. She is past president and a former board member of the North American Association for Environmental Education. She served on a number of boards, including World Wildlife Fund’s Windows on the Wild national advisory board and the National Association of Conservation Districts’ Education Board. She also served on the National Science Teachers’ Association Task Force on Environmental Education and the Council for Environmental Education advisory board.

Gus Medina

Augusto Medina

EE Consultant Independent

Dr. Medina is an environmental education consultant. His areas of work include professional development, program design, cultural competency, strategic planning, facilitation, and project management. He has helped to write several funding proposals and reviewed numerous requests for funding. Dr. Medina has worked both nationally and internationally. For 18-years he served as Project Manager of the U.S. EPA National Environmental Education Training Program. Prior to that he was a Senior Program Officer with World Wildlife Fund. He has facilitated environmental education courses and workshops in the Caribbean, Central and South America, China, Thailand, and India.

Dr. Medina has played a leadership role in making environmental education more culturally relevant. He served on the North American Association for Environmental Education’s Diversity Committee and chaired its sub-task force to ensure the Association welcomes and values ethnically and culturally diverse educators. Dr. Medina was the first instructor for the online course, Making Environmental Education Relevant for Culturally Diverse Audiences, offered by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. In addition, he served as project leader for the publication, What's Fair Got To Do With It: Diversity Cases from Environmental Educators. Dr. Medina helped to design and facilitated workshops that use cases from this book to promote discussion on how to make environmental education organizations and programs more inclusive.

For 11-years, Dr. Medina worked as a program officer with World Wildlife Fund (WWF-US and WWF Canada). In that capacity, he worked with numerous government and private conservation groups throughout Latin America and the Caribbean to design and implement conservation, sustainable use, and environmental education projects. During his tenure with WWF, he designed environmental education programs, public awareness campaigns, education resources, and conducted environmental education professional development workshops.

Dr. Medina is on the Board of Directors of Environmental Education and Conservation Global, a U.S. based organization that uses the power of education to help create a global population that ensures the equitable and sustainable use of our planet’s natural resources. He is a member of NAAEE’s Advisory Council and ee360+. He served on the editorial board of the journal, Applied Environmental Education and Communication and the Journal of Environmental Education. He is a former President of the North American Association for Environmental Education and served on its Board of Directors for five years.

Dr. Medina holds a B.A. in Biology from the State University of New York, Brockport, an M.S. in Outdoor Teacher Education from Northern Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in Natural Resources Management from the University of Michigan. He has written on environmental education and presented at state, provincial, national, and international conferences.

Brenda Metcalf

Brenda Metcalf

Executive Director, Environmental Education Council of Ohio

Brenda Metcalf is the Executive Director for the Environmental Education Council of Ohio, (EECO).  In 1991 Brenda graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in Environmental Studies Policy and Analysis, with an area of emphasis in Education and a minor in Geology.  Immediately after graduation, Brenda started in the Environmental Education field. Brenda became the Executive Director for EECO in 2003. In 2006 Brenda became more involved with NAAEE by becoming a part of the Awards Committee and in 2007 became the chair of the Awards Committee and part of the Affiliate Steering Committee.

For more information about EECO and EE in Ohio please visit eeco-online.org

Angela Mooney D'Arcy

Angela Mooney D'Arcy

Executive Director, Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples Sustainability Initiative

Angela Mooney D’Arcy (Juaneno Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation) has been working with Tribal Nations, Indigenous peoples, and grassroots organizations on Indigenous environmental justice issues for over fourteen years.  She is the founder and Executive Director of the Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples, a Los Angeles-based, Indigenous-led organization that works to build the capacity of Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples to protect sacred lands, waters, and cultures.  She is also the Co-Director of the United Coalition to Protect Panhe (UCPP), a grassroots alliance of Acjachemen people dedicated to the protection of their sacred sites.

Taylor Morton

Taylor Morton

Co-Lead, Env. Health & Justice Leadership Training WE ACT for Env. Justice/Univ. of Pennsylvania

EE 30 Under 30 Class of 2018
New York City, NY, United States

Katie Navin

Katie Navin

Executive Director, Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education

Katie has been active in the field of environmental education for over 20 years. As the executive director of the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education, she leads environmental literacy planning and implementation efforts and is active both locally and nationally.

Darryl Ramos-Young

Darryl Ramos-Young

Public Information Specialist, West Basin Municipal Water District

Darryl Ramos-Young is the Education Coordinator for the West Basin Municipal Water District, a local government agency providing water to over one million people in the coastal Los Angeles area. He earned his BS degree in Environmental Education from Humboldt State University and has over 30 years of education program development and fundraising experience with local, state, and national environmental education organizations. 

Bora Simmons

Bora Simmons

Director, National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education

Bora Simmons serves as the founding director of the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education. The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) initiated the Project in 1993 to help educators develop and deliver effective environmental education programs. The Project has drawn on the insights of literally thousands of educators across the United States and around the world to craft guidelines for top-quality environmental education.

Elena

Elena Takaki

Director of Leadership Development and Conservation Education

Elena currently serves as Director of Leadership Development and Conservation Education at the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies. From encouraging youth to recognize the ecosystem values of urban environments to providing leadership skills for professionals, Elena believes it is important for people to go beyond just understanding the world around them; they should have the opportunity to experience it through exploration, curiosity, and wonder.

Before coming to AFWA, Elena worked at the North American Association for Environmental Education, focusing on developing online modules for professionals. During her time at National Geographic Society, she managed the Chesapeake Bay initiative, funded by a NOAA grant, that involved uploading student water quality data to an online platform and creating curriculum and professional development opportunities to incorporate its use in social studies and science classrooms.

While at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Elena was the lead staff for the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature and coordinated education and outreach efforts for the state agency. Throughout her career, she has developed numerous curricula and lessons that involve student data collection and using that data to make informed resource management decisions. 

Elena currently volunteers as a board member for the Natural History Society of Maryland, and as an advisory member for the North American Association for Environmental Education. Additionally, Elena has served as President of the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education, where she is Emeritus and a member of their Maryland Environmental Education Certification program. Elena has served as Adjunct Faculty for Towson University where she supervised Master’s Education Students during their internships in middle and high schools, and she has led several study abroad courses in Costa Rica for pre-service educators.

Elena is a graduate of University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources (BS), University of Michigan’s School of Education (MA) and Johns Hopkins University (MS). She recently received a certificate in E-Learning and Instructional Design through Oregon State University.

Elena lives along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, with her husband Ryan, where they enjoy kayaking and spoiling their dog.