People

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. Laura holds a B.S. in elementary education, an M.S. in Administration and Supervision and PhD in Curriculum and Instruction (Math, Science and Technology). Laura's career has centered around a deep belief in the power of education to change the world. She began her career teaching in the Chicago Public Schools system and early on recognized the power of working collaboratively to do more better. She is one of the founders of a nonprofit focused on engaging teachers in school reform, has had the privledge of working side by side with social disruptors and become a voice for school change in Chicago. She moved to Kansas and continued to teach at the elementary, middle and preservice level and it was here that she found the field of environmental educaiton and recognized that EE was an ideal match for her passions, interests and values. Laura joined KACEE in 1998 and gravitated toward the affiliate network as an opportunity to amplify the work we are doing. Laura has also been engaged in the leadership for Project Learning Tree's Education Operating Committee and served on the boards of the American Forest Foundation, the Sustainable Forestry Intiative, the Council for Elementary Science International and several local boards including serving as the co-chair for Kansans for Conservation. She brings 25 years of experience in affiliate nonprofit management.

a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; }

Michael Page Sr. brings more than twenty years of educational experience to his role as Director of Science and Environmental Literacy at the Maryland State Department of Education. He has led major instructional and systemwide improvements, including districtwide alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards and the Maryland College and Career Ready Standards, development of comprehensive assessment systems, and data-driven refinement of science instruction.

A recognized leader in environmental literacy, Michael spearheaded initiatives that resulted in his district achieving 100% Maryland Green School certification and earning national distinction through the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools program. His work has centered on embedding environmental literacy across the full PreK–12 continuum and building sustainable structures that support strong, equitable science learning.

Throughout his career, Michael has been committed to advancing rigorous and relevant science and environmental literacy education for all students and strengthening the systems that make high-quality learning possible.

MS Science Teacher in Dallas, Texas

4-8 Certification

Putting a bunch of kids in the woods and seeing what happens

Former Executive Director of the Missouri Environmental Education Association. A longtime youth gardening educator and outdoor education advocate, who believes that teaching systems thinking is key to tackling our myriad, complex, and intertwined environmental and social issues....and knows that environmental education is the perfect avenue for developing that kind of understanding!

As an educator, project coordinator, and STEM/STEAM researcher, I develop innovative learning models that integrate literature with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Serving as a lead and manager in national and international projects under E-STEM, Horizon Europe, and Erasmus+, I focus on sustainable environmental education, digital transformation, and interdisciplinary curriculum design. Through academic papers, book chapters, and hands-on workshops, I contribute to the interdisciplinary educational ecosystem while leading student-centered projects focused on technological innovation, social impact, and sustainability.

Passion Wisdom Fusion with Shrey (PWF) is an independent lifelong learning and systems thinking initiative founded by Shrey Srivastava. Through the Ecological Systems Lab (ESL), PWF translates ecology, conservation, climate science, and sustainability into accessible public learning through research-based visual storytelling. Its work integrates environmental education, media literacy, AI-assisted communication, and interdisciplinary inquiry to help people better understand the relationships between nature, society, and planetary systems.

Lori Mann has more than 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. 

Megan Fink serves as the Partnerships & Policy Manager for the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). Working in the field of Environmental Education for over a decade, Megan brings a robust, place-based, outdoor education background to the NAAEE team. She has built enduring working relationships across the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the Mid-Atlantic region. As a graduate of Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Science and Biology, Megan began her career as an Environmental Educator at the North Carolina Aquariums before joining the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) in 2011. Through several program management positions with CBF she led students, teachers, school administrators, and environmental professionals on ecological, cultural, and historical investigations of the Bay. She also managed a statewide leadership program for high school students, teaching them how to become environmental advocates at the local, regional, and national levels.

Megan earned an Executive Master of Natural Resources from Virginia Tech’s Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability in 2020. In 2022-23, she served as Education Director for the Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park, supervising 15 Environmental Education Programs and expanding their reach to 14,000 participants annually. She also initiated and managed a project to launch a brand-new, nature-based preschool and served on the Maryland State Department of Education’s Workgroup to develop statewide Outdoor Preschool licensing standards. 

Throughout her career, Megan has designed programs that inspire participants to act on behalf of their local natural resources and enhance people’s understanding of and connection to the natural world through compelling environmental education experiences. In her spare time, she can often be found hiking, gardening, paddling, and spending time with her loved ones, including her dog, Ruby, splashing around the Bay watershed!