People

Jessica joined Black Rock Forest in 2023 as the Director of Education. Her primary focus is educational programming for K–16 students, teachers, and the general public. Jessica taught middle and high school science in the Bronx for six years, beginning as an NYC Teaching Fellow in 2017. Prior to teaching, Jessica conducted postdoctoral research in wildlife conservation modeling in Germany for four years; first at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and then as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biology at the University of Konstanz. She also taught college biology courses focused on assessing habitat loss of forest endemic birds. Jessica holds a BS in Nutritional Sciences from Cornell University, an MS and PhD in Biology from Rutgers University, and an MSEd in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, K-12 from City College of New York. 

Science educator, anthropologist, wife, mother and passionate environmentalist!

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 and has built enduring, professional working relationships across the Chesapeake Bay watershed and 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 level.

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. There 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 that 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!

I have been working in outdoor and non-formal science education for most of my career. I love living in the country with my husband, 2 children, and little flock of chickens.

As the Associate Director of Conservation Education at The Marine Mammal Center, an educational center and the world’s largest marine mammal hospital, Adam challenges the community to think differently about ocean conservation using the stories of individual patients that are rescued by the Center.

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’s knowledge of nature education and developmentally appropriate practice allowed her to drive early childhood programming to the forefront of education offerings at Lincoln Park Zoo. Her work primarily focused on highlighting the importance of early experiences with the natural world and the long-term positive impact of these experiences. In an effort to break down barriers and create more diverse and accessible programming, Emily worked to expand the zoo’s offerings to a broader audience. Her progress on this goal is exemplified most notably through a partnership with Chicago Park District, the addition of an early childhood volunteer position, and the design and implementation of several nature play spaces.

In service to the greater AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) community, Emily served as a Nature Play Leader, where she supported other early childhood environmental educators by sharing resources, professional development opportunities, and leading discussions around important topics. Her experience advocating for early childhood environmental education led her to NAAEE and Natural Start Alliance as the Communications and Conference Coordinator. She is excited to continue the important work of Natural Start Alliance and explore new ways to support and engage the Alliance’s amazing community of members.

Emily is based in Chicago, IL.

Caroline (she/her) is the executive director and co-founder of Florida Community Innovation, a civic technology nonprofit; a PhD candidate at the University of Florida studying public engagement in climate change topics; an advisor at SciStarter, the world's largest citizen science organization; and a retired pageant queen.

Project Coordinator Iowa Conservation Education Coalition

Since 2006, Andy has dedicated his career to connecting youth and local communities with the natural world around them, promoting environmental stewardship and advocating for access and equity.

Samantha Lindgren is an assistant professor in the department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership in the College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

I work with pre- and inservice teachers to help them practice teaching science and environmental education. In my research, I examine how students and teachers use narrative to learn science.