People

Jenna Cobb (she/her) is passionate about facilitating spaces to cultivate relationship with nature and engaging youth in academic, advocacy, and faith-based settings to seek community transformation together. She is currently located on unceded Tongva land in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California in the United States. As a Program Manager at Community Nature Connection and a former youth pastor, Jenna is excited about incorporating spirituality, Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and civics in environmental education.

Hi! I'm an Interpretative Park Guide at Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation in Linville, NC. I graduated in 2019 with a degree in Wildlife Biology; I previously worked as a rock climbing instructor. Currently, I develop and teach daily educational programs focused on GFM's unique ecology.

Born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon, Arija spent most of her time outside exploring the forest behind her home with her brothers and friends. She collected rocks to compare under a microscope, spent her winters hiking and on the slopes of Mount Sima with her mother, and investigated her surroundings on family camping trips. In the outdoors, Arija learned self-confidence, self-development, developed risk-management skills, and most of all, joy.

Arija moved to Ontario at the age of 15 and began working at Mount Pakenham as a snowboard instructor. She discovered a passion for pedagogy and working with children in the outdoors at a young age. She worked at Camp Misquah for 3 years, an Ottawa based non-profit summer camp that provides a special residential camping experience for adults and children with special needs. After graduating from the University of Ottawa, Arija continued her career as an outdoor instructor for the Outdoor Adventure Program at Algonquin College, at Mount Pakenham, and her summers were spent on the river as a raft guide. She moved to Fernie, BC to pursue her Level 3 with CASI and become an Evaluator. In 2018, Arija moved back to Ontario to be close to family, friends and the Ottawa River. She was inspired to further her education working with children and graduated from Algonquin College with honours in Early Childhood Education. Arija moved to Beachburg in 2019, having created a connection with the community, the river and her natural surroundings. Arija has gained certifications in Wilderness First Aid, Occupational First Aid, and Swift Water Rescue. She is a certified Forest School Practitioner from the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada. Arija hopes to continue her learning in the outdoor education, child development and psychology. 

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With a passion for the outdoors, a background in outdoor education and dedication for Early Childhood Education, Arija wants to create space and time for ALL children and families to experience the wonder of the outdoors. She wants to encourage children to choose play in the outdoors over screen-time, discover their potential, share her excitement for the outdoors, and get out and play. Arija believes children are keepers of knowledge and share insight deeply that there is no better place for holistic development than in the outdoors.

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.

Following his undergraduate degree, he served as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Glacier National Park in a Tribal Liaison role. There, he worked to build trust between local Indigenous populations and the Park to collaboratively manage natural and cultural resources and grow economic opportunities. 

Andy recently completed a Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) from Emory University, with concentrations in Environmental Sustainability and Monitoring and Evaluation. Throughout his time at Emory, he completed two practicums: one at the Georgia Conservancy (2021) and the other at World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) (2022). At World Agroforestry, he worked on the Regreening Africa project, which restores degraded land across the Sahel through agroforestry and farmer managed natural regeneration.

I am a garden and nature education and communication specialist. For more than twenty-five years I have shared my passion for agriculture and the environment as an educator in the classroom and the field, as a writer for print and social media, and as a community event planner. I hold a MS in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Environmental Education from Antioch Univeristy and have early education and elementary school teacher certification. I love to teach, hike, garden, cook, and explore with my eleven-year-old boy and our dog Ripple.

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 in April 2020, 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.

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.

Drew Burnett is a retired Federal civil servant with 32 years of service in the U.S. Peace Corps, Environmental Protection Agency, Forest Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service.  Beginning in July 2019, Drew began working part-time as a consultant specializing in meeting facilitation services focused on policy development, decision making, team building, and visioning and strategic planning. Drew is also interested in short-term (NTE 3 months) project leader work focused on environmental education and natural resource management and policy development. Current clients include the North American Association for Environmental Education, Project Learning Tree, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He loves practicing his Spanish, triathlon training, gardening at their weekend home in Garrett County, MD, and volunteering at the house museum Fallingwater.  Drew lives in Washington, DC with his husband of 22 years, and their kitty, Stella.

Interested in developing job readiness skills, experience in project management, and gaining contacts in the field of natural resources? Come learn, live and serve in the beautiful State of Maine! The Maine Conservation Corps (MCC) is devoted to conservation and environmental stewardship across the state, with positions available throughout the year.

As part of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry, the MCC's four-fold mission is to: accomplish conservation projects, create conservation employment, provide conservation education, and engage conservation volunteers.

Hi! My name is Will Vest, and I have been working in environmental education and interpretation for the last few years. I am passionate about alternative and sustainable life styles, and love learning in that field. I have experience working on local farms, national parks, adventure courses, as well as in primary education. I also am an avid bird watcher since intering at the Great Smoky Mountains in 2021!

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. 

As an established marketing professional and award-winning public speaker, Carrie brings a variety of skills to NAAEE. Hailing most recently from the private sector, she is versed in planning complex marketing strategies for such names as REI, Icelandair, NPR, and The Weather Channel. A thought-leader in her industry, Carrie has developed and delivered training and audits to hundreds of participants, and prides herself on empowering those around her to excellence. She enthusiastically joins the NAAEE team to combine her creative innovation with her passion for environmental justice and education. 

Carrie has spent her life in the Midwest and currently resides in the rolling hills of southern Indiana. Outside work, Carrie serves on the Bloomington Environmental Commission and takes every opportunity to go hiking with her wife and two rescue pups.

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. Mary has been on NAAEE staff since 1999 and her extensive background in technology, website development, outreach, multi-stakeholder collaboration, security, systems support, and project management experience consistently provides the highest level of support to NAAEE’s team, leadership, and members.