People

I have a BA in philosophy and history of science and mathematics and a MS in marine science. For over 20 years my work has focused on building ocean literacy, environmental literacy, and science literacy among K-12 and informal education audiences through grants and other partnerships.

I am a Life Science teacher in Virginia.  I love the outdoors and have an interest in sustainability.  

My name is Amanda (Mannie) Richardson and im working on receiving my wildlife educator certificate. I specialize in snakes and love providing education to those who are wanting to learn more and understand the native wildlife. 

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. 

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!