People

EcoRise is a nonprofit that empowers the next generation of sustainable leaders to tackle real-world challenges. We partner with K–12 educators and enliven conventional classrooms with resources supporting STEM edu, environmental literacy, green careers, and the development of 21st-century skills.

environmentally educated in the Chesapeake Bay watershed during my most formative time; apprentice of the tropical Dominican Republic & the arid Sonoran Desert; nature writer; current watershed address: Coan River | Potomac River | Chesapeake Bay | Atlantic Ocean

Bug Hartsock is a graduating Master's student in an Entomology lab. When he's not staring at small critters, he spends his time reading, making art, and going on hikes (as well as playing plenty of Dungeons & Dragons). Bug is passionate about scientific outreach and communication, creating zines and comics designed to make science accessible to everyone. He's also spoken at conferences, on public radio, and at a variety of school outreach events. It's his hope to encourage the rest of the world to fall a little bit more in love with its tiny, many-legged residents.

Hi! I’m Jimena, raised in Southern California with a love for nature and shaped by my family. I now call Alaska home. Previously, I’ve worked in fieldwork helping on avian research projects with the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before working with the National Parks Service as a park ranger. At present, I’m a Digital Community Coordinator at NAAEE. When I’m not supporting our amazing eePRO community, you can find me reading, writing, doodling, or bicycling to the nearest coffee and tea place.

I help organizations, school districts, and local governments achieve stronger connections with their communities and a healthy, more sustainable future for everyone.  

Andrew (Andy) David joined the NAAEE team in 2022 and is currently an international programs coordinator. Andy has a passion for environmental education, sustainable development, and working across cultures. He has a B.A from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master's in Development Practices from Emory University. Andy has worked in the U.S states of Wisconsin, Montana, and Georgia and has worked internationally in Ghana and Kenya. He is from a small town on the shores of the Gichigami (Lake Superior). 

I am an EE enthusiasts blazing the trail for the integration of environmental literacy into our public school system. #EEforALL

Heather joined the KEEP team as a Project Assistant in October of 2022 and took on the role of Resource Specialist in June 2023. She engages high school green teams around the state through the Mini-Grant program and supports sustainability efforts in their schools. She also lends kits with hands-on materials to educators around the state and manages the WCEE kit collection.  Before joining the WCEE team, Heather worked with the Dane County Office of Energy and Climate Change as a youth librarian and taught English in the Philippines and China. 

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.