People

I am the founder, president, and executive director of the International Raptor and Falconry Center. I am a raptor ecologist with a research emphasis on eagles, particularly Golden Eagles. I am a master falconer, environmental educator, and raptor rehabilitator. I hold a Ph.D. with my dissertation research focusing on Arizona’s Golden Eagle nesting ecology and productivity. I hold an MS in Environmental Policy and Management and an MS in Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies. With all that, my real passion and vision are to have a place that people can learn and experience the birds that I hold dear. I founded IRFC in March 2017. To my knowledge, I am one of the very few individuals that is a master falconer, researcher holding a Ph.D., rehabilitator, and educator. Although you can be one without the other, I set out to be an interdisciplinary expert that intertwines all expertise to provide me with unique insight.

I enjoy to spend time outside and painting. I like to look for interesting flowers and see how bees pollinate with them. Beaches are a place I love to relax at.

Justin's work as K-12 Science Coordinator in the town of Suffield CT focuses on deeping connections to community and nature for all students in the district though a platform called 'K-5 Outside.'  Using a place based lens, Justin is guiding a district with transition to place based education and actively working to enable teachers to take the learning outdoors.  Justin also serves as NAAE Affilate organization the Connecticut Outdoor and Environmental Educators Association (COEEA) president.   

Preethi Mony is a specialist in the field of environmental education, program evaluation and grants and has a wide range of experience from developing resource matierials, conducting programs with children and adults, as well as evaluating programs and grant reporting.

Growing up in the busy metropolis of Mumbai, she quickly recognized the importance of the social aspects of conservation in protecting the natural world. She has worked with organizations in India and the US to help with environmental education program planning and resource development. She has over 20 years of experience working with zoos and museums to evaluate programs and exhibits and recommend strategies to improve the overall visitor experience. Over the last 2 years, she has worked at a local community college to support grant work (federal, state, and private) as well as to inform data driven decision making in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space. She brings all of these experiences to her current role of EE Grant and Program Manager at NAAEE.

Preethi holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from The Ohio State University. She earned her M.S. in interdisciplinary Ecology from the University of Florida, and a B.Sc. in Life Sciences from the University of Mumbai, India.

Hello! My name is Sofie and I work as an environmental educator for the NOVA region.

I am a teacher working outside the conventional classroom striving to reimagine the spaces we learn in.
I believe that connection is what our world needs most: with the physical world, with each other, and with ourselves.
I build and co-create learning communities and design experiences, unconstrained with the walls of classrooms and boardrooms, to help people explore these connections, uncover passions, and explore what it means to be human.