People

Laura Downey, Executive Director, Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education--From an early age, being outdoors in every season was an important part of Laura's time growing up. The woods, ponds and sand dunes of Michigan were where she spent time exploring and observing the world around her. As important to her as time spent outdoors was playing "teacher" and that interest carried into her professional life. Laura holds a B.S. in elementary education, an M.S. in Administration and Supervision and PhD in Curriculum and Instruction (Math, Science and Technology). Laura's career has centered around a deep belief in the power of education to change the world. She began her career teaching in the Chicago Public Schools system and early on recognized the power of working collaboratively to do more better. She is one of the founders of a nonprofit focused on engaging teachers in school reform, has had the privledge of working side by side with social disruptors and become a voice for school change in Chicago. She moved to Kansas and continued to teach at the elementary, middle and preservice level and it was here that she found the field of environmental educaiton and recognized that EE was an ideal match for her passions, interests and values. Laura joined KACEE in 1998 and gravitated toward the affiliate network as an opportunity to amplify the work we are doing. Laura has also been engaged in the leadership for Project Learning Tree's Education Operating Committee and served on the boards of the American Forest Foundation, the Sustainable Forestry Intiative, the Council for Elementary Science International and several local boards including serving as the co-chair for Kansans for Conservation. She brings 25 years of experience in affiliate nonprofit management.

About the Organization and Summer Discovery Camp:

The Newlin Grist Mill, located in Glen Mills, PA, is a private non-profit foundation dedicated to preserving a 1704 grist mill and its surrounding 160-acres of open space. The Nicholas Newlin Foundation was established in 1960 by E. Mortimer Newlin, a ninth generation descendant, to restore and maintain the mill as a museum. The Newlin Mill Park, one of the last remaining open spaces in Delaware County, operates for the pleasure and education of the public and serves as a refuge for plants, animals and birds, as well as the park’s historic buildings.

So. Calif. has been my home all my life and each year I continue to be inspired by the natural spaces. When I am not working I enjoy cooking, reading, and exploring new cities. Currently, I am working to earn my M.Ed. in Environmental Literacy and am completing a certification program through AEOE.

I have been a teacher for about 30 years. I taught 2nd and 3rd grade in my hometown in Western Washington for 22 years, before moving with my family to Central Washington 5 years ago. I am now teaching in a SPED/Life Skills class as an emergency teacher for the remainder of the year while I look for a full time, continuing job for next year. I am married and we have one 15 year old bright and athletic son.

The first thing you should know about me is that I really don't like to talk about myself. That said, I'm a gardener, a mom, a home cook, a florist, a hiker, an avid coffee drinker and a life long learner with a passion for the environment. The more I learn or the older I get, not sure which, the more I want to share my love and passion for protecting our home. Not just the physical home that I live in, but this whole connected Earth that we share with countless other creatures. It's a daunting task, but I am one determined old lady who believes that if I can sway even just a few minds into protecting all that is around us, the ripple of that will be felt for generations to come. Wish me luck!

I am an educator and an advocate for public-involvement and community science, working at the intersection of people, nature, climate, and science. I am the PI on the MacroBlitz project, leading a team of National Geographic explorers to empower educators from the Canadian forests to Chilean Patagonia to teach how to survey aquatic macroinvertebrates using iNaturalist as a data platform. My scope of work includes professional and curriculum development on water, soil, and grasslands. I facilitate and advocate for braiding Indigenous ways of knowing and Western STEM in my work.