People

My name is Kaliyah, and I live in Charlotte, North Carolina! I am an AmeriCorps member serving in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the City of Charlotte Landscape Management Division. My technical title is the City of Arborist Community Engagement Coordinator, and I help serve the city by creating, designing, and leading projects and campaigns that engage the community with street trees and other sustainable projects that help improve the quality of life of citizens. Outside of my work, I enjoy hiking and camping with my friends, and making weekend trips back home to West Virginia to hang out with my family! I also really enjoy music, birding, and here recently I've picked back up nature journaling and observing!

As an environmental educator, I am passionate about getting people outside to find community and wonder in our natural world. 

Westbrook’s curriculum is based on daily, direct encounters with all that is living in the natural world: animals, plants, water, sun, rain, and wind. Our curriculum aims to foster a child’s intimate relationship with nature, which will inspire wonder and support the child’s expanding sense of self.

5th Grade Teacher

Urban teacher in Philadelphia since 2003

Teach mostly engineering electives and various high school math, physics

Coach for Science Olympiad team and robotics

I am a Visitor Services Manager with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I coordinate an outdoor learning program at our refuge with 45 fifth-grade student who attend classes daily at the refuge. I also work with local schools to plan field trips, summer school activities and outings. In addition,I am the coordinator for our state's Junior Duck Stamp Program involving over 1,000 students annually. 

I have a bachelors degree in politics and an associates degree in business administration. I am pursuing graduate studies in environmental science and education.

I was an informal environmental educator for 30 years and now I am looking for a formal teaching position

My name is Heather Colvard. I have taught high school science for 11 years before taking time off with my young children. I hope to go back to the classroom eventually, but for now I'm soaking up all the learning experiences I can!  

My passion is weaving together science, indigenous wisdom, critical thinking, and intuitive understanding into an invitation to a deeper, reciprocal relationship with the natural world. Plants, animals, forests all help us discover what it means to be fully human, our own unique individual contribution to life, and our place in community.

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.

Emily earned her B.A. in Elementary Education from Ball State University and went on to teach first grade in Indianapolis, IN. At that time, the lack of widely accessible environmental education in urban areas led her away from formal education and into the field of informal science education at Lincoln Park Zoo. She worked on developing inquiry-based science curriculum for the zoo’s Conservation Camp program and later found her niche as the Early Childhood and Family Programs Coordinator.

Emily’s knowledge of nature education and developmentally appropriate practice allowed her to drive early childhood programming to the forefront of education offerings at Lincoln Park Zoo. Her work primarily focused on highlighting the importance of early experiences with the natural world and the long-term positive impact of these experiences. In an effort to break down barriers and create more diverse and accessible programming, Emily worked to expand the zoo’s offerings to a broader audience. Her progress on this goal is exemplified most notably through a partnership with Chicago Park District, the addition of an early childhood volunteer position, and the design and implementation of several nature play spaces.

In service to the greater AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) community, Emily served as a Nature Play Leader, where she supported other early childhood environmental educators by sharing resources, professional development opportunities, and leading discussions around important topics. Her experience advocating for early childhood environmental education led her to NAAEE and Natural Start Alliance as the Communications and Conference Coordinator. She is excited to continue the important work of Natural Start Alliance and explore new ways to support and engage the Alliance’s amazing community of members.

Emily is based in Chicago, IL.