People

Dr. Medina is an independent consultant specializing in environmental education. His areas of proficiency include program design, project management, proposal writing and review, professional development, cultural competency and inclusiveness, strategic planning, and facilitation. Dr. Medina has worked extensively at both the national and international levels. Until early 2014 he was Project Manager of the Cornell University-led Expanding Capacity in Environmental Education (EECapacity) Project funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Education. Between 1995 and 2010, he managed the National Environmental Education Training Program (EETAP). Within the last few years, he has facilitated professional-level environmental education courses and workshops in Thailand, India, and Chile.

Being a lover of children and the outdoors brought me to becoming a business owner of an early childhood school in 2004.  The journey went from childcare to being Reggio-inspired and then being Natue Based.  Connecting with other nature-inspired educators with the No Child Left Inside mission. We were inspired by Richard Louv's Last Child In the Woods and started moving past our fenced-in yard to visit state land behind our school. In 2014 I visited the schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy—so much formation of our journey. Our school has gone through a transformation from our outdoor classrooms to weekly nature walks visiting the pond and Highland Recreation Area year around.  Creating an environment where teachers and children thrive spending most of the day outdoors learning in a "Wonderful" environment to grow, play, and learn. 

Nearly 20 years ago, Christy took her first job in environmental education at a conservation summer camp, and she hasn't looked back. She has worked in universities, international nonprofits, local organizations, state agencies, and private companies—always with an eye toward helping people build environmental literacy and meaningful connections to nature. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida and a Master's Degree in Environmental Management from Yale University. When she's not working, Christy likes to swim, surf, and play with her family on the beaches of South Florida, where she lives and works.

Bora Simmons serves as the founding director of the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education. The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) initiated the Project in 1993 to help educators develop and deliver effective environmental education programs. The Project has drawn on the insights of literally thousands of educators across the United States and around the world to craft guidelines for top-quality environmental education.

Alan just started at the U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development's Center for Environmental Soluntions and Emergency Response (CESER) as their new STEM Outreach Coordinator in January 2023. Building on over a decade of providing evironmental educaiton in the non-profit world, Alan will be bringing this experience to the development of a new outreach program at the EPA's CESER's HQ in Cincinnati, OH. 

I am currently teaching 7th grade environmental science, but my past work includes serving as the Associate Director of Project Learning Tree and serving as a consultant to Project Learning Tree, Project WET, National Wildlife Federation, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for more than 15 years.