People

Michèle Andrews is the Co-Founder and Executive Director at DoorNumberOne.org - a not-for-profit providing practical inspiration for the transition to a just, beautiful, and regenerated world. She is leading the Climate Action Accelerator Program with K-12 schools across Canada to help them create and implement bold, high-impact, hope-filled whole-school climate action plans. In this program students, operations leaders, faculty and administrators are working together on school teams and with their colleagues around the country to chart an accelerated climate-positive path for schools everywhere.

Lori Mann has more than 40 years of experience in environmental education at the local, state, and national levels. Lori joined the NAAEE staff in 2012 as Program and Conference Manager and now serves as Director of Conferences and Programs. In this capacity, she manages all aspects of the NAAEE annual conference and coordinates several national projects related to building capacity to deliver high-quality environmental education. 

I am an environmental education researcher in the Civic Ecology Lab at Cornell University. My current research focuses on urban agriculture education that promotes school sustainability, youth civic engagement, climate action, and environmental justice and literacy. Along with my colleagues, I create and teach global online courses for the professional development of environmental educators. I am the first editor of Urban Environmental Education Review (Cornell University Press, 2017). I also serve as an adviser for the Global Environmental Education Partnership. I enjoy reading, writing, plant-based eating, and traveling the world.

My website: http://alexkudryavtsev.org

Blog: http://environmental.education

Billy Bennett is the Executive Director of the Kentucky Environmental Education Council (KEEC). Before his appointment, he was the Director of the Center for Environmental Education and part-time faculty in the College of Education at Eastern Kentucky University. Currently he also serves as vice-president of the Kentucky Society of Natural History. Billy also served as the Chair and Vice-chair of the Kentucky Association for Environmental Education (KAEE) and the Kentucky College and University Partnership for Environmental Education (KCUPEE). Through collaboration with KAEE and KCUPEE, he promotes the use of environment-based education across the curriculum areas. His agency, in partnership with KAEE, oversees the operation of the Environmental Education Leadership Corps which places AmeriCorps members with EE nonprofits and government agencies throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Billy holds a Bachelor’s in Middle School Education, Teaching (2004), a Master's in Secondary Education, Teaching (2006) and a Master's in Elementary Education (2008) at Eastern Kentucky University. He holds a Rank 1 Teaching certificate for 5-8th grade Science/Social Studies, as well as 8-12th grade Earth Science, and has an Endorsement for Environmental Education grades K-12. Also, he is a certified master environmental educator through the Kentucky Environmental Education Council.

His professional affiliations include the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), the Kentucky Association for Environmental Education (KAEE), The Kentucky Science Teachers Association (KSTA), the Kentucky Chapter of the US Green Building Council (USGBC KY), the Kentucky Society of Natural History (KSNH), and the National Science Teachers Association. He is also a life member of the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA).

Michael Cruse is a secondary school resource teacher at the Arlington Career Center, in Arlington, VA, where he also serves on the superintendent's environmental sustainability committee.  He has worked with committee members to develop a school-based sustainability liaison program, supporting teacher-liaisons' capacity to address environmental projects with students.

At the Career Center, he initiated a closed loop compost system for the culinary arts program, where culinary students are composting their scraps and growing herbs and micro-greens for use in their commercial kitchen.  He has received funding from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for a student-led Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) study, and horticulture remediation project.  He has also received local community foundation funds for arts-based crosswalks at several Arlington elementary schools, promoting sustainable transportation choices.

In 2018, Mike received a Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching fellowship to study green schools and environmental education in Israel and Palestine.  His inquiry project focused on pluralistic school and community-based programs that support environmental stewardship in contested landscapes.  He has blogged about his work for Education Week, and National Geographic Education.  He has also written for Urban Environmental Education and Techniques Magazine, the journal of the Association of Career and Technical Education.  

Mike is a manuscript reviewer for the National Science Teachers Association's publication, Science & Children.  He is also currently serving a two year term on the advisory board of the U.S. Green Building Council's Center for Green Schools, where he has helped advise the organization's outreach and communications, and peer reviewed presentations for the Green Schools National Network's annual conference.  He is also a volunteer conference presentation reviewer for NAAEE. 

Mike seeks opportunities to give students and teachers the tools to improve their communities, and platforms to share their stories.  He believes that urban youth and educators should be at the forefront of addressing the impacts of climate change, and advocating for more sustainable cities.