People

I am Nicole Visnovec, HR Specialist with Aitkin County. Aitkin County and Long Lake Conservation Center are hiring, with careers that let you live and work in the beautiful Northwoods of Minnesota. Competitive pay, great benefits, and a team that feels like family — we truly value our staff.

 

From fishing and boating to hiking, skiing, snowmobiling, and ATV trails — plus enjoying local arts and music — the natural beauty and culture of Minnesota surround you, a rare privilege for those who work here.

 

 

Our Vision: We strive to be a county of safe, vibrant communities that place value on good stewardship of local resources.

Our Mission: Aitkin County’s mission is to provide outstanding service in a fiscally responsible manner through innovation and collaboration with respect for all.

Our Core Values: Collaboration, Innovation, Integrity, People-Focused, Professionalism 

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 am a preschool teacher at MD State, I currently taking classes at Notre Dame Maryland University, I am about to earn my second bachelor. The first was a Bachelor degree in Management and Finance. The second will be a Bachelor degree in Education. I am excited to learn about Green School. 

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.

NAAEE’s Senior Director of Capacity Building, Sarah Bodor comes from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, where she held a number of program management and leadership positions throughout the organization. She worked closely with state education agencies in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia to develop and pilot standards-based curricula and provide teacher professional development. Her background also includes communications and fundraising. In 2008, she served as the writer of Maryland’s Children in Nature Plan, which resulted in passage of Maryland’s environmental high school graduation requirement.

Brandi Stewart is a Space Science Outreach Coordinator for the Earth to Sky Interagency Partnership. Brandi grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and moved out west to complete an M. Ed. in Environmental Education and Non-profit Leadership through the North Cascades Institute's residency program. Brandi brings a background in place-based engagement, training development, and program management, primarily through their work with the National Park Service. Prior to joining the Earth to Sky team in November 2024, Brandi worked for the National Park Service for almost 14 years, as an educator and interpreter at parks such as Mount Rainier, Devils Postpile, Death Valley, and Grand Canyon.