People

Preethi Mony is a specialist in the field of environmental education, program evaluation and grants and has a wide range of experience from developing resource matierials, conducting programs with children and adults, as well as evaluating programs and grant reporting.

Growing up in the busy metropolis of Mumbai, she quickly recognized the importance of the social aspects of conservation in protecting the natural world. She has worked with organizations in India and the US to help with environmental education program planning and resource development. She has over 20 years of experience working with zoos and museums to evaluate programs and exhibits and recommend strategies to improve the overall visitor experience. Over the last 2 years, she has worked at a local community college to support grant work (federal, state, and private) as well as to inform data driven decision making in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space. She brings all of these experiences to her current role of EE Grant and Program Manager at NAAEE.

Preethi holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from The Ohio State University. She earned her M.S. in interdisciplinary Ecology from the University of Florida, and a B.Sc. in Life Sciences from the University of Mumbai, India.

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.

I'm Dee Dolce! I am a current Biology Education EdM student and a Teacher in Residency in Buffalo Public Schools. I'm passionate about community science, fostering community relationships with ecosystems, and leading youth-led community advocacy for environmental justice, ecosystem conservation, and water protection.

Jimena Cuenca supports NAAEE's digital presence, helping maintain and improve our websites like eePRO so that it serves as a welcoming and useful space for environmental educators. Jimena brings a deep curiosity about how online communities grow, connect, and collaborate. She enjoys learning new digital tools and is always looking to make our web spaces more engaging. When not at work, she's walking her huskies and birding.

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.

I believe that the best learning happens when we connect deeply to the places we inhabit. My journey through the Montana Conservation Corps, AmeriCorps, and years in the classroom completely reshaped my philosophy on education. I’ve seen firsthand how nature can spark curiosity and foster a profound sense of belonging. Now, my mission is to make those transformative, place-based outdoor experiences accessible to every single student.

Mountain Watershed Association began its life around a kitchen table. The organization was founded in 1994 to oppose an underground coal mine proposal in the Indian Creek Watershed in the Laurel Highlands of Southwestern Pennsylvania. MWA’s input and organized opposition resulted in the denial of the permit. MWA’s board of directors and dedicated community members realized that to restore the watershed to a viable community, they would have to address the legacy of more than 150 years of extraction and disinvestment in our rural Appalachian region. Since then, MWA has restored more than 70 percent of the Indian Creek Watershed and prevented countless sources of additional pollution in the broader Youghiogheny River Watershed. The organization has expanded to eleven full-time employees, a 17-person volunteer Board of Directors, and more than 2500 members and supporters.

Sheila Williams Ridge is the Director of the University of Minnesota Child Development Laboratory School. Sheila has worked in the field of environmental education since the early 90s and is the mother of four adult children. She has an EdD in Education Leadership, an MA in Education, and a BA in Biology. Sheila teaches courses at the University of Minnesota and Hamline University including Nature-Based Learning in Early Childhood, A Sense of Wonder, Equity and Inclusion in Environmental Education, and Student Teaching Seminar in Early Childhood. She is also co-author of the book, Nature-Based Learning for Young Children: Anytime, Anywhere, on Any Budget, and several other publications on nature-based learning. She is passionate about encouraging nature-based play and the lasting developmental benefits of a relationship between children and nature.

Favour Eragbie is a leading global environmentalist who is driven by the principle that you can only protect what you know about. She strongly advocates for climate education, climate justice and youth development.

Allieu Christopher Moiwa is Co-Founder and President of Action for Community Resilience Group (ACRG), a youth led organization in Sierra Leone working on water, sanitation, environmental resilience and youth innovation in Bo and Kailahun Districts. He heads ACRG’s Solar-Smart Agroforestry Learning Lab at Njala University, expanded with a 2025 Global E-STEM Awards Excellence Prize. He graduated from Njala University with a degree in community health and biological sciences, and after witnessing preventable waterborne illness during his clinical rotations, he moved into community water and environmental work. He is a Kennedy-Lugar YES alumnus and was awarded the Alumni Impact Award in 2026.

AppaLatina from the mountains of NC. 

New to EE as a professional but have been a student of nature since I was young. 

I am an Interpretive Ranger at Oconee Station State Historic Site in South Carolina, where she brings local history, natural resources, and cultural heritage to life through engaging, hands-on experiences.I am passionate about making history accessible, connecting people to the places around them, and creating meaningful opportunities for visitors of all ages to learn, explore, and build a deeper appreciation for South Carolina’s parks and heritage.