People

Claire Sutton has been fostering connections between students and the natural world since 2010.

Sara B Sweetman, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Education in the College of Education and Professional Studies at the University of Rhode Island (URI) and directs the Guiding Education in Math and Science Network (GEMS-Net), a school-university partnership focused continual improvement in STEM teaching and learning. Beginning in the Fall of 2024, Sara will lead the new Environmental Education degree program at URI. Sara is an advisor for children’s media development and productions, including the CBP-PBS Ready to Learn Initiative and Sesame Street. Sara’s research interests focus on educational animation and children's media, gender diverse collaboration in STEM, and multimodal engagement for learning.

I am the Adopt-A-Stream Director for the state of Mississippi. I am also the Chairman for the MS Environmental Education Alliance (MEEA)

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 a Professional EEC Educator and have taught middle school science for 35+ years!  My knowledge of environmental science and sustainability has developed over the years from the excellent graduate courses taken, professional conferences and workshops attended, and my professional memberships to local, state and national organizations.

It is my goal as a science teacher to weave in the concepts of human impacts and sustanability into every unit I teach. I love meeting challenges to help students to learn by designing and testing ideas with STEM investigations, and especially take this learning outside.  

I am an Evenson Fellow, and this fellowship enabled me with a grant to purchase and develop Live Walls and improve our Green Roof at the school I teach with.

My website, Hope Challenges includes a section for teachers to increase their use of their state and local parks, providing ideas for STEM activities specific to each park. 

I love hiking and traveling all over Michigan and throughout the US!