People

I am going into my ninth year of teaching at the elementary level. I have previously taught first, fourth and fifth grade. Now I will be teaching third grade. 

I am the founder and lead educator of NC Nature School, a nonprofit outdoor learning community in North Carolina. As a certified herbalist and environmental educator, I am passionate about helping people cultivate lifelong relationships with nature through immersive, place-based learning. I am a descendant of the Southern Sierra Miwok and Mono Lake Paiute peoples, and my work is guided by the values of stewardship, reciprocity, curiosity, and belonging. I believe every child deserves a childhood rooted in nature, wonder, and connection.

Promoter in the “Formación para la Sustentabilidad” program at Centro de Información y Comunicación Ambiental de Norte América (CICEANA). Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sustainability from Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, with experience in both academic and civil society settings across different regions of the country. Particularly interested in environmental education, community development, conservation, and environmental governance.

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.

Spark Montessori provides a high-fidelity, authentic Montessori program that also considers the needs of today’s family living in the city. Our Outdoor Program brings kids outdoors, year round and in all weather, to foster a lifelong appreciation of and relationship with nature.