People

Madeline Stewart is the Head of Administration at Two Rivers Farm School in Aurora, Oregon, where she is helping lead the school’s growth from an early childhood program into a full elementary model. Her work centers on creating a deeply connected, nature-based learning environment that honors childhood through rhythm, relationship, and meaningful work. Drawing inspiration from Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia approaches, she is passionate about building schools where children spend their days outdoors, engaged in hands-on learning and a strong sense of community. Madeline is especially interested in reimagining what education can look like when it is both academically rich and grounded in the natural world.

I am the Owner/Director of a small preschool in coastal Maine. I also teach in the classroom. We are a seasonally outdoors school, but embrace all things nature year round. We have a focus on social and emotional development, and strongly believe in play as the basis for learning. I am the Mom of 15 year old twin girls, and our family enjoys live music, camping, and exploring National Parks. 

Educator | Author | Publisher | Entrepreneur | Non-profit Leader | Systems Thinker 

Victoria is passionate about transformational change in schools. Serving as the environmental education and service-learning consultant at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Victoria works with educators and organizations to increase capacity for equitable, authentic learning experiences through meaningful place-based education. She co-founded FIELD Edventures, a non-profit dedicated to taking learning outdoors and designed and led a project-based, environmental middle school.

Naturalist for 15 years in California, Kasas and Missouri. Experience in Policy and Education.

Stacie joined the NAAEE team in April 2020. She has worked in or alongside the education field for over two decades and in communications for more than 15 years. She started her career teaching at a public charter high school in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining NAAEE, she managed communications for Annenberg Learner, a leading national nonprofit that connects K–12 and college educators with classroom content and professional development to support and strengthen their practice. She holds an M.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies from American University, and a B.A. in Modern Languages and Linguistics and Certificate in Secondary Education from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She also completed a Certificate in Social Impact Storytelling at Georgetown University. Throughout her career, she has been committed to bringing exceptional educational opportunities to underserved areas and educating to promote civic engagement.

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.

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'm a Restoration Project Manager with Point Blue Conservation Science's STRAW program (Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed).

This is my 39th year in the classroom. Unfortunately, I do not have 30 years in any 1 school district due to my husband's 20+ years of military service. I have taught in grades pre-K, 2, 3, 4, & 5 for 27 years), and 12 years in middle school in the states of South Carolina, Deleware, California, Hawaii, Indiana, and Virginia.   

I love animals and teaching people about animals and their part in the ecosystem, I want to preserve what we have and show people what will happen if these creatures and or habitats go away.

My passion for education and my love for the outdoors drew me into the world of environmental education. I have almost twenty years of experience working in various educational roles. My background in history gives me a unique perspective on the impact humans have had on the the natural world over time. I currently work with Muddy Sneakers, which is a non-profit that provides standards based science instruction to students in an outdoor setting. 

I am Juvie Castillo, originally from the Philippines. I moved to Maryland in September 2005 and began my teaching career with Prince George's County Public Schools that same year. I have been with the county ever since. Currently, I am serving my second year as an English Language Development Teacher here at Paint Branch Elementary School. This role allows me to directly foster linguistic and academic growth for our emergent multilingual learners. My passion lies in creating an inclusive and supportive classroom environment where every student, regardless of their background, can achieve academic excellence and confidently navigate their new language.