People

Lauren Gibson has served as the Executive Director of the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) since June 2026.

Lauren began her journey with environmental education through Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots program. Working with Roots & Shoots, Lauren created a small youth environmental grant program in her Indiana hometown, solidifying her dedication to helping young people find their power through environmental action.

Lauren holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Earth systems from Stanford University as well as a Ph.D. in environmental education from North Carolina State University. She built her career at NOAA, where she held roles in the Office of Education and on the agency’s leadership team. During the Biden Administration, Lauren served as NOAA’s first Policy Advisor on Youth Engagement, working to bring youth voice into federal decision-making.

In 2025, Lauren joined Colorado State University Extension, leading volunteer development for Colorado 4-H.

Rachel Arbor is a Presidential Award winner whose work has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the EPA, and the White House. She is the CEO and Founder of Gaia Scholastic and the NY State Lead for SubjectToClimate. For both of these roles, her mission is to cultivate a generation of environmentally-literate global citizens by integrating nature and environmental concepts into the learning experiences of students of all ages and abilities. With a Masters in Education, she builds interdisciplinary content in a way that challenges students to make connections: with themselves, with each other, and with nature, across content areas. She trains teachers across the country on how to re-shape their curriculum through an environmental lens, coaches students on how to turn their climate anxiety into climate action, and fosters environmental connection in and out of the classroom.

I am an administrator in a K-8 Episcopal School. We have a 70-acre natural campus with a lake, waterfall, and woodlands that we leverage for learning, athletics, mindfulness lessons, and discovery with our students.

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.

My name is Cecilia Mann. I am passionate about education, exploring and studying the outdoors. Outside of work, I spend my weekends and evenings outdoors, whether it be kayking,hiking or fishing.

Environmental activist with a focus on community engagement, communication and social justice. Experienced leader with a demonstrated history of working with government, non-profits and business. Oregon Forestry Award Recipient. Elected Board Chair of Columbia Soil & Water Conservation District. Endorsed by the Sierra Club and Our Revolution.

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.

I am an education biologist with Ducks Unlimited. Part of my position involves outreach presentations to young people about wetlands and waterfowl. I incorporate discussions about the importance of wetlands to clean water and protecting communities from flooding.

Passion Wisdom Fusion with Shrey (PWF) is an independent lifelong learning and systems thinking initiative founded by Shrey Srivastava. Through the Ecological Systems Lab (ESL), PWF translates ecology, conservation, climate science, and sustainability into accessible public learning through research-based visual storytelling. Its work integrates environmental education, media literacy, AI-assisted communication, and interdisciplinary inquiry to help people better understand the relationships between nature, society, and planetary systems.

Christy has worked in environmental education for over twenty-five years, helping international nonprofits, government agencies, private companies, and small nonprofits develop education and communication programs to engage a wide variety of audiences. In 2013, she joined the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) to launch the Natural Start Alliance, a project of NAAEE promoting outdoor, nature-based early learning. Natural Start has grown into a vibrant national network of over 1,000 organizations, hosts a national conference, publishes education and policy resources, including the International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, supports advocates and policymakers in outdoor, nature-based education policy, and more. Christy is the editor of the Nature-Based Preschool Professional Practice Guidebook, among other resources. She holds a bachelor's degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Florida and a master's degree in Environmental Management from Yale University, and is a Switzer Fellow.

Environmental educator, outdoor enthusiast, primitive skills practitioner, social justice warrior, musician, science teacher.  Currently Program Director for a nonprofit.

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.

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.