People

I'm a climate change environmental educator. As a freelancer I'm is focused on climate change, public lands, interdisciplinary watershed studies, geography, and teaching and learning through my gig, Wild Rose Education. I design and facilitate educator professional development workshops, public lands courses, Arctic STEM programs, and a multi-state regional climate change educator cohort. I have created and facilitated numerous environmental education programs including the award winning Youth Water Leadership Program, and Project Learning Tree Canada's Climate Change and Forests curriculum. 

My expertise includes best practices in watershed and climate change education, adult learning and facilitation, and interpretation. I'm a past board president for Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education, am a member of the NAAEE Guidelines Trainers' Bureau, an Environmental Issues Forums deliberation moderator, Certified Interpretive Guide, Certified Interpretive Trainer, Colorado Certified Master Environmental Educator, Land Ethic Leader, Leave No Trace Level 2 Instructor, Climate Reality Leader, and Wilderness First Responder. Sarah is currently based in western Colorado Colorado.

Dr. Amanda Bielawski is a global sustainability executive with 20+ years of leadership across global think tanks, the United Nations, nonprofits, the private sector, and Fortune 500 coalitions. She has served in the C-suite, on boards, and as an advisor on strategies to solve complex environmental, social, business, and community challenges.

As Founder and Principal of Lumina Futures, Amanda guides leaders and boards of nonprofits, foundations, mission-driven companies, and research/educational institutions to turn complexity into strategic action. She helps organizations navigate pivotal moments of growth and change. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Amanda reserves a few engagements annually for organizations driving impact there. She welcomes select board role inquiries.

Amanda has served on the executive leadership teams, including as Chief Impact Officer, of two of the world's leading sustainability think tanks. She has served as an advisor to the UN Global Compact's CEO Water Mandate, the Water Resilience Coalition uniting Fortune 500 companies, and the United Nations Development Programme’s Equator Initiative.

She co-developed the private-sector water agreement that became a key outcome of the 2023 UN Water Conference, now catalyzing action by 50+ multinational corporations operating in 140+ countries.

Amanda holds a PhD in sustainability, an MBA, an MS focused on environmental law and policy, and executive credentials from Competent Boards and BoardSource. Her doctoral research spanning 25+ countries focused on nature-based solutions for water/nature/climate inspired by Indigenous Ecological Knowledge.

With a deep belief in the power of education, she holds a higher education teaching credential from Harvard and serves as adjunct faculty at Saint Martin's University on topics including sustainable business.

Amanda gives keynotes on corporate responsibility, environmental and linked social/economic issues, collective action, and transformative impact.

Schedule a conversation: luminafutures.com/contact.

My name is Zane Hoover. I teach high school science in Fayette County, Ga., and I have 16 years experience teaching AP Environmental Science. I have hunted and fished most of my life. After high school, I joined the US Navy and trained to become a nuclear reactor officer. I served in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea during the first Gulf War. I went to college at Ga. State after the Navy and worked at Delta Airlines whille in college. 

Greetings!  My name is Rachel Sadowski - I work at a rural high school in the Northwest corner of Lenawee County - Addison, Michigan.  I am the Online Room Facilitator and am charged with maintaining online classes for grades 7 and 9-12.  I also help one of our Science teachers with one of the 7th grade classes.  I do "a lot" at our school - I am an advisor for the following clubs - Key Club, Outdoor, Robotics and Theatre.  I am also a certified NASP Basic Archery Instructor.  

Outside of work I have several hobbies/interests - I own my own small business making soaps, lotions/balms, salves, natural deodorants, butters/scrubs, lip balms.  I also make jewelry, clothing - crafty things.  I enjoy being in nature and attending Pow Wows.  

Vladimir Krivitsky is an independent photographer and author based in Israel. For over 20 years, he has been building a unique photographic archive of organic fruits and vegetables with non-standard, expressive natural shapes. His work focuses on leveraging nature’s own designs to inspire curiosity, observation, and imaginative thinking in children, offering a meaningful visual alternative to digital screens.

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.

Based in Dallas, Texas, 29 Pieces is a 21-year-old nonprofit arts organization driven by a mission of "using art to awaken, uplift and give voice to the creative human spirit to make genuine, positive social change." Founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic artist and writer Karen Blessen, the organization has a rich history of monumental public art initiatives, including 10,000 pieces of art for the Dallas LOVE Project (DLP), 185,000,000 media impressions for DLP, 4,000 pieces of art for The American LOVE Project, public sculptures, and murals. 29 Pieces programs and projects have collectively engaged more than 250,000 artists and students and trained more than 1,600 educators to heal divides, cultivate empathy and build a kinder world through creative expression. For more information, visit https://29pieces.org/.

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.

I am a retired hydrogeologist with a strong interest in sharing my interest in and love of the natural world.