People

Charissa V. Jones (she/her/hers) is the Outreach and Access Manager for the Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Service Outdoor School Program and a scholar-practitioner working at the intersections of Black Studies, outdoor and environmental education, Extension and Engagement, and community-engaged scholarship. With more than 20 years of experience across formal, informal, and environmental education, her work explores how race, gender, power, place, and joy shape experiences of nature, recreation, and public space. Her research centers Black Joy, belonging, and community as pathways toward more equitable and liberatory futures.

Tania Marien is the publisher of Transferable Solutions, a newsletter that reimagines environmental skills, helping environmental educators consider how to apply them to cross-sector work. She is the producer of the TALATERRA podcast, where she hosts conversations with independent environmental education and sustainability professionals, researchers, and authors. Past roles include serving as the publisher of ArtPlantae, a resource connecting artists, naturalists, and educators. Tania is a contributor to The Carbon Almanac (Penguin Random House, 2022) and Storytelling to Accelerate Climate Solutions (Springer Nature, 2024).

 

Conservation advocate, educator, mystic, artist, writer, doer. Former corporate nonprofit warrior, former NPS interpretation ranger, now making local impact for my county government environmental education and volunteer management program.

I work to enhance Great Lakes literacy by connecting K-12 educators and their students to aquatic science.

Grace joined the NAAEE team in September 2021 and works as an Event and Executive Coordinator. She was raised in western Massachusetts where she developed a deep appreciation and love for the surrounding environment. Grace began her journey in Washington, DC by attending American University, where she earned both her BA and MPA in 5 years. She studied a combination of environmental studies, public health, public administration, and nonprofit management. She comes to NAAEE with a background in programming for youth development, education, and in-person and online farmers markets.

I have been an educator for over 40 years. I currently work in rural Alaskan Villages supporting STEM education with teachers and students in Prince William Sound, across Kachemak Bay, and Cook Inlet. I served as an Einstein Fellow in Washington DC at the National Science Foundation.