People

Mountain Watershed Association began its life around a kitchen table. The organization was founded in 1994 to oppose an underground coal mine proposal in the Indian Creek Watershed in the Laurel Highlands of Southwestern Pennsylvania. MWA’s input and organized opposition resulted in the denial of the permit. MWA’s board of directors and dedicated community members realized that to restore the watershed to a viable community, they would have to address the legacy of more than 150 years of extraction and disinvestment in our rural Appalachian region. Since then, MWA has restored more than 70 percent of the Indian Creek Watershed and prevented countless sources of additional pollution in the broader Youghiogheny River Watershed. The organization has expanded to eleven full-time employees, a 17-person volunteer Board of Directors, and more than 2500 members and supporters.

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.

Ariel joined the NAAEE team in September of 2021 as a Senior Administrative Assistant. Prior to this role, she has over 15 years of administrative experience in a laboratory and office setting. She is originally from the suburbs of Illinois and moved to Washington DC in 2009, where she attended Howard University. She received her B.A. in Psychology at the College of Arts and Sciences with a minor focus in Administration of Justice. She aspires to travel the world to learn and experience cultures outside her own. Should Italy be next?

• I am currently developing and starting a small home outdoor program, on five acres in the Sierra foothills, primarily for students and their families who will benefit from outdoor learning experiences that provide sensitivity to sensory and/or learning needs, while providing challenging and fun activities. With a background as a special education teacher informing me, I will include activities that meet a variety of cognitive, cultural, and physical differences, focusing on experiential environmental learning experiences that provide layers of depth to the exploration.

Environmental Educator & Visual Communicator | Community-Based Art & Environmental Education | ecology ↔ people ↔ place ↔ visuals

Escape Road 2 turns every getaway into a test of quick thinking, precise steering, and smart decision-making. Instead of simply holding the accelerator and hoping for the best, successful players learn to read the city, anticipate obstacles, and choose escape routes before the police close in. The game combines fast-paced driving with chaotic pursuits, making every run feel unpredictable.

Irma Vazquez

36 year dual immersion bilingual education teacher. I'm currently teaching 3rd grade in Inglewood Unified School District and working towards earning my EE certificate so that I can integrate language learning best practices with EE. I'm most interested in helping newcomers enjoy outdoor learning while acquiring a target language.