People

Born and raised in NC from the flatlands, to the beach, to the mountains, where I feel the most at home. I graduated with a degree in wildlfie management in 2022 and have been working at a wonderful non-profit ever since. The last several years I have transitioned into a wildlife director role and educator there. I am very passionate about teaching we humans about coexisting with wildlife and conserving it. I care about wildlife deeply and I love to see others learn to care about them right before my eyes! I am a devoted dog, cat, and chicken mom and enjoy being outdoors. 

I'm an environmental educator, senior lecturer, author, and founder of A Natural Focus, LLC. Through experiential, place-based teaching and learning, I encourage people to notice, understand, and connect with the natural world. My work encompasses nature study, environmental education, nature and wellbeing, and sustainable living, with an emphasis on curiosity, direct experience, and cultivating an ethic of environmental stewardship.

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 am a teacher at a public charter school in Michigan's upper peninsula that has an environmental focus.

Bora Simmons serves as the founding director of the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education. The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) initiated the Project in 1993 to help educators develop and deliver effective environmental education programs. The Project has drawn on the insights of literally thousands of educators across the United States and around the world to craft guidelines for top-quality environmental education.

I am a math/science teacher.  I love the outdoors and all things gardening.  I enjoy teaching and I try to get my students outside as much as I can.

My name is Emily Hisle and I am an elementary STEM Lab teacher in Lexington, KY.  I began teaching in 2008 and spent 16 years as a 3rd and 4th grade classroom teacher.  Teaching science effectively was an incredibly important part of my job in the classroom.  In 2024, I transitioned to the STEM position in my school.  Since that time, I have had the pleasure of teaching all students in my school, which is appoximately 600 students.  I see each class 1 time per week.  My goal is provide hands on STEM educaiton that is rooted in science.  

Justin's work as K-12 Science Coordinator in the town of Suffield CT focuses on deeping connections to community and nature for all students in the district though a platform called 'K-5 Outside.'  Using a place based lens, Justin is guiding a district with transition to place based education and actively working to enable teachers to take the learning outdoors.  Justin also serves as NAAE Affilate organization the Connecticut Outdoor and Environmental Educators Association (COEEA) president.