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.

With about 30 years in public education  I have a good amount of experience in different areas including Career and Technical, Speical Education, and Social Studies.  I've coached some soccer (used to play too) and raised funds for United Cerebral Palsy with a Wheelchair Basketball game.  I've been married for like 75 years now. I have two kids, and two dogs. I am a Master Watershed Steward, Master Well Owner Network volunteer, a 4H volunteer, and recently started training to be part of a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).  Someday I hope to be retired and grow garlic and cut firewood. 

With over 20 years of experience as an outdoor educator and a background in Environmental Education and Conservation Biology, I’ve taught in diverse settings—from U.S. nature programs to cheetah conservation work in Kenya. In 2019, I founded the National Outdoor Learning Alliance (NOLA) in Boise, Idaho, where I serve as executive director. Through programs like EverWild Forest School, NOLA empowers children to thrive through place-based outdoor education. I'm also a speaker, business coach, and passionate advocate for equitable access to nature.

Brock Adler is an environmental education consultant and lobbyist, green investor, and Chair of the NAAEE Advocacy Committee. He has worked and volunteered in the field for many years, and helped lead the effort to include environmental education in the 2015 federal education bill.

Favour Eragbie is a leading global environmentalist who is driven by the principle that you can only protect what you know about. She strongly advocates for climate education, climate justice and youth development.

I am a new teacher in Pennsylvania and have a passion for anything education! I love to learn new things as well as bring new resources and knowledge to my students!

Krysta works to advance environmental literacy in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed through online and in-person training for educators and network building with government and nonprofit partners.

I am currently getting my master's at Western Carolina University in the Experiential and Outdoor Education program. After I graduate in May of 2027, I plan to be an adjunct professor in the Parks and Recreation Management department at WCU. 

Lori Mann has more than 40 years of experience in environmental education at the local, state, and national levels. Lori joined the NAAEE staff in 2012 as Program and Conference Manager and now serves as Director of Conferences and Programs. In this capacity, she manages all aspects of the NAAEE annual conference and coordinates several national projects related to building capacity to deliver high-quality environmental education.