People

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.

Nina joined NAAEE with a background focused on community-based conservation and social inclusion, from working with mangrove-dependent communities in Madagascar to coordinating a global advisory group to promote women's land rights. After a childhood spent living in Asia and Latin America, Nina is particularly passionate about working across cultures to combine her interests in the environment, sustainable development, and social equity. Nina has a Master's in Environmental Management from Duke University. Through her Master's project, she worked closely with a community-based wildlife management and environmental education project in Gabon, where she conducted community mapping in 10 rural communities to better understand their priorities and concerns related to their natural resources. 

I help natural resource organizations create and implement effective strategic plans to guide collaborative conservation projects. I am a coach, trainer, and facilitator, and am certified by the Conservation Coaches Network to guide teams using the framework called Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation.

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?