People

I am currently a graduate student at UNCW pursuing my MS in Environmental Science and MAT in Middle Grades Education. My background is in biology with a concentration in microbio and marine science, as well as in experiential education primarily through rock climbing and other adventure-ed programs.

Allison Rogers is the Education Director for Friends of Rye Nature Center. She holds a Master’s degree in Education from Manhattanville College, specializing in social studies and special education. While earning her degree, she would spend her summers as a group leader for the Rye Nature Center Day Camp, engaging middle schoolers and inner-city campers in ecology lessons and teambuilding opportunities. Passionate about place-based learning and developing connections to nature, Allison accepted the position of Education Director and Camp Director in 2013. She continues to co-teach in Forest Preschool and oversees the administration of our education programs. She works closely with the Environmental Education team to develop curriculum that is based on STEM concepts and is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and our strategic planning initiatives.

Jimena Cuenca supports NAAEE's digital presence, helping maintain and improve our websites like eePRO so that it serves as a welcoming and useful space for environmental educators. Jimena brings a deep curiosity about how online communities grow, connect, and collaborate. She enjoys learning new digital tools and is always looking to make our web spaces more engaging. When not at work, she's walking her huskies and birding.

Anne Umali has been working in the environmental education field since 2000 and has built a strong passion for teaching and training others, especially when it comes to leadership training, community engagement, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Anne is the Project Manager for the ee360 Project at the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), U.S. EPA’s most recent National Environmental Education & Training Program. Before NAAEE, she was the Project Manager for EECapacity, the U.S. EPA’s National Environmental Education & Training Program housed at Cornell University 2011–2016.

Madeline is an international programs specialist at NAAEE, supporting the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP), youth leadership programs, and other global initiatives.

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

Megan Fink serves as the Partnerships & Policy Manager for the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). Working in the field of Environmental Education for over a decade, Megan brings a robust, place-based, outdoor education background to the NAAEE team. She has built enduring working relationships across the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the Mid-Atlantic region. As a graduate of Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Science and Biology, Megan began her career as an Environmental Educator at the North Carolina Aquariums before joining the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) in 2011. Through several program management positions with CBF she led students, teachers, school administrators, and environmental professionals on ecological, cultural, and historical investigations of the Bay. She also managed a statewide leadership program for high school students, teaching them how to become environmental advocates at the local, regional, and national levels.

Megan earned an Executive Master of Natural Resources from Virginia Tech’s Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability in 2020. In 2022-23, she served as Education Director for the Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park, supervising 15 Environmental Education Programs and expanding their reach to 14,000 participants annually. She also initiated and managed a project to launch a brand-new, nature-based preschool and served on the Maryland State Department of Education’s Workgroup to develop statewide Outdoor Preschool licensing standards. 

Throughout her career, Megan has designed programs that inspire participants to act on behalf of their local natural resources and enhance people’s understanding of and connection to the natural world through compelling environmental education experiences. In her spare time, she can often be found hiking, gardening, paddling, and spending time with her loved ones, including her dog, Ruby, splashing around the Bay watershed!

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).

 

As the Associate Director of Conservation Education at The Marine Mammal Center, an educational center and the world’s largest marine mammal hospital, Adam challenges the community to think differently about ocean conservation using the stories of individual patients that are rescued by the Center.

Focus on community-based education about the environment, and changing behaviors related to natural resources. Served as Executive Director of NAAEE, 2001-03; NAAEE President, 2001; Board of Directors: 1991-1993, 1994-1996; Committees: Membership (chair), Publicity, Conference, Research.

I have a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and history of science and mathematics and a Master of Science in marine science. For over 25 years my work has focused on building ocean literacy, environmental literacy, and science literacy among K-12 and informal education audiences to build community resilience to climate change and public support for a healthy, thriving ocean.