People

I have 20 years of experience with working alongside youth and adults within tradtional and non-traditional educational settings. My work has been centered around education, criminal justice, programming, training, and community involvement. I have been fortunate to expand my skills and knowledge in other areas and would like to grow within the environmental education sector.  I have an orange thumb when it comes down to planting and a green heart for growing and learning. Building my skills in this area will help me continue to spread the message locally of how we are all growers and learners of our environment. I am excited to become an Environmental Educator!

Helen Kuhns loves to get her hands dirty and her feet wet. Growing up in the Tidewater region of Virginia, she has always been enthralled by the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries, backwaters, swamps, marshes and the creatures that call those areas home. She feels we are as much a part of nature as the hawks hunting the wooded edges or the bluebirds feeding across the meadows. Helen’s EE philosophy has always been “helping an individual develop a personal connection to our natural resources is the first step to conserving our world for future generations.”

Currently, Helen Kuhns is the Assistant Director, Programs and Pearl Faith Coordinator for Lynnhaven River Now, a Virginia Beach-based, grass roots organization focused on improving water quality throughout its city’s waters and beyond. Helen oversees Lynnhaven River Now’s program team who focus on educating their community through virtual or hands-on, in-person learning opportunities, and stewardship actions such as cleanups and water quality monitoring. Building stewards within Virginia Beach schools, residents, businesses and faith communities, across the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond those borders drives her passion for environmental education.

Helen earned a Bachelor’s of Biology with a Minor in Philosophy & Religion from Christopher Newport University. She works to guide others to develop a meaningful and personal relationship with nature and also to understand the challenges our environment is undergoing. Whether working with church leaders, students, or volunteers, Helen’s passion for her work reverberates through her audiences. She advocates for environmental education and climate change issues through local and state level actions building a capacity for change. Helen is a committed partner and excited to work with stakeholders to move towards a common good.

Helen’s 30+ years in EE have resulted in a varied, exciting career. Focused primarily on wildlife, coastal habitats, watershed education, facilitation and interpretation, Helen has worked with students, adults, educators and peers. Helen is a founding Board member and former officer for the Virginia Association for Environmental Education (VAEE) serving as Secretary for 5 years, and working with her locally- affiliated chapter, the Hampton Roads Alliance for Environmental Education. She served on Governor Northam’s STEM Commission, the former-First Lady Northam’s Future of EE Committee and is a non-formal representative on the Virginia Department of Education’s EE Advisory panel.

I am a Dutch researcher and teacher in the field of environmental philosophy. I am also a nature lover and hicker. I have published a series of articles on sustainability, environmental philosophy and spirituality.

My name is Spryte Heithecker and I am the Science Curriculum and Experiential Learning Coordinator for Sterne School in San Francisco, CA. This year I am focusing on finishing my post baccalaureate degree in Sustainability from Oregon State, completing the Certified Garden Educator program from Life Lab in Santa Cruz, and completing the Certified Environmental Educator course from AEOE.

I love being outdoors, especially with my students! My favorite days are when I can plan field trips and experiential learning activities for my students including gardening, stewardship, volunteering, kayaking, and taking care of the horses at the SF Zoo. 

I am 27 years old, i like to be outside alot especially in nature.I enjoy meeting people often when i travel. Ienjoy sharing my thoughts and ideas with new people i meet,freinds and family members. i am the youngest of 7 and i am enthusiastic about living life. I enjoy going on adventures and seeing new places as life unfolds before my eyes. i am funny, multitalented, and i like to spread peace and posivity. my clothing options are almost always bright and vivid with patterns and shapes ect. i like card games, I can have fun with out needing money, and enjoy brain games aswell as reading books that teach people new things. i am also italian! 

Bilingual environmental educator versed in inquiry-based and object-based learning as well as cultural awareness. Skilled in communication and systems leadership.

Gentian Creek Preserve is a not-for-profit organization established by Jerry Turner and Marta Jones Turner to provide exploratory outdoor education to local students on their 255-acre property in rural Thomas County, Georgia. Gentian Creek offers a horse barn that has been converted to a nature center with two well-equipped laboratories, a large classroom, large screen tvs, observation room, and offices for staff along with access to more than five miles of trails through diverse ecosystems where transects and other study areas have been carefully established. Established units of study include Herpetology, Botany, Avian Ecology, Aquatic Ecology, Entomology, and Mammalogy. Three full time staff members conduct programs for third, fifth, and seventh grade students from the local school district as well as special program for other groups. 

I am an environmental educator and activist, and a constant learner. I have experience with informal teaching techniques from my time at the Philadelphia Zoo as a Conservation Interpreter and animal handler in the Zoo-on-Wheels program where we brought ambassador animals to local schools. Academically, I have a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Temple University and a M.S. in Conservation Biology from the University of West Alabama, and I am planning to graduate this December from Miami University's Project Dragonfly program with a M.A. in Biology. Project Dragonfly's M.A. empowered me to engage with my local community more, and nowadays I dedicate time to volunteering and organizing with multiple groups across my hometown of Philadelphia. 

Gustavo grew up in Southeastern Brazil, inspired by nature on his grandparents’ farm. His passion for nature motivated him to become a field biologist and led him to a career path in academic research and higher education. Gustavo dedicated over 15 years to help college students connect their curiosity about nature to science, guiding them through the transformative path of critical thinking. He believes that such transformation, however, should not be restricted to colleges, but accessible to everyone.

In 2018, Gustavo chose Connecticut to be his new home, and non-formal science education and outreach to be his new career. He currently serves on the Board of the NAAEE affiliate in Connecticut (CT Outdoor & Environmental Education Association) and has been supporting outdoor education as the perfect format to stimulate kids’ and adults’ curiosity about nature and connect them to science.

In 2020, Gustavo joined the Neighborhood Leadership Program from the Community Foundation for the Greater New Haven. Inspired by the stories and actions of so many community leaders, Gustavo decided to found the Science Yourself initiative as a way to celebrate, connect, and support professionals and community members that value science literacy, critical thinking, and science-based programs in the Greater New Haven area and across Connecticut.