Educator

I’ve spent 25 years working where science, education, and community meet: first evaluating environmental programs for governments and international agencies, then building an environmental education organization from the ground up. My research explores how connection with nature supports personal, societal, and environmental well-being. My work on family time in nature has been cited in Richard Louv’s book Vitamin N.  I’m a guest lecturer at the University of Maryland and Georgetown University and for the University of Maryland Extension’s Master Naturalist program. 

Founder and Executive Director, Community Ecology Institute, 2016-2026

I founded CEI to cultivate communities where people and nature thrive together, and spent a decade growing it into an award-winning nonprofit with a staff of 25+ and an operating budget of over $1 million.  Through CEI, I led hands-on environmental education programs including Columbia Families in Nature, the Roots & Wings Learning Community, the Green Seeds Internship program, and Nourishing Gardens. More on my work with CEI on the Community Builder page. 

Adjunct Professor, Mentor and Graduate Assistant, Prescott College, 2011-2021

I was adjunct faculty member at Prescott College, where I mentored undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students in inquiry into sustainable communities, the relationships between people and the natural world, and action research. I taught graduate-level courses including Engaging in Place: An Active Introduction to Civic Ecology and Compassionate Climate Change Education. 

Manager and Expert Consultant, Energy and Resources Practice, ICF International, 2004-2017

For 13 years I advised the U.S. EPA, the United Nations, and energy utilities on water quality, climate change, land use, and program evaluation.

• Water quality and climate change: conducted EPA-funded research to build a predictive model of how land-use change affects water quality, plus a decision-support framework for meeting water quality goals under climate change scenarios. I also facilitated stakeholder collaboration on the Offshore Wind Energy Development Framework, focused on impacts to the marine environment.
• International program evaluation: evaluated the overall performance of the Global Environment Facility, covering international waters, biodiversity, and land degradation. I developed the methodology, conducted 100+ stakeholder interviews, coordinated 18+ international field visits, and co-authored the final report. I also evaluated the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol, running the quantitative financial and implementation analyses and developing the key findings.
• Energy efficiency: designed, launched, and managed ENERGY STAR for New Homes programs for all five public utilities in Maryland, raising the statewide market share of ENERGY STAR homes from 6% in 2008 to 48% in 2011. I also managed national account support for EPA’s ENERGY STAR Certified Homes program and led its annual stakeholder meeting from 2008 to 2015.

Selected reports: 

Third Overall Performance Study of the Global Environment Facility (2005) 

Evaluation of the Financial Mechanism of the Montreal Protocol (2004)

The full list of my publications is on the Author page.

Research Associate and Teaching Assistant, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2000–2003
With the Department of Public Policy, I studied why government facilities voluntarily adopt environmental management systems and assessed water and wastewater infrastructure needs in the Appalachian region. I also taught lab and discussion sections for undergraduate courses in the Carolina Environmental Program, including Geographic Information Systems and Environment and Society, and instructed an environmental health course during a study abroad program in Salzburg, Austria. 

My areas of expertise include environmental science and stewardship, such as watershed management and climate resilience; environmental program design, implementation, and evaluation; community-based education; grant development; and nonprofit leadership. I’m open to select consulting and advising projects. Get in touch.