EEA Board of Directors
During most of the organization’s 28 years, the Environmental Education Alliance (EEA) has had a “working board,” which not only governed, but also implemented plans, operated programs, and organized events. An EEA director's (board member’s) term is three years and individuals may serve two consecutive terms. Each director chairs one of EEA's committees or serves as an officer. With the hiring of an executive director in 2020, the board is in transition from a focus on day-to-day operations to a focus on governing, scaling its successful initiatives, and advancing the field of environmental education.
During most of the organization’s 28 years, the Environmental Education Alliance (EEA) has had a “working board,” which not only governed, but also implemented plans, operated programs, and organized events. An EEA director's (board member’s) term is three years and individuals may serve two consecutive terms. Each director chairs one of EEA's committees or serves as an officer. With the hiring of an executive director in 2020, the board is in transition from a focus on day-to-day operations to a focus on governing, scaling its successful initiatives, and advancing the field of environmental education.
2020-2021 Officers
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Michael O'Shield, President
Sr Program Coordinator, DeKalb County Dept of Watershed Mgmt Term: 2019 - 2022 Michael's involvement with environmental education began as a Boy Scout as a merit badge instructor, summer camp teacher, and troop leader. He earned a bachelor's degree in geography from the University of Georgia. While in college, he interned with Gwinnett County's Adopt-A-Stream program to learn more about the effects of land use on water quality. Michael is the longest serving Adopt-A-Stream trainer in Georgia and now coordinates environmental education and outreach programs for DeKalb County's Department of Watershed Management.
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Zipangani Vokhiwa, Vice President
Associate Professor of Science, Mercer University Term: 2019 - 2022 As project director for Mercer University’s Fulbright Hays Group Projects Abroad Program award from the U.S. Department of Education for 2012/2014, Zipangani led a team of 10 teachers and two administrators from the Atlanta metro area on a four-week field research project to Malawi during summer of 2013 to collect data on “The Interaction of Environment and Culture in Malawi” for their area studies curriculum development.
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Holly Denham, Secretary
Volunteer Term: 2019 - 2022 Holly moved to Georgia four years ago and is now a stay-at-home mom. Before moving to Georgia, she lived in North Carolina where she spent four years as an environmental educator at a nature center and 13 years as the North Carolina Project WET State Coordinator. She also served on the Board of the Environmental Educators of North Carolina.
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Jennifer McCoy, Treasurer
Communications & Education Manager, Cobb County Water System Term: 2019 - 2022 Jennifer has been active in EEA since 2001, chairing several committees including Executive, Conference, Monarchs Across Georgia, Council of Outdoor Learning, Advisory Board, and has represented Georgia on the Southeastern EE Alliance Leadership Team since 2010. Jennifer is employed by the Cobb County Water System as communications and education manager. She attended Lesley University and Kennesaw State University, earning an MPA in nonprofit management, a master's degree in ecological teaching and learning, and a bachelor's in biology.
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2020-2021 EEA Directors
Kelli Cody Brookins Chair of Regional Coordinators
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Murray County 4-H Coordinator, UGA Cooperative Extension
Term: 2019 - 2022 As the Columbia County/UGA Extension 4-H Agent, Kelli and her staff provide monthly programming in STEM, agriculture, healthy living, and civic engagement to more than 2,000 4-H club members. After earning a degree in environmental geosciences, she served in the Peace Corps as an agriculture and environmental volunteer in Guinea. Kelli is currently working toward a master's degree in public administration at Augusta University. She lives in Augusta with her husband where in her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring national parks, and hiking with her two very large dogs, Samson and Bear.
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Mary Beth Cary Co-Chair, Monarchs Across Georgia
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Retired Educator
Term: 2020 - 2023 Mary Beth Cary began learning about environmental education in 1995 after being charged with developing an outdoor classroom at Worth County Primary School, thus beginning a 20-year immersion in content knowledge, lesson development, and best practices for outdoor education. She earned a bachelor's degree in home economics and journalism from UGA, M.Ed. in elementary education from Georgia Southwestern, and Ed. Leadership from Valdosta State. She was in the first ATEEG cohort and qualified for National Board Certification in 2005. When she retired in 2015, she began fulfilling her plan to volunteer with Monarchs Across Georgia.
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Korri Ellis Chair, Issues Committee
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Sustainability Coordinator, The Paideia School
Term: 2020 - 2023 Korri has been involved in environmental education for over 20 years. She started her career in various informal settings, including Camp Wahsega and Zoo Atlanta, before moving into the school setting as a science teacher at Grady High School. Since 2016, she has been sustainability coordinator at Paideia School, where she works school-wide empowering K-12 students with tools they can use to help take care of the earth they will inherit from us.
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Adrian Epps Chair, Higher Education Committee
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Interim Dean, Bagwell College of Education, Kennesaw State University
Term: 2020 - 2023 Adrian is interim dean of the Clarice and Leland Bagwell College of Education at Kennesaw State University (KSU). He was founding director of KSU’s ATOMS Center: Advancing the Teaching of Mathematics & Science, which focuses on meeting the science and math needs of Georgia’s K-12 schools. Adrian was appointed to the The College Boards’ national Academic Assembly Council in 2016 and will serve on its board of directors in 2021. In 2020, he was elected to the board of directors of the Georgia Association of Colleges of Teacher Education. His doctorate in educational leadership is from Clark-Atlanta University, and his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and M.Ed. in science education are from Emory University.
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Nicole Ford Chair, Practices, Resources and Professional Learning Committee (PRPL)
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STEM Specialist, Fulton County Schools
Term: 2020 - 2023 Nicole currently works as the K-5 STEM program specialist in science for Fulton County Schools, providing professional development for teachers and instructional support leaders in STEM pedagogy. An educator for more than 20 years, she has implemented and grown numerous programs, including several STEM and school garden efforts. She operates F.A.C.E. Ed. STEAM Consultancy, serves as a Georgia Science Teachers Association elementary representative, is a Georgia Department of Education Science Ambassador, and a SAGES presenter for the Captain Planet Foundation. Nicole has served as a fellow in the Harvard Think Tank, collaborating with educators across the world to develop lessons aligned to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.
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Karen Garland Chair, Council of Outdoor Learning
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Science Lab Teacher, Clark Creek Elementary
Term: 2019 - 2022 Karen has been the K-5 Discovery Science Lab teacher at the Clark Creek Elementary STEM Academy since 2012. Previously, she was an environmental educator for more than 17 years with a nature center and statewide nonprofit, where she wrote curricula and taught workshops across the state. She has received numerous awards for her work and is a former elementary representative for the Georgia Science Teachers Association. Karen currently serves on the Cherokee Farm to School Committee and is a Georgia Science Ambassador, Georgia Master Gardener, beekeeper, and backyard chicken farmer.
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Darryl Haddock Chair, Environmental Stewardship & Community Engagement Opportunities
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Environmental Education Director, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance
Term: 2020 - 2023 As environmental education director for the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Darryl coordinates educational programs, community outreach, and citizen science research. During his 20 years as an environmental scientist in both public and private sectors, Darryl has been recognized as a fellow and emerging leader by organizations including Toyota Together Green and National Audubon Society and was selected as Proctor Creek Ambassador by U.S. EPA’s Urban Waters Movement. He is a Project WET trainer, Adopt-A-Stream coordinator, an NAI interpretive guide, and is working toward ATEEG certification. Darryl has a bachelor's in geography from Jacksonville University and a master's in geoscience from Georgia State University.
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Jonah McDonald Chair, Fundraising Committee
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Park Naturalist, Mason Mill Park
Term: 2020 - 2023 Jonah is the founder and operator of Sure Foot Adventures, an outdoor guide service offering hiking, camping, backpacking, and outdoor education programs throughout the Southeast. He is also a professional storyteller, founding the Stories Squared concert series in Decatur and serves on the board of the Southern Order of Storytellers. Jonah performs at elementary and middle schools across the state and leads storytelling workshops for youth and adults. He is currently park naturalist at Mason Mill Park in DeKalb County.
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Susan Meyers Co-Chair, Monarchs Across Georgia
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Monarchs Milkweed & More, LLC
Term: 2018 - 2021 Susan has a bachelor's degree in microbiology from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge and a master's degree in environmental science from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. Her more than 25 year career has taken her from microbiologist at the Godchaux Sugar Refinery to the education department at Stone Mountain Memorial Association. In 2003, after a visit to the Mexican overwintering colonies of the monarch butterfly, her life was forever metamorphosed. Now retired, she continues to volunteer for Monarch Watch, Project Monarch Health, Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, and Monarchs Across Georgia.
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Hannah Penn Chair, Member Services Committee
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Environmental Education Coordinator, Fulton County Public Works
Term: 2018 - 2021 Hannah is an environmental education coordinator with Fulton County Public Works, a Project WET/WILD/Learning Tree Facilitator, and a Georgia Adopt-A-Stream community coordinator. She has a dual undergraduate degree from the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. Her favorite hobbies include gardening, hiking, paddling, and camping with her husband Adam, twin daughters Molly and Olivia, and son Grady.
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LeAnn Rutledge Chair, Conference Committee
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District Program Assistant, GACD
Term: 2018 - 2021 LeAnn is district program assistant for GACD where she is responsible for planning public outreach events of two soil and water conservation districts. She is a two-time Corporation for National and Community Service AmeriCorps alumna, created the Conservation Education Collaborative with local libraries to increase agricultural and environmental literacy in children up to five years old, and has taught more than 4,400 children, youth and adults about environmental conservation as a non-formal educator.
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Jackie Sherry Volunteer Coordinator
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Program Education Specialist, Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities
Term: 2015 - 2021 Jackie works for the Athens-Clarke County Water Conservation Office as program education specialist, teaching everyone from preschoolers to senior citizens how to conserve water. She has worked at Rock Eagle 4H Center as an environmental educator and at Dunwoody Nature Center as a program manager overseeing field trips, nature classes, and camps. While completing her master's degree, Jackie worked for Athens-Clarke County Water Conservation Office in the development, implementation, and evaluation of water-related activities. She holds a bachelor’s degree in forest resources and a master's degree in natural resources from the University of Georgia.
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Franke Smith Past President and Newsletter Editor
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Educator, Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc.
Term: 2017 - 2021 Franke is the educator at Hickory Hill, a Watson-Brown Foundation historic home. A graduate of the history departments of Auburn University and The University of Texas at Austin, she strives to create engaging field trip opportunities for students that blend the analysis of primary sources, STEM, and gamification. Franke served as EEA president in 2019-2020.
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Stacy Smith Chair, ATEEG Certification Advisory Board
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Program Education Specialist, Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful
Term: 2018 - 2021 Stacy has been the program education specialist for Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful since 2010, providing outreach, coordinating volunteers for community projects, and incorporating environmental education in schools. She completed her ATEEG certification in 2017. Originally from Oregon, Stacy received a bachelor's degree in wildlife science from Oregon State. She studied at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point and has a master's in forest resources from the University of Georgia (studying salamander micro-habitat in the GA Piedmont). She is a Master Gardener with a certificate in native plants.
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Susan Wood Chair, Communications Committee
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Environmental Specialist, Georgia Environmental Protection Division
Term: 2020 - 2023 Susan has worked for the GA Department of Natural Resources since 2001, beginning with the Pollution Prevention Assistance Division. She is currently an environmental specialist with the Environmental Protection Division, where she manages the "Environmental Education in Georgia" website. She is a member of the Georgia Recycling Coalition Board of Directors, serving as secretary for 2020-21. Susan holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Berry College, a bachelor's in environmental studies from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and a master's in political science from University of Georgia.
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Karan Wood, Executive Director |
Karan joined EEA as executive director in January 2020, having been a member of EEA since 2006. She previously worked as Director of the CPF Institute for the Captain Planet Foundation and executive director of the Greater Atlanta Conservation Corps. Karan is a Georgia Science Ambassador and facilitator of Projects WET, Wild, and Learning Tree; Dynamics of Climate, Climate Reality, and Science in the Schoolyard. She created ecoSTEM Kits, the SAGES curriculum project, and GREAT Pathways, a project-based storyline initiative. Karan is also a consultant with Inspiring Innovative Solutions, where she collaborates with non-profits and public agencies on strategic planning. She has successfully managed grants from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Improving Teacher Quality program, Community Development Block Grant Fund, Land and Water Conservation Fund, and private sector donors and foundations. Karan studied natural resource management at the University of Michigan.
kwood@eealliance.org
kwood@eealliance.org
