Board OF Directors

Thank you to our dedicated Board of Directors!

Emily Kaplita

Audubon Vermont

emily.kaplita(at)audubon.org

Emily a Teacher/Naturalist and Administrator with Audubon Vermont in Huntington VT. Emily spends most of her days rain or shine, running around the woods of the Green Mountain Audubon Center with adults and children connecting them to their natural world. Prior to her current position Emily was Audubon Vermont’s AmeriCorps Environmental and Outreach Educator through the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. Emily is originally from Connecticut, but Vermont has always held a special place in her heart since she was young, and she is happy to now call Vermont home. She has a Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology from Dickinson College and a Master in early Childhood Education from Champlain College. Emily has multiple years of experience in environmental education and research experience with amphibians, mostly the American Toad, and will enhance our education programs more with this knowledge. She enjoys hiking, biking, swimming in fresh water, skiing (both Nordic and downhill), and spending time with family and friends.

Core Knowledge Areas: birding, phenology, Environmental Education, Early Childhood Education, Place-based Education, Event planning, Teacher trainings, Outdoor learning/education

Meg Lyons

Northfield Middle High School

Meg Lyons is a high school science teacher at Northfield Middle High School, in Northfield, Vermont. Meg earned a BS in Environmental Science and Policy at Clarkson University. Prior to entering the classroom, she served as Outreach Intern at a Nature Conservancy ranch in northwest Colorado, taught elementary students about the ecology of Lake Champlain through the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, and spent 2 years in southwest Colorado interning with the Four Corners School of Outdoor Education (Bioregional Outdoor Education Project) and working as a naturalist with Durango Nature Studies. Meg began her formal teaching career in high school science in a small k-12 public school for 5 years on an island in Maine. Then she returned to Vermont and taught 5 more years at a ski academy, and now has been 6 years back in public school. She completed graduate studies through Lesley University, earning a Masters in Ecological Teaching and Learning. Meg's teaching practice has been informed by her love of the environment, and countless experiences supporting environmental education, project based learning, and experiential learning opportunities. Born and raised in Vermont, Meg currently lives in the Mad River Valley with her partner and their toddler son, where they spend every moment they can exploring the outdoors - hiking, biking, skiing, gardening, jumping in puddles, and romping in mud.

Core Knowledge Areas: high school science teaching, environmental education, project-based & experiential learning

Alison Thomas- Interim Chair

VT Fish and Wildlife

Alison.thomas(at)vermont.gov

Alison has been with the Fish & Wildlife Department since 2011. She holds a master's degree in natural resource management, with a concentration in environmental education, from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. As education programs coordinator, Alison is responsible for supervising the department's two Green Mountain Conservation Camps (Buck Lake and Kehoe). She is also responsible for managing the let's go fishing program and hunter education program, serving as the statewide coordinator for the Project WILD program, leading the wildlife management for educators course, providing assistance at department outreach events, and helping to develop and support environmental education initiatives within the Agency.

Core Knowledge Areas: Environmental education, professional development, nature interpretation, wildlife education

Nicole Conte

K-6 STEM teacher for Orange Southwest School District

Nicole Conte, AB psychology with learning concentration (Dartmouth College), MS environmental studies/education (Antioch New England), has been part of New England's environmental education community since 1991. Nicole served on the SWEEP board as secretary while working for the Vermont Institute of Natural Science and has appreciated the opportunity to be on the board again during the transition to the Network name and our Commitment to Change. Nicole previously served as a farm-to-school and parent leader at Barnard Academy. She now enjoys working as the K-6 STEM teacher for Orange Southwest School District, creating interdisciplinary, outdoor learning experiences for all ages. She volunteers on the Pollinator Working Group of the UVM Extension Master Gardener Program. Nicole performs with Upper Valley dance groups and appreciates making environmental, cultural and social connections through dance.

Core Knowledge Areas: environmental education, farm to school

Keri Hess, Treasurer

Environmental Educator

After earning her degree in Environmental Studies, Keri taught environmental education at Cal-Wood Education Center, outside Boulder Colorado. Eventually landing in Vermont, Keri earned her Master’s degree in Natural Resources Planning at UVM. A large portion of her career was spent at Rainforest Alliance, where she worked with corporations on sustainable sourcing policies to eliminate materials tied to deforestation. In this role, she facilitated trips to forest locations around the world for buyers to see where they source raw materials. She strongly believes that getting people out in nature, to connect to it and be humbled by it, is the best way to foster conservation, no matter the age. Keri completed the Vermont Master Naturalist Program in 2019 and served as a naturalist/educator at Four Winds Nature Institute 2022-2025.

Core Knowledge Areas: Place-based nature education, outdoor learning

Tasha Ball

Administrative Director, The Willowell Foundation

Tasha is the Administrative Director at the Willowell Foundation, where she manages programs and staff including The Wren's Nest Forest Preschool, Walden High School, New Roots, Summer Camps, and more. Although she's not an outdoor educator, she loves supporting and working from behind the scenes to make this important work happen. She is passionate about connecting youth of all ages, and backgrounds, to place-based education and their communities. Her work focuses on all things related to operations at Willowell.

She holds a B.A. in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic, with a focus in early childhood education, human development, and psychology; and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Marlboro College. She is an avid gardener, hiker, baker, and mother of two free-range children. Tasha finds joy in being outdoors through all of Vermont’s weather, hiking in the Green Mountains, working in her flower garden, or enjoying a beverage beside a campfire.

Core Knowledge Areas: grant writing, program management, event planning, place-based education, graphic design

Mandy Nix, Secretary and RSENDR Board Fellow

Rubenstein School of Environment & Natural Resources (RSENR); Gund Institute for Environment

mandylizanix@gmail.com

Mandy Nix (she/her) is a freshwater ecologist and educator currently completing her PhD at the University of Vermont. In transdisciplinary collaboration across the Rubenstein School of Environment and the College of Education & Social Services, Mandy channels a decade of K-12 teaching experience into community-based research at the nexus of watershed education and justice. Her commitment to equity-centered, place-based learning has transported her to outdoor classrooms across North Carolina, Alaska, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and now Vermont. Most recently as the Watershed Education Specialist at Stroud Water Research Center, she empowered today’s learners to become tomorrow’s leaders in boots-in-the-water stream studies, on-the-water boating adventures, community science water-quality monitoring, riparian restoration, and everyday stewardship. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Education for Sustainability (UVM) and a B.S. in Ecology & Environmental Science (UNC-Asheville), in addition to certifications as a NC Environmental Educator, Interpretive Guide, Project WILD/WET Facilitator, and Leave No Trace Trainer. When she is not fostering connections between creeks and communities, Mandy can be found gardening without gloves, frolicking with her leash-trained kitty Magpie, attempting to bake, and collecting secondhand treasures like a five-foot caddisfly.

Core Knowledge Areas: stream ecology, aquatic macroinvertebrates, environmental justice, place-based and environmental education, science communications, children's picture book

Courtney Mulcahy

Shelburne Farms

courtneymulcahy@gmail.com

Courtney joined the education team at Shelburne Farms in 2016. She works with educators in schools and communities to provide experiences that enhance and support students' sustainability work. Courtney has a passion for learning that extends beyond the walls of the school. Her background working in a variety of educational settings, including time in urban education, has given her an insightful perspective on teaching and learning. She has enjoyed reconnecting to the Land with kids, educators, and families through the many learning opportunities that exist within the field of Education for Sustainability. When she’s not at work you can find her enjoying all of the seasons to the fullest, eating delicious food, swimming in lakes and rivers, skiing, and traveling to places near and far.

Core Knowledge Areas: Place-based education, food systems education, environmental/outdoor education, clouds