People

Cheron H. Davis, Ph.D. is an associate professor of reading education at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Recognized as one of the top 25 leading women in higher education by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education and as Florida Project Learning Tree’s Educator of the Year, Dr. Davis is a practitioner at heart and maintains healthy, robust relationships with classroom teachers throughout the U.S.

Dr. Davis's initiative, ECO-READ (Empowering Conservation through Observation, Reading Education, Application, & Discovery), integrates STEM and literacy education with a focus on environmental education within HBCU teacher preparation programs. ECO-READ aims to enhance both teaching practices and environmental literacy among preservice teachers by bridging the gap between environmental education and literacy.

Dr. Davis’s research investigates the complex intersections of literacy, identity, and pedagogy within HBCUs. Grounded in critical literacy theory and sociocultural frameworks, her scholarship examines the belief systems, self-efficacy, and reflective practices of preservice teachers in early literacy and interdisciplinary contexts. Her current projects integrate environmental and reading education through the Eco-Read initiative, a federally supported effort to explore how ecological literacy experiences shape teacher preparation and student engagement in STEM-rich environments. Dr. Davis examines the mechanisms by which culturally responsive pedagogy, disciplinary literacy, and social justice–oriented teacher education converge to foster equitable reading outcomes. Her research agenda advances a transformative vision for literacy teacher preparation, particularly within HBCU ecosystems, emphasizing sustainable models of instruction that bridge the cognitive, cultural, and environmental dimensions of learning.

I am a nature-based educator with a passion for integrating science education and the arts. I presently work as a teacher for a private nature-based program and am a graduate student in the nature-based education program at Antioch University.

4th-year doctoral candidate in the Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies (DPS) at the U of A. My research explores the advancements of increased accessibility, program inclusion, and equitable practices within EE educational opportunities for historically marginalized communities.

Laura Downey, Executive Director, Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education--From an early age, being outdoors in every season was an important part of Laura's time growing up. The woods, ponds and sand dunes of Michigan were where she spent time exploring and observing the world around her. As important to her as time spent outdoors was playing "teacher" and that interest carried into her professional life. Laura holds a B.S. in elementary education, an M.S. in Administration and Supervision and PhD in Curriculum and Instruction (Math, Science and Technology). Laura's career has centered around a deep belief in the power of education to change the world. She began her career teaching in the Chicago Public Schools system and early on recognized the power of working collaboratively to do more better. She is one of the founders of a nonprofit focused on engaging teachers in school reform, has had the privledge of working side by side with social disruptors and become a voice for school change in Chicago. She moved to Kansas and continued to teach at the elementary, middle and preservice level and it was here that she found the field of environmental educaiton and recognized that EE was an ideal match for her passions, interests and values. Laura joined KACEE in 1998 and gravitated toward the affiliate network as an opportunity to amplify the work we are doing. Laura has also been engaged in the leadership for Project Learning Tree's Education Operating Committee and served on the boards of the American Forest Foundation, the Sustainable Forestry Intiative, the Council for Elementary Science International and several local boards including serving as the co-chair for Kansans for Conservation. She brings 25 years of experience in affiliate nonprofit management.

Executive Director of the Missouri Environmental Education Association. A longtime youth gardening educator and outdoor education advocate, who believes that teaching systems thinking is key to tackling our myriad, complex, and intertwined environmental and social issues....and knows that environmental education is the perfect avenue for developing that kind of understanding!

Renee Strnad is the Environmental Educator for Extension Forestry, housed in the
College of Natural Resources at NC State University.  She is the state coordinator for Project Learning Tree, has responsibilities for 4-H natural resource
programming statewide, and is a North Carolina Certified Environmental Educator. 

She has served on the board of Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC), the Southeastern EE Alliance's (SEEA) Leadership Team, and the NAAEE Affiliate Network Steering Committee.  She also works closely with the North Carolina Office of Environmental Education by serving on the Certification Committee and Environmental Literacy Plan Committee. Being at NC State University has allowed her to work with faculty with a growing interest in EE research, and helped create and pilot NC State's EE minor for students in any discipline.

Renee was awarded the Governor’s Award for Environmental Education from the NC Wildlife Federation in 2010, Project Learning Tree’s Gold Star Award in 2013, and the EENC’s Melva Fager Okun Lifetime Achievement award in 2014. She completed her Masters degree in Ecological Teaching and Learning from Lesley University in 2015. In her free time, she enjoys traveling (just one more state to go!), gardening, exploring, relaxing in her hammock, and spending time with family and friends.

Elizabeth ‘Libby’ McCann, Ph.D. is Director of Environmental Education Concentration, Environmental Studies at Antioch University – New England. Libby received her Ph.D. in adult education, with an emphasis in environmental education, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her dissertation, “Passion and Persistence: A Study of Communities of Practice in Schools,” earned her the Russell J. Hosler Award for Outstanding Dissertation.

My previous experience includes volunteering with SNC for trail hosting and educational field trips in the Spring Mts. with Go! Mt Charleston. I was also a Field Ranger for Desert National Wildlife with SNC. This gave me great insight on wildlife conservation as well as getting to work with NDOW and F&WS. I am currently an Interpretive Naturalist with SNC at Red Rock Canyon, NCA. I get to work with the BLM on interpretive programming such as field trips, guided hikes, presentations, and more. In October, I became a certified interpretive guide with NAI. I love having this amazing opportunity to influence and educate people on the wonders and conservation of our public lands, in addition to being able to learn something myself, everyday! I am an avid hiker and wildflower lover!

As the educator for East Foundation, Maria F. “Masi” Mejia, delivers natural resource education to the under served communities of South Texas. She deploys educational programs on East Foundation lands, and takes the proven L.A.N.D.S. curriculum into classrooms.

www.joshua-r-york.com