From Classroom to Career: Connecting Ohio Educators and Environmental Professionals for Student Pathways

Image of Spruce Run Nature Center and youth exploring nature

Click here to register now: There are just 30 remaining seats!

This limited capacity event is intended for K-12 classroom educators to network with environmental professionals to inspire and plan local environmental education opportunities for students.

Agenda:

9:00 a.m. Doors open at the Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center.

Environmental education exhibition session in the Hallway, including:
Coffee and light snacks will be provided for attendees.

10:00 a.m. Livestreaming services on the EPN YouTube channel begin. Tim Haab, PhD, director, Ohio State’s School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR) provides welcome remarks.

10:05 a.m. Christina Vera, Board Member, Columbus City School (CCS) District's Board of Education describes CCS' commitment to creating environmental education opportunities for all students in their district.

10:10 a.m. Kwesi Kambon, Vice President, Friends of Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks, outlines the themes of the full-day program and illustrates the importance of supporting equal access to environmental career pathways.

10:20 a.m. Angie Burke, Manager of Strategic Partnerships & Engagement, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), provides background on Spruce Run Nature Center and environmental education initiatives with TNC.

10:30 a.m. Esther DeBusk, Lecturer, SENR OSU, and Malyn Imai, K-12 Science Specialist, CCS, share the Urban EcoExplorers collaboration between SENR and CCS and why K-12 teachers benefit from working with environmental professionals to develop hyper-local environmental field trips.

10:45 a.m. Jill Snyder, Visitor Engagement Manager, Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks, and Larry Peck, Deputy Director, Metro Parks, highlight the results of environmental education curricula-based and internship-based partnerships between CCS and Metro Parks.

11:05 a.m. Recent Recipients of the President's Innovation Award in Environmental Education, Amy Boros, M.Ed., Science Teacher, Hull Prairie Intermediate School, and Shari Insley, 5th Grade Math & Science Teacher, North Olmsted City Schools, discuss their journeys adopting and embracing environmental education in the classroom.

11:20 a.m. Catered lunch is served to in-person participants; livestreaming services are paused.

11:40 a.m. Lunch panel begins with Burke, DeBusk, Imai, Snyder, Peck, Insley, and Boros, moderated by Kambon.

12:15 p.m. Brenda Metcalf, Executive Director, Environmental Education Council of Ohio (EECO), provides an overview of EECO, the Environmental Career Ambassadors program, and instructions for the second part of the event.

12:30 p.m. Depart for Columbus City School District's Spruce Run Nature Center (4175 Sunbury Rd, Galena, OH) for an extended environmental education session.

1:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Participate in rotating sessions related to environmental education resources, networking, and learning:

Session 1: (1a) Tour of Spruce Run Nature Center and its Environmental Education Curricula, led by Heather Allen, Coordinator, Spruce Run Nature Center, Nicole Jackson, Environmental Education Specialist, Columbus, Ohio, and Jenny Adkins, PWS, Director of Business Development and Marketing, MAD Scientist Associates, LLC, and (1b) networking session to connect classroom educators with environmental professionals to initiate future environmental-focused field trips for students, led by Kelly Bohrer, Private Consultant.
Session 2: Showcase of environmental education opportunities led by state coordinators for (2a) Project Wild (Abby Ditomassi, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife), (2b) Project Learning Tree (Heather Sheets, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry), and (2c) Project Wet (Dennis Clement, Ohio EPA), each spanning 30 minutes of in-the-field learning.

4:10 p.m. Buses depart for Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center.

4:45 p.m. Arrival at Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center and conclusion of event.

After the program, all in-person and virtual attendees will receive a printed Environmental Education Resource Guide, which will include a list of Ohio-wide opportunities for environmental education that formal and informal educators alike can apply to their own teaching.

Click here to register now and reserve one of 100 total seats at the event!

Morning Speakers

Christina Vera, Board Member, Columbus Board of Education

Christina Vera is a dedicated member of the Columbus Board of Education, elected in 2021. She served as Vice President in 2023 and was elected Board President for the 2024–2025 term. Christina currently chairs the Community Engagement & Advocacy Committee, leading efforts to strengthen relationships between the district and its stakeholders. With over 15 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and small business development, Christina is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations at Femergy®. A passionate social entrepreneur, she specializes in strategic leadership, organizational growth, and community engagement.

Kwesi Kambon, Vice President, Friends of Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks

Kwesi Kambon serves as the Vice President of Friends of Metro Park, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the public use and enjoyment of Metro Parks. He has also served as a Diversity Consultant for Metro Parks and volunteered at Innis Woods Metro Park. Kwesi retired from the Columbus City Schools, where he held several central office positions, including Director of Equity and Multicultural Education and Director of Dropout Prevention. Currently, his primary focus is to empower students from diverse backgrounds with the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue leadership roles in the environment.

Esther Debusk, lecturer, School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR), The Ohio State University

Esther has been a staff member in the School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR) at The Ohio State University since 2014. She received her BA from Hope College in 2008 and MA in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Ohio State in 2014. Esther engages with students both at the very beginning and end of their undergraduate academic careers through teaching both ENR 1100: Survey for incoming SENR students, and ENR 4900.01: Environment and Natural Resources Management (Capstone): Collaborative Environmental Decision Making. In her current role, she works to foster connections between partner organizations and SENR’s Capstone Program.

Malyn Imai, K-12 District Science Specialist, Columbus City School District

Malyn has worked within the Columbus City School District for over eight years. As K-12 District Science Specialist, she develops and implements high-quality science curriculum across all grade levels, and collaborates with teachers, administrators, and stakeholders to enhance science education through inquiry-based learning, interdisciplinary integration, and data-driven instruction. Prior to this role, Malyn served as a science teacher and instructional coach in schools across the district, and was Science Department Chair at Columbus Africentric Early College. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology/Biological Sciences from The University of Toledo in 2014 and her Master of Education from Capital University in 2021.

Brenda Metcalf, Executive Director, Environmental Education Council of Ohio (EECO)

Brenda has served as EECO's Executive Director since 2003 and in this role, sheoversees Regional Directors (RDs) representing 8 regions across Ohio, various committees, multiple grants, and a host of extra events that EECO provides yearly. Brenda and the EECO RDs provide professional development, programs and activities that occur throughout Ohio related to Environmental Education to over 50,000 people per year. EECO is the affiliate organization for the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). Brenda is a past Board Member for NAAEE, past Affiliate Steering Committee Chair, current Awards Committee Chair and the Jeske Award Recipient for 2019. Prior to EECO, Brenda worked as the Environmental Education Specialist for a Recycling and Litter Prevention Program. She graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in Environmental Studies Policy and Analysis, with an area of emphasis in Education and a minor in Geology in 1991.

Angie Burke, Manager of Strategic Partnerships & Engagement, The Nature Conservancy

Angie Burke works alongside communities across Ohio to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. She is passionate about activating youth and young adults statewide for the past 8 years, helping to foster meaningful connections to each other and to nature. In her role, Angie works to advance partnerships with educators, students, and individuals across Ohio through dynamic engagements illuminating the wonders of the natural world.

Jill Snyder, Visitor Engagement Manager/Public Information Officer, Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks

Jill Snyder is Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks' Visitor Engagement Manager. Jill has been a part of the Metro Parks team for over 20 years, leading programs, coordinating events, working in nature centers, and overseeing the education program, including SEED, for the park district. She is also an Adjunct Lecturer at The Ohio State University's School of Environment and Natural Resources. Jill grew up exploring the outdoors and loves running, hiking and sharing the park system with her family.

Larry Peck, Deputy Director, Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks

Larry Peck has been the Deputy Director of Metro Parks since 1991, where he played a pivotal role in developing environmental education-focused collaborations with Columbus City School District, including the SEED curriculum and CSI high school intern programs. Prior to this, he served as Deputy Chief of Ohio State Parks from 1983 to 1991, and has extensive experience with Ohio State Parks, the City of Davenport, the City of Steubenville, and the Department of the Army as a Presidential Management Intern. Larry holds both a BS and MS in Natural Resources Management from The Ohio State University and has been an Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Environment and Natural Resources for approximately 18 years.

Shari Insley, 5th Grade Math & Science Teacher, North Olmsted City Schools

Shari Insley is a middle school math & science teacher for North Olmsted City Schools with 20 years of experience in education. Of her 20 years in education, the past 18 years have been dedicated to North Olmsted, and her first 2 years were spent teaching in Gallup, New Mexico. Shari earned a B.S. in Middle Childhood Education in Mathematics and Science and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Teaching from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. In addition to her teaching expertise, Shari was honored as the recipient of the 2024 Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators. She has also served on the Strategic Planning Committee for Science Education Council of Ohio in the past year. Since 2016, Shari has dedicated her summers to participating in educator courses to expand her knowledge of freshwater ecosystems in the Great Lakes. She has taken part in grant opportunities through Ohio Sea Grant at The Ohio State University’s Stone Laboratory, sailed aboard the R/V Lake Guardian with the EPA, worked with the Gelfand STEM Center at Case Western Reserve University, and received a Martha Holden Jennings Foundation grant to travel to Iceland this summer to document the diverse geological features of Iceland's untouched wilderness to enhance climate and earth science instruction.

Amy Boros, M.Ed., Science Teacher, Hull Prairie Intermediate School

Amy Boros teaches 5th and 6th grade Science at Hull Prairie Intermediate School in Perrysburg. She has experience in classroom teaching at the elementary, middle school and collegiate levels; educational classroom technology; grant researching, authoring and evaluation, as well as educational consulting and conference presentations in both mathematics and science. With degrees from Bowling Green State University and the University of Toledo, Amy is currently in her 30th year in education. She has authored several articles about middle school science education in Science Scope Journal and Science and Children Journal, publications of The National Science Teachers Association. In 2019, Amy was invited to participate in an extensive research project onboard the Lake Guardian, an EPA research vessel on Lake Erie; selected as one of 15 educators to collect data alongside scientists. While on board, she evaluated the presence of microplastics, toxic algae and microbial organisms in surface water and sediment throughout Lake Erie’s basins. In 2022, Amy was awarded the President’s Innovation Award in Environmental Education, a joint award from the White House and the EPA for her environmental education work inside and outside of the classroom.

Afternoon Session Speakers

Heather Allen, Spruce Run Nature Center Coordinator, Columbus City School District

Heather Allen is the Spruce Run Nature Center Coordinator for Columbus City Schools. She has 26 years of teaching experience, including 16 years at the elementary level, 7 years as a Science Curriculum Coordinator, and 3 years as the Spruce Run Nature Center Coordinator. In her current position, Heather organizes and facilitates field trips for PreK–12th grade students and retreats for adults and district departments at the 50-acre Spruce Run Nature Center. She loves having the opportunity to work with community and educational organizations to bring enriching opportunities to Columbus City School students and teachers.

Nicole Jackson, Environmental Education Specialist, Columbus, Ohio

Nicole Jackson graduated from The Ohio State University (2011) with a bachelor's in Environmental Education & Interpretation and is a nature enthusiast, park advocate, and birder passionate about connecting marginalized communities to nature. She founded N Her Nature LLC, a Columbus-based coaching business offering nature therapy tools for Black women seeking joy and healing. Nicole co-organizes Black Birders Week (2020), celebrating Black birders and STEM, and created Black in National Parks Week to highlight Black experiences in national parks. In her free time, she enjoys birding at any of the Franklin Columbus Metro Parks.

Jenny Adkins, PWS, Director of Business Development and Marketing, MAD Scientist Associates, LLC

Jenny is a seasoned environmental professional with over a decade of experience at MAD Scientist Associates, where she serves as the Business Development and Marketing Director. In this role, she leads strategic outreach initiatives while also conducting botanical surveys, overseeing wetland and reforestation projects, and developing educational programs. A certified Professional Wetland Scientist with the Society of Wetland Scientists, Jenny also holds credentials in wetland delineation and ORAM assessment. She earned her B.S. in Biology and M.Ed. from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

Kelly Bohrer, Private Consultant

Kelly is a strategic and collaborative leader with over 25 years of experience advancing sustainability, community engagement, and social justice across the nonprofit, higher education, and government sectors. As an applied scientist, lifelong learner, educator, boundary-spanner, and former center executive director, she centers equity, inclusion, and democratic engagement as both values and methods for building more just and sustainable systems. Kelly has experience facilitating strategic planning initiatives, designing multi-stakeholder and community-driven programs (ideation through implementation), managing complex projects (workplans, charters, change and risk management, etc.), and spanning boundaries for transdisciplinary and international collaborations. She has also taught multiple STEM courses using high-impact pedagogy and has designed and facilitated numerous professional development workshops on topics that range from inclusive STEM teaching to cultural humility for cross-cultural engagement.

Dennis Clement, Environmental Specialist II, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Education

Dennis Clement is a 1994 Hocking College Graduate with Associates of Applied Sciences in Recreation and Wildlife Management and Interpretative Services. Dennis is currently employed with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Education (OEE). With OEE, Dennis helps administer the Ohio Environmental Education Fund, provides grant writing workshops, instructs Level 1 Qualified Data Collecting (QDC) trainings and is the Project WET State Coordinator since 2015.

Abby Ditomassi, Wildlife Education Coordinator, Ohio Division of Wildlife

Abby Ditomassi is a Wildlife Education Coordinator and Project WILD Coordinator with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a Major in Zoology and a Minor in Society and Environmental Problems where she conducted undergraduate research on rattlesnakes and unisexual salamanders. Abby’s first full-time job was with Crawford Park District where she took Project WILD activities into the classroom to do nature programming. Now, as the Wildlife Education Coordinator and Project WILD Coordinator for Ohio, she trains teachers on Project WILD to utilize in their classrooms.

Heather Sheets, Project Learning Tree State Coordinator, Ohio Division of Forestry

Heather Sheets serves as Ohio’s Project Learning Tree State Coordinator and is the Media and Marketing Manager for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Forestry. A graduate of both Hocking College and Ohio University, Heather holds degrees in Anthropology, Sociology, Environmental Studies, and Wildlife Resources Management. Growing up immersed in the outdoors, Heather developed a deep-rooted passion for nature that has shaped her 20-year career in environmental education. She began her journey with ODNR as a state naturalist and has always been dedicated to helping others connect with the natural world. Today, she leads youth programming and professional training initiatives that integrate environmental education into a wide range of programs, with a strong emphasis on the Project Learning Tree curriculum.

Additional Information

We strive to host events that are inclusive and accessible to everyone. If you have a disability and require accommodations to fully participate in this activity, please reach out to Hallie Stelzle, EPN Program Assistant (stelzle.2@osu.edu). Requests made five business days in advance will generally allow us to provide seamless access. However, we will make every effort to meet requests made after this time frame. You will be contacted by someone from our staff to discuss your specific needs.

Masks are optional for all event attendees at this event, in accordance with Ohio State’s Safe and Healthy Protocols as of this date. In-person attendees will be expected to follow Ohio State protocols regarding the prevention of COVID-19 transmission. More health and safety information available on this Personal Safety Practices page.

Topic Areas:

Environmental Career Ambassadors

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From Classroom to Career: Connecting Ohio Educators and Environmental Professionals for Student Pathways

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Agenda:

Morning Speakers

Afternoon Session Speakers

Additional Information