Kathleen Kennedy
President
Kathleen Kennedy (she, her, hers) fell in love with the natural world as a child exploring the tide pools of Northern California. After becoming land-locked in Montana, she continued to explore terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems with that same enthusiasm as she made Missoula her home. Kathleen has been teaching science at Big Sky High School for over 20 years. A trained facilitator in Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects, Kathleen incorporates systems thinking and mindfulness into her classes at every opportunity. Other passions include live music, stand up paddle boarding, yoga and being a mom to MacKayla. In her rare free time, Kathleen can be found hiking Missoula’s extensive conservation lands with her dog, Joe Joe.
coleen o’connell
Vice President
Coleen (she, her, hers) loves all things nature – nourished by her years with the Audubon Expedition Institute where she was a student, faculty, then Education Director. She went on to design, direct and teach the Master of Science in Ecological Teaching and Learning at Lesley University for teachers from around the country. She has started two other non-profit organizations and has experience as a facilitator, director, and board member. She was on the Leadership Team in developing Belfast Cohousing & Ecovillage where she resides in Belfast, ME. She also serves on the New England Environmental Education Board and was Maine Environmental Educator of the Year in 2013 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New England Environmental Education Association in 2018.
dalene beaulieu
Treasurer
Dalene (she, her, hers) currently lives a nomadic life in an RV with her husband and two standard poodles. She enjoys learning about new ecosystems and people as they move across the continental US. In her professional life, she provides training and coaching to communities using the Communities That Care prevention system across the globe. As a former high school chemistry teacher and science curriculum specialist, she gained “on the ground” public school and educational leadership experience. She also had the opportunity to deeply explore juvenile justice issues; she served on the Maine Juvenile Justice Advisory Group and later was appointed to, and chaired, the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice.
Dalene was a fellow in the inaugural class of the Midcoast Leadership Academy, the Maine Governor's Academy for Teacher Leadership, and the NSTA funded Northern New England Co-Mentoring Network for Math and Science Teaching. She received the Maine Commissioner of Education's 2007 Outstanding Alternative Educator Award and was recognized in 2009 by the Maine Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse with their prevention person of the year award.
kathy lyons
Kathy was a faculty member with the National Audubon Society Expedition Institute and worked as an Interpretive Ranger for the National Park Service. She served on the boards of The Clamshell Alliance in New Hampshire and the Penobscot County, Maine Cooperative Extension. She is co-author of Healthy Foods From Healthy Soils–a book based on a grant funded program designed to help children experience the cyclical nature of our food system: gardening, composting, enriching the soil and eating nutritious food) for two elementary school systems in Maine.
Eva Barinas
Eva (she/they) is Grow Pittsburgh's School Garden Program Manager with in the city of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. She works closely to bridge teachers and students with local farming and growing opportunities through experiential gardening lessons in the fall and spring and cooking classes during the winter. When Eva isn't gardening with the school community or neighbors, you can find her hiking with her 13-year-old Australian Cattle dog, and trail riding wherever someone will let her ride their horses!
carl merrill
Carl (he, him, his) was the director of Suffolk University’s Friedman Field Station from 1982 until it closed in 2016. He brings a depth of knowledge of marine and terrestrial ecology of the Cobscook Bay bioregion as well as institutional history on the land that is becoming The Center for Ecological Teaching and Learning. Research interests include intertidal ecology and protecting and restoring diadromous fish runs in Maine.
Kathleen fitzgerald
Kathleen (she, her, hers) teaches at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, a public high school in Massachusetts, where she facilitates student-developed, community-based projects, coordinates internships and teaches several electives including Mass Incarceration and Civic Action, and previously, an intergenerational seminar that researched and sought redress for lynchings that occurred during the Jim Crow era. Central to her work with both teenagers and adult learners is her strong belief in communities that center healing, love and historical truth telling. She strives to bring transformative justice practices, humility, humor and hope into learning spaces. Kathleen is a life-long New Englander and when school is out, she is often exploring Maine with her dog, Jameson, or having fun and adventures with her 10 nieces and nephews.
Ayala Galton Bassett
Ayala (she, her, hers) developed community organizing skills as a participant in the AmeriCorps program Massachusetts Community Water Watch before attending Hampshire College where she researched ways to support public elementary school teachers who wanted to bring more environmental education lessons into their classrooms. Since 2002 she has taught science and/or health to 7th and 8th graders for the Public Schools of Brookline. She serves on the board of directors and as a division coordinator for the Jamaica Plain Regan Youth (baseball) League, and is a parent representative on the Governing Board of the Boston Teachers Union School. She lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts with her husband, their two boys, one dog and three chickens, who all lend a hand tending their memorial pollinator garden grown in honor of her daughter. She loves to read, play games, coach and play baseball, root for the Red Sox, and spend time immersed in community and nature.
Marie Camillo Reimensnyder
Marie (she, her, hers) is the lead teacher in a nature-based, play-based preschool program at a Quaker school in Maine. She was involved in the development of one of Maine’s first charter schools, Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences. Marie holds a BFA in Ceramics and an MS in Ecological Teaching and Learning. She loves being outdoors with children looking closely at all living things and fostering a sense of wonder. A mother and now grandmother, Marie enjoys playing hockey, digging in the dirt, and canoeing on Mooselookmeguntic Lake with her dog Nellie, and husband, Tim.
Martha Harney
Martha (she, her, hers) has worked as an elementary science specialist in a variety of settings where she develops and implements curriculum with a focus on ecology and systems thinking. She also works with the National Science Teaching Association reviewing curriculum materials and other publications. Her first book and curriculum guide about engineering for early grades were recently published. Martha has also worked with the Museum of Science, Boston to provide professional development to elementary teachers. Martha’s work has been inspired by her time spent learning on the shores of Cobscook Bay, as part of her master’s program in Ecological Teaching & Learning through Lesley University. In her free time she enjoys learning Spanish, being on the beach in any weather, and watching ants.
nick neises
As a teenager, Nick (he, him, his) discovered his passion for environmental education and found his destiny with the Audubon Expedition Institute (AEI). In 2002, he finally realized his dream by getting an MS in Environmental Education with emphasis on renewable energy through AEI and Lesley University. He is enthusiastic about the dual promise of CETL as a location for education and research with direct access to Cobscook Bay. Nick is the Operations Manager for Mid-Coast Connector, a public transportation arm of Waldo CAP. Nick and his wife Ekaterina enjoy exploring the wonders of the Maine coast and reveling in winter and its sports.