GET TO KNOW THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Michael Marzolla has been a member of NAAEE since 1990 and has attended every annual conference since that time. He joins the executive committee of the NAAEE Board as president-elect for 2012-2013. In the 1990's, he served as Chair of the Non-formal Education Commission and was on the NAAEE Board from 1997-2000. From 2006-2009, he co-chaired the International Commission with Peta White. Marzolla recently retired from nearly 29 years as a 4-H Youth Development Advisor with UC Cooperative Extension, where he specialized in Science and Environmental Education, with an emphasis on critical pedagogy and developing strategies to involve underserved youth in the sciences, the environment and community engagement. His career includes serving as the Director of Special Farmworker Projects for a Northern California nonprofit, education coordinator of a Peace Corps appropriate technology volunteer training project, as a Peace Corps recruiter in Massachusetts and as a Peace Corps volunteer for four years in Guatemala, with short stints in Honduras and El Salvador. Marzolla’s international work includes several short-term consultancies in Bolivia and in Serbia. He holds a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst's Center for International Education and a BA from Humboldt State in Art. He is fluent in Spanish and Italian and says he “can cause confusion in French, Sesotho and Ca'xchiquel Maya.”
“As President-Elect, I am looking forward to working with the NAAEE Board, staff, membership and NAAEE friends as we press on into an interesting and challenging future,” said Marzolla. “Understanding that I am standing on the shoulders of the many very talented and esteemed previous presidents and Board members, I intend to continue to support and help guide the organization's efforts to better serve our members, to create an organization that encourages, fosters and expands the participation of diverse individuals and organizations who represent environmental education.”
Marzolla added, “I also want to continue to support and expand the fine work that has been done by NAAEE to attract and support a more diverse group of people (particularly young people!) to the EE profession, with the understanding that these new minds and voices will help the field evolve to meet the needs of our ever-changing world. At the same time, I will do all that I can to help the organization continue our work toward long-term fiscal health and independence. “
Sue McGuire takes on the role of Board Secretary for 2012-2013. She has been involved in environmental education for almost 25 years and a member of NAAEE for 18 years. Her introduction to EE was at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, first as the Coordinator for Outreach Programs and then as the Manager of Public Programs, managing the education department, including an off-site environmental education center, and the exhibits department. In 1998, she became the Director of Education at the Teton Science School in Jackson, WY, where she managed residential environmental education programs and administered the Professional Residency in Environmental Education, a graduate program to train new educators.
McGuire was one of the founders of the Environmental Association for New Mexico and has served on the Board of the Wyoming Association for Environmental Education since 1999. Her efforts with state EE associations led her to work on the NAAEE Affiliate Network steering committee, which she now chairs.
“I have several goals for my work on the NAAEE Board of Directors,” she said. “First, I hope to increase NAAEE’s sustainability by working with the staff and Board to create a business plan and expand fundraising efforts. Second, I want to continue being an advocate for the state/provincial EE associations that are members of the Affiliate Network. Through cooperative efforts between the Affiliate Network and NAAEE, we can improve the quality of environmental education offered across the continent, support educators with training and resources, and reach out to new partners who also believe in the value of an environmentally literate citizenry. “
These three new Board members at large serve a three-year term from 2012-2014.
For the past 20 years, Akiima Price has worked with numerous environmental organizations throughout the United States creating and implementing innovative programs that connect low income residents with the natural environment. At the heart of Akiima’s passion for connecting urban communities with the natural environment is her strong belief that nature is a powerful medium to engage youth and families in meaningful, positive experiences that can affect the way they feel about themselves, their communities, and their place on earth. Akiima is one of few African-American environmental education specialists in the country. Her specialty is working as a bridge builder between communities and resources and developing relatable curricula around urban and community environmental issues. "I hope my participation on the NAAEE board will help to not only influence the new thinking necessary for change but also model the type of environmental leadership necessary to appeal to a broad spectrum of people and places,” said Price. “I look forward to growing from the experience."
Jillian Rubio brings 15 years of experience in the environmental education field to her Board position at NAAEE. She served as the President of the Arizona Association for Environmental Education, before moving to New York City to obtain a MPA in Non Profit Management and Public Policy. She worked as the director of the nation’s first urban Audubon Center in Brooklyn New York, educating over 90,000 people/year through programming and visitorship. After the BP Oil Disaster in the Gulf, Jillian served as the Director of the Volunteer Response Center for the National Audubon Society. She was responsible for connecting with the groundswell of over 35,000 people from across the nation who offered to be a part of Audubon’s restoration efforts along the Gulf Coast. Her leadership was a galvanizing force during the crisis. Additionally Jillian has worked internationally as a nonprofit management and environmental education consultant.
“I am excited to be joining the NAAEE Board at this time of transformation for the organization. The field of Environmental Education is evolving to meet a groundswell of community based environmental activity and the definition of EE is evolving to meet a changing world,” said Rubio. “I cannot think of a better time to be a part of this great organization. As more communities join together to bring positive environmental change, the more important a professional organization for these leaders becomes. I look forward to helping ensure that NAAEE is not only ready to meet the needs of our membership by being fiscally sound and structurally viable, but that it is relevant to those we serve. NAAEE is part of the conversation that weaves us together as a quilt of communities, stronger in our impact because of our interconnectivity and diversity.”
Aliza Weller has been involved with the NAAEE for four years, serving as past Co-Chair of the International Commission. She also is the Director of the Nunavut branch of the Canadian Water Resources Association. Weller serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM) and has been asked to act as Board Liaison between the NAAEE and EECOM, strengthening ties among environmental networks across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Weller has worked internationally in the environmental not-for-profit field for more than 10 years. She co-founded a professional development organization called Intelligent Play, which helps environmental educators to develop their use of play and humor to strengthen their message. Weller lives in the high arctic community of Ikaluktutiak (Cambridge Bay), on the 69th parallel. There she teaches yoga and Tai Chi Qigong, and sings and plays guitar with her band, Muskox Radio. During the short summers she fishes, and during the long winters she kite-boards on the frozen ocean.
