2024 Conference Keynote Speakers

Wednesday, November 6, 6:30 PM EST

Angela Coleman, Associate Chief, USDA Forest Service
OPENING REMARKS

Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski, Authors of When You Wonder, You're Learning: Mister Rogers' Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids
NURTURING THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Angela Coleman

Angela Coleman serves as the Associate Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service. She served as Forest Service Chief of Staff from 2015 to 2021, where she oversaw the Chief ’s Office daily operations and staff, issues management, and Office of Communication and Legislative Affairs programs. She provided senior-level support to the Chief of the agency and the Executive Leadership Team to advance and deliver the agency’s natural resource conservation mission.

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Gregg Behr, JD

Gregg Behr, executive director of The Grable Foundation since 2006, is a father and children’s advocate. For more than 15 years, he has helped lead Remake Learning—a network of educators, technologists, designers, and makers he founded in 2007—to international renown. Among the foremost examples of learning ecosystems, Remake Learning has turned heads everywhere from The White House to the World Economic Forum for its efforts to ignite children's curiosity; encourage creativity; and foster justice, joy, and belonging in schools, libraries, museums, and other sites of learning.

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Ryan Rydzewski

Ryan Rydzewski is an award-winning author and speaker. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, he taught elementary school in south Louisiana before earning an MFA in nonfiction writing from Chatham University. As a science and education reporter, his magazine stories focus on everything from schools to space travel to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and he regularly leads workshops for educators and parents. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, Ryan lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Jacqueline, and their son, Russell.

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Dr. Vik Mohan, Director of Community Health, Blue Ventures Conservation
HEALING OUR PLANET, HEALING OURSELVES

Dr. Vik Mohan

Dr. Vik Mohan is a practicing doctor, former Director of Community Health at Blue Ventures Conservation, life coach, and well-being practitioner. Working with fishing communities in southwest Madagascar he saw how poor health was impacting the community's ability to engage in marine conservation. At the request of partner communities, he led development of Blue Ventures' community health program and integrated it into their fisheries and marine conservation programming.

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Dr. Grethel Aguilar, Director General, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION

Dr. Grethel Aguilar

Dr. Grethel Aguilar, born in Costa Rica, assumed office as Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in October 2023. Dr Aguilar brings with her thirty years of experience in conservation and sustainable development, having worked extensively on developing and applying environmental law and policy in collaboration with governments and civil society.

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Awards Luncheon & Closing Panel
THE WORLD WE WANT: LEADING WITH HEART AND HOPE

Esteban Gast, Moderator

Esteban Gast is Colombian, was raised in Puerto Rico and Illinois, and currently lives in LA. His work has been called "irreverent but aspirational" by Variety. He co-hosts Identity at Play, a Spotify Original podcast, and hosts Comedians Conquering Climate Change. He hosted Hyundai Highways, a travel series using only an electric car, and was the star of Jungletown, a 10-episode TV show airing on VICELAND about his time running an off-the-grid eco-community. He co-wrote the book and lyrics for Teacher Of The Year, a comedy musical inspired by his time teaching.

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CJ Greco, NAAEE EE 30 Under 30

CJ Greco serves as the Teen Programs Manager at the Lincoln Zoo in Chicago, Illinois. They are a nonbinary transwoman, activist, and naturalist who has been connecting their communities with nature for most of their life.

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Jenna Potter, NAAEE CEE-Change Fellow

Jenna Potter works as the Environmental Leadership and Awards Programme Manager for the 30 Under 30 Northern Ireland Climate Change Makers Programme at Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful. This independent charity is dedicated to creating a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable Northern Ireland. Jenna’s mission is to educate and inspire local action to create global environmental change.

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Tomás Teicher, NAAEE EE 30 Under 30

Tomás Teicher encourages young people in Argentina to become changemakers by giving them the tools and resources to create projects that solve local environmental problems. He is the co-founder of Consciente Colectivo, a youth social and environmental organization that emerged in the midst of the COVID pandemic as a response to political inaction in his country and region.

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Richard Tusabe, NAAEE CEE-Change Fellow

Richard Tusabe is an environmental enthusiast advocating for an empowered, youthful generation for a greener planet. He endeavors to establish all-inclusive, engaging, and passion-fueled platforms for environmental learning to amplify the green actions of children and youth as caretakers of Mother Nature.

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Additional keynotes to be announced.