2021 Conference Keynote Speakers

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Special Pre-Conference Plenary Session
Tuesday, October 5, 3:30–5:00 PM EDT
Building a Climate of Hope: Young Voices Reflect on Resilience, Creativity, and the Future

Aurelia Casey

Program Director, Inner City Ranger
Brooklyn, NY
Aurelia founded Inner City Ranger to show children in her native Brooklyn that conservation starts right in their backyards. She was motivated by her past experiences with urban EE that were not shaped by the communities most impacted by climate change. Aurelia’s asset-based approach uses the community as a classroom, highlighting how Black and Latinx people in urban areas are conservationists in their own ways.

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Carlos “Profe Tiburón” Perez Murcia

Community Manager and Environmental Educator, Fundación Mundo Azul
Guatemala City, Guatemala
“Profe Tiburon” makes marine science fun for children and adults across Latin America. Carlos’ virtual “Shark Club” empowers children to become scientists, communicators, and stewards for marine conservation through a blend of activities across the sciences, creative and performance arts, and even languages.

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Joy Hayley Munthali

National Coordinator, Green Girls Platform
Lilongwe, Malawi
Joy founded Green Girls Platform in Malawi to empower young women to take action at the intersection of climate and gender justice. Her work builds the capacity of girls and young women to craft and lead local efforts to adapt to climate change and to spread the impact by mentoring others.

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Julia Migné

Director, Conservation Optimism
Oxford, UK
Julia is a science communicator and educator who helps people frame conservation messages optimistically through Conservation Optimism’s educational resources for both adults and children. As a trained biologist and journalist, Julia combines her passions to highlight stories of optimism in conservation to inspire action.

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Alerick Pacay, Moderator

Alerick Pacay is the founder and CEO of Semillas del Océano (SDO), meaning “Seeds of the Ocean,” based in Guatemala. Born in a small village in northern Guatemala surrounded by rivers and mountains, Alerick grew up with a fascination for marine life through popular movies and documentaries. Since founding SDO, Alerick has led a wide range of programs that use education, science, and community action to promote sustainable use of the ocean and marine life. Their projects have included building exchange stores where students can exchange recyclable materials for food, and training teachers as “replicators of change” that can design and lead community-based environmental campaigns.

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Tuesday, October 12
Welcome and Opening Keynote: 3:30–5:00 PM EDT
Stories: The Power of Connection

Ramona Moore Big Eagle

Ramona Moore Big Eagle (Tuscarora/Cherokee) is an internationally known professional storyteller who travels throughout the United States and abroad telling all genres of stories, specializing in Native American legends and stories. She is an Oral Historian and Legend Keeper of the Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina. An enrolled member of the Nation, Ramona has served on the Tribal Council and in various other capacities for the Tuscarora. She earned a master of education degree from East Tennessee State University in reading and storytelling and a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Catawba College. As the director of Heritage School, Ramona taught students for over ten years.

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Wednesday, October 13, 3:30–5:00 PM EDT
Plenary Session: Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and Jennifer Morris in Conversation with Jaime González
Saving Life on Earth: The Critical Role of Education

Jennifer Morris

The Nature Conservancy
Jennifer Morris is chief executive officer of The Nature Conservancy, a global conservation organization working with partners around the world to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Ms. Morris leads nearly 4,000 global staff who are dedicated to creating a world where people and nature thrive together. Previously, she was president at Conservation International, where she developed some of CI’s most enduring programs, partnerships, and innovative strategies using business development as a tool to protect nature for the well-being of humanity. Ms. Morris is a passionate storyteller, avid outdoors enthusiast, and mentor to future generations of conservation leaders.

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Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant

Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and American Museum of Natural History
Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant is a wildlife ecologist with expertise in uncovering how human activity influences carnivore behavior and ecology. In particular, she focuses on the ecological and social drivers of human-carnivore conflict. Her previous research questions surrounded the ecological drivers of human-carnivore conflict with grizzly bears in the Northern Great Plains, black bears in the Western Great Basin, African lions in rural Kenya and Tanzania, as well as grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Wynn-Grant serves on the board of directors for NatureBridge, where she largely aids in equity, inclusion, and diversity strategies. She is also a research fellow with the National Geographic Society and a visiting scientist at the American Museum of Natural History.

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Jaime González, Moderator

The Nature Conservancy
Jaime González works with communities in Greater Houston to co-create a healthier, more climate-resilient, better connected, and more biologically diverse region using nature-based solutions. He is one of more than 20 Nature Conservancy city leads using nature-based solutions to build healthier cities throughout North America and the world. Mr. González earned an MEd in curriculum and instruction-science education and a BS in biology from the University of Houston. He currently serves on the board for NAAEE.

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Thursday, October 14, 3:45–5:05 PM EDT
Plenary Session: Secretary John King in Conversation with Dr. Kenji Hakuta
Education, Climate, and Justice: Education We Need for the World We Want

Secretary John King

The Education Trust
John B. King Jr. is the president and CEO of The Education Trust, a national nonprofit organization that seeks to identify and close educational opportunity and achievement gaps. King served as US secretary of education in the Obama administration. Prior to that, King carried out the duties of deputy secretary, overseeing policies and programs related to PreK–12 education, English learners, special education, innovation, and agency operations. King joined the department following his post as New York State education commissioner. King began his career as a high school social studies teacher and middle school principal.

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Dr. Kenji Hakuta, Moderator

Professor Emeritus, Stanford University Graduate School of Education
Kenji Hakuta is the Lee L. Jacks professor, emeritus, at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. He received his PhD in Experimental Psychology from Harvard University in 1979, has held faculty positions at Yale University and the University of California at Santa Cruz, and served as the founding dean of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts at the University of California, Merced. Dr. Hakuta has published in psycholinguistics, bilingualism, language shift, the acquisition of English in immigrant students, and education policy.

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Friday, October 15, 5:30-7:15 PM EDT
Closing Plenary Panel: Fifty Years Forward

Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali

National Wildlife Federation and Revitalization Strategies

Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali serves as vice president of environmental justice, climate, and community revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). He is also the founder of Revitalization Strategies, a business focused on moving our most vulnerable communities from "surviving to thriving." Before joining NWF, Mustafa was senior vice president for the Hip Hop Caucus, where he led the strategic direction, expansion, and operation of their portfolio on climate, environmental justice, and community revitalization. Prior to this, Mustafa worked for 24 years at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He joined EPA as a student and was a founding member of EPA's Office of Environmental Justice; he most recently served as a senior advisor working to strengthen environmental justice policies, programs, and initiatives.

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Amara Ifeji

Maine Environmental Education Association

Amara Ifeji is a 19-year old systems thinker and activist committed to advancing equitable access to the outdoors and climate justice education for all youth. As director of youth engagement and policy with the Maine EE Association, she strives to empower more than 400 youth environmental activists in the Maine Environmental Changemakers and JustME for a JustUS networks. Amara also pushes for both state and federal environmental education policy reform through her roles with the Nature-Based Education Consortium and the Maine Climate Council Equity Subcommittee. Her work was recognized with the 2020 NAAEE 30 Under 30 Award and the 2021 National Geographic Young Explorer Award—one of only 24 youth worldwide.

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Dr. Christina Kwauk

Unbounded Associates and Center for Universal Education at Brookings

Christina Kwauk is a social scientist with a current interdisciplinary focus on education for climate action. She is an expert on girls’ education in developing countries, 21st-century skills and youth empowerment, sport for development, and the intersections of gender, education, and climate change. Christina has published numerous books, policy papers, and academic articles on climate change education, gender, health, and international development and education. She is an education consultant and Research Director at Unbounded Associates and a non-resident fellow in the Center for Universal Education at Brookings.

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Dr. Alan Reid

Monash University (Australia)

Alan Reid is a professor in the faculty of education at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He edits Environmental Education Research and leads the Education, Environment, and Sustainability Research Group. He is involved in environmental education research activities and networks in Europe, North America, and Australasia, including the Global Environmental Education Partnership and the World Environmental Education Congress. Alan's research focuses on teachers' thinking and practice in EE, and his teaching focuses principally on environmental and sustainability education. His recent work addresses education in relation to the climate emergency and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

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José González, Moderator

Latino Outdoors

José G. González is the founder and former executive director for Latino Outdoors. He is an experienced K–12 public education teacher, environmental education advisor, outdoor education instructor and coordinator, and university adjunct faculty. His commentary on diversity and environmental outreach has been featured by High Country News, Outside, Earth Island Journal, and Latino USA, and he has engaged in collaborations with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, US Department of Interior, and the National Park Service. José represents Latino Outdoors in the Latino Conservation Alliance, the Next 100 Coalition, and other coalitions. He has been recognized by the National Wildlife Federation, Grist Magazine, and The Murie Center.

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