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ExCom Candidate Statements 2021

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Below are the candidate statements for ICEC’s Executive Committee nominees for the 2021-2023 term. ICEC’s members are asked to review the statements.

All current members are eligible to vote and will receive the voting link via the November newsletter and follow-up email. If you are a current member and did not receive the newsletter or email, please contact us exec@iowaee.org. We likely do not have a current email address for you!

You will be able to vote for up to five candidates in our election. Voting runs November 5 through December 31, 2020.

Mary Bulger

MaryI am currently serving in my first term on the ICEC ExCom. During this time, I have served as the Vice-Chair, Chair, and am now serving as the ExCom Secretary. While a member of ICEC, I have engaged in many informative workshops, networked with teachers and other non-formal educators from around the state, and helped developed new curriculum that aligns with the new NGSS science standards. I feel very fortunate to have met so many individuals who have shared, taught, and inspired me as much as the members of ICEC have. I would like to continue to be a part of the ICEC Executive Committee so I can give back to this organization, and help it grow into the future through new membership and the organization as a whole.

I currently work as the Naturalist for Iowa County Conservation. I have an Associate’s degree in Parks and Natural Resources and a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science. I have been a Naturalist for over 17 years, and have been a member of ICEC for 9 years.

While perusing my college degrees I have had the opportunity to work with several different conservation and environmental education organizations including MacBride Raptor Project, UI Wildlife Camps, Muscatine County Conservation, and Lee County Conservation. Working with these different organizations has given me lots of great experience in the environmental education field. I am especially passionate about caring for, working with, and teaching the public about wildlife.

I feel my many years of hands-on experience as non-formal educator can advise and contribute towards the mission and purpose of ICEC, helping ICEC be a voice for conservation and environmental education, sharing information between and among conservation professionals, conservation agencies, school districts, educators, and science consultants.

 

Lilly Jensen

LillyI am running for a second term on ICEC’s Executive Committee because I want to continue supporting ICEC in its role as an important connecting agent between all individuals and organizations involved in conservation education, including classroom teachers, non-formal educators, and conservation organizations. I believe ICEC is a powerful voice of progress and innovation when it comes to teaching about and advocating for our natural resources and I want to continue helping ICEC fulfill that mission.

Over the past three years, I have enjoyed working with other board members, partners, and the general membership through our Winter Workshops, Game Jams, and other activities. I am currently serving as chair of ExCom and have helped ICEC undertake several new projects and responsibilities, including regional collaborations with other statewide conservation education associations, re-evaluating and adjusting ICEC’s role in ensuring environmental education is equitable and just across Iowa, and bringing the 2021 Midwest Environmental Education Conference to Iowa in Summer 2021. I hope to continue to see those projects to fruition over the next few years.

Professionally, I am Education and Outreach Coordinator for Winneshiek County Conservation, where I provide environmental education programming and take care of outreach and marketing. I have a bachelor’s degree from Luther College and a master’s degree in Environmental Humanities from the University of Utah. I believe that my skills and experience in writing and communication, securing and implementing grant-funded projects, and working collaboratively with multiple and diverse partners will continue to be valuable to ExCom.

 

Tiffany Morgan

TiffanySince 2007, Tiffany Morgan has served as an instructional media coordinator and educational consultant at Iowa PBS. She works with both internal and external partners to design, develop, and deliver educational media, resources, online courses and services. Most recently she has led the Iowa Science Phenomena project, a collaboration between Iowa PBS, Iowa organizations – including ICEC and IAN – and educators to curate and share a growing collection of Iowa-specific NGSS phenomena. This work includes applying for and implementing the awarded 2019 REAP-CEP Iowa Environmental Science Phenomena and Teacher Cohort grant. Previous projects also include leading the identification, creation, and curricular alignment of educational resources for the Iowa PBS Iowa Land and Sky production, a project providing an entertaining and educational exploration of Iowa communities, natural environments, and environmental challenges.

Tiffany’s duties and strengths include:

  • Organizing and leading conferences and large-scale events
  • Presenting to large groups
  • Leading teams through design, development and process improvements
  • Establishing organizational strategies, key performance indicators, and data collection and analysis
  • Grant writing and reporting
  • Creating and distributing curricula through a variety of channels
  • Communicating and collaborating with many internal and external partners to achieve project goals
  • Taking initiative to solve problems and adapt projects to meet specific needs of educators, students and partners

Leadership and Professional Organizations

  • (2019-Present) National Education Telecommunications Association (NETA) Education Metrics Committee, Co-Chair
  • (2018-Present) Iowa Statewide Science Leadership Team
  • (2017-Present) PBS Children’s Media & Education Station Leadership Committee
  • (2012-2015) Iowa Distance Learning Association, Board of Directors Member and President

Education

  • B.S. Iowa State University, History
  • M.S. Iowa State University, Curriculum and Instructional Technology

 

Ted Neal

TedICEC fills a vital role in bridging the outdoors with education. As a former public-school teacher, and now a professor who trains teachers, I understand the value associated with connecting students with the outdoors. Lifetimes ago I cut my teeth for outdoor education as a counselor teaching in Northern Wisconsin, followed by summers at School of the Wild (SOW).

I now find myself bringing my students, and my own children, to learn in these amazing settings. I present on the value of informal education across the globe, sharing what we have researched and learned about the impact of outdoor education on learning. I research the impact of these informal learning opportunities on epistemic orientations towards the environment.

I have had many grants that focus on training teachers and getting them outside, leaning on professionals, many in this organization, to bring the outdoors to the classroom. These have included partnerships with Wickiup Hill, bringing my own students outdoors when I was a classroom teacher, to the EARTH grant with Nahant Marsh, where we exposed teachers to outdoor education. I was on the adoption committee for the NGSS and have written a textbook for teaching the 8th grade science standards in Iowa. Additionally, I cover the SE region of Iowa for the Externship program, bringing teachers to the real-world. Currently, I’m partnering with IPBS on a place-based phenomena site, creating resources for practicing teachers to engage in Iowa-based investigations. Recently, I find my passion to be water quality around the state, it’s impact on a regional/national scale, and how to bring it to the classroom.

My day job consists of training future elementary teachers to love science, including teaching at SOW. I coordinate the secondary science education program at the University of Iowa, mentoring and teaching future secondary science teachers. I also coordinate the Bachelor of Science in Science Studies program which is a gateway to students who want to teach in informal settings, not the traditional classroom. I believe my life experiences, coupled with a love of the outdoors, makes me a strong candidate to help guide ICEC into the future.

 

Kelly Yarnes-Schott

KellyEducation: Bachelors of Science/History – lol a few more
Current Employment: Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, Meskwaki Natural Resources Department – 15 years.
Title: Environmental Branch Coordinator

I have been involved in environmental education since the age of 13; this has involved working in several counties in Iowa as a full-time and part-time naturalist, not to mention the numerous hours of volunteer and contractual work. I have been able to work for Linn CCB, Fayette CCB, Clayton CCB, and Wapello CCB.

  • 15 years of Federal Experience; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Department of Interior (DOI)
  • 26+ years of environmental education experience coupled with cultural education
  • Grant writer
  • Skills of environmental assessments and NEPA
  • Wetland determination
  • Independent historical researcher
  • North American Voyager Council Board
  • USDA State Technical Committee
  • Federal Quality Assurance Program Committee (QAPP)
  • Region VII EPA Tribal QAPP Committee
  • Tribal alternate delegate to EPA Regional Tribal Operation Committee
  • Regional Tribal Conservation Advisory Council – Natural Resources Conservation Service
  • Iowa River Watershed Coalition Board
  • Owner of Historical Pathways – Museum Educational Programing
  • Past Museum Director, Education Coordinator
  • Past Interim Director for Meskwaki Natural Resources
  • Past Board Member of Iowa Archeology Society – current member of the Society

Environmental Education has come a long way from the days of cutting and pasting newsletters to the now various forms of Social Media – virtual rooms, Facebook, twitter, and blogs. Outreach is more critical today as ever, COVID has showed millions that the role of our Natural Environment affects our overall mental and physical health – something many of us already knew. However, the door has opened for new venues, our roles are changing, and new methods are needed to move forward with outreach. We still need to embrace the old methods of touch, taste, and sound as these things are needed to ground every human being. Its an exciting time for environmental education…:)