Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education
Board of Advisors
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Mary Evelyn Tucker is a Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Scholar at Yale University where she has appointments in the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies as well as the Divinity School and the Department of Religious Studies. She is a co-founder and co-director with John Grim of the Forum on Religion and Ecology. Together they organized a series of ten conferences on World Religions and Ecology at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School. They are series editors for the ten volumes from the conferences distributed by Harvard University Press. She is also Research Associate at the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard. Tucker is the author of Worldly Wonder: Religions Enter Their Ecological Phase (Open Court Press, 2003), Moral and Spiritual Cultivation in Japanese Neo-Confucianism (SUNY, 1989) and The Philosophy of Qi (Columbia University Press, 2007). She co-edited Worldviews and Ecology (Orbis, 1994), Buddhism and Ecology (Harvard, 1997), Confucianism and Ecology (Harvard, 1998), and Hinduism and Ecology (Harvard, 2000) and When Worlds Converge (Open Court, 2002). With Tu Weiming she edited two volumes on Confucian Spirituality (Crossroad, 2004). She also co-edited a Daedalus volume titled Religion and Ecology: Can the Climate Change? (2001). She edited several of Thomas Berry's books: Evening Thoughts (Sierra Club Books and University of California Press, 2006), The Sacred Universe (Columbia University Press, 2009), and Christian Future and the Fate of Earth (Orbis Book, 2009). She is a member of the Interfaith Partnership for the Environment at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). She served on the International Earth Charter Drafting Committee from 1997-2000 and is a member of the Earth Charter International Council. B.A. Trinity College, M.A. SUNY Fredonia, M.A. Fordham University, Ph.D. Columbia University. |
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David W. Orr David W. Orr is the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics and Special Assistant to the President of Oberlin College and a James Marsh Professor at the University of Vermont. His career as a scholar, teacher, writer, speaker, and entrepreneur spans fields as diverse as environment and politics, environmental education, campus greening, green building, ecological design, and climate change. He is the author of six books and co-editor of three others. Ecological Literacy (SUNY, 1992), described as a “true classic” by Garrett Hardin, is widely read and used in hundreds of colleges and universities. A second book, Earth in Mind (1994/2004) is praised by people as diverse as biologist E. O. Wilson and writer, poet, and farmer, Wendell Berry. In 1996 he organized the effort to design the first substantially green building on a U.S. college campus. The Adam Joseph Lewis Center was later named by the U.S. Department of Energy as “One of Thirty Milestone Buildings in the 20th Century,” and by The New York Times as the most interesting of a new generation of college and university buildings. The Lewis Center purifies all of its wastewater and is the first college building in the U.S. powered entirely by sunlight. But most important it became a laboratory in sustainability that is training some of the nation’s brightest and most dedicated students for careers in solving environmental problems. The story of that building is told in two books, The Nature of Design (Oxford, 2002) that Fritjof Capra called “brilliant,” and a second, Design on the Edge (MIT, 2006), that architect Sim van der Ryn describes as “powerful and inspiring.” In an influential article in the Chronicle of Higher Education 2000 Orr proposed the goal of carbon neutrality for colleges and universities and subsequently organized and funded an effort to define a carbon neutral plan for his own campus at Oberlin. Seven years later hundreds of colleges and universities, including Oberlin, have made that pledge. Recent projects include a two year, $2 million project to define a 100 days climate action plan for the Obama administration (www.climateactionproject.com ), and a project with prominent legal scholars across the U.S. to define the legal rights of posterity in cases where the actions of the present generation might deprive posterity of “life, liberty, and property.” He is also active in efforts to stop mountaintop removal in Appalachia and develop a new economy based on ecological restoration and wind energy. He is also the author of Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse (Oxford University Press, 2009). |
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Lawrence J. Amon Larry is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit organization working to promote healthy and diverse ocean ecosystems. Larry was a strategic financial management consultant prior to joining the Ocean Conservancy in 2007, helping organizations design their budgeting and financial reporting processes to achieve organizational goals. Prior to establishing his consulting business, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for National Wildlife Federation after serving as its Chief Financial Officer. Between these two appointments, he served as Acting President and Chief Executive Officer during a CEO search process. Larry has worked in the finance area of conservation organizations for over 30 years. He joined NWF's staff in 1996 after serving as the Chief Financial Officer of World Wildlife Fund from 1990 to 1995 and as its Controller from 1985 to 1990. Prior to WWF he worked for The Conservation Foundation. Larry earned his B.A. in biology from Antioch College in 1972 and has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1986. |
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Armand Ball Armand Ball, a native of Louisiana, currently consults with children's camps nationally and internationally. His professional experience relates to administering camps for church groups and the YMCA in Florida, Tennessee and Minnesota, and as CEO of the American Camp Association for 13 years. He and his wife, Beverly, co-authored the standard text on camp administration, now available in four languages. He is a founder of the International Camping Fellowship and has spoken and taught in many countries. Armand has been active in the civic and conservation life of Sanibel as past Chair of the City's Park and Recreation Committee, board member of the non-profit for below market rate housing, Kiwanis, a state permitting program for sea turtle monitoring, and past as President of the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation. |
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Richard M. Clugston Rick Clugston is Project Coordinator for the Earth Charter Scholarship Project at the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education at Florida Gulf Coast University. Clugston also serves as the Earth Charter Coordinator for the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale University. From 1991-2008, Rick was a Vice President of The Humane Society of the United States and Executive Director of the Center for Respect of Life and Environment, where he also directed the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future; the Sustainable Universities Assessment and Evaluation Project; and Earth Charter USA |
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Jack Crocker Jack Crocker came from the University of South Florida in Tampa to Florida Gulf Coast University in 1995 as founding dean of the college of arts and sciences. In addition to starting the college of arts and sciences, he served twice as interim provost, wrote the Guiding Principles for the University, co-wrote the lyrics for the alma mater, and originated the Renaissance Academy of FGCU, a lifelong learning program. A poet and fiction writer, his work has appeared in a variety of places including the book, Florida in Poetry. A collection of poems, The Last Resort, came out in February 2009 from the Texas Review Press. He has written for public television and presented readings as well as musical programs at colleges, conferences, and workshops throughout the United States. As a professor, Crocker has taught literature and creative writing at several universities and was writer-in-residence for Danville College 's summer program in Florence, Italy. Having gone to college on basketball and baseball scholarships in Mississippi, he has a doctorate in English from Texas Tech University. Currently he is Vice President of Academic Affairs at the State College of Florida, Manatee/Sarasota. |
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Alison Hawthorne Deming Poet and essayist Alison Hawthorne Deming is Professor in Creative Writing at the University of Arizona. She is the author of Science and Other Poems (LSU Press, 1994), selected by Gerald Stern for the Walt Whitman Award of the Academy of American Poets; The Monarchs: A Poem Sequence (LSU, 1997); and Genius Loci (Penguin, 2005). Deming has also published three nonfiction books, Temporary Homelands (Mercury House, 1994), The Edges of the Civilized World (Picador USA, 1998), which was a finalist for the PEN Center West Award, and Writing the Sacred Into the Real (Milkweed Editions 2001). She edited Poetry of the American West: A Columbia Anthology (Columbia University Press, 1996) and co-edited with Lauret E. Savoy The Colors of Nature: Essays on Culture, Identity and the Natural World (Milkweed, 2002). Deming received an MFA from Vermont College in 1983 and held a Wallace Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University in 1987-88. Her writing has won numerous awards and honors, including two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Pablo Neruda Prize from Nimrod, a Pushcart Prize, the Gertrude B. Claytor Award from the Poetry Society of America, and the Bayer Award in science writing from Creative Nonfiction for the essay “Poetry and Science: A View from the Divide.” She has held residencies at Yaddo, Cummington Community for the Arts, the Djerassi Foundation, Mesa Refuge, The Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Hawthornden Castle International Retreat for Writers in Scotland, and the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest. |
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Marci Greene Dr. Marci Greene is Dean of the College of Education at Florida Gulf Coast University. She began her work at FGCU as Assistant Professor and leader of the graduate program for Special Education in 1997. Dr. Greene also played a key role in establishing the College of Education 's secondary education program. Prior to FGCU, Dr. Greene was Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida, in Fort Myers. Integral in establishing Charlotte County 's elementary education program, her professional experience includes working as Pre-K Specialist for Lee County Head Start and Special Education programs, employment with the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System, and work as a special education teacher in Lee County, as well as Supervisor of Special Education in Youngstown, Ohio. |
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Maxine Greene Maxine Greene has been at the forefront of educational philosophy for well over half a century as a teacher, lecturer, and author. She is the Founder and Director of the Center for Social Imagination, the Arts, and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University where she has been on the faculty since 1965 and is now Professor Emeritus. In 1984, she was elected to the National Academy of Education and has received Educator of the Year Awards from Columbia University and Ohio State University. |
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Donna Price Henry Donna Price Henry is Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Biology at Florida Gulf Coast University. Henry completed her undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, earning her B.A. in Biological Basis of Behavior in 1982, and her graduate work at Thomas Jefferson University earning her Ph.D. in Physiology in 1987. She was Chairman of the Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics, and Assistant Professor of Biology at Saint Thomas University in Miami, Florida, for six years before joining FGCU. A founding faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences at FGCU in 1996, Henry developed the curriculum for the biology program. She was a member of the faculty team developing the innovative curriculum for the Interdisciplinary Core for all degree programs, in the College of Arts and Sciences. Henry served as the founding director of the University's Whitaker Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, whose mission includes fostering best practices in science and mathematics education through the use of innovative research tools, technologies, and pedagogical methods. She facilitated the development of the program for the construction of Whitaker Hall, the science, mathematics and technology building on the FGCU campus. Henry's leadership in science education extends far beyond the University; she is a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Future Scientists, and has presented papers detailing her reform efforts in undergraduate science education. |
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Collette M. Hopkins Dr. Hopkins serves as the Consulting Director of Education and Family Programs for the National Black Arts Festival. In this capacity she develops and produces a variety of education programs and experiences for educators, parents, children and youth, families, and the general public. She has inspired, motivated, and galvanized thousands of educators, students, and others into various forms of activism through her vision for community empowerment, educational inclusion, and cultural ownership. |
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Louise M. Johnson Louise Johnson, of Sanibel Island, Florida, is a long-time nature lover, environmental activist, and public servant. A former Mayor of the City of Sanibel (1985-1986), Dr. Johnson has served as Sanibel City Councilor, as well as several terms, for a total of twelve years, on the City of Sanibel Planning Commission including the Sanibel Wildlife and early Affordable Housing committees. She was originally drawn to Sanibel Island for its leaders' commitment to ecological principles, and its vision of environmental protection. Dr. Johnson is active in numerous organizations in the Barrier Islands, and has served in various capacities with Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF). She was a member of the Foundation's first class of nature guides, and has served on the organization's Board of Trustees. Dr. Johnson holds degrees from Syracuse University, including a B.A. in English and Education, a Master's Degree in Library Science, and a Doctorate of Arts. She has completed studies at Ohio State University, and Breadloaf School of English. Actively involved in the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education form its foundational meetings, Dr. Johnson brings a wealth of experience and valuable local resources to our organization. |
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June LaCombe June LaCombe is presently a fourth year Environmental Studies Doctoral Student at Antioch New England and an arts curator showing sculpture on the landscape. Her professional experience reflects her interests in natural history, cultural history and the arts. She was the Director of Environmental Education for the Maine Audubon Society from 1976-1982 overseeing nature centers, field trips, wildlife research, and teacher's resources. She worked as the Education Director, then the Acting Director of Greater Portland Landmarks in 1984-1986 overseeing architectural history walking tours, courses, field trips, and development. From 1987 she has worked as an arts consultant and curator exploring environmental themes through exhibitions, most recently hosting a major sculpture show titled "Sculpture for this Animate Earth". Other shows include: "Touchstones", "In Celebration of Place", and "The Heart of Matter". Public service has included: director of the Maine Environmental Education Association, board chair of the Maine Conservation School , Pownal School board member, Maine College of Art trustee, Olmsted Alliance trustee, chair for advisory board of the Harraseeket Project, founding director of the Pownal Education Foundation, and member of the Portland Public Arts Committee. She organized art shows in conjunction with the academic symposium, Teaching for the Environment: The Promise of the Earth Charter, where she explored academic themes through visual arts exhibitions. Her doctoral research focuses insights from environmental art for environmental education. This includes the theory and practice of environmental education and research on the power of art to: increase perceptual awareness, provide insight to out understanding of natural systems, heal the nature/ culture divide, inspire participatory action, explore spiritual elements, and celebrate beauty. Of particular interest, is how the art making process can be a part of reflective environmental inquiry. Her thesis will explore how ecological artists are increasing environmental awareness and inspiring community action. Published articles include: Facing Our Relationship with Matter- the Art of Mierle Laderman Ukeles, and Community Collaboration for Place-based Studies-Integrating Local Natural and Cultural History. |
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Jacob Scott After moving to Florida from the UK as a college student, Jake became one of the first teaching assistants to Florida Gulf Coast University's ground breaking Colloquium course. This course was the first environmental course required of all students graduating from a public university in the United States. Mentored by Dr. Peter Blaze Corcoran, Jake graduated FGCU in 1999 and spent time interning for the National Audubon Society's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and the Florida Wildlife Federation. Since then Jake has led environmental education and outreach programs for the National Wildlife Federation across the southeast United States and led external relations programs for the UK's Environment Agency in the notheast of England. Jake is active on environmental Boards in the USA and UK and has a special interest in environmental justice and youth environmental leadership. |
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Joe Shepard Joe received his Bachelor of Science degree in math education from Northern Arizona University, holds a Master's degree in Business Administration and International Finance from the University of North Texas and a doctorate from Florida International University in public administration, where he specialized in public finance. In the Spring of 2011, Joe accepted his current position as President of Western New Mexico University. |
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Erik Thijs Wedershoven In September 2006, Erik took up his studies at University College Maastricht, Maastricht University, for which he spent one semester at University of California in Berkeley in 2008. Erik received his degree on 3 July 2009 and was accepted to Sciences Po’s Master of Public Affairs, starting September 2009. Currently, Erik is studying at the London School of Economics. While in university, he accepted board membership of the World Population Foundation and joined the Roundtable of Worldconnectors. Erik also serves on the Board of Advisors of Plan Netherlands. Erik is fluent in Dutch, English and French, with sufficient level of German and Spanish. His hobbies include judo, acting, and poetry. |
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Terry Tempest Williams Terry Tempest Williams has been called "a citizen writer," a writer who speaks and speaks out eloquently on behalf of an ethical stance toward life. A naturalist and fierce advocate for freedom of speech, she has consistently shown us how environmental issues are social issues that ultimately become matters of justice. "So here is my question," she asks, "what might a different kind of power look like, feel like, and can power be redistributed equitably even beyond our own species?" Williams, like her writing, cannot be categorized. She has testified before Congress on women’s health issues, been a guest at the White House, has camped in the remote regions of Utah and Alaska wildernesses and worked as "a barefoot artist" in Rwanda. Known for her impassioned and lyrical prose, Terry Tempest Williams is the author of the environmental literature classic, Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place; An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field; Desert Quartet; Leap; Red: Patience and Passion in the Desert; and The Open Space of Democracy. Her new book, Finding Beauty in a Broken World, was published in 2008 by Pantheon Books. In 2006, Williams received the Robert Marshall Award from The Wilderness Society, their highest honor given to an American citizen. She also received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Western American Literature Association and the Wallace Stegner Award given by The Center for the American West. She is the recipient of a Lannan Literary Fellowship and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in creative nonfiction. Terry Tempest Williams is currently the Annie Clark Tanner Scholar in Environmental Humanities at the University of Utah. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Orion Magazine, and numerous anthologies worldwide as a crucial voice for ecological consciousness and social change. She and her husband, Brooke Williams, divide their time between Castle Valley, Utah and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. |
