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PROFILE

EDUCATION
University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment—Ann Arbor, Michigan

• Master of Science in Natural Resources and Environment, 2004
• Concentration in Resource Policy and Behavior with a special focus on environmental education.
• Master’s opus: “Crossing the Bog of Habits: an evaluation of an exhibit’s effectiveness in promoting conservation behavior at the Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL.”

University of Michigan, Center for Russian and East European Studies—Ann Arbor, Michigan

• Master of Arts in Russian and Eastern European Studies, 2004
• Master’s opus: “Evaluation of Environmentally Responsible Behavior in the Lake Baikal Region of Russia.”

University of Vermont—Burlington, Vermont

• Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Russian Language, May 1999
• Senior Honors thesis “The Design and Development of a Paddle Guide for the Nature Conservancy’s LaPlatte River Marsh Natural Area in Shelburne, VT.”

EXPERIENCE
Program Specialist, US Forest Service International Programs, Washington DC, 2012 – present

• Provide grant management and program oversight for international conservation and natural resource management projects.  Project areas include conservation education, nature interpretation, protected area management, sustainable forest management, habitat conservation, and rangeland management.
• Help connect US expertise (primarily US Forest Service) with similar projects in Russia and Mongolia to facilitate bilateral technical cooperation.

Executive Director, Tahoe-Baikal Institute, South Lake Tahoe, California 2009-2011

• Oversaw organization’s unique international educational exchange programs, as well as supported staff in the creation and management of new programs in the Lake Tahoe region and the Lake Baikal region of Russia.
• Organized and participated in multiple delegations to and from the Baikal region focused on building capacity in the areas of Environmental Education and Nature Interpretation.
• Designed printed and digital outreach materials for the organization including annual reports, program announcement posters, informational brochures, event invitations, and alumni newsletters.
• Responsible for all aspects of the organization’s management and leadership, including design and implementation of all TBI programs and external relationships, as well as the daily operations of the organization.
• Led longer-term strategic planning to strengthen TBI’s potential to provide the best possible program for future environmental leaders and have a positive impact in environmental protection.

Programs Director, Tahoe-Baikal Institute, South Lake Tahoe, California 2005-2009

• Directed the planning, execution, and post-program reporting and evaluation for the organization’s international exchange programs.
• Designed and implemented educational curriculum for programs focused on watershed management and environmental education for an international audience of college and graduate students.
• Managed outreach and public relations for TBI’s programs, including efforts to strengthen TBI’s alumni network.
• Supervised program staff of up to seven people located in both the Tahoe region and the Baikal region of Russia.

Policy Analyst, Science Applications International Corp., Germantown, MD 2004-2005

• Played multi-faceted role of primary researcher, author, and teacher-trainer for text of curriculum unit on nuclear energy for high school physics courses, with a focus on developing critical thinking skills. Client: Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology.
• On-going responsibilities included assisting on writing of Environmental Impact Statements for the Department of Energy.

Program Coordinator, Leslie Science and Nature Center, Ann Arbor, MI 2004

• Conducted public programs, school field trips, and week-long summer day camps focused on a variety of ecological and environmental topics.
• Worked with audiences ranging from pre-school age through adults.

Director, Summer Environmental School, Baikal Environmental Wave, Irkutsk, Russia 2002, 2003

• Designed curricula and obtained grant funding for two-week day camp for twenty underprivileged children in the largest city of the Lake Baikal region of Siberia.
• Coordinated curriculum, field trips, logistics, meals, and four volunteer camp leaders.
• Translated lesson materials from English and created original activities in Russian.

Environmental Education Intern, Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center, Peninsula, OH 1999-2000

• Nine month internship included four days of outdoor environmental education teaching per week, as well as course work in local ecology, cultural history, and interactive teaching methodologies.
• Taught interdisciplinary curriculum focused on the watershed of the Cuyahoga River to school groups ranging from third through eighth grade, from schools in inner-city Cleveland, Akron, and surrounding suburbs.

RELEVANT COURSEWORK

• Environmental Policy and Behavior: Environmental Education, Environment and Behavior, Psychology of Environmental Stewardship, Research Methods in Environment and Behavior, Environmental Risk Communication, Natural Resource Policy and Administration, Microeconomics with Natural Resource Applications.
• Natural Science: Biology, Forestry, Regional Geology of the Pacific Northwest, Field Geology, Geohydrology
• Courses Taken at Irkutsk State Technical University (in Russian): General Ecology, Economics of Natural Resource Use, Ecological Expertise, Russian Environmental Policy.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

• Certifications: Project WILD, Project WET, and Project Learning Tree; National Association of Interpretation Certified Interpretive Guide (September 2011) and Certified Interpretive Trainer (January 2013)
• Computer Proficiency: Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver; Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint (2010 and earlier versions); GiftWorks Donor Database; basic familiarity with Adobe Photoshop.
• Foreign Languages: professionally conversant Russian, beginning Spanish.
• Foreign Travel Experience: Lived in Russia for total of 18 months, followed by eight years of annual professional trips. Professional travel also includes Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and India. Personal travel to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Austria, Slovakia, Mexico, and Ecuador.

PERSONAL INTERESTS

• Guitar (just beginning to learn!)
• Hiking, biking, jogging
• Knitting, sewing
• Yoga