Current MEES Board Members:
President:
Erin Kelly
Career:
- At the Boston Nature Center, Erin Kelly is the Education Manager and the Camp Director at Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center! She directs a popular nature camp program that reaches families from all over Boston, coordinates year-round educational programming and supervises the center’s Youth Leader program.
Experience:
- She has 18 years of experience in outdoor environmental education and camp programming.
- She has designed programs to meet the needs of urban audiences in such diverse communities as Boston, New York City, and Los Angeles.
Education:
- Erin earned her B.S. in Environmental Science from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and a M.S. in Environmental Education from Antioch University New England.
Clerk:
Kathryn Parent
Career:
- Kathryn has been the Visitor Services Supervisor at Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park for the past 11 seasons at MA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation.
- She is passionate about presenting programming for all ages and abilities, specializing in connecting young children to nature and the outdoors. Her recent focus is working with multiple agencies and non-profit organizations planning large outdoor events such as Maple Sugar Days and Accessible Family Fishing Festivals.
Experience:
- She was a daycare/preschool owner and director for 15 years. She provided creative educational experiences for special events all across New England. Kathryn has also served a previous full term on the board as the Treasurer, and has recently returned to MEES.
Education:
- Kathryn’s educational background is from Becker College in Worcester.
Treasurer: Carrie Hawthorne
Career:
- Carrie Hawthorne has been the Curator of Education at the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford, MA since June 2014.
Experience:
- In 2004 she joined the Education Department at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, RI where she managed school programs until 2014.
- With over 15 years of experience in informal education, 11 spent in zoos, Ms. Hawthorne has dedicated her professional life to connecting audiences to their environment and wildlife.
- She acted as Treasurer for the Rhode Island Environmental Education Association (RIEEA) from 2007 to 2014.
Education:
- Carrie graduated from Otterbein College with a B.S. in Life Sciences, she then continued her education at the University of New Mexico where she received an M.A. in Environmental Education.
Advocacy Committee: Jennifer Klein
Career:
- Jennifer Klein is currently Director of Outdoor Experiences at the Trustees.
- She is passionate about sustainable cities and their ability to serve as solutions to our ecological crisis, and how environmental education can enhance how urban residents connect to the natural world in their communities. Her research interest is in educator practice and professional development, understanding how environmental educators approach teaching and learning in urban areas and how urban green space is used for environmental education outcomes.
Experience:
- Jennifer has worked in the field of science education and environmental services for over 16 years. She has has a wide range of experience both in formal and informal learning environments.
- She has taught environmental studies and STEM education to youth and adults in public schools, informal environmental education organizations, and higher education.
Education:
- Jennifer holds a PhD in Interdisciplinary Education Studies from Lesley University. Her scholarly interest is in urban environmental education and educator training and professional development.
Alissa Murfitt
Career:
- Alissa has taught the past eleven years in the Taunton, Massachusetts public school system.
- She continues to share her passion and love of the natural world with her students as she runs the schools environmental club as well as the Outdoor Club.
Experience:
- Alissa ran outdoor residential summer camps for 3 summers for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. She began her teaching career at Echo Hill Outdoor School on the Eastern Shore of Maryland before moving to Massachusetts. Alissa continued teaching in an urban charter school for two years before moving to the New Hampshire/Vermont.
- Alissa joined the MEES Board in the spring of 2018, she loves spending time with family, her dog Rex, friends, skiing, and traveling to see the band Phish.
Education:
- She received her undergraduate degree in geography with a minor in environmental studies at Salisbury University, Alissa advocated for the adoption of an Environmental Studies major which the university added.
- She earned a masters in earth systems science with a middle school science certification from Antioch University in New Hampshire.
DEI Committee: Cori Brauer
Career:
- She currently works full time as an Education Coordinator for Mass Audubon where she runs camp, homeschool, afterschool, scout, teen, and internships programs. Her passion is doing authentic hands-on STEM explorations in nature, positive youth development, and project-based learning.
- She also co-teaches a course at Salem State University on Community Education where she enjoys teaching and learning from the next generation of community educators.
Experience:
- After spending a summer as a camp counselor for Mass Audubon’s Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary she was hooked on environmental education, especially in an informal out-of-school setting.
- Cori loves hiking, reading, playing ukulele, and exploring Salem, MA where she lives with her partner and their many house plants.
- Cori became a board member in Spring of 2020.
Education:
- She holds a BA in Biology from Drew University and an MS in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont.
Liz Ellsworth
Career:
- Liz Ellsworth is the Education Outreach Assistant at The Last Green Valley, which is the 35-town National Heritage Corridor in eastern Connecticut and south-central Massachusetts.
Experience:
- Liz has been an Environmental Educator and Writer for over 15 years.
- Liz’s educational programs focus on a variety of topics including recycling, resource management, water quality monitoring, climate change, conservation, composting, and sustainability.
- Liz is a Science Columnist, writing weekly articles for several newspapers. Her columns have appeared in the Stonebridge Press, Villager Newspapers, and The Eastford Communicator.
- Liz was the Recycling Coordinator for the Town of Framingham, MA from 2007-2012.
- Liz has a passion for books and worked in independent bookstores for over 20 years, with the most time spent at Brookline Booksmith in Brookline, MA.
- Liz acts as the Communications and Outreach Specialist for the MEES Board. She has been on the Board since 2014.
Education:
- Liz graduated from Bates College with a BA in Comparative Literature, and earned an MS in Environmental Education from Antioch University New England.
Nicole Weber
Career:
- Nicole Weber is currently a faculty member at Lesley University, is teaching both science and science education courses, and has over 20 years working within the environmental conservation field.
- After years of discussing the science and environmental issues within the science silo, Nicole decided to step outside her disciplinary silo and try a different type of scholarship to get the message out. Nicole received an MFA in Visual Arts in 2018 and has shown environmentally messaged work both locally and internationally.
Experience:
- Over the generations, Weber has participated in co-creating curriculum within local teachers in Honduras, community members in Guyana, and study abroad experiences in Costa Rica, and more locally within the Center for Ecological Teaching and Learning Center in Cobscook Maine Field Station.
- With a Post-Doctoral appointment at Purdue, within the Engineering Education Department, Weber created sustainable engineering experiences for undergraduates.
- She enjoys creating and laughing with her teen, watching a nice sunset, and taking long walks with no agenda.
Education:
- Nicole has earned her B.S. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Minnesota, St. Paul.
- Nicole earn her doctorate in Environmental Biology with an emphasis in Science Education from UMASS Boston.