BOARD OF DIRECTORS

General Contact: LEEF.florida@gmail.com

OFFICERS

President: Lori Nicholson     email: president@leef-florida.org

Lori is the Instructional Systems Specialist at St. Marks NWR. She grew up in Oklahoma, has taught in OK, TX, and FL. She has resided in this area of Florida for the past 20 years. She received her B.S. in Elementary Education from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, and her B.S. and M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Ecology from Oklahoma State University. She has worked both in formal and non-formal education, teaching all ages. She has taught in schools, a museum, and acted as Senior Interpretive Education Instructor/Facilitator for Disney’s Wilderness Adventures at Walt Disney World. Lori enjoys being outdoors, horseback riding, fishing hiking, and gardening. During her 18-year tenure at St. Marks NWR numbers reached in environmental education programs and outreach has gone from 5400 to over 14,000 participants annually. She currently acts as the Chair (president) for the Florida Project Learning Tree state steering committee.  Lori also partners with the state wildlife agency FWC acting as hunt master for two youth hunts held on the refuge annually.

President Elect: Available for nomination

Treasurer:  Karolyn Burns      email: treasurer@leef-florida.org

Karolyn Burns is the Education and Curriculum Manager for the CLEO Institute, residing in the Tallahassee office. She runs the Teachers Network portion of the Climate Resilient Schools program and the CLEO Speakers Network program twice a year. This includes building capacity to bring more climate education into the State Standards (CPALMS), and developing lesson plans and other curriculum materials focused on climate and environmental justice. She also teaches biology and earth science classes at Tallahassee Community College. Her teaching philosophy centers on science literacy, critical thinking, and connecting social justice and policy issues into the science classroom to both engage and serve underrepresented populations in STEM.
Karolyn has bachelor's degrees in marine biology and ecology from Florida Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in science education from Florida State University. As part of her education research, she has presented at the Florida Association of Science Teachers (FAST), the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), and the Mid-Atlantic Climate Change Conference (MACCEC). Her work has been published in the Florida Science Teacher and the NSTA Science Teacher journal.

Co- Past President (s): Vicki Crisp & Eileen Tramontana  emails: leef.florida@gmail.com

Eileen Tramontana

A native Floridian, Eileen Tramontana began her career in environmental education in South Florida, moved to the Suwannee River Water Management District and finally to the St. Johns River Water Management District as education and volunteer manager. After leaving water management, Eileen worked for the US Fish & Wildlife Service at the Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery, Jamestown KY and finally, Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, DeLeon Springs.

Then, she moved into the non-profit realm and worked at the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center until becoming the executive director for the Trout Lake Nature Center in May 2014.  She is certified as a Non-profit Manager and Interpretive Guide and is one of  the Florida state coordinators for the National Project WET program.

Eileen has been involved with LEEF since the 80’s and has served as president elect, president, past president, and Treasurer. She currently serves as LEEF’s Project WET Chair and Parliamentarian in addition to being co-Immediate Past President.

Vicki Crisp

 I have been active in LEEF for over 35 years and have served as secretary,

treasurer, president-elect (twice), president (twice) and past-president (twice)! I

am currently co-sharing the role of LEEF immediate past president. As a Florida

retired teacher and teacher-trainer, I have helped strengthen working relationships

between classroom teachers, higher education faculty, and non-formal

environmental educators.

My thoughts on LEEF’s purpose: Today’s generation of children is the first to grow

up almost entirely indoors. Our children are spending more time in front of a

screen than they are outside. The greatest gift we can give to our children is a love

for the outdoors, and the greatest gift we can give to the outdoors is a generation

of children who love it. LEEF strives to ensure Florida’s children have daily

opportunities to know and love their natural world—to engage in education in the

environment, about the environment, and for the environment.

Secretary: Robin Reccasina     email: secretary@leef-florida.org

Hi, my name is Robin Reccasina. I have a B.S. in Zoology from North Carolina State University, an M.S. in Biology Education from Long Island University, and am a Florida Master Naturalist Instructor. I have been LEEF’s Board Secretary since 2011. I am also the Executive Director at the Sawgrass Nature Center & Wildlife Hospital in Coral Springs, FL where I have served in all capacities as an employee since 2014 and volunteer since the late 90’s.

I enjoyed a childhood with the freedom to explore the outdoors at my leisure and have always been amazed at the wonders of nature. I enjoy sharing my discoveries with others which led me to life of teaching both in and out of the classroom for over 30 years. LEEF offers a great forum to learn and network with others who share the same passion.

Native to North Carolina, I have been in Florida since 1996 where my husband and I have raised two children.

DIRECTORS

Director 1: John Martinez   email: director1@leef-florida.org

John Martinez is an award winning educator, executive coach, corporate trainer, and father of three.  He resides in Orlando, Florida where he teaches fifth grade at Millennia Gardens Elementary (Orange County Public Schools).  John is the president of Eco Club which is a program that is at Millennia Gardens Elementary School and Westridge Middle school.  In 2018 John won the state of Florida teaching Ag in the classroom award and the National Teaching Ag in the classroom award.  In 2019 John took a group of Millennia Garden Eco Club students camping at Everglades National Park, and this was the first school in Orange County to participate in this program.  In 2022 Millennia Gardens won the Orange County Green School Award, the state of Florida's Green Apple Award, and the US Department of Education's Green Ribbon Award.  In December of 2022 John graduated from UCF with a masters degree in teaching K-8 Math and Science.  John has been a speaker at the Florida Association of Science Teachers (FAST) conference and at National Science Teachers Association Conferences.

Director 2: Pam Owens  email: director2@leef-florida.org

I am currently an Orange County Public Schools elementary teacher with 15 years of classroom teaching experience. I received my M.Ed. from the University of Central Florida in K-8 Math and Science. It was an honor being selected as school Teacher of the Year in 2013 and 2020. I have been a member of LEEF since 2019 and am currently a member of Florida Trail Association, Florida Native Plant Society, Florida Association of Science Teachers, and have completed Project Wild Facilitator training. I have been a past member of NSTA, FMSEA, and BSA. I am currently part of the 2024 LEEF Conference Planning Committee.

During the past 7 years at Zellwood Elementary, I have been the lead coordinator for the Everglades Champion School Program (5 years), the Green School Program (6 years), STEM Club, Jr. Birding Club, and Green Eagles Club. Our school has won 4 Silver and 1 Gold Everglades Champion School designations, 2023-2024 Third place winner for OCPS School of Excellence for Green School Initiatives, and most recently the Florida Green School designation. I have helped our school win grant monies that support gardening in the classroom, hydroponic gardening, erecting bird houses around our school campus and partnering with our local Audubon Society for binoculars for a birding club. These accomplishments have made me proud as I promote environmental awareness and sustainability at the school and community level. I reside in central Florida with my husband and enjoy hiking, gardening, and being outdoors.

Director 3: Kati Morris      email: director3@leef-florida.org

Kati Morris is an Upper School Science Instructor at Canterbury School, in Fort Myers, Florida.  Alongside her AP Environmental Science and Honors Biology classes, she also helps to oversee the Canterbury Upper School Independent Student Research program.  The research program regularly produces both state and international science fair champions, as well as students ranked in the top 300 best high school senior researchers in the country.  She has taught biology, chemistry and environmental science for fifteen years total, ten of which were in the public school system.  Kati has many roles outside of the classroom, serving as both AP Reader and Table Leader for the AP Environmental Science national exam scoring process, and an AP Consultant for College Board, training other AP Environmental Science teachers during one-day and weeklong program.  She was also a part of the curriculum team that supported the ExoLab-10 experiment on the International Space Station November 2023-January 2024.  Her proudest achievement is her role as a lifelong Floridian.  Kati was born in Deland, is a product of the Florida K-12 public school system, earned her BA in biology from FGCU, and is in the process of earning her masters in environmental science from the University of Florida.  She hopes to pass on her love of wild Florida, from the oak hammock to the estuary river, with her students and the community at large.

Director 4: Dr. Brian Ogle     email: director4@leef-florida.org

Dr. Brian Ogle is the Director of Conservation Learning & Audience Impact at Brevard Zoo. In this role, he oversees the Zoo’s education, community engagement, guest engagement, and research & evaluation programs. He actively conducts regular research related to the practice of conservation education and interpretation techniques. Throughout his career, he has been focused on environmental and conservation education serving in instructional management roles at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, Friends of the National Zoo, and Beacon College. He has served on boards for other organizations, including the Nebraska Master Natural Program and the National Science Teaching Association as well as operational committees for these organizations plus the Assoc. of Zoos & Aquariums and the International Society for Anthrozoology. Brian holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in educational leadership. Additionally, he has presented at LEEF conferences and has been actively involved in growing the practice of environmental education in the state of Florida by training college students in EE techniques. His goal in serving on committees or board of directors for organizations is to support the membership by providing them with value-added experiences that help to uplift the field collectively.

Director 5: Pamela Caputo  email: director5@leef-florida.org

Pam Caputo is a dedicated educator at Key Largo School, where she has been teaching for the past 29 years. Her expertise spans fourth and fifth grade general education and science, and she currently teaches STEAM to grades K-5. Pam was honored as the Monroe County Environmental Teacher of the Year in 2016 for her outstanding dedication and service. She has actively engaged her students in environmental initiatives, including the Florida Bay Forever stewardship program since 2018. Pam was also named Key Largo School Teacher of the Year for the 2019-2020 school year.

From 2013 to 2016, Pam's participation in the Fairchild Challenge earned her first place in environmental action and environmental role model categories. She founded the "KLS is the Solution to Pollution" club in 2016, focusing on monthly cleanups and addressing environmental issues, leading to involvement in the Everglades Champion program. Since 2021 Key Largo School has held a gold status, Pam has served as the school's Teacher Lead and organized the Everglades Ambassador Club.

Pam and her students have tackled numerous environmental issues in the Upper Keys, such as eliminating plastic straws at local restaurants and replacing plastic utensils in the school cafeteria. She passionately believes in educating students about the importance of environmental stewardship from a young age. Through cleanups, plant-growing projects, and outdoor explorations, Pam instills in her students a deep respect for their environment and the importance of taking care of the place they live.

          

Director 6: Dr.Melissa Parks

Melissa Parks, PhD, is an associate professor of education at Stetson University. Dr. Parks has served on the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Outstanding Science Trade Book Award Committee and as an Area Director for the Florida Association of Science Teachers. She is currently a member of the NSTA Early Childhood- Elementary Science Teaching Committee. Using her educational platforms, Dr. Parks strives to support and encourage educators to create meaningful, content-rich experiential learning experiences. Embedded in those experiences, she hopes to inspire environmental stewardship founded in appreciation of and knowledge about the natural world. Dr. Parks believes there is no substitute for being outside and is passionate about supporting students as they learn about the natural world and develop their environmental identity and personal stewardship. Dr. Parks’ research has been published in national and international journals and presented at local, regional, and national conferences. 

Operations Consultant,  Alicia Torres      email: leef.florida@gmail.com          

I am a native Floridian who spent her childhood running barefoot on the family farm, raising horses, tending the garden, building tree forts in the nearby woods, exploring rivers and trails, and doing anything else I could think of in order to spend as much time as possible outdoors. These cherished childhood experiences set me on a path to value and appreciate the wonder and beauty of nature, both in my professional and personal life.

I earned my B.A. in Education from the University of Florida with a specialization in middle grades science, my M.A. in Education from Florida Atlantic University, and my Ed.S. degree in Curriculum & Instruction from FAU with a specialization in environmental education. I have 15 years of formal classroom experience teaching science to children ranging in age from PreK3 to the 7th grade. In all my years of teaching, the thing I loved the most was being a part of a student’s “Aha!” moment.

My love for the outdoors and passion for the environment eventually steered my career away from the traditional science classroom and more toward the field of environmental education. I spent three years working at Florida Atlantic University’s Pine Jog Environmental Education Center as a Program Coordinator. There, I worked closely with educators and students across the South Florida region in providing Everglades education, solar energy programs, Green School initiatives, and facilitating Project WILD and Project Learning Tree professional development. Currently, I work at The Everglades Foundation where I am the K-12 Everglades Champion Schools Program Manager. My responsibilities involve curriculum development, program management, and training educators who share the goal of helping their schools become Everglades Champion Schools.

COMMITTEES

Executive

Finance

Membership

Conference

NON-VOTING MEMBERS

SEEA Representative(s):  Alicia Torres, Brian Ogle

Parliamentarian and Project WET: Eileen Tramontana

Our Board meets the last Thursday of each month via Zoom. Contact us if you would like a link to attend a Board meeting. Email: leef.florida@gmail.com

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