Internationally published, national award winning author of 15 children's books, fiction and nonfiction, on themes including the environment, school stories, and familyKeynoter and speaker at schools, festivals and professional conferences nationwideBeauty and the Beak: How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle (2017)AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books WinnerEureka! Gold Award for Nonfiction, California Reading AssociationJunior Library GuildChicago Public Library Best of the Best Kids BooksCALIFORNIA READS recommended title, California Teachers AssociationJimmy the Joey: The True Story of an Amazing Koala RescueReading is Fundamental/Macy's 2015 Multicultural Children's CollectionEureka! Silver Book Award, California Reading AssociationNotable Social Studies Trade Bookhttp://deborahleerose.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Jimmy-the-Joey-Teachers-Guide-FINAL-lo-res.pdfThe Spelling Bee Before Recess“...the clear message that to succeed, you must understand the meaning of words—not just memorize spellings—and the key to that is reading.”—SF ChronicleSomeone's Sleepy/FAMILY CHOICE AWARDAlso EbookLullaby recording—Grammy winner Tom Chapin“There will never be a magic book that puts every child to sleep, but this hushed cadence is certain to soothe.”—KirkusAll the Seasons of the YearThe Twelve Days of WinterNAPPA Gold AwardThe Twelve Days of KindergartenNAPPA Gold AwardThe Twelve Days of SpringtimeOcean BabiesInto the A, B, Sea NY Public Library 100 Children’s Books to Read and ShareA quarter million copies soldOne Nighttime SeaBirthday Zoo The People Who Hugged the TreesEnglish, French, German, Swedish, Chinese, Spanish, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Hmong; U.S./Can. anthologies; BBC TV, radioThe Rose HorseMeredith’s Mother Takes the TrainChicago Women in Publishing First Prize for Children's Trade Books

Communications planning, strategy and implementation specializing in STEM education and research, environmental education, science and nature centers, museums, nonprofitsMarketing, writing, editing, blogging, promotion, outreach, traditional and social media, web content, educational apps, development writingBusiness and nonprofits I have worked with include the Congressional App Challenge, NSF/Oracle-funded Howtosmile.org STEM education project, UC Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science, Birds of Prey Northwest, Wild Neighbors Database Project, Lindsay Wildlife Experience, and Association of Science-Technology Centers

The Congressional App Challenge is a congressional initiative to improve student engagement in coding and computer science. High school students in participating Congressional districts create and submit their own original apps that are judged by panels of local judges. Winners are honored by their Member of Congress and have their apps featured on a display in the US Capitol building in Washington, DC.The Challenge was created by the U.S. House of Representatives to engage U.S. high school student in coding and computer science. Congress recognizes how essential computer science and STEM skills are for economic growth and innovation, and that the U.S. is currently experiencing a dearth of adequately trained technical talent. The CAC is a congressional effort to maintain American competitiveness, by proactively inspiring our youth and encouraging them to pursue these crucial STEM-based skills.The Challenge is based at the Internet Education Foundation in Washington, DC.

Howtosmile.org is an NSF-funded, free access online collection of more than 3,600 hands-on STEM activities for all ages—named an AASL Best Website for Teaching and Learning and ALA Great Website for Kids. With communications reaching the White House Senior Policy Advisor level, I conceived and networked implementation of the project's collaboration with the Let's Move! Museums and Gardens Initiative of the Institute of Museum and Library Studies (IMLS). I was responsible for project communications and strategic outreach including creating all content for the Howtosmile.org blog, newsletter, Facebook page and Pinterest board, and expanding the project's nationwide partnerships and audiences through new collaborations, innovative products, traditional and social media, inclusion in national resource lists, and partner communication channels.

Lawrence Hall of Science is UC Berkeley's world renowned public science center. I helped write and edited all text content for the DIY Sun Science, DIY Human Body and DIY Lake Science apps for the iPad and iPhone. I helped create and directed communications for the award-winning, NSF/Oracle-funded hands-on STEM activities collection Howtosmile.org. I helped create and wrote/edited major content for the groundbreaking Nanozone onsite/online exhibit and the Forces That Shape the Bay outdoor exhibit. I created original, hands-on STEM activities for the 24/7 Science website, signage about cutting edge research for the Big Dinos/Cool Tools exhibit, and multiple Newspapers in Education series including Engineer It and Bodywork. I have edited major revisions of the LHS and LHS MARE websites. I have also served as interim marketing director for the entire Hall and for the Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) project, and created development materials for members and donors.

I conceived and enacted the museum's major new institutional partnership with the Bay Area Science Festival, and new and expanded media sponsorships by Bay Area News Group, Diablo Magazine, KKDV Radio and others. I created new branding for the museum as a whole and for new exhibits, and helped create new exhibits including The Burrow and Hive to Honey~Honey Bees and Beekeepers at work. I generated new and significantly expanded media coverage from the national to local level, and revamped the museum's major external publications and website, working with both staff and outside photographers, designers, and web developers. Lindsay Wildlife Experience includes live, wild animals, hands-on exhibits about wildlife and science, environmental education programs onsite and at schools, and the first wildlife rehabilitation hospital established in the U.S. Each year, Lindsay Wildlife Experience serves 100,000 visitors and its hospital treats more than 5,500 injured animals.

I advised deans, directors, and staff on public affairs, sensitive community issues, and major media coverage, wrote chancellors' speeches, reported on cutting edge research, and served as a university spokesperson and media liaison. I helped create the first UC Berkeley Wellness Guide.