I manage NWF’s education programs in the state of Texas. I particularly focus on integrating NWF’s school-based programs into urban school districts and promoting environmental education as a way to improve student academic performance and increase children’s connection to the outdoors. I enjoy collaborating with partners to meet the needs of the diverse individuals we serve and working with a team to document and communicate the effectiveness of our programs through social media, blogs, and other media outlets.Some of our current programs in the state of Texas include: Eco-Schools USA, Monarch Heroes,and Schoolyard Habitats. Learn more here: https://www.nwf.org/South-Central-Region/South-Central-Education.

I coordinated professional development for K-12 teachers and guided student-led Eco-Action teams in developing and maintaining sustainability initiatives at their schools through Eco-Schools USA. National Wildlife Federation is the U.S. host for the international Eco-Schools program created by the Foundation for Environmental Education. There are 12 Eco-Schools USA pathways: Biodiversity , Climate Change, Consumption & Waste, Energy, Transportation, Water, Sustainable Food,Healthy Living, Healthy Schools, Schoolyard Habitats, LEAF (Learning about Forests), and WOW (Watersheds, Oceans, and Wetlands)Each pathway provides a foundation for project-based learning that ultimately reduces a campus’ environmental footprint and empowers students to make positive changes for a sustainable future.www.eco-schoolsusa.org/

I coordinated Scientist in Residence activities for graduate students from UT-Austin and teachers in local area K-12 schools who were interested in bringing current research and university-level role models into classrooms. Graduate students would be paired with 1-2 teachers with the goal of communicating their complex thesis research to a young audience. I also assisted with efforts for academic professors to share their research with a public audience through Hot Science - Cool Talks. These programs continue to inspire our next generation of scientists while benefiting current graduate students and teachers with new and exciting ways to express scientific concepts. The Environmental Science Institute (ESI) is an interdisciplinary institute at UT-Austin that works with numerous faculty and offices to promote collaboration in research and teaching. http://www.esi.utexas.edu

Through a partnership with Texas Sea Grant and NOAA, I networked with community, governmental, and non-profit organizations to identify and compile hydrological restoration projects along the Texas coast in anticipation of potential RESTORE Act funding. These projects are now included in an online inventory focused on restoring historic tidal and freshwater exchange and benefiting coastal and marine fisheries habitat. Learn more about these projects here: http://masgc.org/hydrorestoration

I assisted in both field work (collection of sediment core, water, and seagrass samples) and lab work (nitrate analysis using a cadmium column, sample preparation for isotope analysis).

My Master's thesis work utilized the eastern oyster to determine the extent of nitrogen influence from freshwater (the San Antonio and Guadalupe rivers) along a transect that stretched from a near-freshwater endmember to a marine endmember. Oyster adductor muscle and water samples were analyzed. I was also able to compare the incorporation time of ambient isotopic values of carbon and nitrogen into oyster adductor muscle tissue in a subtropical climate to other studies already completed in temperate regions. See publication below.

I handled a variety of tasks for the Operations and Science Departments at The Nature Conservancy's Texas office. Some of my main duties included organizing and taking notes at meetings, editing and compiling conservation area reports, and handling general administrative tasks. In a small team, we also produced our internal newsletter for the Texas chapter.

Majored in Biology with a Specialization in Marine Science.Participated in the Boston University Marine Program (BUMP) at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA.