The Education Operating Committee (EOC) is a committee of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Board and reports to the SFI Board. It is responsible for providing leadership, direction, and strategy development in connection with Project Learning Tree (PLT) and other educational programs of SFI. The committee develops opportunities to further understanding about natural resource management and complex environmental issues among youth and their families – working with educators, resource management professionals, youth leaders, citizen conservationists, and others in cooperative projects.
The committee’s responsibilities include:
- Recommending goals and policies for PLT and other educational programs
- Recommending annual programs, work plans, and budgets for consideration and approval by SFI’s Board of Directors
- Advocating for PLT
- Participating in or assisting with PLT’s programs and activities as appropriate
- Providing guidance related to strategic planning for PLT programs
- Assessing effectiveness of PLT activities in addressing strategic priorities and recommending improvements or change
- Ensuring that effective, transparent, and credible mechanisms for awarding of grants, fellowships, prizes, and honors are maintained.
PLT’s Education Operating Committee
| Janet Ady Division Chief of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships Bureau of Land Management Washington, D.C. |
Heidi McAllister Committee Co-chair Asst. Director, Conservation Education USDA Forest Service Washington, D.C. |
| Nicole Ardoin, Ph.D. Assistant Professor School of Education Stanford University California |
Karen L. Ostlund, Ph.D. Lecturer, University of Texas at Austin UTeach Science Program, College of Natural Sciences Texas |
| Wanda Barrs Tree Farmer Due South Investment Georgia |
Robert Raze, Ph.D. Professor St. Petersburg College College of Education Florida |
| Daniel Benavidez Superintendent Zuni Public School District New Mexico |
Thelma Redick Senior Director, Conservation Content and Partnerships Wildlife Habitat Council Maryland |
| Denise Buck Program Director Pacific Education Institute Washington |
Susan M. Schultz SMS Consulting Indiana |
| Andrew Burnett (retired) Branch Chief for Interagency Coordination US Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Education Outreach Virginia |
Michelle Saulnier Program Director Arbor Day Foundation Nebraska |
| Peter Church State Forester Department of Conservation and Recreation Massachussetts |
Rahul Singh CEO Anant Corporation Washington, D.C. |
| Laura Downey, Ph.D. Committee Co-Chair Executive Director Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education Kansas |
Laura Six, Ph. D. Plant Ecologist Weyerhaeuser Company Washington |
| Mary Ford Education Program Manager National Geographic Society Washington, D.C. |
Ashley Smith Alabama PLT State Coordinator Alabama Forestry Association Alabama |
| Beth Marchand Managing Director Bearmark Digital New Hampshire |
Ada Takacs PLT State Coordinator Michigan Department of Natural Resources Forest Resources Division Michigan |