Speakers

Keynote Speakers:

Dr. Autumn Saxton-Ross, NatureBridge

Autumn has dedicated her career to improving the health of communities through engagement, activity, education, exposure, and opportunity, truly believing that a healthy life is lived better outdoors. With degrees in sociology, health education, and exercise science, her research, academic, and professional interests are on the social and physical environment and their influences on physical activity, specifically in Black and urban populations, and the health benefits (mental, physical and economic) of parks and green spaces. She has made Washington DC her home for over 20 years and has experience working with multiple public institutions in the area, including: DC Public Schools, DC Department of Parks and Recreation, DC Department of Health, Howard University, and the National Collaborative for Health Equity. Under her leadership, NatureBridge will continue to deliver model programs in Prince William Forest Park and Shenandoah National Park and use its influence to advance the field of environmental education nationwide.

Dr. Samual Brody, Texas A&M University

Samuel D. Brody is a Regents Professor and holder of the George P. Mitchell ’40 Chair in Sustainable Coasts in the Departments of Marine Sciences and Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University. He is the Director of Center for Texas Beaches and Shores and the Lead Technical Expert for the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas.

Dr. Brody’s research focuses on coastal environmental planning, spatial analysis, flood mitigation, climate change policy, and natural hazards mitigation. He has published numerous scientific articles on flood risk and mitigation, and recently authored the book, Rising Waters: The causes and consequences of flooding in the United States published by Cambridge University Press.

Dr. Brody teaches graduate courses in environmental planning, flood mitigation, and coastal resiliency. He has also worked in both the public and private sectors to help local coastal communities adopt flood mitigation plans. For more information, please visit www.tamug.edu/ctbs.

Nancy Striniste, Principal, EarlySpace

Nancy Striniste, founder and principal designer at EarlySpace, LLC, has a unique background as both a landscape designer and an early childhood educator. Nancy’s goal is to bring nature to the places where children spend their time: backyards, schoolyards, churchyards, parks, neighborhoods, and more. She has worked with families, schools, childcare centers, municipalities, and organizations to create sustainably designed natural play and learning spaces and to teach about how to use the outdoors for learning and play.

Ms. Striniste is the author of Nature Play at Home: Creating Outdoor Spaces that Connect Children to the Natural World. She teaches at Antioch University New England in their Nature-based Early Childhood Graduate Certificate program, serves on the Nature Play Workgroup of the Maryland Partnership for Children and Nature, and on the Leadership Team of NoVA Outside. She is a certified Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional. For more information visit earlyspace.com.

Presenters

• Albert Arevalo, Volunteer Coordinator at Brookside Gardens Nature Center. Albert Arevalo is the volunteer coordinator at Brookside Gardens. He also serves as the DC area coordinator for Latino Outdoors, a non-profit that connects Latinx communities and leadership with nature and outdoor experiences. Albert is committed to increasing access of the Hispanic community to public lands and educating students about opportunities for careers in the environmental field. In May 2017, Albert was selected as a Chesapeake Regional Fellow for the Environmental Leadership Program.
• Kevin Brandt, Superintendent, The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park. Kevin D. Brandt serves as the superintendent of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (NHP), one of the National Park Service’s busiest parks. Preserving America's early transportation history, the C&O Canal began as a dream of passage to Western wealth. Operating for nearly 100 years the canal was a lifeline for communities along the Potomac River as coal, lumber, and agricultural products floated down the waterway to market. Today it endures as a pathway for discovering historical, natural, and recreational treasures.
• Jim Caldwell, Director, Howard County Office of Community Sustainability Howard County Office of Community Sustainability aims to protect and enhance the quality of life in our communities by addressing environmental and economic issues affecting County citizens and future generations. Guided by principles of science, ingenuity, sustainability and stewardship, the Office engages in water quality, economic development, agriculture, energy and education initiatives. Howard County boasts the state’s oldest Office of Sustainability and works to coordinate efforts throughout other Howard County Departments, governments through out the state and region, and community institutions.
• JohnDre Jennings, Druid Heights Community Development Corporation, Director of Housing and Real Estate Development. The Druid Heights Community Development Corporation (DHCDC), a non-profit organization, with a mission to promote and encourage areas of community development and empowerment through numerous initiatives. The overall goal is to accelerate the revitalization of the neighborhood with self-empowerment, employment and economic opportunities all while creating a stable and safe community environment.
• Andrew Jones, Town of Edmonston. Andrew Jones is a member of the Chesapeake Conservation Corps working for the Town of Edmonston in Prince George’s County. His major project for this year has been the creation of a bilingual after-school environmental club for the town’s middle school students and their classmates at William Wirt Middle School.
• Clare Maffei, Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition & U.S. Fish and Wildlife Environmental Science Consultant. Clare Maffei is a contractor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service and graduate student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She has been working at the intersection of pollinator conservation, urban ecology, and environmental justice for nearly five years.
• Bridget Parlato, Baltimore Trash Talk. Baltimore Trash Talk is an open community forum/initiative that informs people about the impact of trash and pollution on ourselves, our neighborhoods, our city, our health, our safety and our environment.
• Jessica Pelt, Executive Director Beth Shalom Congregation. Founded in 1908, Beth Sholom is the largest Modern Orthodox Congregation in the Washington Metropolitan area, and has facilities in Silver Spring and Potomac, Maryland and has a membership of approximately 400 families. Beth Sholom is home to inspiring services and showcases programs that touch people of all ages, interests and backgrounds, reflecting Beth Sholom’s remarkable diversity.
• Scott Walzak, Georgetown Canal Plan Project Manager. Georgetown Heritage is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization working to revitalize, activate, and interpret the National Park Service assets in Georgetown into inviting, inclusive, and inspiring destinations, with an initial focus on the C&O Canal National Historical Park.