Meet Your Facilitators

Beth has been working in the field of education since she was a teenager mentoring younger girls at Girl Scout camp. After graduating from Penn State with a degree in political science, she began a career with the Girl Scouts of the USA, holding a variety of positions developing skills in event planning, volunteer support, teambuilding, informal education, camp administration and adult development.

Life circumstances changed and, moving to New York City from Pennsylvania, she enrolled in Brooklyn College's graduate program to become a classroom teacher, eventually being certified in Childhood Education (grades 1-6) and Earth Science education (grades 7-12). While in the teaching profession, she honed her curriculum development expertise and became a peer leader at her school and through the city-wide networks of NYC Outward Bound Schools, the Performance Assessment Consortium, Climate Educator's Task Force, Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility and Math for America. Nationally, she has worked with EL Education, Fund for Teachers and EduChange.

Beth began studying Druidry through the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. This exploration of the power of the natural world, partnered with the growing realization of the need for emotional support for teachers led to the vision for the Awen Center. Having had her fill of city life, and craving more nature, she moved from Brooklyn to the Catskills and The Awen Center was born.

Deborah has been teaching science in New York City public high schools for 14 years, earning her BA in Biology and Environmental Studies from Bowdoin College and her Masters in Teaching from Pace University. She has served as department chair and model teacher, led after school enrichment programs, and worked continuously to develop innovative curricula and teaching practices to meet the needs of her diverse students. Deborah has spent her career in transfer schools that serve students who are under-credited and require special supports to reach their graduation requirements, and she finds working with this population deeply rewarding.

As a 3-time Master Teacher Fellow at Math for America (a professional learning community for STEM teachers), Deborah facilitated a wide variety of workshops for teachers around social emotional learning and emotional intelligence. This work inspired her go back to school and pursue an MA in Psychology at Hunter College, where she is currently conducting research with youth who experience suicidal ideation. Deborah is passionately dedicated to supporting the social-emotional wellbeing of teachers and young people. She lives in Brooklyn with her two cats and enjoys music, dancing, hiking, bike-riding, and traveling around the world to SCUBA dive and learn about other ecosystems and cultures.