My passion for the environment began in middle school when I first heard Dr. Jane Goodall speak. Within the next year, I had founded a nonprofit called the Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program. This by-youth, for-youth program provides students in central Indiana with the funding and mentorship they need to lead environmental projects of their own design within their communities. After passing the program onto the next group of incredible young leaders, I left Indiana for Stanford University, where I earned a master's degree in environmental communication and a bachelor's degree in Earth systems, focused on conservation biology. I later returned to earn my Ph.D. from North Carolina State University, investigating what drives high schoolers to take collective action for the environment. My research has taken me from forests in the Dominican Republic to classrooms in North Carolina.
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I currently lead agency efforts to empower youth voice within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

Whenever possible, I speak and write about young people’s ability to make a difference for the environment.

Communication

Inspiring people to environmental action through writing, public speaking, and multimedia communication

Youth engagement

Helping young people see themselves as forces for positive change in their communities

Research

Conservation through understanding human-animal interactions and human behavior change