Please welcome Karen Gatz and Adam Jankauskas to our Advisory Board. Joining our team as School Outreach Specialists are Nicole Canty and Angela Kakabeeke.

James Cohen is a lawyer with the firm Verrill Dana, LLP in Portland, ME. Jim’s experience in public service, including his service as Mayor of Portland and leadership positions on multiple business and non-profit boards, provides Jim with a deep understanding of government and a broad range of connections within Maine’s business and political community.

Karen Gatz is the Senior Mathematician for Lockheed Martin Energy.  In this role, Karen is looked to for statistical and data analysis within current Lockheed Martin Energy’s nationwide initiatives, such as the Northeast Regional Consumer Products Initiative which promotes energy efficiency products.

Before joining Lockheed Martin Energy, Karen worked as a Federal government contractor for over twenty years developing database software tools to assist engineering and workflow processes, primarily for the Department of Transportation, Labor and Defense.  Karen has also worked in the private sector for such organizations as Exxon-Mobil and TIAA-CREF.  Karen has enjoyed teaching Mathematics and Statistics as an Adjunct Professor at a local community college for the past eleven years.  Karen is committed to lifelong learning as demonstrated through her earning of a Bachelors in Computer Science from LeMoyne College, Masters in Mathematics & Education from University of Vermont and most recently a Masters in Predictive Analytics from Northwestern University.

 

Karen has always been committed to promoting STEM education through mentoring, teaching and volunteering her time.  Karen’s volunteerism is highlighted through twelve years as a Girl Scout leader as well as assisting at STEM events, such as local school science fairs.  Karen looks forward to joining Project Green Schools in that it combines both her for commitment to STEM and her passion for education (both as a learner and educator) within the Energy Sector.

 

Adam Jankauskas is the Founder of City Compost.  He works to promote the value of composting in order to reduce waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions, return nutrients to the soil, live a more sustainable life-style, and most importantly grow more clean healthy food. His organization provides services to residents, schools, restaurants, non-profits, gardens, and other organizations in all aspects of compost.

 

 

Nicole Canty

Greetings!  I was born and raised in the most MAGICAL place on Earth.  Where else, but Orlando, Florida!  Being a Florida native, I grew up roaming and frolicking in many of Florida’s orange groves while my dad took care of them.  I guess you could say that’s where my love for our natural world began. During my undergraduate studies at the University of Central Florida, I began working as Safari Driver at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and this, combined with my studies, is what paved the path for a long-term career as a conservation educator in several of Central Florida’s AZA-accredited zoological facilities.  My focus in these institutions was developing and facilitating K-5 programs which aligned with Florida’s Sunshine State Science Standards.

Stuck at a crossroad, my life’s direction began its focus on formal school education when I was faced with BOTH a frustration of people “not getting” our conservation messages and the need to make a daily living wage that the world of non-profits just could not offer at the time. Now, I am a certified Biology 6-12 and Middle Grades 5-9 teacher.  Although it would seem, from outward appearances, that I have left the informal world of education behind, that is not the case at all.  I was, am, and forever shall be a Zoo Teacher.  My goal is to bring high-quality zoo education into the formal classroom and make learning science fun, engaging, and dynamic once again.  Through this method I further aim to build strong, purposeful relationships with students, students with the community, and the community with each other.  I believe that people will not have proper respect for the natural world until they can fully appreciate how the physical world operates and the role of ALL of the organisms that call Earth home, as well as a healthy respect and understanding for each other.  Caring for the environment is about caring for each other.  It’s about building relationships.  And it begins in the schools.  I am truly honored to have been selected to serve in this capacity with Project Green Schools!

 

Angela Kakabeeke

Angela Kakabeeke is an author, speaker, and founder of Earth Detectives; a company that searches for real life solutions that care for air, land and seas. Angela’s company is publishing a series of her co-authored children’s books promoting sustainable practices; Captain Savannah and the Saint Patrick’s Day Mystery and Tybee Craddock and the North Atlantic Right Whale Mystery. The themes are about one’s responsibility to take care of water, land, air, nature, and mankind. She received her Masters of Science in Sustainable Practices from Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN.  She is passionate about creating a positive culture change through sustainable education and practices. Angela assists in special projects from Sustainability in Golf Events to creating educational outdoor classrooms with the United States Green Building Council. She is also a mom to two sets of twins that serve as her inspiration to educate future generations to care for the earth.