BOARD OF directors

AEOE's Board members are volunteers. These dedicated leaders ensure that AEOE meets all fiscal and legal responsibilities while steering the strategy and development of the organization.

Officers

Ryan Mayeda (he/him), President & Chair

Ryan studied marine biology at UC Santa Cruz, but his career path took a turn into the field of education as a park ranger, naturalist and museum interpreter. He still misses going on research dives in the kelp forests of Northern California, but couldn’t be happier in his role as the Director of Education with I Love A Clean San Diego. He has also enjoyed his time as the former AEOE Program Leaders Group Coordinator and serving on the Board for the last 7 years. He loves working in this field to inspire relationship building with nature and the environment that surrounds us, and now shares this passion of the outdoors with his two young children!

Andrew Boyd-Goodrich (he/him), Vice President

Andrew’s life mission is to make millions of people happy! He does that in his professional life as the Executive Director of Camp Ocean Pines, along the Central Coast in Cambria. Previously, Andrew worked for the YMCA of San Francisco at the Camp Jones Gulch and Point Bonita sites. He first joined the AEOE board in 2019, and has previously served as Treasurer; he currently co-chairs the Communications committee, and sits on the Executive and Finance committees. Andrew likes spending time with family and friends, old movies, playing board games, arcane philosophical arguments, and Mexican food.

Katie Havens (she/her), Treasurer

Katie Havens is happiest when outside running, hiking, camping, rock climbing, or doing yoga. She joined the AEOE board in 2022 as the Treasurer and Finance Committee Co-Chair. She currently serves as the California Director for SOURCE, a start-up technology company that created a hydropanel that creates clean, sustainable drinking water from sunlight and air. She has held various fundraising and development roles at nonprofits and in politics before getting her MBA at Boston University and transitioning into a role in the sustainability and technology sector. She holds a BA in Political Science from Sonoma State University and was born and raised in San Diego.

Kori Donley (she/her), Secretary

Kori Donley has happily devoted her life to being an educator and leader in Environmental and Outdoor Education. She has explored with students across the globe, from the Yukon to Patagonia and New Zealand to China. During her graduate studies in Natural Resources and Society, Kori partnered with climate scientists at the University of Idaho to design place-based climate change curriculum and lead professional development for high school teachers. She has been honored to serve as the Director of School Programs at Westminster Woods, a member of the Professional Development Committee for the Sonoma EE Collaborative, and a contributor to the Green Schoolyards Initiative and the Grow Outside Toolkit for Social Emotional Learning. Kori currently teaches 6th-grade math and science at an International Baccalaureate School in Bend, Oregon, engaging them in outdoor learning regularly. She continues to support California students by providing leadership, training, resources, and collaboration opportunities for education professionals. Any time she spends time outdoors, it reinforces her motivation for engaging in this essential work. Her adventure partners include her husband, Eric, and dogs, Marlow and Talula.

Board Members at Large

Brandy Lively (she/her)

Brandy loves to hike, backpack, kayak, and travel. She has worked as a naturalist, outdoor school instructor, program coordinator, and camp director. Brandy has her B.S. in Environmental Science and M.A. in Recreation Administration. She and her family live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains where she now runs her own business as a financial coach for educators. She is excited to be on the Board and be able to support the outdoor education field. Brandy joined the board in 2023 and is the Co-Chair of the Conferences & Awards Committee. 

Corinne Calhoun (she/her)

Corinne has a B.A. in Environmental Science from Pomona College and first developed a passion for science and nature while camping, gardening and fishing with her family as a kid. These formative experiences helped her develop an ever-evolving relationship with nature. Often the only person of color in those spaces, these experiences also felt isolating at times. She has since endeavored to build a career that centers equity in the outdoors and environmental/STEM education so that other young people with identities that are marginalized by our society can also access and feel belonging in nature. Corinne has 10+ years experience in youth development and nature programming as an environmental educator; adaptive outdoor recreation guide; camp manager; and now as the Environmental Learning Coordinator with the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley where she contributes to the Working Towards Racial Equity Workshop Series and develops curricula that advances environmental literacy and justice in formal and informal education systems. She was a 2020 Justice Outside Rising Leaders Fellow and served as the Co-Chair for her workplace Resilience, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Corinne’s first experience with AEOE was through a statewide conference as an early-career teacher naturalist and she is excited to re-engage with AEOE and apply her experience to her work as the Co-Chair of the AEOE Board’s Equity and Inclusion Committee.

Diana Rohini LaVigne (she/her/ella)

With 25+ years of journalism/communications experience, Diana Rohini was the Chief Communications Officer for the health department, served as ED for several non-profit organizations, and held corporate leadership positions. With a BA from Harvard University (Psychology) and MA from Hebrew University(Theology), she has written 500+ articles. She's received several awards for her work, including the Distinguished Service Award by the California Legislature Assembly, Certificate of Recognition by the California State Senate, and Event Chair of the Year Award. Additionally, she was the co-host for a top Boston arts cable show and host of a Bay Area cable show on bikes. She lived in the Middle East (Israel) and Africa (Zaire) and traveled extensively in Antarctica, Australia, Asia, and Europe. She has been a speaker and emcee for hundreds of events. In her spare time, she is the chapter chair of the South Asian Journalists Association Bay Area, California Naturalist Planning Committee, and leads efforts to get youth and BIPOC families into nature. Diana Rohini joined AEOE's board in 2022. Socials: @DianaRohini

Helen Morales (she/her)

Helen Morales is deeply committed to increasing access to nature and outdoor experiences for youth from underrepresented and BIPOC communities. She has dedicated over 15 years to creating transformative outdoor experiences for youth, designing, and overseeing nature-based programs that engage and inspire as the Director of Outdoor Education and Camp Woodcraft for Woodcraft Rangers. Helen also serves on the National Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee and the Volunteer Engagement Committee for the American Camp Association, advocating for inclusive outdoor education. A Cal State Long Beach graduate with a degree in Child Development and Family Studies, Helen joined AEOE's board in 2024. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the outdoors with her family and sharing her love of reading with her son.

Lisa Biasillo (she/her)

Lisa is an educator and lifelong learner. Spending most of her career at international schools, Lisa taught in South Korea and Cambodia before becoming a school administrator. She served as a Director/Head of School in Cambodia, Rwanda, and Austria at large international schools. Passionate about sustainability and environmental education, she now serves as the Vice President of Education at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. She works on strategic educational initiatives for the Alliance, ensuring that learning and engagement are infused with the organization’s pursuits. Lisa has two master’s degrees, one in education and one in poverty reduction & development management. She is also a licensed elementary teacher and a California naturalist. When Lisa isn’t exploring tidepools, she spends time with her sweet pups and husband. She believes in learning with, in, for, and from nature and integrates that ethos into her personal and professional life. Lisa joined the AEOE’s board in 2024.

Mindy Schwartz (she/her)

Mindy Schwartz currently serves as the Education Director at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach, where she develops programs, trains staff, and seeks out innovative ways to collaborate with community stakeholders. Mindy got her start as an environmental educator on the east coast, working at a variety of zoos, outdoor schools, and nature centers before settling into a Masters program at the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. It was here that Mindy discovered classes in nonprofit management and her appreciation for the administrative (and often under-appreciated) side of environmental education. When not teaching, scheduling, or collaborating, Mindy can be found swing dancing, photographing, and parenting to her 2 young sons. Mindy joined AEOE's board in 2021. 

Nadia Van Lynn (she/they)

Nadia is an ever-learning student of planet earth and aims to facilitate experiences of present attention and curiosity in the outdoors. In childhood, she led friends and family on hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains where she grew up, and continues that passion today. Her past work includes: Naturalist at Coloma Outdoor Discovery School, 3rd-5th grade teacher in Northern California public schools, after school program director, State Parks staff, district leader for the Watershed Stewards Program, and summer camp director, counselor, lifeguard, etc. (a list which really only makes sense to fellow EE'ers). Along the way she also earned a B.A. in Environmental Education from Warren Wilson College in North Carolina, and moved to Humboldt County where she continues to live today on unceded Wiyot Lands. She joined the AEOE board in 2024 to continue engaging with the EE community, as she has moved towards a more administrative role with the Northcoast Regional Land Trust (she still directs the organization's field trip program though!). She is grateful to be part of a community of people who pause to pay attention to the plants growing through cracks in the sidewalk, and who find nature everywhere-- including in each of us. Nadia joined AEOE's board in 2024. 

Rosanna Ruiz (she/her)

Rosanna is an experienced practitioner well-versed in the areas of environmental education, conservation, and program development. She began her journey in environmental education as a naturalist, a stepping stone that ultimately led to a long-time career in land conservation where she directed place-based education and outreach programs. For the past decade she has served at the college level and is currently faculty at CSU Fresno. Ro is also an instructor for the UC California Naturalist certification course; a facilitator for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Project WILD programs; a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association of Interpretation; faculty for The Morpho Institute for Amazon Conservation; and has Environmental Educator Certification through AEOE. She completed her Doctorate in Educational Leadership at CSU Fresno where her research focused on the Science of Awe and its transformative impact on outdoor field-based experiences for both educators and their students. Through this lens she continues to develop engaging outdoor learning experiences that allow participants to make meaningful connections with natural habitats and discover more about themselves in the process. Rosanna joined AEOE's board in 2023. 

Board Nomination

AEOE's Board of Directors is recruiting new members to join our leadership team. Board members are the fiduciaries who steer AEOE towards a sustainable future by adopting sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management policies, as well as by making sure our organization has adequate resources to advance its mission. Our Board holds a wide range of skills and expertise. AEOE strives to serve and represent environmental and outdoor education across California. Our strategic plan calls for us to strengthen the diversity and capacity of our network. We are looking for individuals who have a demonstrated dedication to our mission and can help reach new and innovative areas within our field. In an effort to better represent the vast diversity of programs and providers across the state, we strongly encourage individuals who identify as members of communities that have historically been marginalized within our field to apply (in particular, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks). 

Interested in joining AEOE's Board? Read through our Board Member Responsibilities. If you would like to see the nomination form questions ahead of time or draft your responses prior to submission, click here.

Board terms typically start July 1. The priority deadline is April 1, 2025 to give us time to get to know you and see if this is a good fit (although nominations are accepted on a rolling basis). After your nomination has been received we will reach out to schedule an interview and invite you to join an upcoming board meeting as a guest. 

Click here to submit a board nomination!

One way to get involved and to determine if board service might be for you is to join one of our active committees. Please reach out to Ryan at ryan@aeoe.org if you have skills and interests to contribute one of these areas:

Past board minutes can be accessed here:

Board Minutes from the past fiscal year: FY24  

AEOE's Bylaws can be accessed here (revised in the spring of 2023)

AEOE Bylaws