NC Environmental Education Advisory Council advises and makes recommendations to the NC Office of Environmental Education on its educational efforts and strategic direction and informs the Office on trends in education, government, business and the non-profit sector. The Council is comprised of representatives from the academic, business, cultural arts and environmental communities. 

The Office works closely with Council members to determine how it can effectively provide quality environmental education programs and materials that improve academic achievement and increase environmental literacy among the state’s citizens.

Chris Canfield is the Executive Director for Audubon North Carolina

Chris Canfield was named Executive Director of the North Carolina State Office in January 2000 after working as the office's Director of Development. He joined Audubon after more than 6 years with UNC-Chapel Hill. There he was Director of Development for the Ackland Art Museum and Director of Communications for UNC's business school. A former air force officer, Chris worked at the Pentagon as a liaison with national news media. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama and a graduate degree in English literature from the University of Oxford in England which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. Chris is an avid birder and trained bird bander. He is former treasurer of the New Hope Audubon chapter. In 1998, he attended Audubon's Ecology Workshop in Wyoming. Chris authored a children's play about the environment, "The Green Man Gets a Hand," presented at schools around the Triangle. His wife, Kate, also a birder, is an outreach educator for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. She is a Certified NC Environmental Educator.

Nancy Creamer is the Director of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems

Nancy Creamer is a professor in the Department of Horticultural Science and the Director of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS). CEFS is a 2000 acre facility whose mission is to develop and promote food and farming systems that protect the environment, strengthen local communities, and provide economic opportunities in North Carolina and beyond. CEFS won Organization of the Year Award from Carolina Farm Stewardships Association in 2006. Creamer’s area of specialization includes farming systems research, organic production systems, and community-based sustainable local food systems. She is involved with several ongoing local food projects including NC Choices, a CEFS initiative which is developing local and sustainable pork production in North Carolina, funded by the WK Kellogg Foundation. Dr. Creamer received the Earthwise Award at the 2006 Earth Day celebration at NC State University for outstanding faculty commitment to campus environmental sustainability. She is a member of the USDA Specialty Crops Advisory Committee to the US Secretary of Agriculture, and a member of the Advisory Council for the Food Systems Leadership Institute, a project of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges. She was a member of a multi-state Organic Agriculture Consortium, and the Scientific Committee on Organic Agriculture Research. She has served as a consultant to the European Commission on funding and evaluation on organic research activities in Europe.

Dana Haine ia a Science Educator with the Environmental Resource Program at UNC-Chapel Hill

Dana Haine is a science educator with the Environmental Resource Program, the outreach and public service arm of the UNC Institute for the Environment.  Dana is a former community college science instructor; she taught biology courses at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte from 1999-2003.  More recently, Dana was a science educator for DESTINY, UNC’s Traveling Science Learning Program.  Dana received her BS in Biology from Appalachian State University and her MS in Biology from Wake Forest University. http://www.ie.unc.edu

Tia Herring is the Museum Park Manager at the North Carolina Museum of
Art. Tia received her bachelor's degree in Education from The Catholic
University of America and her Masters degree in Parks, Recreation and
Tourism Management from North Carolina State University. She served as
an Agroforestry Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama from 1998 to 2001 and
she has also hiked the entire 2,180-mile Appalachian Trail from Georgia
to Maine. Tia is originally from Long Island, NY and currently resides
with her husband Brad and daughter Maya in Raleigh, North Carolina. Tia
enjoys a variety of outdoor activities and is always in search of
exciting adventures.

Jani Kozlowski holds an MA in Child Development and has served as Early Education Consultant for the North Carolina Partnership for Children since 2003.  She supports local Smart Start Partnerships through technical assistance, training, and involvement in related early childhood initiatives.  Jani co-chairs the Outdoor Learning Environments Alliance with Janet McGinnis, and together they have created a strong network of advocates that care about outdoor experiences for young children in school and child care.  Prior to her time with Smart Start, Jani worked as a community college instructor, Head Start technical assistance provider and preschool teacher.  During her free time, Jani can be found gardening, camping, and sharing outdoor adventures with her husband Rick, and son Ricky.

Lisa Martin is the Director of Government Affairs for the North Carolina Home Builders Association

Lisa Martin began working for the North Carolina Home Builders Association in April 2001. Prior to working for NCHBA, Ms. Martin worked as a planner and administrator in state and local government and in the private sector. In her position as Director of Government Affairs, Ms. Martin is responsible for analyzing the effect of state and federal regulatory requirements and laws on the home building industry and representing the interests of NCHBA’s 18,000 member firms before state boards and commissions. Ms. Martin is NCHBA’s head lobbyist and monitors the actions of the General Assembly for NCHBA members.

Ms. Martin is a native of Colorado and received her Bachelor of Science degree in natural resource management from Colorado State University and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Texas A&M.

She began her career in the Zoning Evaluation Division in Fairfax County, Virginia. Ms. Martin then served as a transportation planner in Taipei, Taiwan. Upon her return to the United States, she joined the North Carolina Division of Water Quality as an environmental specialist. In this capacity, she administered the State’s Water Supply Watershed Protection Program. In addition to this program, Ms. Martin also assumed responsibility for compliance with the State Environmental Policy Act.

After leaving the Division of Water Quality, Ms. Martin served as Executive Director of the Upper Neuse River Basin Association, a non-profit organization representing the interests of 15 local governments and stakeholders in the upper Neuse River Basin.

Ms. Martin lives with her husband, Bill, and two daughters in Holly Springs, NC. She is an avid cyclist and supporter of her daughters’ swimming and gymnastics teams. Ms. Martin volunteers her time as a member of the Alexander YMCA Advisory Board.

Alex Naar is Coordinator of Sustainable Tourism Initiatives

Alex Naar is Coordinator of Sustainable Tourism Initiatives, at the Office of Engagement, Innovation and Economic Development and Center for Sustainable Tourism, East Carolina University, working in partnership with the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development. In this unique position, Alex works to support and promote the adoption of sustainable practices by the North Carolina tourism industry, helping make North Carolina a greener and friendlier place to visit and live in. Alex graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder where he studied all areas of sustainable business including new and emerging green technologies as well as green business ethics. He served his internship with the Boulder County Partners for a Clean Environment. www.sustainabletourism.org

Katherine J. Revels is a retired Teacher and Curriculum Specialist

Katherine J. Revels has been a teacher and curriculum specialist. She was awarded grants from NC Beautiful, the Office of Environmental Education, Progress Energy and the NC Electric Membership Cooperation for environmental projects. She developed a pilot Recycling project for Wake County schools and coordinated a state wide project with NC Beautiful to promote hands-on environmental education. Her students were regional and state winners in the annual Soil and Water Conservation Essay and Poster Contests. She was the first recipient of the Bladen Soil and Water Conservation Teacher of the Year and received a scholarship from the State Soil and Water Conservation office to pursue a graduate degree.

She shares her passion for the outdoors with children in the neighborhood by inviting them to gather vegetables, flowers and blueberries from her garden. One of her favorite read alouds with her young friends is All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan .

Sandy Ruble Sandy Ruble is a charter and life member of Environmental Educators of North Carolina (1990-present).

She currently serves as Resource Development Chairperson for EENC and was appointed by the board of directors to represent EENC on the Environmental Education Advisory Council. Other offices held include Treasurer and Central Section Coordinator. In 1996 she received the Life Achievement Award. This award recognizes an individual who has served EENC in key leadership roles for over three on the Board of Directors and made very significant contributions in furthering EENC’s mission. Sandy’s strengths include creative writing, organizing, planning and positive thinking. Raised in northwestern Pennsylvania, Sandy is a graduate of Slippery Rock University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Environmental Education. She has resided in the piedmont region of North Carolina since 1982 and been employed by North Carolina State University in a variety of administrative support roles for 17 of the last 27 years. In 2005 she received Duke University Continuing Studies’ Nonprofit Management Certificate. Now Sandy is pursuing graduate studies in Public Administration in the University of North Carolina System. Sandy and her husband Bill reside in the rural community of Oak Hill located 15 miles north of Oxford. She is president of The Lift Connection, Inc. a company that she and her husband founded to help home and small business owners transform their premises for accessibility and currently the Granville County Administrative Secretary for the NC Cooperative Extension Service in Oxford.

Teresa Watts is the Assistant Director of the NC Main Street Center for the NC Department of Commerce's Division of Community Assistance

Teresa has served as the Director of Heritage Tourism & Community Development for the department's Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development. In that role, she managed the Division’s grants and heritage tourism programs. She has been with the Department of Commerce since 1985, serving in numerous capacities.  She also serves on the steering committee for the NC Department of Commerce’s 21^st Century Communities program and is on the advisory boards of the NC Civil War Tourism Council, Civil War Trails, Inc. and the Carolinas Backcountry Alliance.  Teresa is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts degree.  She is a lifelong North Carolina resident.

DeeDee Whitaker is a retired science teacher from Guilford County with over 20 years of experience. Her primary teaching responsibilities included Chemistry, Advanced Placement Chemistry and Earth/Environmental Science. She is currently the Education Specialist for the NC Center of Applied Aquatic Ecology. She received her B.S. in Secondary Science Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, M.A.T in Science Teaching from UNC-Chapel Hill, Science Supervision from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University and National Board Certification in Adolescent/Young Adult Science-Chemistry. She is a member of the 2005 Kenan Fellows class. Mrs. Whitaker’s professional interests include curriculum development and assessment for chemistry and environmental science, the incorporation of geographical information science, (GIS), into the secondary science curriculum and teacher preparation. In recognition of her leadership she has received the following awards and appointments: Technology Tools Gold Award Winner for technology use in the classroom, Sony Technology Scholar recognition, North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching fellow, North Carolina Teacher Academy fellow, Guilford County Schools Max Baker/Mary Kearns Distinguished Service to Science Education Award, North Carolina Science Teachers Association Region 5-Excellence in Science Teaching Award, appointment to the NC Environmental Education Advisory Council, NC Department of Public Instruction Graduation Project Committee-Science, NC 21 st Century Schools Committee, NC delegate to Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition, Kenan Fellows Advisory Board member and she has been elected Secretary of North Carolina Science Leadership Association.

Prior to coming to the League, Erin worked on waterfront access policies for the N.C. Center for Coastal Resources Law, Planning, and Policy. She also conducted research on land use topics for Clarion Associates in Chapel Hill, and served as a legislative assistant at the N.C. General Assembly for two years. Erin holds a bachelor’s of music from UNC-Chapel Hill, a master’s of music from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a juris doctor from UNC-Chapel Hill.