arizona association for Environmental Education

LoriAnne (she/her) lives in Tucson, AZ on O’odham and Pascua Yaqui land. She is the Specialized Forestry Program Administrator at Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, managing a team of 10 people working in Urban and Community Forestry, Forest Health and Invasive Plants, Forest Legacy, and Outreach and Conservation Education. She has worked in a number of educational settings over the last two and a half decades, teaching both youth and adults the importance of place and connections to the natural world. LoriAnne holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania and an M.A. in Environmental Science and Environmental Education from Prescott College in Arizona.  She is the Executive Director of the Arizona Master Naturalist Association, a volunteer leadership training program for natural and cultural history volunteers. Her areas of expertise include program development and evaluation, strategic planning, and volunteer management. Board member since 2014.

Jen (she/her) graduated Arizona State University with a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences, and with many credits from Scottsdale Community College (Go Artichokes!). As a native Phoenician, she grew up hiking all over and exploring Arizona’s many landscapes. College and volunteer work led her to wildlife biology, where she quickly realized she was too high energy and social to be alone in the field for long periods of time. So she put that energy toward educating children and has never looked back! Her professional experience includes 10+ years as an Environmental Educator, 8+ years contributing to wildlife research and local conservation efforts, and 2 years as a Registered Behavior Technician, working with individuals with autism. Previous organizations include the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the Phoenix Zoo, Liberty Wildlife, the National Audubon Society, and the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy. When she is not connecting others to the natural world, she spends her time hiking, birding, kayaking, or simply just sitting in nature with her dog. Board member since 2021.

Staci (she/her) teaches Environmental Science and STEM at a public high school in Avondale. She educates teens from 10-12th grade about how Environmental Science impacts them and their daily lives with the goal of creating deeper connections between them, their communities, and their environment. Learning to teach is a constant developmental practice so her next steps to further her teaching will be to attend local professional development events to learn more about my community and the environment we interact with on a deeper level. She would like to further her relationships with local organizations that offer enriching experiences to educators and their students while continuing to deepen my knowledge of Sonoran desert ecology and cultural history. Board member since 2020.

John (he/him), John Bello, Assistant Director at Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve and Arizona PLT Coordinator, infuses his role with a fervent dedication to environmental and informal education. Previously, as Director of Education and Interpretation at Boyce Thompson Arboretum, he concurrently pursued his EdD at Arizona State University. Dr. Bello seamlessly integrates environmental education into the preserve, fostering community engagement and reverence for nature and archaeological sites. His commitment to lifelong learning extends through active participation in the Arizona Association for Environmental Education, enriching his practice with diverse perspectives and modalities. John also manages the Project Learning Tree Program for the state of Arizona. Board member since 2023.