CLEAN Teleconference Call February 21, 2023
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Climate Action in South Florida, with Rachel Wellman (Pine Jog Environmental Education Center at Florida Atlantic University)
Abstract: Please welcome a panel of 4 South Florida professionals from Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties that represent a hard-working community aimed at educating residents about climate change, and adaptation and mitigation strategies. With an emphasis on youth voice and leadership, Lisa and Rachel are using their skills in formal education and backgrounds in chemistry and biogeochemistry to encourage and highlight the importance of climate literacy and action. Lisa will share her work with the Broward Youth Climate Summit and Rachel will share her work with the FAU Climate READY Program. Megan and Kim both represent the county and regional approach to understanding community vulnerabilities to climate change and their efforts to creating adaptation and mitigation strategies for our area. Megan and Kim are also key players in the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact that involves students and providing education opportunities to the community. Please see each panelist bio's below for more information on each speaker. They will spend 7-10 minutes of the CLEAN Network call on their climate literacy initiatives in South Florida and allow time for discussion and questions this coming Tuesday, January 21, 2023 starting 1pm Eastern Time. Please reach out to the panel organizer, Rachel Wellman at wellmanr@fau.edu for additional information.
Bios:
Rachel Wellman holds a PhD in Ecosystem Science and Management from Texas A&M University (TAMU) with a concentration in Biogeochemistry and Global Change (LinkedIn) and 7 years' experience working and researching in the Biosphere Science Laboratory. Teaching quickly became her passion during and after graduate school, so she pursued a career in STEM and environmental education in 2007 at TAMU where she taught many laboratory hours in ecology, dendrology, and watershed management. In 2015 she began a position at Galaxy E3 Elementary School in Boynton Beach, FL as STEM Coordinator and specialized in the use of NOAA's Science on a Sphere in a formal classroom setting. Staying with the Palm Beach School District, Rachel began teaching at Boca Raton Community High School (BRCHS) in 2016 where she taught Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, AICE Environmental Management, and AICE Marine Science. Her passion for climate literacy and action led her to collaborate with the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Pine Jog Environmental Center in West Palm Beach, FL by co-developing (as a CO-PI of) the Climate READY (Resilience Education and Action for Dedicated Youth) Program thanks to a generous grant from the NOAA Environmental Literacy Program. In June 2022, Rachel accepted a full-time position with FAU Pine Jog as Coordinator of Education and Training Programs and the program lead for Climate READY.
Lisa Milenkovic's work in the field of K-12 education has a unique perspective resulting from a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry (Northeastern University, Boston, MA) and over 20 years of environmental, instrumental analysis and laboratory management experience. Her dissertation research was conducted at the New England Aquarium in Boston. While the research related to fresh water (humic materials and metals in the environment), she had several unique opportunities to participate in other projects, including the rehabilitation and release of newborn harbor seals (featured in a children's book) and the rescue and tracking the subsequent release of pilot whales using the internet in its infancy (featured in a Nova television special, Reading Rainbow episode and a children's book). Work also included experience in the environmental arena on the Boston Harbor cleanup project at the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. The diversity of experiences continued with research at the Rosenstiel School at the University of Miami investigating shellfish poisons, teaching college level chemistry at Barry University, and consulting on laboratory automation to several pharmaceutical corporations and government agencies. One major environmental project involved updating the laboratory computer system at the South Florida Water Management District in support of the Everglades restoration plan. She spent many years as a volunteer science educator and science fair judge before becoming an elementary school science teacher, teacher staff developer and curriculum supervisor. She is currently a STEM and Computer Science Supervisor with Broward County Schools. Her office has led the Annual Broward Youth Climate Summit since 2019. Lisa's goal is to engage and excite teachers, students and the public in STEM content and applications, not only to train the young student to become a scientist but more importantly to teach the non-scientific student the critical thinking skills and content knowledge to become part of the scientifically literate public.
Megan Houstonis an experienced leader committed to implementing resilient policies, programs, and practices in Palm Beach County. As the Director of the County's Office of Resilience, Megan oversees the County's climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and sustainable development strategies. She has a broad background in energy efficiency, environmental law, and community development. She is also a key player in Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact involving the counties of Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach. Prior to her role with the County, Megan was a Program Manager for the non-profit Institute for Market Transformation in Washington, DC, where she developed the organization's multifamily buildings program to remove market barriers to energy efficiency. In addition, Megan has worked as a Legal Intern with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Megan started her career as a Project Manager and Designer for commercial interiors at Idea|span in Atlanta, Georgia. Megan holds a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, a Master of Science degree in Urban Environmental Systems Management from Pratt Institute, and a Bachelor of Design degree from the University of Florida. Megan is a South Florida native, having been born and raised in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
Kimberly Brown serves as Director of Resilience Planning and Implementation in the Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience. Her experience has spanned both private and public sector work including over thirteen years with Miami-Dade County. During that time, she has worked on a variety of land use and environmental efforts including facilitation of the seven-year review and update of the County's Comprehensive Plan. Currently, her work focuses on advancement of resilience initiatives that allow the County to adapt and thrive in the face of climate-related threats. Ms. Brown also serves as Miami-Dade County's representative on the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact Leadership Committee. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Florida and professional certification by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
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