People

Lab Associates

Ashlyn Teather

Woman smiles with eyes closed and hood on, with a mountain and forest in the background Ashlyn is the Environmental Education Project Coordinator for Charlotte’s lab and works on two grants with many of the people listed on this page. She received her Masters in Environmental Education from the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) in May 2020, and her Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Science from Western Washington University in June 2015. She has worked in elementary after school programming, city government natural resource planning, and nature park programming. At UMD, she did research on nature preschools and university sustainability education. She is passionate about the positive effects of time spent in nature of any kind. She works remotely for Duke from Brooklyn, NY where she loves to go on long walks and find nature throughout the city.
Projects: Building a Culture of and Capacity for EE Evaluation & eeRESEARCH Library, December 2020 – Present

Dr. Elizabeth DeMattia

Liz DeMattia is a Research Scientist at the Duke University Marine Lab. In addition to her work with the Clark EE Lab, Liz is the lead Research Scientist for the DUML Community Science Initiative. Liz has more than 20 years experience conducting ecological research and developing environmental outreach for community-based conservation programs.
Projects: Building a Culture of and Capacity for EE Evaluation

Dr. Nicolette Cagle

Woman with blonde, short hair smiles for a portraitNicolette Cagle is a dedicated ecologist and environmental educator with a passion for writing. She is the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for the Nicholas School of the Environment and a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science and Policy. She is also the Director of the Environmental Science Summer Program at Duke, and founding and former Director of the NSOE Communications Studio.
Projects: Building a Culture of and Capacity for EE Evaluation

Past Lab Associates & Students

Noelle Wyman Roth

Noelle is an Associate in Research at Nicholas School of the Environment and the Social Science Research Institute and prior Clark EE Lab Manager. She earned her MEM at the Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment in 2012. Noelle specializes in qualitative research and data analysis, and has expertise in NVivo qualitative data analysis software. She has interests in local food systems and environmental education. She loves trying new restaurants in Durham and getting off the beaten path.
Projects: Trillium/C4TB, Building a Culture of and Capacity for EE Evaluation, eeRESEARCH Library, CSC Education Subcommittee

Annabelle White

Woman with curly hair takes a self in front of a mirror Annabelle’s familiarity with environmental education began a decade ago, when she started volunteering at the Saint Louis Zoo’s education department at the age of 15. Teaching all ages about conservation and sustainability led to her majoring in Environmental Policy at Washington University in Saint Louis, and coming to Duke as a Master’s of Environmental Management student in the Environmental Science and Conservation concentration (’23). She has a passion for many underappreciated creatures, such as invertebrates and cryptogamae, and hopes to inspire a love of the little things in nature.
Projects: eeRESEARCH Library, September 2021 – May 2022

Sara Diamond

Sara is currently pursuing a Master’s in Environmental Management in Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment (’23). Sara is planning to pursue a career in Sustainability Consulting and hopes to use her expertise in science communication, statistical and geospatial analyses, and community-based environmental management to help companies form more sustainable frameworks, understand their impacts within the communities they work, and be leaders in their industry for initiating sustainable and forward-thinking change. Sara plans to use collaborative working styles to achieve these goals along with her previous consulting experience. Aside from her sustainability work, Sara also has a degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of Georgia and continues to be passionate about wildlife and plant conservation, and can identify most trees, reptiles, and amphibians that cross her path. Additionally, Sara lived in Tel Aviv for five years before attending Duke and can speak both English and Hebrew.
Projects: eeRESEARCH Library, August 2021 – April 2022

Kara Nunnally

Woman with long blonde hair, wearing a black shirt, stands in front of a tree, smiling, for a portrait

Kara graduated in 2022 with a Master of Environmental Management degree in Coastal Environmental Management from Duke University. She also earned a B.A. in History from James Madison University and a MBA from Elon University. Kara now works with the North Carolina Coastal Federation as the Coastal Leadership Institute Coordinator building an innovative training program based on best practices for coastal resource stewardship, professional development, and networking with local North Carolina government and community leaders. Kara loves the EE community and enjoyed her time with the team. EE is and will continue to be a huge part of her career! Check out her blog series “Coastal Perspectives in EE” here.
Projects: eeRESEARCH Library, June 2021 – March 2022

Olivia Gregory

Woman with medium length brown hair, wearing a white blouse, smiles for a photo Olivia is a current fourth-year undergraduate student at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. She has pursued a degree in Environmental Studies (ENVS) and minors in Gender, Sexuality, Feminist Studies, and Comparative American Studies during her time at college. She has enjoyed work through the ENVS department at Oberlin and hopes to pursue a career in the vein of environmental education and awareness after she graduates in June 2022. Olivia has been a member of her college’s Cross Country and Track and Field teams for her entire college career.
Projects: eeRESEARCH Library, June 2021 – March 2022

Sophie Becker-Klein

Sophie graduated in 2022 from American University with a degree in Environmental Science and minor in Education. Throughout her work in reading and summarizing articles about environmental education, she realized her passion for urban environmental education specifically. Sophie recently completed an internship with Freshfarm Foodprints, teaching elementary-aged students in D.C. about nutrition, gardening, and nature. She is an incoming FAO Schwarz Fellow with Audubon Mid-Atlantic, where she will be providing conservation education in Philadelphia.
Projects: eeRESEARCH Library, July 2020 – June 2021

Francesca Chiapetta

Woman with dark wavy brown hair, wearing a blue shirt and black blazer, smiles at the camera in this portraitFrancesca is a second-year graduate student at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. She is pursuing a Master’s in Environmental Management with a concentration in Environmental Economics and Policy. Her passion for environmental education led her to work previously as an outdoor recreation leader and environmental educator. Francesca’s experience in the environmental field has included state conservation work in Colorado, implementing reforestation projects in Panama, and work on voluntary carbon credits. She is interested in environmental economics research going forward.
Projects: eeRESEARCH Library, June 2020 – April 2021

Schuyler DeBree

Schuyler DeBree graduated from Duke in 2018 as an Environmental Science and Policy Major with a Sustainable Engagement Certificate. Throughout her time as an undergraduate, she completed an Honors Thesis focused on sustainable certifications in the Kenyan Tea Industry and worked as a research intern for the Duke Center for Sustainability and Commerce and STOKE Certified. Schuyler also played on the Duke Women’s Soccer team and professional soccer for a few years. She is now a Communications Analyst at the Research Triangle Institute.
Projects: eeRESEARCH Library, November 2018 – October 2021

Sofia Tenorio Fenton

Sofia was an Environmental Education Research Assistant at the Nicholas School of the Environment. Sofia attributes her passion about sustainable development to growing up in the culturally and biologically diverse state of Oaxaca, Mexico. After graduating with a Master’s in Environmental Management from Duke University, she gained experience working on and managing research projects both locally and internationally. With a certificate in Community-Based Environmental Management and a B.Sc. in Environmental Engineering, Sofia is particularly motivated to solve environmental issues using collaborative approaches. She believes environmental education is a key tool to make this approach work for a sustainable future. Sofia is fluent in English, Spanish and French.
Projects: eeRESEARCH Library, June 2018 – June 2019

Anna Chang

Anna graduated from Duke University in the Master of Environmental Management program with a concentration in Business and Environment. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2018 with a double major in Science-Business and Greek and Roman Civilization and a minor in Sustainability. She hopes to pursue a career in corporate sustainability.
Projects: eeRESEARCH Library, July 2018 – April 2019

Kelly Horvath

Kelly earned her Master’s in Environmental Management with a concentration in Environmental Economics and Policy from Duke University in 2019. Originally from a Virginia suburb of D.C., she discovered her passion for the environment during family trips to National Parks. During a year-long internship with AmeriCorps, Kelly learned more about the importance of environmental education to garner future stewards. She hopes to pursue a career in conservation and outdoor recreation.
Projects: eeRESEARCH Library, June 2018 – November 2019

Rachel Kriegsman

Rachel earned her Master’s in Environmental Management from the Nicholas School of the Environment in 2019. A native North Carolinian who spent her summers exploring the Great Smoky Mountains, she developed a strong interest in environmental issues and a passion for environmental education. Rachel is currently the Director at Green Strategies, Inc. in DC.  She earned her bachelor’s degree from Goucher College in Peace Studies and Environmental Studies.
Projects: eeRESEARCH Library, June 2018 – August 2019

Jannette Morris

Jannette earned a Master’s in Environmental Management with a concentration in Water Resources Management from Duke University in 2020. Jannette fell in love with EE while working as a camp counselor in Brevard, NC as an undergraduate student. After graduating from William and Mary with a BS in Geology and Environmental Science and Policy in 2015, Jannette spent two years doing environmental education in a variety of settings, including working with raptors, reptiles, and amphibians at Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Georgia, and teaching about plankton, oyster reefs, and nearshore estuarine environments at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland. Jannette’s passion for water quality and conservation brought her to Durham in September, 2017 to serve as an AmeriCorps member with the Eno River Association, where she got to teach about stream quality in addition to managing conservation lands and leading volunteer workdays along the Eno. She loves clean water, strategy board games, painting, and chocolate!
Projects: eeRESEARCH Library, July 2018 – September 2019

Allie Rauch

At Duke, Allie majored in Environmental Science and Policy with minors in Education and Earth and Ocean Sciences (’20). Her main interests outside of environmental education are agriculture and food systems and education inequality. Allie is inspired by the work of the North American Association for Environmental Education, where she was lucky to have interned in summer 2018.
Projects: eeRESEARCH Library, February 2018 – May 2019

Kelley Robbins-Thompson

Kelley earned a Master’s of Environmental Management with a concentration in Ecosystem Science and Conservation from the Nicholas School of the Environment in 2019. Before joining the Duke community, Kelley served as the Director of Community Agriculture at a land trust in Athens, Georgia. She has over a decade of experience facilitating, managing, and overseeing environmental education and youth development programs, and she believes strongly in the power of youth. Kelley also earned a Master of Social Work and works at the intersection of conservation and social justice. She is a proud Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Thailand, ’03-’05). She is now the DEL-MEM Program Coordinator at NSOE.
Projects: eeRESEARCH Library, January 2018 – March 2020