Regional Advisory Council 2025-26

The CLEARING Regional Advisory Council is a non-formal coalition of influential leaders in the EE community who endorse CLEARING as an important tool for connecting teachers and educators across the vast Cascadia region and as a critical means for supporting and promoting best practices for EE in classrooms and outdoor settings throughout the region. The Council members provide insight on EE trends and issues, suggest themes and article ideas, and serve as advocates and representatives of CLEARING in their work.

Dr. Justin Hougham is faculty at the University of Wisconsin- Madison where he supports the delivery of a wide range of science education topics to K-12 students, graduate students, and in-service teachers. Justin’s scholarship is in the areas of place-based pedagogies, STEM education, and education for sustainability. Justin has taught 17 different undergraduate and graduate courses as well as instructed over 1000 days in the field. He continues to teach courses, clinics, and trainings that develop pedagogies in experiential education. Justin’s projects and research in the use of technology in place-based environmental education can be found in journals and in conference presentations throughout the US.

Ciarra Greene is a citizen of the Nez Perce Tribe, a science nerd at heart, a natural educator, and a world traveler who feels most at home outdoors. Her professional path includes serving as faculty at Northwest Indian College, collaborating with the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the EPA, and most recently, contributing to the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA). She brings strategic planning, cultural knowledge, and storytelling to our team, while holding her highest responsibility to hunting, fishing, gathering, and living nimiipuu culture. She also cherishes being an auntie, carrying forward teachings for the next generation.
 
 

Breck Foster currently teaches social studies and Spanish at Lake Oswego High School. Her passion for Oregon and climate education has engaged her in initiatives locally and across the state. She collaborates with student groups as well as adult partners, such as Oregon Educators for Climate Education, Oregon Green Schools, her district Sustainability Advisory Board, the Lake Oswego Sustainability Network, Oswego Lake Watershed Council, and Eastern Oregon Climate Change Coalition. She enjoys her family’s veggie garden and long walks with their dog on local trails.

Dr. David Zandvliet is a Professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada) and Director of the Institute for Environmental Learning. He has held additional appointments as an associate faculty member and teaching fellow in the Faculty of Environment (SFU) and is currently an associate member in the Faculty of Science (SFU). He was recently appointed to the newly established UNESCO Chair in Bio-cultural Diversity and Education.

Dr. Déana Scipio has focused much of her career on broadening participation for learners from non-dominant communities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). She has designed and studied learning environments within formal and informal contexts and focuses on equitable design, creating spaces for learners from non-dominant groups to demonstrate and create disciplinary expertise, architecting community-university partnerships to facilitate multidirectional learning, and helping experts and mentors build pedagogical capacity. She brings this focus to her work as Director of the Graduate Program in Education for Environment and Community, School Overnight, and Community Education programs at IslandWood as she works to further integrate justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. This work entails building partnerships, conducting research, designing, and implementing a rich learning environment for graduate students who come to IslandWood.

Victor Elderton currently is a mentor in the GDE Program and PhD Student at the Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University. Victor does research in Pedagogic Theory, Teaching Methods and Curriculum Theory. After a 30 + year career in Nature-based Learning and Leadership. His current project is a PhD Thesis – Impact of Place & Nature-based Experiential Learning for Students who Attended North Vancouver Outdoor School over the Past 50 years (1969 – 2019).

Dick Jordan is a professional biologist, creature teacher, outdoor enthusiast, and an unapologetic TREEhugger. In 2015, he retired after 35 years teaching AP Biology & AP Environmental Science to focus on LifeOutdoors, his innovative program which began with TREE in 1990, Outside Day in 2009, and Finding Dragons which he co-founded with Ethan Tolman. Dick has won many awards, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math & Science Teaching, Siemens Advanced Placement Teacher Award, and Defenders of Wildlife’s Environmental Hero Award. He has taken his students on over 300 field trips, including dozens of multi-day whitewater rafting trips on the Salmon River and 15 extended TREE expeditions to Belize & Ecuador to study rainforests & scuba dive on coral reefs. Dick loves whitewater rafting (having guided for over 45 years), hiking, biking, camping, nature photography, writing, and exploring wild places with his family, friends & students of all ages.

Janice Alexander is the Environmental Education Program Coordinator at the Boise Urban Garden School. She has also worked at the Discovery Center of Idaho and the University of California managing STEM and environmental education programs. She grew up in Northern California and received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Environmental Science from U.C. Berkeley before beginning a career in outreach and education. She loves the outdoors, cooking, sci-fi, and laughing with her friends.

Rick Reynolds, M.S.Ed., has been a passionate pre-K–12 educator and developer of educational resources for over 30 years. He collaborates with partners such as NOAA, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and PBS to create compelling curricula through Engaging Every Student, the organization he founded in 2009 to help make the learning process more compelling and meaningful. The author or co-author of 20+ books and educator guides, Rick is a certified K–12 teacher and enthusiastic trainer of fellow educators who works to integrate impactful place-based education with the other content areas. He serves as a facilitator and mentor for the Oregon Natural Resources Education Program (ONREP) and as an Ambassador and Education Advisory Board member for CLEAN (Climate Literacy & Education Awareness Network). You can learn more about him here.

Brant G. Miller, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Science Education at the University of Idaho. His research interests include Adventure Learning, culturally responsive approaches to STEM education, science teacher education, and technology integration within educational contexts.

Steve Robinson serves as the Vice President on the Center for Environmental Law and Policy Board of Directors. He is the owner of an Olympia-based public relations company which specializes in serving Native American Tribes. He was Public Affairs Manager and Policy Analyst for the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission for 26 years, working closely with the late, great Billy Frank, Jr (pictured above). He has also worked in corporate public affairs, served as Chief of Public Information and Public Affairs Director for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, and worked several years as a daily newspaper reporter.  He is a journalism graduate of the University of Oregon and a veteran of the U.S. Army. He has served as President of the Washington State Information Council, of the Salmon Homecoming Alliance and has been active with numerous other committees and organizations, including the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and the National Congress of American Indians.  

Stephen Allen is a dedicated education professional with a local academic background and a passion for public service. I earned a Bachelor’s degree in U.S. History and Environmental Policy and later a Master’s in Education both from Gonzaga University, I have continued my passion for education by demonstrating a commitment to academic excellence and a multidisciplinary approach to education throughout the community. My focus is developing and promoting outdoor learning, conservation education and career/technical educational programs. By fostering a connection between students and nature, we can contribute to the holistic development of young individuals and instill a sense of local natural resource stewardship and career development. I envision a future where education goes beyond traditional boundaries, embracing innovative and accessible practices that equip students with the knowledge and tools to thrive in a future filled with unforeseen challenges and uncertainty.