About

Dr. Ellen Field is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University. She conducts research related to the policy and practice of Climate Change Education in the Canadian K-12 system. She teaches courses in Environmental Education and Climate Change Education, and has engaged hundreds of in-service teachers in professional development workshops. Ellen is an Associate Editor of the Canadian Journal of Environmental Education and co-chair of the Canadian Regional Hub of Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Change Education (MECCE).

Dr. Hilary Inwood is the Coordinator of the Sustainability & Climate Action Network at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. She is an experienced teacher educator and educational researcher who teaches courses in Environmental & Sustainability Education (ESE) and Place-based Education. She is one of the leads of a Community of Practice focused on Sustainability Teaching at the university, and coordinates an innovative partnership between OISE and the Toronto District School Board focused on teachers’ professional learning in ESE. She is one of the founding members of the ESE-TE national network of Canadian scholars that aims to better embed ESE into preservice and inservice teacher education.

Dr. Marie Tremblay’s professional experience includes over a decade of teaching in elementary schools and in universities, including five years in Indigenous communities of Canada’s far north. She was an active member of Alberta’s environmental community for over two decades as a graduate student, conservation scientist, and senior manager in the public and non-profit sectors. She is particularly passionate about addressing the climate crisis through community engagement and helping the next generation think critically, appreciate Indigenous perspectives on sustainability, and become active agents in creating a sustainable and just future for all. 

Sarah Urquhart is a PhD student in curriculum and pedagogy the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. Her research is exploring environmental justice education as experienced by newcomer youth in Toronto. Before continuing her education, she was a secondary teacher working internationally in Mexico, Hong Kong, and Japan. Sarah supports teacher education as an environmental education instructor with Queen’s University’s Faculty of Education, and is a research assistant for the partnership between OISE and the Toronto District School Board. Sarah’s interests are in developing community engaged, place-based, and justice-oriented learning in K-12 and teacher education contexts.

Maria Vamvalis is an experienced public school educator and a facilitator of professional learning to support engaging, transformative pedagogies.  She is currently a PhD candidate at OISE (University of Toronto) where her doctoral research focuses on holistic climate justice pedagogies for well-being.  Maria is passionate about supporting educators to meaningfully address climate change in their classrooms.

Kahsenniyohstha Lauren Williams is a turtle clan Kanyenkehá:ka artist and educator from Six Nations, Ontario. Lauren has an M.A. from the University of Bristol in Ancient History and Historiography, with a focus on Haudenosaunee oral tradition, and a B.Ed. from York University’s Waaban Indigenous Teachers Education Program. She currently teaches at Prince of Wales Elementary school in Hamilton, Ontario. Lauren is passionate about empowering learners of all ages to explore and deepen our relationships with the natural world through authentic, respectful engagement with Indigenous languages, cultures, and pedagogies which embody meaningful reciprocity with the earth.  

Felicia Mikrogianakis is an MA student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. She is studying Curriculum and Pedagogy with a specialization in Engineering Education. Her research seeks to tell the stories of undergraduate engineering students’ experiences with social and ecological justice. She is interested in empowering engineers and scientists to consider how their work connects to issues of justice, social impact, and sustainability.

Caitlin Hastings is a MEd student at Lakehead University with a specialization in Social Justice Education and has an Honours Bachelor of Community Safety from Sheridan College. She worked as a research assistant alongside industry experts, designing and constructing course modules for the Community Ideas Factory (CIF) Life Skills Project. The aim of the project was to develop a quality, creative, and applied online life skills course that enhances the lives of marginalized populations. Caitlin’s interests are advocating for social and environmental justice and building community awareness about social issues. Caitlin aims to continue to support and network alongside educators whose goals are to empower future generations for equitable social changes and autonomy.

Daniel Paradis is a MEd student at Lakehead University in Orillia. He is studying Education and brings almost a decade of outdoor education and adventure therapy experience to his studies. He aims to encourage teachers to embrace the challenges of incorporating experiential outdoor curriculum into their pedagogy in order to help students enter into their growth zones while recognizing the role they play in the interconnectedness of the environment.