Our Executive

Here is an introduction to our Executive members and their backgrounds in environmental education.

JOINT CHAIRS - NORMAN FARMER
Norman Farmer has recently retired as a senior adviser with Sheffield LEA. His career includes teaching in both primary and secondary schools, work as an advisory teacher for environmental education, and as an adviser with responsibility for geography, history and outdoor education. From 1993/94 until retirement he inspected both primary and secondary schools for Ofsted, hoping to bring a more compassionate approach to the process. He is a former Chair and General Secretary of NAEE and has represented both his LEA and NAEE on a wide range of committees and conferences. His publications include Our Industrial Past , The Encroaching Desert and  Conservation 2000: Antarctica.

VICE-CHAIR - GABRIELLE BACK
Gabrielle Back has been an Environmental Artist and Educationalist for 33 years. As a secondary school art, science, and geography teacher she has held many posts of responsibility including Head of Environmental Education and School Curriculum Coordinator. She is an awards teacher having achieved over 150 major school and community awards and numerous personal awards including a nomination for the World Energy Globe in Education; 4 Green Apple awards; Environmental Teaching Award; European Award for Environmental Education; QMBA for Environmental Improvements; Environmental Hero; and the Millennium and Earthwatch Fellowship awards. She has initiated and developed numerous projects and campaigns including involvement in the 2000 Earth Summit. She is an LEA and Staff Governor of two schools, and she has held many national and international representative positions, currently being on the AQA Science Advisory Board. In 1995 she founded and chairs the Coventry and Warwickshire Environmental Network and in 1996 she founded National Savers and chairs its Education Group. From 1998 - 2005 she was General Secretary of NAEE; her range of publications include the children's 'green' poetry anthologies Green to Grey, Raindrop Teardrop, and Climate Change (available from NAEE) and many articles, letters, reviews and teaching resources.

SECRETARY & EXECUTIVE JOURNAL EDITOR -

SUE FENOUGHTY
Sue Fenoughty was a primary/middle school teacher for 19 years with post responsibilities for Science, Environmental Studies, French and Drama. From 1991 to 1996 she was Birmingham LEA's Advisory Teacher for Environmental Education and this included partnership with schools and landscape architects to improve school grounds for EE through the curriculum. She then became a freelance environmental education consultant, including 3 years working on Groundwork Birmingham's Young Energy Savers project in schools. Since 2000, she has focussed on improving Early Years settings for learning through outdoor play influenced by a Churchill Fellowship tour of north European kindergartens and schools. Her interest in children's play was driven by pre-school experience - she founded 3 community pre-school playgroups and outdoor holiday playschemes, and as a school governor, started a Before & After School Club. Sue joined the NAEE Executive in 1999 and became Editor of "Environmental Education" at the end of 2003 and Secretary as from October 2005. Prior to teaching, Sue worked in the publicity department of UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner's Office for Refugees), in Geneva, Switzerland.

TREASURER & NORTH-WEST REGIONAL OFFICER - DAVID FELLOWS
David Fellows retired recently year after 40 years in primary teaching from NQT to Headteacher in places as far afield as Zambia (3yrs) & New Zealand (1yr) but mainly in South Cumbria and Liverpool. He maintains a passionate belief in the value of first hand experience as the most effective and enjoyable way of learning. David joined NAEE in 1974 through membership of the Cumbrian Association and he is now Treasurer for NAEE and Visits Organiser for CAEE. He says that both continue to give him sanity and maintain his inspiration to promote all that is best in education. He feels that if children are given the opportunity to enjoy learning experiences in the built & rural environments they will value them and wish to sustain them for the future.

LONDON REGIONAL OFFICER - ALONA SHERIDAN
Alona Sheridan has been a primary teacher in London for more than 30 years with long-term commitment to environmental education / education for sustainability. She is currently Ethnic Minority Achievement Coordinator in a South London school. She completed an MSc in Environment and Development Education in 2002. She led a previous school to Eco-Schools Green Flag status three times and facilitated a children's environmental forum within that school, which continued successfully for more than 5 years. The forum aimed to empower children to take responsibility for environmental initiatives, including several in their locality. Alona also received an award for environmental teaching in 2000. She has been a Wildlife Watch leader since 1991; one Watch group participated in the Wildlife Trusts 'Children for Change' pilot project from 1998 - 2001. She is involved in several local community campaigns and projects on environmental matters, including a horticultural therapy project.

SOUTH-EAST REGIONAL OFFICER - KIM JACKSON
Kim has been the Environmental Education Officer with Brighton & Hove City Council (formerly Brighton Borough Council) for over 14 years. She works within local schools on issues such as litter awareness, waste minimisation and recycling, vandalism and environmental responsibility - and any other requests from teachers! She has been the Eco Schools contact for Brighton & Hove's schools since the local launch in 1998. There are now over 40 schools currently signed up and working towards achieving Eco Schools status within Brighton & Hove. Kim is an active member of the Sussex Wildlife Trust's 'People & Wildlife' (formerly 'Education') Committee. She was the organiser of NAEE's annual conference in Brighton in 1999. She has won several National Green Apple Awards for environmental best practice for her environmental education work and her active participation within the Brighton & Hove and East Sussex Real Nappy Network's projects/campaigns.

FURTHER EDUCATION & FIELD STUDIES REPRESENTATIVE - KATIE SCANLAN
Katie Scanlan is an Environmental Education Instructor at Bromley Field Studies Centre, where she delivers curricula based 'environmental' courses to children ranging from pre-school up to AS/A2 level. Previous to this she taught A level Environmental Science, Biology and Geography at a college in the West Midlands. She has a PGCE from Wolverhampton University, specialising in Further, Adult and Higher Education, and a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science from Plymouth University, where she wrote her dissertation on Wind Farms and public opinion in the UK. Katie initially became involved with NAEE by working in the office whilst studying for her PGCE. When this was complete she moved to London and was invited to join the executive committee.

WEBMISTRESS - JULIETTE GREEN
Juliette Green is a writer for an independent publishing company, mainly writing resource packs for primary schools. Previous to this she taught in an inner city primary school in Birmingham. She has a BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Environmental and Resource Science and as part of this course she worked for a year on environmental and community projects for Groundwork and RSPB. After her degree she worked at a nature reserve as part of a National Grid Graduate Placement, where she worked with school groups and other children's groups as well as leading environmental art and craft sessions for adults with learning disabilities.

PRIMARY REPRESENTATIVE AND EDITORIAL LINK - HENRICUS PETERS

Henricus Peters was born in New Zealand and grew up appreciating the great outdoors through hill-walking and hands-on activities at a local wildlife reserve. He was active in the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society NZ (branch vice chair, local coordinator of Junior Kiwi Conservation Club, coordinator Wellington Seaweek chair), the New Zealand Association for Environmental Education (NZAEE) and a Cub Scout Leader. With his wife, Anne, he travelled through East Africa, Europe, the Middle East and North America (visiting many environmental centres and world heritage sites) before settling in the UK. Henricus trained and qualified here as a primary teacher, has set up a school-based nature group as St John's Environmental Officer for which he received the Anne Swaine Award 2007 and joined the NAEE executive with a special interest in networking with similar groups. He is regular contributor to Environmental Education, including the website reviews and has guest edited. Henricus is on the Geographical Association's atlas working group and writes regularly for the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust and NZAEE publications. He is a member of the Natural History Museum, Association for Science Education, Marine Conservation Society and Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

Click here to read an article written by Henricus for Primary Science Magazine.

NINA HATCH

[Job title and profile to be added]

ANNE PETERS - EARLY YEARS REPRESENTATIVE

Australian now living in UK. Early Years/Foundation Stage Representative Primary Teacher at St John the Baptist CE School, Hackney, including Healthy Schools Coordinator. Particular interest in learning outside the classroom and works alongside school project worker/gardener to encourage this area with early years classes.

MAGGIE SMITH - CORRESPONDING MEMBER

MARTIN ASHLEY- CORRESPONDING MEMBER