About the Paul F-Brandwein Institute
Board of Directors
William Bavoso | Dan Bisaccio | Henry M. Burger | Cheryl Charles
Marily DeWall | David Foord | William F. Hammond | Steve Hulbert
John Padalino | Alan R. Sandler | Bradley F. Smith | Keith A. Wheeler
William Bavoso
Bavoso & Plotsky
Port Jervis, New York
William Bavoso, JD, is admitted to practice law in New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a fellow and director of the New York Bar Foundation and member of the Ninth Judicial District Grievance Committee, overseeing ethical conduct of attorneys in five counties. He has served as President and Director of the Orange County, New York Bar Association and as the Orange County Delegate to the New York State Bar Association House of Delegates. William is the attorney for several towns in New York, and his column, “It’s the Law” appears monthly in the Tri-States Gazette.
Dan Bisaccio
Professor of Science Education
Brown University.
Prior to joining the faculty at Brown, Dan was the Math/ Science/ Technology Division Head at Souhegan High School in Amherst, New Hampshire. There he taught advanced biology, tropical ecology, and a Conservation Biology & Literature senior seminar as well as developing and teaching ongoing professional development workshops for teachers and interns.
Dan leads a number of professional institutes for science teachers around the nation annually. His on-going research with the Smithsonian Institution’s Biodiversity & Monitoring Program involves secondary and college students with authentic field research opportunities at several tropical sites in Central and South America as well as the South Pacific.
Dan has been the recipient of many national, state, and regional teaching awards, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching and the Brandwein Medal.
Henry M. Burger
Chairman
Paul F-Brandwein Institute, Inc.
Unionville, NY
Henry M. Burger, CPA, serves as the Treasurer of the Brandwein Institute. He is a graduate of The City College of New York and Baruch College. He is counsel to the public accounting firm of Hoffberg, Oberfest, Burger & Berger, where he had served as managing partner for over 20 years. He has many years of experience in not-for-profit organizations and corporate accounting as well as tax consulting. He has served numerous not-for-profit organizations, both professionally and as a volunteer. He has life-long interest in ecology, the environment, and a love for the outdoors, and is a member of various ecologically-oriented organizations.
Cheryl Charles
Senior Director of Communications, Research and Strategic Planning
The Business and Technology Group for The Financial Services Roundtable (BITS)
Cheryl Charles manages all communications for BITS, including media relations and publications. She is currently a senior advisor and consultant to The Santa Fe Group.
Since 1978, Cheryl has been Owner and Managing Partner of Hawksong Associates, a consulting firm specializing in innovation and educational program development with emphases on interdisciplinary curricula and diffusion of innovation. Cheryl also co-founded the non-profit think tank, the Center for the Study of Community, in Santa Fe, New Mexico and served as a Board Member and CEO from 1993 until 2000. She served from 1991 until 2000 as President and CEO of the Sol y Sombra Foundation, a private operating foundation focused on sustainability.
For close to 20 years, Cheryl served as National Director of the two most widely used environment education programs in North America for K-12 educators, Project Learning Tree and Project WILD, receiving numerous awards for her leadership. She recently co-founded, with author Richard Louv and others, the Children & Nature Network, a not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to reconnecting children with the natural world. Cheryl is author, editor and designer of a wide variety of publications including books, articles, educational materials, and monographs. Her most recent book, co-authored with her husband, Bob Samples, is Coming Home: Community, Creativity and Consciousness (Personhood Press, 2004). Cheryl is a Brandwein Fellow since 1998.
Marily DeWall
Science Education Consultant
Newport News, Virginia
Marily DeWall serves as secretary of the Brandwein Board of Directors. She is currenly working as a science education consultant, specializing in program development, grant proposal writing, and technical writing and editing.
Marily was the originator and director of the highly-acclaimed JASON Academy for Science Education Teaching and Learning at the JASON Foundation for Education. In that capacity, she established an extensive online professional development program designed for elementary and middle school teachers of science. Under her directorship, 19 online courses were produced, and over 3500 teachers registered in the Academy. She also served as Director of Professional Development at the JASON Foundation.
Prior to coming to the JASON Foundation, Marily worked for more than 20 years for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) serving in various capacities, including Associate Executive Director, Acting Executive Director, Editor of Science Scope magazine, Associate Editor of Science and Children magazine, Editor of NSTA Reports, and director of numerous government and corporate-funded programs. She was the creator and director of several national science education programs that are ongoing, including Building a Presence for Science, the NSTA/Toshiba ExploraVision Awards, and Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Teachers. While at NSTA, she served as Principal Investigator for professional development programs she designed that were funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education.
Marily is recognized for effectively coordinating curriculum development teams and providing long-term follow-up, assessment, and improvement. She has a track record of receiving funding for proposals she has written. She is the author of numerous articles, the editor of several publications including the JASON Project Curriculum Volumes I-IV, and is a frequent presenter at national and state conventions.
David Foord
Program Associate for Sussex County
Rutgers 4-H Youth Development Program
New Brunswick, New Jersey
Dave holds a BA in English Literature from Middlebury College and is working toward completion of an MS in Environmental Studies from Montclair State University. He has worked with youth and fostered environmental education in a variety of settings. He first came to Sussex County in 1994 as an intern and later as a graduate assistant with the New Jersey School of Conservation in Stokes State Forest. There he led and developed multidisciplinary environmental education programs. This work involved leading diverse classes such as stream studies, forest ecology, adventure challenge activities, colonial lifestyles, and woodworking.
During the summers of '94-'97 Dave worked as an assistant director at Flying Moose Lodge, a wilderness camp for boys. His work focused on wilderness programming intended to enhance campers’ appreciation of the natural world while encouraging confidence and self reliance. Some of the activities he oversaw included canoeing, hiking, and camping.
In 1997 Dave joined the Paul F-Brandwein Institute as its Assistant Director. At the Institute he coordinated a grant from the Toyota USA Foundation to support a series of professional development programs for teachers over three summers. The Summer Leadership Institutes assembled leading educators from throughout the United States involved in outdoor learning. Participants shared their experiences and developed programs to advance the use of the outdoor environment as a context for learning.
Dave became the Executive Director for the Dutchess County Environmental Management Council (EMC) in 2001. The EMC is a not for profit organization working with local volunteers in advising county and municipal governments on issues affecting the local environment as well as providing environmental education to the public. In 2006 he joined the Rutgers 4-H Youth Development Program as the Program Associate for Sussex County.
Dr. William F. Hammond
President
Natural Context
Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies
Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Myers, Florida
For over three decades before coming to his current posts, Bill Hammond was the director of curriculum development services and environmental education for the Lee County School District in Fort Myers, Florida. His career began with a decade of junior and senior high school science teaching. In the late 1960s, he became the Lee County science supervisor and coordinator of environmental education, positions in which he continued until 1983. At that point, he became the district's director of the Department of Curriculum Services, retiring in 1993. From 1978 to the present, he has been consulting through his firm Natural Context in corporate training for several Fortune 100 companies and teaching college courses. In 1997, he joined the faculty of Florida Gulf Coast University. During the course of his school, university, and consulting career, Bill lectured, made presentations, and led workshops on curriculum and program development. He has presented in 50 states, Canada, England, the former Soviet Union, and 19 Caribbean nations. He advises a wide range of private and public organizations, as well as over 250 nonprofit organizations.
Steven Carl Hulbert
Owner and President
Hulbert Auto Park
Olympia, Washington
Steve Hulbert has frequently been recognized for his time and contributions in furthering environmental sustainability. He has been on the President’s Council on Sustainable Development Education Task Force; the U.S. EPA Environmental Education Advisory Council; the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network as President, and on the White House Forum, “Education About the Environment” Steering Committee as a member of the board. Some important environmental and conservation awards he has received include: The Conservation Fund Alexander Calder Award; the Chevron/Times Mirror National Conservation Award; the Washington Rivers Council Leadership in Business Award; the Washington Department of Wildlife’s Volunteer of the Year Award; the Trout Unlimited National Conservationist of the Year Award; the Association of Washington Business Environmental Innovator Award; the Washington State Environmental Excellence Award for Business and Industry; and the Trout Unlimited Corporate Conservationist of the Year—Washington.
Currently in the education field, Steve serves on the Huxley College Environment Associates Board and the Evergreen State College Masters of Environmental Studies Advisory Board. Recently, he was appointed by IUCN, The World Conservation Union, to its Commission on Education and Communication.
In 1996, Mr. Hulbert co-authored, “Education for Sustainability,” Building Public-Private Partnerships, “An Agenda for Action,” which was published by the White House Office of Science and Technology.
John "Jack" Padalino
President Emeritus
Paul F-Brandwein Institute, Inc.
Unionville, NY
John (Jack) Padalino is President Emeritus of the Paul F-Brandwein Institute after serving as its president for nine years. He was the Chief Executive Officer of the Pocono Environmental Education Center, the nation's largest residential environmental study center, from 1972 to 2002. Jack initiated the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA) Leadership Institutes for science education and is a former NSELA President. He is also a former President of the American Nature Study Society and the John Burroughs Association.
Jack is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received numerous awards in recognition of his leadership in science and conservation education from organizations such as the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), NSELA, American Nature Study Society, Association of Interpretive Naturalists, New Jersey Science Teachers Association, Conservation Education Association, and New York State Outdoor Education Association. He was a Pennsylvania Outstanding Environmental Educator of the Year, received the Thomas P. Shelburne Environmental Leadership Award, and the John Burroughs Association Distinguished Service Commendation. He served two terms on the NSTA Board of Directors.
Jack was principal investigator for two National Science Foundation projects and three Summer Leadership Institutes funded by Toyota USA Foundation and a private trust. He initiated projects at the Pocono Environmental Education Center that are recognized as Outstanding Conservation Programs by the Pennsylvania Association of Soil Conservation Districts. Under his leadership, PEEC was identified Conservation Education Organization of the Year by the Pennsylvania Wildlife Federation.
Alan R. Sandler
Treasurer, Paul F-Brandwein Institute, Inc.
Executive Director
Architectural Foundation Of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Alan R. Sandler is the Executive Director of the Architectural Foundation
of San Francisco (AFSF). AFSF is a non-profit educational organization that involves San Francisco elementary and secondary public school students through a mentored appreciation of architecture, engineering, construction and the design process. By actively involving students with successful adults and utilizing a non-traditional, design oriented problem-solving approach, all students greatly improve their chances of success in life.
Alan joined AFSF in the summer of 1999 to develop, implement and administer AFSF programs. Prior to directing AFSF, Alan was director of operations and education programs for The American Architectural Foundation and The American Institute of Architects from 1979 to 1999. At the AAF and the AIA, he was responsible for the development of Learning by Design, the AAF's elementary and secondary education program, which involved development and dissemination of information resources, teacher training, and instructional materials to the education and architectural communities. He also established a national technical assistance network. Alan served as an advisor for technology and instructional television programs and as the executive producer of “The White House Is Our House: A CD-ROM Visit.”
Alan coordinated the management of “Building Connections: Enriching Learning Through the Power of Architecture and Design,” a concept paper released in 1999 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the AAF. This report explored the possibility that the design process used by architects to create buildings might also serve as a general model for teaching and learning, and it discussed the ability of architecture itself to be used as a tool for enriching curricula in a variety of subject areas. Alan has authored publications and articles on education and also has served as contributing editor to several education journals and magazines.
Bradley F. Smith
Dean, Huxley College of the Environment
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington
Brad Smith came to Western Washington in 1994. Prior to his appointment, he had served as the first Director of the Office of Environmental Education for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He also served as a Special Assistant to the administrator of the EPA and as Acting Associate Administrator for the EPA. Brad was appointed to the U.S. Senior Executive Service in 1992.
Brad served as an appointed member of President Clinton’s Council for Sustainable Development (Education Task Force). He has been a Fulbright Scholar to England a NATO Fellow and is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Environmental Science in the UK. He holds adjunct faculty positions in Russia, China, Holland, England and Japan.
He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and the Environment. His BA and MA are in economics and political science.
Keith A. Wheeler
President,
Paul F-Brandwein Institute
Unionville, New York
Foundation for our Future
Keith Wheeler serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Paul F- Brandwein Institute. He is also the Chair of the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication (www.iucn.org) and a Director on the IUCN Global and United States Board.
In addition, Keith is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for ZedX Inc., an international knowledge management and IT company that serves the agricultural, environmental and energy sectors (www.zedxinc.com) and serves as a Director of Aquaseed Inc, an international leader in the supply of genetically superior Pacific salmon seedstocks and SweetSpring Salmon, ranked Super Green by Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood WATCH® program. Keith also serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Our Future, an international NGO whose mission is to support capacity development for individuals and institutions in the area of sustainable development, organizational development, knowledge management, education/training, and strategic communication planning (www.ffof.org).
Keith served on President Clinton’s Council for Sustainable Development Education and Communication Task Force (1993-1999); was Co-Chair of the White House Initiative Education for Sustainability, and Co-Chair National Forum for Partnerships Supporting Education about the Environment. He was the first Executive Director and CEO of Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN), a 135 nation international, non-governmental organization that was the recognized leader in watershed education and conservation. He served as Assistant Director for the Adirondack Park Agency, leading the development of interpretative programs for the six million acre park. He has presented keynote addresses to business, scientific, technologic and education conferences throughout the world on a variety of sustainable development, conservation, knowledge management and education issues. He has authored over two dozen peer reviewed publications, dozens of general publications and published a book entitled Education for Sustainability: A Paradigm of Hope for the 21st Century.