SURI RAUT
Suri Raut has been teaching for the special education department at Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia for eight years, specializing in Biology and Earth Science. He is the school advisor for the Best Buddies and Special Olympics programs. Prior to working at Yorktown, Suri was the Academic Coordinator for the Mason LIFE Program, which provides college aged students with intellectual and developmental disabilities a comprehensive university experience here at GMU. He helped develop curriculum and supervised the instructors in becoming special education teachers. Suri obtained his Master’s in Special Education at Mason and has been a proud member of Patriot Nation ever since. Though he loves all sports, Suri is an avid fan of the Caps! Suri also loves catching live shows, relaxing on the beach, camping, hiking and exploring new countries.
SURI RAUT
Suri Raut has been teaching for the special education department at Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia for eight years, specializing in Biology and Earth Science. He is the school advisor for the Best Buddies and Special Olympics programs. Prior to working at Yorktown, Suri was the Academic Coordinator for the Mason LIFE Program, which provides college aged students with intellectual and developmental disabilities a comprehensive university experience here at GMU. He helped develop curriculum and supervised the instructors in becoming special education teachers. Suri obtained his Master’s in Special Education at Mason and has been a proud member of Patriot Nation ever since. Though he loves all sports, Suri is an avid fan of the Caps! Suri also loves catching live shows, relaxing on the beach, camping, hiking and exploring new countries.
Allyson is the Education and Program Support Specialist with one of Virginia’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts. There, she leads all education and outreach programming on behalf of the district and works with agricultural landowners and homeowners to install best management practices for local soil and water quality. While studying at James Madison University, she got involved in local food production and conservation. This led to a career focused on environmental education where she has worked in school and community gardens, food access, agriculture, and K-12 science curriculum development. Outside of her work, she manages her local farmers market and community garden. Allyson is also an avid gardener, loves to cook and spend time outside with her husband and son.
Julie Walker completed her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the University of Florida. Her research focuses on the influence of climate change on coastal ecosystems and investigating the potential for the advancement of coastal wetland management. Prior to her graduate studies Julie worked at the Chesapeake Bay Program, where she was a part of the Stewardship goal team aimed at increasing science literacy, public access, and land protection. In her current position as a Postdoctoral Researcher for the University of Massachusetts and USGS Woods Hole, she works on utilizing geospatial data to assess the influence of historical human modifications on salt marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise. In her spare time, Julie likes exploring nature, whether it’s paddleboarding, taking pictures while hiking, or walking her dog.
Born and raised in Fairfax, VA, Thomas is a George Mason alum, where he received his B.S. in Environmental Science. While at George Mason, Thomas was involved with Student Government, Greek Life, and was an Orientation Leader. After graduating, Thomas went on to work for the University of Chicago Marine Biological Laboratory as a lab assistant before moving to Baltimore to teach middle school science. He is now a teacher in Fairfax, VA. His hobbies include going to the movies, rock climbing, and volleyball.
Ben Rich is an AP Environmental Science and Physics teacher at the Montclair Kimberley Academy (MKA) in Montclair, NJ. After earning a BA in Physics at Colgate University he earned a MEd at the University of Maryland. As the Sustainability Coordinator and Green Roof Director at MKA, he leads both students and faculty in making the school more environmentally friendly and led the school to earn the Green Flag Award from Eco-Schools USA twice. During each summer from 2013-2018 he traversed the US on an electric motorcycle making Youtube videos to encourage quicker EV adoption. Now he drives a Tesla Model 3 across the US, with his latest trip traveling 21,000 miles in 2 months. He is the Co-Chair of the Montclair Environmental Commission, leading projects to reduce the carbon footprint of the town. In his free time he hikes mountains, paddle boards on rivers, and swing dances in NYC.
Jazmin is an environmental scientist at a consulting firm, supporting environmental condition proposals and other documentation for Army Reserve Centers across the U.S. Jazmin’s current focus includes environmental justice and education. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science with a concentration in Environmental Health and a minor in Public Policy and Management, as well as a M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from George Mason University. During her undergraduate career, Jazmin also served as an on-campus tour guide and was a member of George Mason University’s Women’s Track and Field team as a 400-meter hurdler.
Stephen is the Marketing Director at the National Indian Carbon Coalition (NICC). Working in the carbon and climate space for more than half a decade, Stephen focusses on telling stories of conservation success and creating impact through the empowerment of underrepresented voices. Outside of NICC, Stephen is the CEO and Creative Director of Kingdom Multimedia, a creative marketing agency that specializes in the development of communications strategy. Through end-to-end content development, collaborating from design to marketing implementation, Stephen has crafted unique climate messaging for a variety of clients. He has produced documentaries, written articles, and photographed projects for organizations such as the Smithsonian Institute, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the American Forest Foundation.
Laura attended MIT where she earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. She worked for 7 years at Lockheed Martin as a Mechanical Test Engineer, building, testing and launching commercial satellites. During that time, she earned an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology. In 1999, Laura started a Lean Sigma consulting business with clients in the appliances, automotive, advertising and healthcare industries. During that time, Laura also started teaching Physics at the local Purdue University campus. She found a love teaching high school and obtained her teaching license. She loves teaching Aviation, Engineering, Physics and Environmental Science and will be at Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, KY this fall.
Lillian (she/her) works as a Wildlife Field Technician gathering research data for conservation management projects. She is currently working on a grassland in Illinois tracking Bobwhites and Black Racer snakes as well as conducting vegetation surveys and bird counts. Her past projects include trapping and tagging Bobwhites to study habitat use also located in Southern Illinois, and a small mammal mark and recapture project to study population distribution on GrandFather Mountain in North Carolina. Lillian graduated from Appalachian State University with a B.S. in Ecology, Evolution, & Environmental Biology. She is a 2016 WYSE alumna and a former JFA. When not working Lillian enjoys cooking, hiking with her dog and cat, and hanging out at the rock climbing gym.
Donna is the Senior Legal Policy Advisor at the National Association of Wetland Managers (NAWM) which include states and tribes implementing the Clean Water Act as co-regulators with the federal government. She served as Jurisdiction Team Leader in the U.S. EPA’s Office of Water from 1998 to 2020 working on a variety of issues, with a recent focus on the Clean Water Act. Prior to EPA, Donna worked for the U.S. Congress of Technology Assessment and in private law practice. She has a B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard, a MPP from the UC Berkeley a JD cum laude from Georgetown Law School, and an L.L.M in Environmental Law summa cum laude from GW Law School. She has been an adjunct professor of environmental law at GW Law School since 1996. In her free time, she is a professional potter and an unprofessional horse trainer.