As SXSW EDU is fast approaching and my excitement is growing, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce the third of my co-panelists, Jennifer Seydel, the Executive Director for Green Schools National Network (GSNN). I’ve had the absolute pleasure of getting to know Jennifer very well over the last few years through my position as president on the board for GSNN, and she is an extraordinary person who has contributed extensively to forwarding the green schools movement worldwide.
At SXSW EDU Jennifer is acting as moderator of our panel of four as we discuss the topic of ‘Sustainability & Social Justice in K-12 Schools’. It wasn’t difficult for myself and the other panelists to all agree she is the perfect candidate for the role due to the breadth of, and her multifaceted experience within education.
The photo above shows Jennifer in the middle with two of her other SXSW EDU co-panelists – Alison Diaz from Environmental Charter Schools on the left, and myself, Bridgitte Alomes on the right.
As Executive Director for the Green Schools National Network (GSNN), Jennifer Seydel has developed a reputation as a leader in bringing together thought leaders in sustainability and education to gather, synthesize, report, and generate the evidence-based resources needed to support green, healthy, and sustainable schools in the United States and beyond.
As the editor of the Green Schools Catalyst Quarterly (GSCQ), the only peer reviewed journal for the K-12 green schools’ community, Jennifer continues to inspire thought leaders from all sectors of the greens schools’ movement to expand readership beyond the already committed by making the case for green, healthy sustainable schools to become the norm vs. a niche market. By maintaining free and open access to this journal, GSNN is able to provide GSCQ’s readership with research and case studies that expand and influence the dialogue on how sustainability can drive innovation in all aspects of K-12 schools.
Through GSNN, Jennifer has also convened a network of schools and school districts, known as the Catalyst Network, that are engaged in documenting and evaluating the impact of sustainability initiatives in their schools and school districts. This network is at the forefront of the green schools movement and is working with GSNN to tell the story at scale of the impact that green, healthy, and sustainable schools are having on student health and well-being, social and emotional development, equity, and college and career readiness.
Jennifer Seydel brings over 40 years of experience as an educator to her role as GSNN’s Executive Director. Prior to her work with GSNN, she was a Curriculum Specialist and School/District Coach for Expeditionary Learning, a nonprofit education reform organization specializing in closing the achievement gap through embedded literacy instruction and project-based learning. She served as Director of the S.A.G.E. Project at Springfield College in Massachusetts, where she designed a graduate degree in Education and Counseling to prepare teachers with the full range of knowledge and skills needed to work in urban schools. The graduates from this program have gone on to become leaders, administrators, and change agents in many urban school districts across the country.
In her work with Expeditionary Learning, Jennifer provided school coaching, leadership development, and curriculum design support to over 50 schools and districts across the country. She is the lead author on one of the first integrated curriculum modules that integrates the Common Core State Standards in ELA with the Next Generation Science Standards. Water is Life: The Earth’s Hydrosphere and its Influence on Life can be downloaded at achievethecore.org.
I’m thrilled to be presenting with Jennifer at SXSW EDU in Austin, Texas in March, as we discuss the topic of ‘Sustainability & Social Justice in K-12 Schools’. Along with Jennifer and myself, the other two speakers are Alison Diaz from Environmental Charter Schools, and James Edward Mills from ‘The Joy Trip Project’.
We’d love you to come and join us at SXSW EDU 2020
