Juan co-founded and led C&NN’s Natural Leaders Network, which supports the leadership development of youth and young adults through training and mentorship.

Juan Martinez helps C&NN’s staff and board address systems of inequity and access to opportunities. She currently lives in Hoboken, New Jersey. Brenda was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and often travels there to visit friends and family. When she is not sharing tips on her blog, she is exploring new hiking trails, planting seeds in her backyard, or planning outdoor adventures with her husband and two young children. As Green Schoolyards Program Coordinator, she focuses on supporting the Green Schoolyard peer learning network to create access to nature in schoolyards to enhance children’s health and well-being, particularly for the most vulnerable children. Her interests center around the interaction between the environment and human behavior as well as environmental inequalities. Inspired by her own childhood experiences, she is committed to helping young people connect with the natural world. After working for over ten years in broadcast media, including NBC Universal and Univision in New York, her love for nature led her to pursue a master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from the University of Illinois. Brenda brings experience from her career in journalism and a passion for the outdoors to the Children & Nature Network.

Lisa moore ed rust