Board Members
The Minnesota Association for Environmental Education is a volunteer run organization that gets much of its support from our incredible Board Members. As a non-profit organization, the MAEE Board of Directors sets the strategic direction of the organization, manages finances, fundraises for the organization, oversees staff members, represents the organization, and monitors and evaluates the activities of the organization.
MAEE is very grateful for the expertise, time, and passion our Board Members bring to the organization.
Alyssa JanillaPresident, Board Member since 2023
Alyssa is a teacher/naturalist at Kind Roots Early Learning & Care. In her past roles, she has worked with children as a special education paraprofessional for five years, starting in Saint Paul Public Schools, and most recently at a local charter school. She is a licensed substitute teacher and taught kindergarten for three months in 2023. Alyssa has her BS in Horticulture from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls. She has completed internships in public horticulture at the Smithsonian Institution and at the Polly Hill Arboretum. Alyssa has worked at several local nurseries, including Gertens, where she enjoyed providing horticultural education and assisting customers to choose the right plant for the right place! In 2013, she started her own garden maintenance and landscape design business to install new plantings and maintain existing garden beds. Alyssa loves stand-up paddle boarding Minnesota’s beautiful waterways and exploring national parks and public lands on road trips.
Heidi FerrisVice President, Board Member since 2023
Heidi is the founder of Growing Green Hearts, LLC to help people of all ages to play, learn, and love nature. As a community connector and 22+ years of teaching, she designs and implements innovative community projects with libraries, cities, faith groups, watershed districts, and schools. She is the author of six children’s books for children. With her playful spirit and teaching expertise; communities are boosting their science literacy while experiencing on-site solutions for solutions for: climate change, local health, biodiversity and land acknowledgement. Heidi holds a MA in Natural Science and Education and is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership focusing her research on lifting up diverse voices and native prairie planting projects. Heidi can be found on the water in all seasons with her husband, daughters, and friends in a kayak, sailboat, or Nordic skiing.
Deanne TrottierSecretary, Board Member since 2022
Deanne works at Eagle View Elementary School in Pequot Lakes doing what she calls her dream job. She holds a Bachelor's of Arts in Elementary Education degree and a Master's of Education degree in Diverse Learner, as well as certificates in Leave No Trace, Master Naturalist and equity and diversity. After 30+ years of classroom teaching in South Dakota, Colorado and Minnesota, she started a new environmentally focused STEM (E-STEM) program for all K-4 Eagle View students. Her passion for teaching and learning outdoors started at an early age while on canoeing, backpacking and camping trips with her family. She and her husband Pat have continued those traditions while raising their five children. When she is not teaching, you can find Deanne reading, practicing yoga or exploring woods and water trails in her kayak, hiking boots, skis or snowshoes.
Maggie KarschniaTreasurer, Board Member since 2019
Maggie Karschnia is an Extension Educator for the UMN Water Resources Center and the Minnesota Sea Grant, focusing on urban stormwater and community resiliency. Maggie has a bachelor's degree in Conservation from UW-River Falls and a master's degree in natural resources & environmental education from Hamline. Throughout the years, she’s had a wide variety of environmental professional experiences, such as throwing on scuba gear and completing aquatic plant surveys for the Wisconsin DNR, putting on flame-retardant clothing and burning prairies for the Minnesota DNR, swerving for moose en route to remote park areas in Alaska State Parks, and saving land, one property at a time, at the Minnesota Land Trust. Wherever the road has led her, Maggie has incorporated environmental education into her role and is proud to serve on the MAEE board.
Breanna TryggBoard Member since 2022
Breanna grew up in Minnesota, spending time in the woods and waters as much as possible, especially at her family’s cabin in Voyageurs National Park. Breanna attended University of Puget Sound for her undergraduate degree, and has a Masters in Organizational Leadership from Pinchot University. She began her career at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, then served as Program Director at Pacific Education Institute. In 2015 she started Trygg Consulting, LLC, and worked with nonprofits, government, education organizations, and multi-stakeholder initiatives to build their capacity to do great work. Breanna is currently the Education and Outreach Director at Voyageurs Conservancy.
Jess PaulsonBoard Member since 2023
Jess grew up with a passion for the outdoors, camping, fishing, & hunting, with her family. She holds a BS in Environmental Science with an emphasis in Outdoor Education, and an MS in Education. She has worked in roles helping to band raptors, tromping in the swamp during summer camps, and taught about native fish. Being a USFWS wildland firefighter for over 10 years also sparked a passion for habitat restoration & prescribed fire education. Since 2015 she has been a science advisor at the Jane Goodall Environmental Sciences Academy, a public 6th-12th grade project-based learning charter school. She is excited to apply her experiences & knowledge in conservation efforts & outreach programming to the MAEE board. She enjoys canoeing with her husband & counting tree frogs with her son.
Shelly MuñozBoard Member since 2023
Shelly is an award-winning science educator, 20+ year veteran of the classroom, staff development instructor, and STEM/Education Consultant. Her numerous recognitions include “Teacher of the Year” twice and “California Golden Bell” award winner twice. She has been privileged to teach science from 5th- 10th grades and has been chosen for many prestigious opportunities such as Space Camp for Educators, Farm to STEM ( Ag Dept) Sustainability Ambassador ( Honeywell ) Zero G's ( Northrop Grumman) NASA Ambassador and MAVEN ambassador, just to name a few. Currently, she is an advisor for NASA eClips and several STEM organizations.
Muffet TroutBoard Member since 2024
Muffet Trout is an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education. She has more than 25 years of teaching experience spanning pre-school through doctoral level classrooms in urban, suburban and rural settings. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 2010 in Curriculum and Instruction in Social Studies and Teacher Education. Muffet is a Fellow at the Minnesota Institute for Trauma-Informed Education, and she specializes in care theory and effective teaching practices that cultivate relationships. At the University of St. Thomas, she teaches Psychology for Teaching and Learning, Diverse Learners and Families, and Curriculum and Instruction in Social Studies courses. Muffet grew up near Chicago and has a BA in Diplomacy and World Affairs from Occidental College and an MA in Education from Stanford University.
Sara HagenBoard Member since 2024
For more information about our current Board of Directors or how to attend an upcoming board meeting, please contact us at maeeinfo@gmail.com.