Urban Forestry Education Specialist

This is a part-time (32 hours per week), hourly, non-exempt, annual (12-month) academic staff position with no intent to renew, ending 12/31/2027.

About the role

The Outreach Specialist will be part of the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education’s (WCEE) LEAF Program, Wisconsin’s K-12 Forestry Education Program. The specialist will focus on supporting forestry education initiatives for schools in underserved communities by helping them develop and utilize their school grounds for educational purposes. The role involves guiding schools through a planning process that enhances the educational use of their grounds and leading professional development sessions for teachers on how to understand and incorporate urban forestry into their curriculum.

Responsibilities

• Identifies, promotes, and maintains external partnerships to support the outreach program
• Leads the implementation of programs, policies, and procedures through oversight of day-to-day activities for program staff and student and community volunteers
• May assist with the monitoring of outreach program budget spending
• Develops and evaluates curriculum and programs and provides recommendations for improvement
• Researches, develops, and facilitates outreach program content and materials
• Delivers outreach program content and materials to community members
• Schedules and secures resources and communicates logistics in support of an outreach program
• Teaches professional development sessions for teachers
• Provides consultation and evaluation for schools and programs

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Forestry, Environmental Education, Science Education, Agriculture Education, Sustainability Education, or a closely related field
• Knowledge of forestry
• Experience working with K-12 teachers or schools
• Passion for and dedication to forestry and sustainability education

Preferred

• Master’s degree in a related field
• Understanding of urban forestry
• Experience facilitating adult learners or teacher professional development
• Experience with environmental education curriculum development and/or implementation
• Experience with innovative educational program development and delivery
• Proven ability leading project teams or committee leadership
• Experience integrating cultural relevancy and diversity into programming and curriculum
• Experience with GIS, the Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Classroom, or education and forestry related software
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to work equally well behind a computer and with people

Pay

Starting rate of $25.43 per hour, commensurate with the candidate’s education, related experience, and qualifications.

Benefits

Eligible employees receive an excellent benefits package. Learn more about the benefits package or use the Health & Retirement Contributions Estimator to calculate the estimated value of compensation and benefits.