Kelly Schaeffer, K-12 Outreach Coordinator

I graduated from the University of Delaware with degrees in Wildlife Conservation and Entomology. While at UD, I discovered the world of avian research and fell in love with chasing birds around the woods. I spent a few years traveling and working as a field research technician which inspired me to pursue a career in Environmental Education. I went back to school and obtained my MS from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point in Environmental Education.

In my work with the K-12 Education team, I work educators across North America and help them connect kids to nature and build science skills while fostering a lifelong passion for birds. Through fun, hands-on curricula, and online and in-person professional development, I support educators in bringing the power of citizen-science and inquiry into their classrooms. Birds are everywhere and everyone has the power to help us understand and protect them. Kids are essential to this understanding, now and in the future.

I am dedicated to providing teachers with quality resources and professional development. I have led dozens of webinars, sessions at state and national conferences, and single- and multi-day workshops. I have co-written several resources and curricula, and worked with formal and informal educators to review and edit many more. I love working with educators to help them connect to their passions while building youth science skills.