OUR MISSION
Project WET empowers educators to engage youth to understand water and solve local and global challenges.
OUR VISION
Inspiring communities around the world to value and protect water.
We achieve our mission by:
Developing high-quality, hands-on curricula for preK-12 and community educators to use with youth.
Customizable education opportunities to meet company, industry, and organizational goals.
Place-based professional development catered to educators’ unique settings: classroom teachers, non-formal educators, early childhood educators, and university professors.
Operating a network of partner organizations to help us train educators in place-based water education.
Core Beliefs
Our publications, training workshops, global network and community events are grounded in the following core beliefs:
- connection
- protection
- inclusion
- inspiration & education
Meet Our Team
Meet Our Board
Meet Our Team
Julia Beck
I have been working at Project WET since 2010. Since then, I managed international programs, worked with our partner network, and developed curriculum for Project WET. As a Co-Executive Director, I have the honor of working with our dedicated and passionate network of implementing partners who use Project WET in their programs. I oversee the provision of resources and networking opportunities for our partners as well as write curriculum, facilitate trainings, and develop virtual trainings and lessons.
Before working at Project WET, I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar, where I lived in a very remote village with no access to clean water. The community I lived in was uneducated. I spent hours every day getting clean water and observed the struggles of my neighbors. I knew if they were better educated, they would have the ability to improve their lives dramatically. I believe that education is the primary solution to almost every challenge. Project WET delivers quality education on our most important resource—water.
I received a B.A. in Biology from Colorado College and an M.S. in Wildlife Biology from Montana State University in Bozeman. I have worked as a wildlife biologist studying kit foxes, coyotes, and wolves, taught at an outdoor science school, and traveled as a student of the world, including serving in the Peace Corps.
Morgan Close
Morgan joined Project WET in 2010 to continue the development of Project WET's international network and the support of multiple ongoing and new projects. She has been integral in the development of multiple educational resources and has facilitated training workshops across the globe from Tanzania to Taiwan. Prior to this position she spent several years as a buyer in the outdoor retail industry, wrangled horses and children at a Montana guest ranch and taught environmental education in New England. Her experience includes research and travel throughout Eastern Africa, Europe and Asia.
Morgan received a B.A. in Psychology from Bates College with a focus on Experiential Education.
Brooke Nichols
In college, I studied environmental sciences and learned about the importance and balance of all our natural resources. Growing up in a community near the water made me realize that I, along with most others, take it for granted. I joined Project WET because I was inspired by their mission and the kind people that worked behind the scenes to make things happen. My hope is to share my passion for the environment, especially for water, with others while I continue to work for this organization. My role within Project WET is all things sales while also working on enhancing our presence on social media!
I went to school at Washington State University and got my BS in Environmental Sciences with focuses on Biology, Geology and global leadership studies.
Verna Schaff
Verna joined the Project WET Foundation in 2005 as its accountant and assistant to the chief financial officer. In addition to payroll, Verna manages employee benefits, oversees inventory and provides accounting support to Project WET staff.
Verna earned a bachelor’s in accounting from Montana State University–Bozeman.
Beth Witte
Prior to moving to Bozeman, I taught outdoor education at a field school on an island in Lake Erie. We used Project WET in our curriculum, and I enjoyed bringing water education to students through hands-on activities and research projects. Many of our students lived mere blocks from the Great Lakes but had no meaningful connection or understanding of the freshwater resource in their “backyard.” Our work here at Project WET is essential to educate and inspire the next generation of water stewards.
As Organizational Assistant I support Project WET programs and partners in their needs, assist with sales and educational material distribution, as well as other office tasks that need doing (I hear they might teach me how to drive a forklift!)
I have a degree in Secondary Education and Math from St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI. I taught in a traditional high school classroom before transitioning to outdoor education programs. I have a background in designing STEM programs, facilitating professional development and managing grant-funded projects.
Meet Our Board
Monica Kilpatrick
Joining the Project WET Board is an honor and I am humbled to work with those who are doing the work to support and fulfill the mission of the Foundation. Environmental education is my passion. I’ve spent over 25 years teaching students, teachers, and non-formal educators about the wonders of our natural world, with an emphasis on our water resources. As the State Coordinator for both Project WET and the River of Words programs at Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division, I enjoy teaching others about the State’s water resources, the importance of water conservation, and using art and poetry to connect students to their watershed.
Prior to joining the Georgia Project WET team, I was Executive Director at a non-profit nature center and I currently serve on the Certification Advisory Board for the Advanced Training for Environmental Education in Georgia and the Advisory Council for the Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia. I received a BS in Environmental Studies from Michigan State University with an emphasis in Anthropology, Sociology and Political Science. My (now) husband and I left the Midwest for an adventure in Atlanta and have since made it our home
Shea Dunifon
Joining the Board for the Project WET Foundation is a commitment to future generations that we can and we must become better stewards of the environment. Through education, we can make informed decisions about water, the resource that unites all living organisms on this great blue planet we call home. Project WET offers invaluable materials for teachers, informal educators and parents on all things water. When I first began teaching for a public utility in 2017, Project WET was the most comprehensive resource I found and using it in classrooms was always fun. After teaching using Project WET for a few years, I became a facilitator so I could then train other local educators to use the Project WET resources I loved so much.
I am currently a Program Manager for JEA in Jacksonville, Florida. Previously, I served as the Education Coordinator of Pinellas County Utilities’ South Cross Education program where my alias Lady Caca, began “all my stories with once upon a flush”. I hold a Masters in Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences from Virginia Tech and a Bachelors in Environmental Studies from FIU (Miami, FL). I am an avid gardener and started my career post graduate studies working in botanical gardens- first Norfolk and then Naples Botanical Garden. As a native Floridian, my connection to water isn’t the beaches that make Florida famous; it’s wading shoulder high in the dark brown waters (brown from tannins, not pollution) of swamps where some of the most unique flora and fauna live relatively undisturbed from human life. That and an internship at NASA in 2007 where I got to see firsthand how water was being recycled on the international space station- the science of reusing/recycling water is amazing! Who wouldn't want to help protect such an important resource?
Jane Lazgin
My career has always been about giving a voice to people, product and issues.
As spokesperson and director of corporate communications for Nestle Waters North America, I communicated the contribution of water to a healthy lifestyle and the company's positions on environmental issues, such as watershed management, sustainable water use practices, and recycling and reducing plastic content. I worked for the company through 2017.
Today, I'm an adjunct professor at Norwalk Community College in Connecticut teaching international students career strategies, business and English, and I instruct classes at nonprofit organizations. When I look in the face of every student, I know education gives them a fair chance to achieve their dreams of succeeding in the US. I have met the most interesting, multicultural young people.
I live in Stamford with my partner, Richard. I graduated from the State of New York University at New Paltz and spent my junior year of college at McGill University in Montreal. I joined the Project WET Board in June 2021.
David Dalpos
Scarcity of clean water is at a critical state globally and dramatic steps must be taken by governments, corporations, and individuals to preserve the water we have and to reverse decades of diminished water quality globally. Living on the Gulf in Clearwater, Florida, I see firsthand the impact that climate change and water quality has had on marine life particularly on our sea turtles, manatee, and dolphins from toxic red tide algae blooms.
I've spent the last 27 years developing and implementing software solutions for the financial services sector. Most recently I have worked with large publicly held corporations to implement cloud-based solutions to measure their impact on greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and water.
I am both honored and humbled to be a part of such an excellent organization like Project WET to help them with their vision to enable everyone to understand and value water and ensure a sustainable future through action-oriented education.
Meagan Heller
After graduating with an MSW from Columbia University, Meagan set out to save the world. As a frontline social worker helping homeless populations in Philadelphia, she used her skills to find housing, food and medical support. She spent the last part of 2005 helping Hurricane Katrina evacuees relocate. To make a more considerable impact, Meagan started writing grants and creating large-scale opportunities for underserved communities. After 20 years and millions of dollars raised, her successes include establishing free training for tens of thousands of early education leaders in Miami, reopening a performing arts center through COVID relief, and building a manatee rehabilitation center in Clearwater.
Meagan is the development director at Dunedin Fine Arts Center, where she raises funds to enrich lives through educational experiences in the visual arts, both locally and nationally.
As a Project WET board member, Meagan helps advance water education and inspires local solutions.
Janel Ancayan
Janel Ancayan is a Senior Public Affairs Representative for the Water Replenishment District and leads their student art calendar program and water workforce development efforts. She is passionate about empowering students to become environmental stewards, especially through hands-on, culturally relevant, and interactive learning experiences.
Janel holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara and a M.S. in Science Education from Cal State Long Beach. With 10 years in environmental education, Janel combines her environmental science background with expertise in the water industry to design programming that inspires students to protect our limited water supplies and become the next generation of water workers.
PROJECT WET'S METHODOLOGY
The cornerstone of Project WET is its methodology of teaching about water resources through hands-on, investigative, easy-to-use activities.
- Lessons are inquiry-based, age-appropriate, and designed to teach place-based STEM education through the lens of water. Our lessons are not only academically rigorous, but they are also fun for educators and youth!
- Professional development is targeted for educators’ unique settings.
- Classroom teachers can receive professional development credits and standards-aligned curriculum.
- Non-formal educators (e.g., afterschool, nature centers, camps, and other youth programs) receive fun and engaging lessons to keep youth learning while having fun.
- Early childhood educators learn how to teach water science to their pre-K students.
- University professors can arm future teachers with a curriculum they can implement on day one—even during student teaching!
PARTNER WITH US
Are you interested in advancing water education? Inspire solutions with Project WET.