Linda Dunn
TEEA 2019 Co-Winner: Environmental Educator of the Year
Education Manager, John Bunker Sands Wetland Center
Linda Dunn has over 35 years of experience teaching across the United States. With a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Bachelor of Science in Recreation and Parks/Outdoor Education, she has been able to teach at various environmental education facilities in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Colorado, and Texas. Linda has also worked as an Interpretive Program Specialist and as a naturalist. Currently, she is serving as the Vice President for the Texas Association of Environmental Education, is an active member of the National Interpretation Association and the Science Teachers Association of Texas, and is the Education Manager at the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center.
Linda uses her enthusiasm and experience to educate students in the hopes that they grow to make an impact on the security of water in Texas.
At the Wetland Center, Linda has created immersive, hands-on programming related to wetland ecology, water conservation, and wildlife conservation. Each program is designed to engage children in different grades and age groups. For the elementary students, Linda has created games to teach them about the water cycle, and vocabulary related to the environment and wildlife. Older students have more science- and math-intensive lessons, including field studies in the wetland. Linda curates her lessons based on the group she is teaching at the time.
In addition to creating curriculum and teaching students, Linda has gone above and beyond to help her community. She developed an environmental career day so that high schoolers could meet adults with careers in environmental science and nature, exposing them to a variety of jobs and careers. Linda also hosts teacher trainings, inviting science teachers in the area to learn more about teaching environmental science with evaluation sheets, suggestions, handouts, and project ideas. In doing so, she can influence thousands of students and broaden their knowledge of the environment.
Linda has reached over 20,000 students through her decades of teaching, shaping younger generations to become environmental stewards.