Ohio Coordinator Named National Project WILD Outstanding Coordinator
COLUMBUS, OH – -(AmmoLand.com)- The Council for Environmental Education in Washington, D.C. has named Jen Dennison as this year’s winner of the Rudy Schafer Outstanding Coordinator award. Dennison works for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife and has been Ohio’s Project WILD Coordinator since 2000.
Each year a Project WILD state coordinator is selected to receive an award for outstanding service and contributions to the Project WILD program, above and beyond the normal duties as a Project WILD coordinator. The criteria used for nominating and voting on potential recipients are in the categories of communication, leadership, initiative, innovation and longevity.
Jen’s many accomplishments include:
- A monthly education enewsletter reaching over 5,200 formal and nonformal educators;
- Two blogs for general wildlife education updates and Ohio’s WILD School Sites program;
- Co-chaired Ohio’s efforts to correlate Project WILD, WET and Learning Tree to Ohio’s academic standards;
- Served on planning committee for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agency’s 2009 North American Conservation Education Conference;
- Partnered with Project Learning Tree and the Environmental Education Council of Ohio to offer Integrating Environmental Education and Higher Education — A
- Comprehensive Symposium for Ohio College and University Faculty; a successful effort to introduce Project WILD into teacher education programs;
- Co-chaired the 2009 I.D.E.A. Summer Educator’s Institute – a week-long experiential exploration of Ohio’s natural resources, which includes Project WILD certification;
- Manages a successful WILD School Site program with over 100 schools involved throughout Ohio;
- Chairs the Project WILD Coordinators’ Web Site Committee guiding improvements in design and utility of the Project WILD Web site.
- Project WILD is a supplemental curriculum that uses wildlife to teach basic classroom concepts. Dennison hosts educator workshops throughout the year, and develops and conducts an annual training class for volunteers learning how to facilitate Project WILD workshops on their own.
For more information about Project WILD and other educational programs and materials visit wildohio.com.
Dennison graduated from Kettering Fairmont High School in Montgomery County and received a Bachelor of Science Degree from The Ohio State University in Environmental Education. She, her husband, Denny, and daughter, Katie reside in London, Ohio.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com.