About: Education Team
EDUCATION TEAM
Debra is the founder of New England Primate Conservancy and leads the organization’s education programs and outreach initiatives.
For more than 35 years, Debra developed and delivered presentations, workshops, and training seminars for professionals across multiple industries. Her background in adult education and training informs NEPC’s approach to learning—one that emphasizes clarity, curiosity, and meaningful engagement over instruction alone.
Well-versed in the plight of nonhuman primates in captivity and in the wild, and deeply aware of the global habitat loss crisis, Debra launched New England Primate Conservancy’s outreach programs in 2004 and developed the Conservancy’s original Education Center curriculum. She has spoken on behalf of NEPC’s mission at a wide range of venues, reaching audiences from elementary students to university and post-graduate programs.
At NEPC, Debra develops web-based education programs, produces educational videos, designs learning activities, and leads the organization’s talented and diverse Education Team. Together, they work to make knowledge a pathway to compassion and conservation—because education is the heart of conservation.
Timothy is a high school science teacher and conservation educator with a passion for making science accessible, meaningful, and connected to the natural world. He holds a Master’s degree in Education from Our Lady of the Elms College and has taught high school science for 13 years. He also recently earned a second B.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences from Oregon State University, where he focused on wildlife ecology, endangered species, and the human dimensions of conservation.
Through his work in the classroom and with wildlife organizations such as the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, Timothy has worked to translate scientific information into engaging educational materials that build understanding and empathy for wildlife. At New England Primate Conservancy, he hopes to help refine and align teacher-friendly educational resources so they are easier to use in the classroom while supporting the Conservancy’s message of compassion, awareness, and protection for primates and their habitats. Outside of teaching, Timothy enjoys hiking, fishing, and spending time outdoors with his two children.
Isa is an anthropology graduate student at the University of Texas at San Antonio who is passionate about tropical field research, long-term data analytics, and using visual art to disseminate knowledge and broaden public engagement in science. Her master’s thesis in the Campos Lab will require traveling to Costa Rica to observe and research the social behaviors of white-faced capuchin monkeys as part of the Santa Rosa Primate Conservation Fund. Previously, she attended Tufts University, where she worked in the Machanda Lab to investigate the links between the social strategies and reproductive tactics of aging male chimpanzees for the Kibale Chimpanzee Project. She also undertook an independent project in the Traniello Lab at Boston University, for which she conducted fieldwork in Costa Rica to learn whether competitive constraints impact the foraging behavior of wild leafcutter ants. Her STEAM-based outreach efforts over the years include co-founding an art-science initiative at Tufts designed to bolster undergraduate research involvement and creating a multimedia senior thesis exhibition for the School of the Museum of Fine Arts that encouraged audiences to empathize with and learn more about social insect behavior. Learn more about Isa’s work.
Brenda Awuor is a Kenyan-based environmental researcher, writer & journalist who focuses on sustainability, nature/biodiversity, pollution and climate change topics to educate the public and mobilize action. Her journey began with a deep love for books, stealing every moment she could for a book, whether walking home through quiet thickets, running errands for her mother, or unwrapping items just to read the newspaper they were wrapped in. This lifelong passion for stories led her to freelance writing as she pursued her Bachelor’s degree in finance. Over time, she felt especially drawn to environmental topics and the quest for a more sustainable world upon which all life depends. She pursued training in environmental journalism and developed a strong commitment to leverage Solutions Journalism knowledge to highlight not only environmental problems but also the responses and efforts being made to address them.
Laura Lee Bahr is an author, filmmaker, and performer. She recently relocated from the City of Angels to the City of Champions (Brockton, MA). In addition to the eclectic “you name it, I’ve done it” artistic endeavors, she has spent years in education, teaching everything from mathematics to vocal performance. Her debut feature film as writer/director, BONED, is about a dogwalker/detective who ultimately discovers that the only “true love is a dog’s love.” But in real life, Laura’s obsession has always been with her cats.
Her mantra is “may all beings be happy and free, and may my actions contribute to the happiness and freedom of others.” You can learn more about her personal work at lauraleebahr.co. Laura is the author of NEPC’s The Case of the Disappearing Habitat: The Candy Culprit lessons and stars in the series’ videos.
Beatrice is a journalist and documentary filmmaker with a focus on wildlife conservation and animal rights. With a B.A. in Journalism and a background working alongside domestic and exotic species, she continues to pursue her love for animals through multimedia storytelling. Her main goal as a journalist is to advocate for the welfare, rights, and personhood of all animal species.
Beatrice’s aim to bridge gaps between humans, animals, and the environment is rooted in her experiences in over 15 countries, where she felt inspired to connect broad audiences with ideas and places that may seem distant and inaccessible. When she isn’t working on a new project, she enjoys rock climbing, running, painting, and studying new languages.
Chloe is a writer with a background in conservation education and a passion for making science accessible, engaging, and meaningful for all audiences. She holds a B.A. in Professional Writing and an M.A. in Science and Mathematics Education from Michigan State University. Through her work at multiple zoos across Michigan and conservation field projects throughout the United States and South Africa, Chloe has developed a deep commitment to fostering empathy for the natural world and the species that inhabit it. She brings this perspective to her writing, blending clarity, curiosity, and care to help readers connect with science on a human level. When she isn’t writing, Chloe is a devoted cat mom, avid reader, and enthusiastic horror movie fan.
Acima was born in Dubai, studied in India, worked in South Africa, and is getting her Ph.D. on African civets at the University of Connecticut. After a B.Sc. in Zoology and M.Sc. in Environmental Science, Acima worked as a field guide in South Africa for multiple years where she lived on a reserve surrounded by antelopes, lions, rhinos, and elephants. Acima credits her ability to think laterally and solve problems to the many mishaps she has had during her adventures in strange places.
Acima is a lifelong learner, and her writing reflects her love and curiosity about natural history and ecology . Easily distracted by fascinating animals and their behavior, she loves traveling down rabbit holes of research. Breaking down complex ecological relations into simplified analogies is Acima’s favorite part of writing for NEPC. When she is not writing about primates, she is birding, trying to photograph birds, and working on wildlife research projects.
Liza holds a B.S. in Animal Science from Iowa State University and an M.S. in Anthrozoology from Canisius University. During her graduate program, her passion for learning about what connects people and the animals they share the planet with has only grown stronger. Her special interests in the field include understanding how people perceive animals in various contexts, the significance of animals in myth and folklore, and how research about animals can be reshaped to center the animal experience. Liza’s mission is to make science engaging and accessible to anyone with an interest in it. She hopes to apply her background to writing animal science-focused books for middle grade and high school readers. Outside of her interest in science education, Liza also enjoys a variety of hobbies, from nature photography to crochet. She is an avid reader, birdwatcher, and podcast-listener.
Allie Dixon is a Boston-based writer, artist, and educator with a passion for wildlife conservation and the power of storytelling to inspire empathy for the natural world. Previously a writer in MIT’s Office of the President, she helped communicate the Institute’s major research initiatives, including its Climate Project, translating complex scientific ideas into accessible, engaging stories for broad audiences. She also teaches communications and media studies at Emmanuel College, where she encourages students to think critically about the stories that shape our understanding of the world.
Allie holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University. Her writing has appeared in The Threepenny Review, PRISM International, Ruminate, and Writer’s Digest, among other publications, and she is represented by Trident Media Group. She is also a visual artist whose work has been exhibited across Boston.
A lifelong animal lover, Allie is particularly interested in the connections between humans, animals, and the environments we share. She believes storytelling and education can help people see wildlife not as something separate from their own lives, but as an essential part of the world we all inhabit. Through her work with New England Primate Conservancy, she hopes to bring together her love of writing, teaching, and animals to inspire curiosity, compassion, and a deeper commitment to conservation.
Kathy is a lifelong animal protection advocate. At age 11, she successfully appealed to her town’s legislators for the preservation of a pet cemetery that was to be razed. As an adult, she’s participated in and helped organize several animal protection campaigns in Massachusetts, including the successful 1996 Ban the Steel-Jaw Leghold Trap; Grey2K campaigns, which succeeded in banning the abusive practice of greyhound racing in 2008; and a 2016 Massachusetts initiative, working with Citizens for Farm Animal Protection, to ban the cruelest of farm animal confinements.
As a journalist, Kathleen has worked as a correspondent for regional publications, profiling people in the community and writing feature articles—highlighting animal protection and environmental causes whenever the opportunity arose. For seven years, she wrote the newsletter and fundraising appeals for the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (mrfrs.org), along with appeals for other animal rescue organizations. She also wrote a regional book, Legendary Locals of Newburyport, published in 2014, for Arcadia Publishing.
Kathleen has been writing NEPC primate profiles, editing our book and other educational content, and contributing her input to NEPC initiatives since early 2016.
Shraddha is an evolutionary biologist, educator, and science writer dedicated to bridging the gap between researchers and the public. She earned her doctorate at Harvard University, where her research explored the evolution of animal personality and how organisms behaviorally navigate fluctuating environments. Through her extensive teaching experience at Harvard, ranging from advanced biology to interdisciplinary courses on science and society, she has developed a passion for advocating for the environment and evoking curiosity for the natural world.
As a former AAAS Mass Media Fellow, Shraddha collaborated with academics to translate complex research into engaging stories as a Science & Technology editor at The Conversation U.S. Her fascination with primates is rooted in an admiration for their social and emotional complexity, a passion she carries into her writing. Previously, as a Science Education Partner with the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture, she learned to adapt complex ideas into exciting explanations for learners of all ages. At NEPC, Shraddha contributes to the Primate Species Profiles, aiming to celebrate biodiversity and make conservation accessible, informative, and inspiring.
In her free time, Shraddha is an avid wildlife photographer who finds inspiration in capturing the beauty and wonder of the natural world. She also enjoys hiking, baking, and playing nature-inspired board games.
Jiayu is a science writer in the Greater Boston area. She loves learning new things and sharing that knowledge with others. After earning a B.A. in science communications from Vanderbilt University, she spent several years working in nonprofit communications. Later, she earned an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University, where she specialized in audio and investigative reporting. Since then, Jiayu has been writing for university and nonprofit clients covering a range of topics, including natural history, public health, and climate science.
As an avid outdoors enthusiast, she hopes that helping people understand the natural world will inspire them to protect it. When she isn’t writing, Jiayu loves walking through the woods, biking through the city, and playing French horn in her community bands.
Lauren is a science journalist who transforms ecological research into stories that help people see themselves as part of—not separate from—the natural world. She previously helped build the international science desk at McClatchy News, covering breaking scientific discoveries worldwide. She also brings experience in digital media, data journalism, and video storytelling to her work.
In her spare time, Lauren volunteers every week as a remote camera operator for explore.org, the world’s largest live nature camera network. Operating cameras in real time, she captures unscripted wildlife moments and helps bring intimate glimpses of the natural world to millions of viewers, fostering conservation through connection.
Her passion for taxonomy—the science of naming and classifying life—led her to launch Speaking of Species, a newsletter dedicated to reporting on newly discovered and rediscovered species, and the scientists cataloging Earth’s biodiversity.
Lauren is most fond of nature’s misunderstood creatures. Bats, moths, spiders, snakes, and other often-vilified animals are among her favorite subjects because they remind us that every species, no matter how overlooked, is important.
When she isn’t writing about wildlife, Lauren is usually outside in it, mothing, birding, cataloging species as a citizen scientist, or exploring New England with her Newfoundland, Buck (who is technically domesticated, but sometimes acts like a wild animal).
Lauren holds a B.A. from St. Lawrence University and an M.S. in journalism from Syracuse University.
Lina’s love of animal behavior began by watching backyard wildlife in her native southern Mississippi, and continued into her undergraduate education at The University of Southern Mississippi where she majored in biology. While the ecology of Mississippi will always hold a special place in her heart, since graduating with her bachelor’s degree Lina has lived out her lifelong dream of traveling the world to study animals. Her travels began close to home with an internship at Dallas Zoo where she worked with a variety of animals, and continued with her master’s program at York University in Toronto, Canada. For her master’s thesis on female reproductive strategies in vervet monkeys, Lina also had the opportunity to travel to Uganda to study vervets in the wild. After completing her master’s, Lina hopes to apply the knowledge she’s gained working with animals to conservation efforts, including through contributing to accessible education on primates and conservation by writing for NEPC.
Sienna Weinstein is a wildlife photographer, zoologist, and lifelong advocate for the conservation of wildlife across the globe. She earned her B.S. in Zoology from the University of Vermont, followed by a M.S. degree in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Conservation Biology from Antioch University New England. While earning her Bachelor’s degree, Sienna participated in a study abroad program in South Africa and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), taking part in fieldwork involving species abundance and diversity in the southern African ecosystem. She is also an official member of the Upsilon Tau chapter of the Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society.
Deciding at the end of her college career that she wanted to grow her hobby of photography into something more, Sienna dedicated herself to the field of wildlife photography as a means to promote the conservation of wildlife. Her photography has been credited by organizations including The Nature Conservancy, Zoo New England, and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. She was also an invited reviewer of an elephant ethology lesson plan for Picture Perfect STEM Lessons (May 2017) by NSTA Press. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games, watching nature and animal documentaries, and photographing nature and wildlife, and posting her work on her LinkedIn profile. She hopes to create a more professional profile in the near future.
Stephanie is a London born, Oxford bred, country girl who’s always had an affinity for nature. Her love for animals led her to study Animal Management and Care at college to better understand their behaviour. A few years later, she decided to go back to school and study Ecology and Wildlife Conservation at Bournemouth University. Says Stephanie, “It changed my life, how I viewed the world, appreciating how extraordinary and complex our planet is.”
After university she traveled in Asia to experience what the rest of the world had to offer and it wasn’t long before she found her calling. On a small island in Cambodia, she founded, funded, and coordinated her own wildlife project, The Wonderful Wildlife of Samloem, documenting over 400 terrestrial and marine species. The project created PADI Open Water Diver course material, local school lessons, and advised businesses and tourists. She stood as ambassador for diving schools during the establishment of Cambodia’s largest MPA (Marine Protected Area) and used her research to assist Flora and Fauna International with zoning for the MPA and deploy trawler net defenses. Since the project, she has never looked back and finds herself drawn to environmental education. “By understanding the forces of mother-nature, we can live sustainably with her. I believe we all have a duty to leave the world in a better state than we found it. Working with NEPC is a great place to start.” Stephanie is the author of the New England Primate Conservancy’s What is Nature? lesson series.
Jacob is a field primatologist who has seen free-ranging non-human primates in Florida, Gibraltar, Costa Rica, Uganda, and Madagascar. After completing his B.S. in Zoology and Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2022, he served as the on-site resident intern at Primates Incorporated, where he conducted behavioral observations and learned proper husbandry techniques for former laboratory macaques and other monkeys kept as pets. Then, he completed his M.A. in Anthropology at Stony Brook University under the direction of Dr. Patricia Wright. There, he completed a master’s thesis investigating the effects of habitat disturbance on the diet and behavior of Milne-Edwards’ sifaka in Ranomafana National Park. After the completion of his M.A. in 2025, he returned to Madagascar to mount an expedition to the Ivohiboro NAP to study the only known population of rainforest-dwelling ring-tailed lemurs. He plans to enroll in a PhD program in the fall of 2026 to continue investigating this unique population. He is also an avid birder and mammal-watcher who hopes to travel the world to photograph as many species as possible.