Our Story

Prior to joining PEI in late 2016, Kathryn oversaw STEM curriculum for the Anchorage School District, where she designed the progression for K-12 STEM education to align with career pathways and Next Generation Science Standards. Before her role as STEM Curriculum Coordinator, she was a classroom teacher for 12 years. She began her career as a research biologist and has served in leadership roles with state and federal agencies as well as nonprofit, for-profit, and Tribal organizations in Alaska and Washington State and has served on several nonprofit and association boards. She holds a BS in biology from Lewis and Clark College, an MA in educational assessment with a focus on science performance assessment from Alaska Pacific University, and a certificate of educational leadership from the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

With PEI since early 2015, Denise has spent 30 years in the natural resource education arena as a nonformal conservation and environmental educator, teacher trainer, outreach specialist, and nonprofit director. She holds a BS in secondary science education and a BS in resource recreation management from Oregon State University’s College of Forestry. 

Before joining PEI, Gail worked for various local nonprofits in positions ranging from Office Manager to Department Director in Administration & Finance. As PEI’s Finance and HR Director, she is responsible for managing all aspects of finance and business operations, including accounts payable and receivable, budget, accounting and financial reporting, grant management, human resources, employee benefits, payroll, and risk management and compliance. She enjoys the range of duties required in a small nonprofit and the ability to learn many different aspects of nonprofit management. She is also grateful for the opportunity to work for an organization with a positive mission that impacts the teachers and students of Washington State. Gail is half Puerto Rican and a proud descendent of the Nisqually and Colville Tribes. When not at PEI, she enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren, camping and completing home remodeling projects.

In a sense, Jim Burlingame was destined to end up at PEI, after being co-President of his high school’s Environmental and Animal Rights Organization. The detour was a long one, though, from moving from Oakland, California, to Olympia to study creative writing at The Evergreen State College to spending 10 years as a stay-at-home parent. Throughout his 25 years here, Jim has held leadership roles in numerous community organizations. Recently, the Olympia City Council appointed him to the city Arts Commission. In 2018, he had two poems selected for the city’s first anthology, and his book “Building Ghosts,” a photo essay on empty commercial properties, continues to be popular in bookstores and libraries. His writing experience also includes eight years as a freelance pop culture journalist. Following five years working in the marketing and development departments at the Hands On Children’s Museum, Jim joined PEI in May 2019 as the Communications Coordinator, where he looks forward to putting his broad communications background to work promoting the importance of teaching real-world science outdoors.

An Olympia native, Henry graduated from Pacific Lutheran University’s International Honors Program in 2016 with a degree in communications and environmental studies. After graduation, he worked and camped as an AmeriCorps volunteer in backcountry areas in Mount Rainier National Park and spent one year working for the Nisqually Land Trust. When he’s not at work, Henry enjoys hiking, doing forage fish surveys, playing basketball, and going to museums. He’s excited to advance equitable environmental education in Washington State to promote a more sustainable future for the land, waterways, and people on both sides of the Cascades.

With PEI since 2014, Julie coordinates and facilitates teacher professional development workshops in three educational service districts. Her work includes recruiting schools to participate in FieldSTEM opportunities; coordinating with school administrators, teachers, PEI faculty, and regional community partners to enhance teacher professional development and share resources with teachers; creating tools for teachers using current educational initiatives; providing ongoing support to teachers who have participated in PEI workshops; and more. Prior to working with PEI, Julie served as the Environmental Education Specialist for Cape Disappointment State Park. She earned a BA in recreation management from Western Washington University.

With PEI since early 2017, Mike received his teaching degree at Pacific Lutheran University and began his teaching career in California. He later spent time in Aberdeen before returning to his hometown of Spokane. He comes to PEI with an extensive background in teaching middle and high school English, photography, and publications and as a Career and Technical Education Administrator for the Spokane School District.

With PEI since summer 2019, Hattie holds a BA in Education and Natural Sciences from the Evergreen State College and a Masters in Teaching Elementary Education from the University of Southern California. Hattie began her teaching career in Pasco, Washington, teaching kindergarten and fifth grade at a public STEM school. In addition to classroom teaching, she also worked with ESD 123 as a Science Fellow and Master Trainer of STC Science Kits. Hattie has experience developing, coordinating and facilitating professional development around the areas of STEM, science assessment, highly capable strategies and science phenomena.

With PEI since mid-2019, Megan earned Bachelors Degrees in Chemistry and Biology from Central Washington University. As a certified teacher, she has taught in traditional and non-traditional public and private high schools and elementary settings, including helping migrant students graduate and helping K-4 Summer Literacy Camp students improve their reading. As a Science Fellow, Megan worked with ESD 105 and helped to lead workshops on implementing Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and provided quality resources and support for local teachers. Megan also worked in the Pacific Science Center’s “Science on Wheels” program where she developed and delivered K¬-8 STEM curriculum to students across Washington State. She’s excited to dig into everything that PEI does to support our educators, communities, and environment!

Education/Degree(s)
B.S. Biology, Washington State University
Master’s in Science Education, Western Washington University

Area of Expertise: Karen supports the PEI’s West Sound GreenSTEM Network, known for its annual GreenSTEM Summit, when students from around the West Sound gather to share their work on behalf of the environment.

Education/Degree(s):
B.A. English & American Studies, University of Rochester
Master’s in Teaching, John Hopkins University

Area of Expertise: Thinking Skills, Habits of Mind, Integrated Curriculum, Literacy, Common Core ELA.

Education/Degree(s):

B.Sc. Geology and Zoology, Minor in Chemistry, University of Adelaide, South Australia

Masters in Public Health in Environmental Health & Community Health Education, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii 

Ph.D. in Urban Education: Curriculum and Instruction, specializing in Science and Environmental Education, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Area of Expertise: Helping school districts integrate PEI’s “field investigation” models into their science inquiry programs, projects with a focus on wildlife issues, program evaluation and assessment of student learning in environmental education and education policy.

B.A. English, K-12 Education, University of Washington

Area of Expertise: Designing and delivering integrated, STEM-based school-wide programs and professional development. A particular area of expertise is the integration of language arts and math in the form of FieldSTEM Notebooking.  Lori has worked as a classroom educator, a STEM Facilitator with school districts across the state, on the State Science Leadership Team, on the NGSS State Assessment Content Review Team and is a Co-Founder of the West Sound STEM Network.

Currently residing in Spokane, WA, Michelle hails from Alaska. Her education started with a scholarship to study concert piano and culminated with a BS degree in Agronomy from University of Idaho. She worked for the USDA as an underwriter throughout the Pacific Northwest and moved into national training for USDA programs. She started teaching secondary science in Spokane, became National Board certified, and was honored with Distinguished Educator in 2003 and Spokane Teacher of the Month in 2015. She served on state committees working on state assessments for OSPI. In 2019, She launched the Walking Project: an Experiential Alternative to In-School Suspension. She is currently working with Pacific Education Institute as a curriculum writer and workshop facilitator under ClimeTime grant.