Donny Roush
Since moving to Denver in December 2006 for my wife’s job as a microbiologist at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, I have been looking for an opportunity such as offered by this new position at The Odyssey School.For the past 12 years, I lived in Idaho, working for the Idaho Museum of Natural History and the Idaho National Laboratory before becoming the first-ever executive director of the Idaho Environmental Education Association (IdEEA) in August 2001. I was chief bottle-washer at this statewide nonprofit—as the only salaried staffer. We built a network of schools demonstrating environment-based education in the age of No Child Left Behind. Two of the 12 Idaho schools I worked with were Expeditionary Learning schools, including nearby Pocatello Community Charter School, where I helped with fieldwork, expedition design, professional development, and fundraising.
I also organized IdEEA’s annual conference and to better connect the state’s educators with each other and with high quality environmental education resources—not the least of which is funding. IdEEA’s accomplishments were recognized in October 2006 when we were awarded Affiliate Organization of the Year by the North American Association for Environmental Education.
Before moving West, I lived in Ohio, the state where I was born and raised. My professional experience ranges across magazine publishing, event management, non-profit administration, educational material development, and environmental research, including evaluation. Degree-wise, I hold an MS in human dimensions of natural resources from Ohio State and a BS in magazine journalism from Bowling Green State University.
During my Idaho-to-Colorado transition, I served for a year as executive director for the Audubon Society of Greater Denver, with offices at Chatfield State Park. Though this job gave me ample chance to apply my knowledge, skills, and commitment to conservation, working for The Odyssey School promises to be more focused and close-to-home.
