Zenobia Barlow, Cofounder of the Center for Ecoliteracy and Secretary of the Board, led the Center’s grant-making, educational, and publishing programs as founding Executive Director from 1995 until 2019. One of the nation’s pioneers in creating models of schooling for sustainability, she has designed strategies for applying ecological and indigenous understanding in K–12 education, including the Food Systems Project, Rethinking School Lunch, and Smart by Nature. She is co-author of Ecoliterate: How Educators Are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence (Jossey-Bass, 2012) and co-edited Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World (Sierra Club Books, 2005) and Ecoliteracy: Mapping the Terrain. Prior to joining the Center for Ecoliteracy, Barlow was editor of an international publishing company, a university program director, and executive director of the Elmwood Institute, an ecological think tank. She enjoys traveling and documentary photography.
Board
Malo André Hutson, Chair of the Board, is the Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia. Previously, he was a tenured professor at Columbia University and assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley. His interests as an academic scholar and practitioner include community development and urban sustainability, racial and ethnic equity, urban policy, and health. He has over 20 years of experience working nationally and internationally on numerous research, policy, and community-centered projects. He is the author of The Urban Struggle for Economic, Environmental, and Social Justice: Deepening Their Roots (Routledge, 2016).
Alexa Norstad, Executive Director and Board Member, directs the Center for Ecoliteracy’s strategies, mission, and vision. She previously served as the organization's Director of Programs where she oversaw all program efforts across the organization, designing, developing, and directing some of the most successful programs in the Center for Ecoliteracy’s history. Her insight and compassion have nurtured our relationships with staff and partners to advance education for the sustainability of people and the planet. A Vassar graduate with a background in publications, she served in the corporate offices of Condé Nast Publications in New York, experience that lends editorial excellence to the organization’s publications and communications work. A farming apprenticeship in Vermont left her with a deep appreciation of one’s food system and the importance of connecting to place.
Nancy Skinner, Board Treasurer, served on the Berkeley City Council, the East Bay Regional Park board, and three terms in the California State Assembly before being elected to the State Senate to represent the Ninth District in 2016. She currently serves as chair of the Senate’s Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus. In 2021, she led the successful campaign to make California the first state in the nation to make free school meals available to all public school children. In the Assembly, she chaired the Natural Resources, Rules, and Budget Committees, and authored groundbreaking legislation to help California to meet its renewable energy goals. She founded ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability; a coalition of 800 global cities dedicated to helping cities become environmental leaders. As the U.S. director of the London-based Climate Group, she worked with Fortune 500 companies and state, provincial, and national leaders to enact greenhouse gas reduction plans.
Wendy Williams, Board Member, was moved to become engaged in furthering Fritjof Capra's work after hearing him speak. She has worked as an emergency medical technician, camp counselor, physical therapist, and nature photographer; she is also a longtime student of yoga philosophy. A mother active in her community, Wendy is committed to forging creative links between people and their passions.