Featured Speaker: María Ghiso

María is the Senior Manager for the National Audubon Society’s NYC Youth Education
Program, where she leads efforts to increase youth knowledge and experiences with
the urban environment, connecting students to local birds and teaching critical thinking
and problem-solving needed to make informed decisions and take responsible action.
Prior to this role, María was the youth inclusion lead at the Rainforest Alliance, where
she worked closely with teachers and youth leaders around the world, from classrooms
in the United States to communities in Mexico, Guatemala, Cote D’Ivoire and Kenya on
issues such as climate change, sustainable agriculture, and forest conservation. 

Having grown up in NYC, María works to ensure that all young people have equitable access to
hands-on environmental education and meaningful connections with nature. María
holds an MA in Environmental Conservation Education and a BA in Gender Studies
from New York University. In her free time, you can find her sitting in a coffee shop or
wandering through a museum.