Join a Committee
EEAI has different committees that help the EEAI staff and Board of Directors with the daily duties and special projects of running a statewide non-profit.
Getting involved with an EEAI committee is a great way to give back to the environmental education community! Whether you have skills in graphic design, writing or networking there is a place for you on an EEAI committee. Just a few hours a month can provide a huge service to the organization, the field of environmental education in Illinois and educators throughout the state.
All work can be done remote and meetings are held virtually for all committees. Scheduling of meetings is based on needs and schedules of the committee.
Have questions? Feel free to reach out to the committee chair or contact
EEAI Executive Director, Brekke Bounds – brekkeboundseeai@gmail.com
Current Committees
Public Relations
EEAI offers a wide range of programs and professional development opportunities. These programs are not successful if educators don’t know they are happening. The public relations committee helps to administer communication with EEAI members, other organizations and practitioners in the field throughout Illinois. Duties include creating and sending out the quarterly newsletter, creating new EEAI logo items, creating flyers and social media graphics, maintaining the EEAI job board and other communication materials. Time Commitment – Year-round – depends on task; the more people on the committee the smaller the individual time commitment.
Please contact:
Ramona Pollard
EEAssociation.Illinois@gmail.com
Awards
Each fall EEAI offers the Illinois Statewide Environmental Education awards program to recognize the incredible efforts of outstanding educators, organizations and students. Serving on this committee involves helping to advertise the program, encouraging nominations, evaluating nominations and coordinating award presentations at the EEAI Annual Conference. Time Commitment – August – March; only a few hours each month.
Membership
The EEAI Membership Committee works to develop membership awareness, recruit new members, establish membership benefits and maintain networking opportunities for existing members. Time Commitment – Year-round – only a few hours each month, or as needed when specific projects arise.
Please contact:
Chelsea Prahl (she/they)
eeaimembership@gmail.com
Fund Development
Raising money for non-profit organizations is not the most exciting activity within an organization, but it is by far one of the most essential. The Fund Development committee assists the EEAI Board in determining the best fundraising methods, find individual and organizational sponsors, secure grants and develop new revenue streams. Time Commitment – Year-round – depends on task; the more people on the committee the smaller the individual time commitment.
Please contact:
Tina Dawson Scott
tdawson@bccdil.org
Mini Grants
Providing educators, schools and organizations with funds for environmental education projects and equipment is an incredible service that EEAI provides to our membership. The mini grants committee promotes this offering, encourages educators to apply, recruits grant proposal reviewers and manages the administration of the grant funds.
Please contact:
Teresa Vaughn
teresa_wisniewski@yahoo.com
Nominations & Elections
EEAI is run by a volunteer Board of Directors consisting of a five-member Executive Committee and 11 regional directors. On a rotating basis EEAI board positions have to be filled each spring at the annual conference. The elections and nominations committee helps to promote the open positions, reach out to environmental education leaders to determine their interest in an open position, gather nomination materials and manage the annual election of new board members. Time Commitment – August – February; only a few hours each month.
Please contact:
Janet Beach-Davis
Janet.Beach-Davis@heartland.edu
Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Accessibility
This committee currently meets every other month to determine goals and evaluate progress in promoting DEI values. EEAI is committed to implementing more inclusive policies, communication, and equitable programming, as well as increasing the diversity of both the organization and audiences served. The work of this committee is integral to that aim.
Please contact:
Chelsea Prahl (she/they) at eeaimembership@gmail.com