Educator Workshops & Trainings

Before joining the California Project WET program at the Water Education Foundation, Brian taught students at residential outdoor science schools around the state for 14 years, after a brief stint as an Eighth Grade U.S. History teacher.  His tenure teaching outdoor science included 10 years preparing college students as environmental educators and teacher credential program candidates and involved wearing a number of hats that included wildlife wrangler, forest fuel reduction and trail engineering crew leader (i.e., camp logger) and compost pyromaniac. Brian has also worked with the Society of American Foresters as an education specialist for the past 28 years and is a Facilitator for the Project WET sister programs - Project Learning Tree and Project WILD.  He holds California Professional Clear K-12 credentials in Multiple Subjects, Single Subjects Life Science and Single Subjects Social Sciences, a Bachelor of Science in Forestry and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from Humboldt State University. 

Jennifer is the Assistant Superintendent of Community Engagement for the Solano County Office of Education. As a twenty-year resident of Solano County, Jennifer is passionate about maintaining and enhancing the quality of life for Solano County residents. She serves on community-based groups like the Vacaville Public Education Foundation, the Vacaville Parks and Recreation Commission, Solano Land Trust, the Committee for Land and People, and Solano Youth Outdoors in hopes of connecting organizations together to identify common goals, identify gaps, and pool/leverage resources to amplify the positive educational work happening for, Solano youth and other residents.

Jasmine Westbrook Barsukov is Stewardship Project Manager for Solano Land Trust where she manages grazing licenses and rangeland ecology on 12,000 acres in Solano County. Before coming to work for Solano Land Trust, Jasmine taught various rangeland ecology and soils classes at Humboldt State University and worked on Six Rivers National Forest. Jasmine has degrees in Rangeland Resource Science, Cellular/Molecular Biology, and Animal and Range Science. Jasmine is also the owner/manager of Samuels Ranch, a multi-generational sheep ranch in Napa and Solano Counties.

John Takekawa was born in Minnesota and attended the University of Washington, University of Idaho, and Iowa State University where he obtained a PhD in animal ecology. He worked as a supervisory federal research biologist for 33 years leading projects on waterbirds and wetlands based in San Francisco Bay. He then worked 3 years on bird conservation with the National Audubon Society, and since 2017, John has been the Operations Manager for the Suisun Resource Conservation District. He supports wetland management and conducts research in Suisun Marsh, the largest brackish wetland on the U. S. Pacific coast. His projects have included diverse international teams, and he has published more than 250 scientific manuscripts with a specialty studying waterbird movements.

Chris started his work in parks as a young park and beach user. Ignited by concern over the impacts improper trail use had on his favorite hiking and biking trails, Chris turned towards trail building and interpretive programming. As a student of Recreation Administration with a concetration in Park Management, Chris also became a Certified Interpretive Guide with the National Association for Interpretation and a Wilderness First Responder. After starting as a Limited Term Ranger Assistant for Solano County Parks, he has worked up the ranks to Parks Services Manager. Chris hopes to see you on the trails and will offer up a "howdy" as you pass.

Alex has been with the Solano County Water Agency for over 16 years working on a variety of water quality, engineering, and flood control projects.  Alex’s primary responsibilities include overseeing the Engineering and Water Quality Team, supporting SCWA’s member agencies on regional water supply and flood control projects in Solano County, and providing technical support on Delta and State Water Project related issues.  Alex graduated with a Master of Science degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering from UC Davis in 2005 and is a licensed Civil Engineer. 

Marc has 20+ years in the water industry, working with most phases of water except bottled and ice. He is currently the program manager for the City of Benicia's water and wastewater environmental/regulatory programs, which includes regulatory monitoring of water/wastewater treatment facilities, an Environmental Lab Accreditation Program (ELAP) certified laboratory, industrial pretreatment program, pollution prevention program, cross connection control program, and water conservation. Marc also has prior experience in recycled water, flood control and restoration, green jobs, and emergency response.

Kathy Schulz is the Water Education Specialist with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). She oversees the school education program, which includes distributing supplementary materials to California educators, supporting professional development for teachers, attending school outreach events, and facilitating a statewide water educator’s network. In 2016, Kathy completed a six month course on climate change communication with the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI); she has served on its governing council since 2018. Prior to working for DWR, Kathy spent almost a decade with California State Parks as an interpretive writer and planner. She has also worked for Oregon State Parks and at Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Kathy has a M.S. in Natural Resource Policy and Behavior from the University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment (now School for Environment and Sustainability), a B.A. in Diplomacy and World Affairs from Occidental College, and a professional certificate in Public Relations from UC Davis Extension. She stays busy by caring for three cats, a 12-year old son, reminding him to care for his leopard gecko, and by running and biking as her schedule permits.