Jodi began her conservation journey right after high school, taking a gap year doing restoration and education work with the Student Conservation Association and Americorps in the Sonoran Desert. That year, full of desert sun, horny toads, big landscapes, and even bigger lessons, sparked something enduring — it set her on a path through outdoor education, interpretation, and science communication, where she discovered how powerful communication and hands-on learning can be in helping people connect with the natural world. Jodi then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Natural Resource Management from Washington State University, and later a MS in Natural Resources, Science Communication, and Environmental Education from the University of Idaho. Since her first job, every role has deepened her belief that education and storytelling are essential tools for inspiring stewardship and building resilient communities.
Jodi first got involved with Envirothon by helping organize the Southeast Regional competition while working at Palouse Conservation District. She joined the statewide committee as secretary in 2019 and became chair in 2022. Supporting Envirothon has become one of the most meaningful parts of her work, helping students discover their strengths, explore natural resources, and see themselves as future leaders in conservation. She deeply loves all the landscapes across Washington, from mountains to desert to prairie to ocean, but the North Cascades have a special pull with its jagged peaks and wildflower meadows. It’s a place that keeps her grounded and inspired. If she had to choose, Jodi would say spring is her favorite season. She is drawn to blossoms, migrating birds, longer days, and that sense of everything waking up again. She calls it the season that feels hopeful, and a reminder about why environmental education matters.
In addition to serving as the Washington State Envirothon Chair, Jodi is the Education and Outreach Manager at Washington State Conservation Commission. You can reach her at jprout@scc.wa.gov
Zoe had an interest in conservation from a young age, leading her to Western Washington University to pursue a bachelor’s in Environmental Planning & Policy. She also holds a MS in Natural Resources from the University of Wyoming. She has worn a variety of hats in the public sector, from Americorps environmental interpretive specialist to a National Park Ranger at Grand Teton. She also has had the chance to do incredible wildlife work such as tracking wolverines, rehabilitating birds of prey, and studying insects for agricultural research.
Zoe joined Envirothon as the Vice Chair in 2024 and is a master at excel and spreadsheets. Her passion for community-based work and intersectional environmentalism invigorates the team to build back Envirothon bigger and better than ever. She enjoys the refreshing cold air and powdery snow of winter as much as she enjoys the sunshine of summer. Though she doesn’t have a favorite place, she does enjoy Rattlesnake lake and the hike up to the ridge.
Outside of being the Envirothon Vice Chair, King Conservation District is lucky to have Zoe as their Education Program Manager. She is currently on parental leave and will not return until March 2026. Please contact Jodi or Lennae in her stead.
Lennae has been doing volunteer conservation work since she was a child, but had her first paid conservation job was during the summer after her sophomore year in college. Traveling seven hours from her hometown of Seattle to the Zumwalt Prairie in Eastern Oregon, she spent two and a half months working with The Nature Conservancy collecting data for a long-term sustainable grazing study. 45 minutes away from the nearest town, surrounded by picturesque rolling hills framed by distant mountains, her time at the Zumwalt remains a reminder about how special and fragile these lands are. After that summer, Lennae wrapped up her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Environmental Studies at Whitman College. Graduating in the middle of the pandemic, she jumped immediately into a MA.Ed Urban Environmental Education program at Antioch University – Seattle. She considers herself very lucky to have made so many friends in the environmental field along the way.
Lennae joined the Envirothon team in 2025 after being hired at King Conservation District. She is very passionate about breaking down barriers for youth to access environmental opportunities and is working hard to recruit a more diverse pool of Envirothon participants than ever before. During high school, Lennae did a month-long sea kayaking trip around the San Juan Islands through the YMCA, and she considers those islands to be one of her favorite places in Washington. One day during her trip, she sat alone near the edge of a cliff on Satellite Island, looking out at the horizon. A curious splashing noise coming from below turned out to be one of the most incredible things she’s ever seen – a Southern Resident Killer Whale pod leaping around as they traveled through the strait. Despite all the fond summer memories in the Pacific Northwest, she considers fall to be her favorite season. She enjoys the moderate temperature and the chance to be outside amongst falling leaves before the seven months of rain moves in.
When she’s not taking meeting notes or working to improve the Washington State Envirothon website, Lennae is the Education Project Coordinator at King Conservation District. You can reach her at lennae.starr@kingcd.org or kcdeducationip@gmail.com
Chris’s conservation journey started in high school with his natural resources class, where he worked in the wetlands next to the school. His experiences in the wetlands guided him to a conservation career path. The first step of his professional journey started in academia, getting a foundational knowledge of the field through a bachelor’s in Environmental Studies from Linfield College. His first paid position was as a conservation crew member for the Mountains to Sound Greenway right out of college. Soon after, he jumped into restoration and education with Pierce Conservation District.
Chris got involved with Envirothon in 2019 when he helped take on coordination of the South Puget Sound regional competition. He joined the board as Treasurer in 2021, and has really appreciated the statewide collaboration that goes along with this work. Pierce County sits right at the Southern point of Puget Sound, which leave Chris close to his favorite place – the Olympic Peninsula. He enjoys the many rivers, lakes, forests, and beaches to explore between the Sound and the coast. The Hoh River near Forks is particularly special to him, as his family has been visiting that spot for generations. His favorite season is summer because he likes to be out on the water and on trails, so he spends as much time as possible outside during the warmer months. He also appreciates the changing leaves and returning rains of fall for a nice change of pace after a busy summer.
Outside of managing the financial side of Envirothon, Chris works at Pierce Conservation District as the Environmental Education Program Manager. You can contact him at ChrisT@piercecd.org
Washington State Envirothon 