Post-Election Playbook: Advocating for Kids, Nature and Outdoor Learning
Elections shift the advocacy landscape — and the weeks that follow are a critical window to build relationships with new decision-makers.
Join the Children & Nature Network, NAAEE, OAK (Outdoors Alliance for Kids) and Nuestra Tierra for a post-election briefing built for the children and nature movement. We’ll cover a plain-language analysis of the election results, how and when to reach out to newly elected officials, emerging policy trends, and messaging strategies that resonate with your community.
You’ll leave with practical tools and real examples — from outdoor education funding wins to state-level climate literacy policy — to carry your advocacy forward.
Register Now
Speakers
David Beard (he/him)
Director of Policy & Government Affairs, Children & Nature Network
David Beard supports policy and advocacy efforts at the Children & Nature Network. This includes technical assistance for local communities and at the state level, as well as federal advocacy to increase access to nature. Previously, he was the Policy & Advocacy Director at School’s Out Washington, where he facilitated SOWA’s advocacy efforts, including educating policymakers and working with providers and stakeholders to secure more funding and better policies for the expanded learning field. Before that, he served in various policy-focused roles at the Washington State Council for Children and Families, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and Maryland Advocates for Children and Youth, focusing on education policy issues ranging from pre-K to student discipline reform.
Megan Fink (she/her)
Partnerships and Policy Manager, NAAEE
Megan is an educator, advocate, and relationship builder supporting national environmental education policy coalitions as the North American Association for Environmental Education’s Partnerships & Policy Manager. A Virginia Tech graduate with a B.S. in Wildlife Science and an Executive Master of Natural Resources, Megan started her career as an Environmental Educator at the North Carolina Aquariums before joining the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in 2011. There, she led ecological and historical Bay explorations and managed a watershed-wide youth leadership program. From 2022-23, she served as Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park’s Education Director, overseeing 15 Environmental Education Programs and developing Outdoor Preschool licensing for the Maryland State Department of Education. She is passionate about people-centered conservation, connecting communities to their local environment through meaningful, inclusive engagement, and creating a just, sustainable future for all.
Laura Flores (she/her)
Partnerships & Outreach Manager, Nuestra Tierra
Laura Flores is a mother of two, outings leader, and former elementary school educator. In her professional roles as the Partnership and Outreach Manager for Nuestra Tierra, she works to make outdoor experiences accessible, safe, and enjoyable for all. Through her efforts, Laura aims to inspire future generations to build confidence in nature, skill development, friendship, and supportive communities.
Julia Hurwit (she/her)
OAK Campaign Manager, Sierra Club
Julia Hurwit is a campaign manager at the Sierra Club, where she leads the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK), a coalition working to connect more young people with the outdoors. She recently launched the One Million Kids Outdoors (1MKO) initiative, which brings partner organizations together around a shared goal of getting a million kids outside. Julia builds campaigns that give partners concrete ways to take action to move federal policy, and to bring new organizations and people into this movement. Based in Portland, Maine, she is passionate about making outdoor access a part of every child’s life.
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