Chelsea Shepherd

Chelsea grew up in upstate New York, spending summers in the Adirondacks. While nature was always a huge part of her life, it was on annual trips to Cape Cod that she found her passion for Environmental Education. Chelsea went to Stonehill College, where she majored in Environmental Science with a focus on Marine Science and minored in business. After graduating in 2014, Chelsea moved to Boston and spent the past six years working at the New England Aquarium. As a Program Education Specialist, she educated the public about marine life. Some days she traveled to schools throughout New England to provide hands-on experiences with marine life. Other days she taught Sea Squirts, a parent-child program for children ages 2-4. She also worked with local schools to design outdoor field experiences full of hands-on exploration. Teaching these programs gave Chelsea a passion for early education and the importance of student-led exploration in nature. In December of 2019 Chelsea received her Masters of Teaching in Conservation Biology from Miami University. Through this program she studied inquiry-based teaching, community-based conservation, and environmental stewardship. She traveled to Belize to study manatee, tapir, yellow-headed parrot, and coral conservation, Australia to study the Great Barrier reef, and Paraguay to immerse herself in a community working on Environmental Education and Eco-Leadership. Chelsea first started as a Lead Teacher at BOPN in September 2020, then moved into business operations and HR as the organization grew.