Bio
Rachael Rost-Allen is a graduate assistant through the Harju Fellowship in Educational Sustainability at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP). She is currently enrolled in the Ed.D. in Educational Sustainability program at UWSP, where she will graduate with her doctorate in May 2023. She will complete the Graduate Certificate in Equity and Inclusion in Education in May as well. Rachael is researching the integration of sustainability education into one PreK-8th grade school in Kansas and hopes to expand on this work upon graduating.
Aside from her work at UWSP, Rachael is also the education program manager at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center in Kansas, where she has worked for nine years. In this time, Rachael has taught over 2,500 environmental education classes to more than 125,000 people. Her mission is to increase sustainability literacy within her community, which she achieves through hands-on citizen science, live animal interactions, teacher professional development, and inquiry-based learning. Rachael is also the co-chair of the zoo’s Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) Committee and cares deeply about equity and inclusion in sustainability education.
In her spare time, Rachael can be found reading, traveling, and enjoying the company of her husband, young son, two cats, and two dogs.
Experience and Interests
Teaching
- Graduate Teaching Assistant, UW-Stevens Point (Fall 2020-present)
- Graduate Teaching Assistant, Miami University of Ohio (Spring 2016)
Research Interests
- Sustainability Education
- Teacher Education
- Environmental Education
Professional Experience
- Education Program Manager, Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center
- Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leader, Class 8
- EE 30 Under 30, North American Association for Environmental Education
Awards
- Grosvenor Teacher Fellow 2018, National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions
Involvement
Professional Memberships
- Member of Kansas Geographic Alliance through National Geographic
Fun Facts
Last book you read?
Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be an author growing up.