Meet the Team
At Explore Ecology, we get to work with so many amazing people. We figured it’s about time for you to meet our team and to hear some of their stories. 💕
Lydia Ballantine is an Environmental Educator and the Watershed Resource Center Manager. Lydia grew up in rural New Hampshire,
swimming in lakes, making fairy houses in trees, and learning from her mother to always choose what is “good for the earth.” She headed west to attend Colorado College in Colorado Springs, where she studied Sociology and Environmental Studies. In Colorado Lydia discovered environmental education and a love for environmental science.
In 2019, Lydia headed even further west to California. She worked at MOXI, the Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation for a year before returning to her love of environmental education and joining the team at Explore Ecology. In her free time, Lydia loves board games, hiking, playing with her scruffy dog (imagine all the stray movie dogs combined), working in her mini vegetable garden, and she has recently taken up surfing. Lydia is thrilled to be a part of Explore Ecology and is excited to teach the next generation of environmental stewards, work which is now more important than ever!
Josh was born and raised in Santa Barbara, where his passion and curiosity for the environment began and has continued to grow. During his undergraduate studies, Josh pursued this interest at the University of California at Santa Cruz, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies.
Melissa Dodos developed her passion for creative reuse as a mother of four and elementary educator over the past 25 years. She loves to inspire creativity by connecting people with resources and ideas.
Veronica grew up in San Diego and spent four years in San Luis Obispo studying Animal Science at Cal Poly. As an undergrad she learned lots about livestock, agriculture, and wildlife.
Stephanie began her journey as an educator over twenty years ago working as a preschool teacher in Washington state for a cooperative preschool program affiliated with Whatcom Community College. She loved observing the wonder and curiosity of the children and bringing them out into nature to explore the natural world. She continued her love for learning and got her teaching license and then her Montessori certification and worked as an elementary teacher in Tribal, Public, and Montessori schools. She collaborated to create a school garden and her students loved it so much that it became a special place where they could garden, read, explore, play, and it provided a safe sanctuary for students to calm down and reset when they were having difficult moments.
Morgan’s mermaid soul is always seeking adventure—swimming a relay across the Santa Barbara Channel and taking the first photo of a newborn orca off Anacapa Island being standout experiences close to home.
Lindsay Johnson
