Dec. 5, 2018
Randy Zellers Assistant Chief of Communications
LITTLE ROCK — Tabbi Kinion, chief of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Education Division was elected to the board of directors for the Arkansas Environmental Education Association last week.
Kinion has been chief of education for the AGFC since July 2018. Before coming to the AGFC, she worked for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and has more than 20 years of experience in conservation education. She has served at the national level on committees to support environmental education programs and coordinate them with academic standards to enable natural resources to be taught in schools throughout the country.
“I’ve met with many members of the organization as I’ve familiarized myself with educators and agencies in the community, and I was able to attend a meeting recently in Northwest Arkansas where many groups were coming together on how to better promote natural resources education in that part of the state,” Kinion said. “I was approached by the executive director of the organization, and it seemed like a great way to network and create new partnerships helping the AGFC’s mission and the people of Arkansas.”
The AEEA is an affiliate of the North American Association for Environmental Education, and works with educators, students, business, government and the general public to increase the awareness and knowledge about the environment.
“I worked with the Colorado affiliate of the parent organization of the AEEA while I was there, and it was instrumental in many partnerships I was able to work with there,” Kinion said.”The Arkansas Department of Education has recently rewritten the standards and will be rolling those standards out soon. Organizations like AEEA help all of the non-formal educators such as nature centers, zoos, parks and land trusts connect with the teachers in schools and best serve their needs.”
Kinion’s three-year term on the board will begin next month.