Advisory Board

Patrick Schultz is the Chief Executive Officer of Business Professionals of America (BPA) and a nationally respected leader in Career and Technical Education (CTE) and workforce development. A long-standing member of the BPA community, he has served in a range of leadership roles, including chapter advisor, Chair of the National Board of Trustees, and Director of Membership and Technology.

Under his leadership, BPA has experienced significant membership growth and an enhanced student experience, with a strong focus on career readiness, skills development, and alignment with workforce needs. Patrick has led efforts to expand virtual programming, strengthen advisor and employer networks, secure strategic sponsorships, and build partnerships that connect education with industry. His student-centered, innovation-driven approach continues to position BPA as a vital pipeline for preparing learners for success in a competitive, evolving workforce.

 Brandon Jones is the 2025-2026 AGU President. He was elected to the  AGU Board of Directors in 2017 and has been a volunteer leader on AGU's  Talent Pool Task Force, Leadership Development and Governance Committee  and Strategic Plan Writing Team.

As a federal scientist, Jones has dedicated more than 20 years to  expanding access to STEM education and fostering a more inclusive  scientific community. A champion for students and early-career  researchers, he has built transformative programs that support funding,  mentorship and career pathways in the geosciences. His efforts have  created lasting pathways for aspiring scientists, ensuring that the next  generation has the resources, knowledge and opportunities needed to  succeed.

Jones’s passion for science began at a young age in Ohio, where  television programs like Jacques Cousteau and Wild Kingdom sparked a  curiosity about the natural world that ultimately led him to marine  biology. Jones holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Lincoln  University in Pennsylvania, a Historically Black College and University  (HBCU). He also holds both a master's degree and a doctorate in Marine  Sciences from the University of Delaware's College of Earth, Ocean and  Environment. He is a member of the National Association of Black  Geoscientists (NABG), the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and  Oceanography (ASLO) and the Geological Society of America (GSA). 

 Dr. Catherine Cramer is CUNY Advanced Science Research Center Civic Science Fellow. She works at the intersection of data-driven science and  learning as it pertains to the understanding of complexity and its  application to data and network sciences. She develops tools and  programs for the teaching and learning of complex network and data  science. Her research is focused on participatory design and its role in  STEM engagement with under-served and marginalized communities. She is a  founder of the Network Literacy and Network Science in Education  movements, is on the Board of the Network Science Society, and is  co-editor of the Springer volume Network Science in Education. Before  coming to the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center she was Deputy  Director of the West Big Data Innovation Hub and Director of Outreach  and Engagement for Data Initiatives at the San Diego Supercomputer  Center, UC San Diego 

Dr. David Stifel is the Charles A. Dana Professor and Head of the Economics Department at Lafayette College. He is a development economist with research interests in poverty, water & agriculture, agricultural markets and rural infrastructure. He has lived in Madagascar working with Cornell University and the World Bank; in Ethiopia with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI); and in Sri Lanka with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). His work has been published in such journals as Global Environmental Change, World Development, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Economics, Journal of Development Studies, Economics and Human Biology, and Food Policy. Prof. Stifel earned his B.A. from Colgate University, his M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and his Ph.D. in Economics from Cornell University. 

Christopher Moore is Program Manager for the International Science Reserve (ISR), an initiative of the New York Academy of Sciences, where he supports global scientific preparedness and crisis response. He brings more than 15 years of international leadership experience across the public and private sectors, including humanitarian work with the International Rescue Committee supporting refugees from the Syrian Civil War, service as a Special Operations Intelligence Officer in the United States Air Force, and international volunteer work in the Ukraine conflict.

Chris’s work is driven by a focus on preparedness, rapid response, and cross-border collaboration. At ISR, he is dedicated to building a global community of scientists, strengthening partnerships with public and private institutions, and developing practical tools, training frameworks, and best practices that enable scientific expertise to be mobilised quickly and effectively when crises emerge.

Dr. Gillian Bayne is a professor of Science Education at Lehman College of the City University of New York (CUNY), and holds a dual appointment in the Urban

Education Department at the CUNY Graduate Center. She brings to The Next

Generation Global Collaboratory, Inc. over thirty years of science education

experience, which have helped to deepen the theoretical and ethical

underpinnings of her pedagogical enactment and scholarly work. Dr. Bayne has

worked with and has supported beginning, seasoned and pre-service science teachers, as well as science and urban education doctoral students. Her

research is grounded in sociocultural theory and utilizes qualitative and

quantitative methodologies that afford understandings of STEM equity challenges

locally, nationally and internationally. Her work calls for the need to rethink

current paradigms that can negatively impact the advancement of youth and

STEM professionals throughout the world. Dr. Bayne has served as a Lead

Educator for the Training, Education, and Public Engagement in the GLOBE

program and has been a PI/Co-PI on multiple NASA and NSF grants. She has

published in highly respected scholarly venues, including Learning Environments

Research, Cultural Studies of Science Education, the Journal of Multicultural

Education, and the International Handbook of Research on Multicultural Science

Education.

 Maina Muniafu is an Associate Professor of Natural Sciences in the School of Pharmacy

and Health Sciences at the United States International University – Africa based in

Nairobi, Kenya.

He is the Chair of CitSci Africa Association and Vice Chair of the Citizen Science Global

Partnership (CSGP). He holds a PhD in Botany (Plant Ecophysiology) and a Master of Science in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry and has been actively teaching and

researching in the area of environmental sustainability (in particular the energy-water-food

nexus) for the past 30 years.

Community efforts have targeted lifting the livelihoods of youth in the low income areas

of the capital city Nairobi by involving them in finding entrepreneurship solutions through

innovative nature based solutions in their immediate environments.

He also serves on the Editorial Board of the Citizen science impact assessment and

evaluation journal.

 Rusty Low is a senior scientist at the Institute of Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), where her work centers on citizen science, environmental monitoring, and vector-borne disease. She served as Deputy Director for Science at the GIO and has held multiple leadership roles within the The GLOBE Program since 2001, most recently as Science Lead for the GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper.

Rusty’s interdisciplinary career spans archaeology, palaeo-climate research, and applied environmental science, with a strong focus on using mobile technologies and open data to track mosquito disease vectors. She is a former Fulbright Scholar in Brazil (2021–22), a Fulbright Specialist, and a UNITAR Global Diplomacy Fellow. Dr. Low earned her PhD at the University of Minnesota and currently lives in Colorado.

 Ricardo Toledo-Crow is a polytechnologist and expert in bridging science and engineering to advance biomedical research, medical devices, and biophotonics. He brings broad experience across academia and industry, leading research and development of advanced instrumentation for biology, medicine, and in-vivo studies.

Ricardo is Co-Founder and CTO of ColdSteel Laser Inc., where he is developing a micro-robotic surgical platform in collaboration with the Head & Neck Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He has managed multi-institutional collaborations with The Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medicine, resulting in patents and peer-reviewed publications.

Specialising in microscopy and optical systems, Ricardo developed the first video-rate acousto-optic multiphoton microscope, UV micro-scanners for optogenetics, and analytical instrumentation for peptide profiling using MALDI-TOF systems. He holds a PhD in Physics and Optics with a focus on near-field microscopy and has successfully translated laboratory technologies to commercial products in industry.

  Nico de Klerk, PhD is a social entrepreneur, public speaker, and educator focused on cultivating entrepreneurial mindsets and social innovation. He is an Extraordinary Lecturer at the School of Social Innovation at Huguenot College and formerly served as an Adjunct Professor of Spiritual Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Nico is the Founder and CEO of the StreetBiz Foundation, leading initiatives that promote social entrepreneurship among marginalized youth in South Africa. In 2018, his flagship initiative, Long Walk for the Entrepreneurial Mindset, was awarded Best Global Social Innovative Project by Life Learning Academia on the recommendation of Edward de Bono. As part of this project, Nico walked nearly 3,000 km (1,708 miles) across South Africa, engaging more than 100 township communities and facilitating mindset-focused workshops at close to 200 schools and community groups.

A Master Trainer in Entrepreneurial Skills Development (University of the State of California), Nico is also the author of No Fit – My 1,700-Mile Walk from Apartheid. His work and message have gained international recognition, with speaking engagements across Canada, the United States, Europe, North Africa, and Russia. Drawing on lived experience, social research, and years of facilitating emotional intelligence and mindset development workshops, Nico’s talks are known for being educational, challenging, motivational, and deeply authentic. 

Dr. Izzy Crawford PhD FCIPR is Associate Dean for Economic, Social and Cultural Development at Aberdeen Business School, part of Robert Gordon University. With over 20 years’ experience in higher education, she has held a range of senior academic and strategic leadership roles, including Academic Strategic Lead and Senior Lecturer, and previously served as Subject Leader for Public Relations, Media and Journalism. Her work focuses on strengthening the role of universities in driving inclusive economic growth, social innovation, and cultural development.

Internationally, Dr. Crawford has extensive experience working across global education, research, and professional networks, contributing to initiatives that connect higher education with international economic, social, and cultural agendas. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (FCIPR), she brings a global perspective to strategic communication, media, and public relations, and is recognised for her commitment to international collaboration, knowledge exchange, and translating academic expertise into real-world impact. 

Professor Oran Young is professor emeritus and co-director of the  Program on Governance for Sustainable Development at the Bren School of  Environmental Science & Management at the University of California  Santa Barbara. His research focuses on theoretical issues relating to  the roles social institutions play as elements of governance systems,  with applications to the atmosphere, the oceans, and the polar regions.  He also does comparative research on environmental governance processes  in China and the United States. Dr. Young served for six years as  founding chair of the Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change  of the US National Academy of Sciences. He chaired the Scientific  Steering Committee of the international project on the Institutional  Dimensions of Global Environmental Change (IDGEC). He was a founding  co-chair of the Global Carbon Project and from 2005 to 2010 chaired the  Scientific Committee of the International Human Dimensions Programme on  Global Environmental Change. An expert on Arctic issues, Dr. Young  chaired the Steering Committee of the Arctic Governance Project and is  the senior counselor to the North Pacific Arctic Conference. Past  service in this realm includes co-chair of the Working Group on Arctic  International Relations, co-chair of the NAS Committee on Arctic Social  Science, member of the US Polar Research Board, founding board member of  the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States, vice-president of  the International Arctic Science Committee, chair of the Board of  Governors of the University of the Arctic, consultant to the Standing  Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, and co-chair of the  2004 Arctic Human Development Report. Dr. Young holds honorary  doctorates from UiT the Arctic University of Norway and the University  of Lapland. He is the author or co-author of more than 30 books. His  recent books include: Governing Complex Systems: Social Capital for the  Anthropocene, and Grand Challenges of Global Governance: Global Order in  Turbulent Times. 

 NGGC Advisors play a vital role in shaping the vision, direction, and impact of the Next Generation of Global Collaboratory. Drawing on diverse expertise across disciplines, regions, and sectors, Advisors provide strategic guidance, thought leadership, and meaningful connections that help advance NGGC’s mission.

Our Advisory Board reflects a growing global network committed to collaboration, innovation, and real-world impact. Additional advisor profiles will be added as biographies and photos are received.

Prof. Marion Keim is the UNESCO Chair of Sport, Development and Peace (SDP) and Olympic Education based at the University of the Western Cape. Her teaching and research and community engagement  areas focus on  sport and development, leadership, conflict transformation, multiculturalism, youth development and sport as a means for social transformation and peace building. 

She is the Chairperson of the Foundation for Sport, Development and Peace and an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa, certified in Mediation and Sports Law. She has coordinated numerous national and international sport and development projects for UNESCO, IOC, IPC, GIZ, FIFA and the Commonwealth.  

Prof. Marion Keim served as member of the National Advisory Committee for Sport and of the Eminent Person’s Group for Sport and Transformation for the Minister of Sport in South Africa  and on the Education and Training Commission of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee. 

Since 2014 she has served on the  IOC Education Commission and as President of the South African Pierre de Coubertin Committee.In 2024 she was elected Secretary General of the Association of National Pierre de Coubertin Committees of Africa. She was also elected Chairperson for Sportanddev in 2024 as well as the Co-chair of UNESCO’s global Fit for Life Knowledge Innovation Network. Marion facilitates and lectures globally, she  is the author, co-author, compiler and editor of more than 30 books and serves on numerous international Sport Peace and Education boards. 

Derek Tesser is a Senior Research Scientist at Saint Louis University’s Remote Sensing Lab, where he leverages multi-sensor data—including radar, lidar, and optical/IR—to analyze terrestrial ecosystem functioning. His research addresses global conservation priorities, from mapping forest disturbances in tropical and boreal biomes to quantifying greenhouse gas emissions within the agriculture and livestock sectors. A collaborator with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Derek has contributed to the ECOSTRESS mission and currently supports calibration and validation efforts in the Amazon for the NISAR mission. Beyond his research, Derek is a dedicated educator and curriculum architect. While helping launch a new college within the City University of New York (CUNY) system, he designed foundational biology, chemistry, and environmental science curricula. He also spearheaded international study abroad programs, leading field expeditions across diverse tropical ecoregions. These initiatives fostered collaboration between scientists, students, and local communities, utilizing GLOBE protocols to integrate essential field-based observations with drone and satellite data to advance biodiversity science and ecosystem conservation.

Professor Lise Korsten is the President of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), serving a three-year term from 2023 to 2026.  She is the Co-Director of the Department of Science and  Innovation, Centre of Excellence in Food Security. She is also  responsible for the food safety and regulatory control programmes within  the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security and actively  interacts with other researchers in various institutes. She holds the  position of chair in the Global Task Force of Food Security for the  International Society for Plant Pathology. Prof Korsten has addressed  the South African Parliament on Food Safety Control and has developed a  national framework for government to develop a Food Control Authority.

She  has been able to attract extensive national and international long term  funding such as the Water Research Commission solicited research  projects “Measurement of water pollution determining the sources and  changes of microbial contamination and impact on food safety from  farming to retail level for fresh vegetables”, “An investigation into  the link between water quality and microbiological safety of fruit and  vegetables from the farming to the processing stages of production and  marketing” and “Evaluation of the risks associated with the use of rain  water harvested from roof-tops for domestic use and homestead food  gardens, and groundwater for domestic use and livestock watering”, as  well as the 7th EU Framework project “Impact of climate change and  globalisation on safety of fresh produce - governing a supply chain of  uncompromised food sovereignty.

Prof Korsten developed South  Africa's first biocontrol agent for fruit and established a biocontrol  research group at the University of Pretoria (1992). She has also  established a fresh produce health group that focusses on food safety of  fresh produce and on Sanitary and Phytosanitary aspects related to  international trade.

Prof Korsten has focussed her research mainly  on the complementary fields of postharvest technology and food safety  as related to international trade in fresh produce. As a team the Plant Health and Safety research group has been able to develop several innovative technologies to reduce  disease and prevent product contamination. The value of her research  programmes (Produce Quality and Safety (PQS) and Postharvest Innovation  Research) is best illustrated by sustained industry financial support,  intensive student training and publications. Prof Korsten has  established a core of researchers and support staff that has been with  her for the past 20 years totally funded by the Industry. She has  supervised 51 MSc students, 20 PhD students and 11 Postdocs.

 Dr.  Alex de Sherbinin is director of CIESIN and a Senior Research Scientist  in the Columbia Climate School. He is a geographer whose research  interests focus on the human aspects of global environmental change and  geospatial data applications, integration, and dissemination. He has  authored or co-authored more than 75 journal articles, and is the lead  author of articles appearing in Annual Reviews of Environment and Resource, Climatic Change, Environmental Research Letters, Global Environmental Change, Science, and Scientific American. He serves as section chief editor on Climate Mobility for Frontiers in Climate.  His research centers on climate vulnerability mapping; climate change  and migration; environmental indicators; citizen science data; and  remote sensing applications. He is a co-author of the World Bank’s Groundswell report series, and the biennial Environmental Performance Index (EPI),  and teaches in Columbia’s Climate & Society and Sustainability  Science master’s degree programs. He has served as a principal  investigator on projects totaling more than $37 million from funding  sources that include NASA, USAID, DOD, the World Bank, and various UN  agencies and foundations.

Dr. de Sherbinin currently serves as a Council member of the American Geographical Society (AGS), and served as a member then chair of the World Data System (WDS)  scientific committee from 2015 to 2022. He has served on many other  scientific and advisory committees for data and research programs in the  US and Europe.

Alex de Sherbinin holds a PhD in geo-information science and Earth observation from ITC at  the University of Twente (Netherlands), and MA and BA degrees in  geography from Syracuse University and Dartmouth College,  respectively. Prior to joining CIESIN, he served as a USAID-funded  Population-Environment Fellow with the Social Policy Program of  International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN, Gland, Switzerland), and a Population Geographer at the Population Reference Bureau (PRB, Washington DC).

He has profiles on ResearchGate and LinkedIn, and blog postings through the Earth Institute’s State of the Planet blog. A full list of articles is available on ORCID. See also Dr. de Sherbinin's profile on Columbia Climate School's main website. 

Deborah Hecht, Ph.D. is the Director and Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Advanced Study in Education at The Graduate Center. She is particularly interested in evaluation and development of educational programs and innovations, STEM education, service-learning, character education and charter schools. Dr. Hecht has been the lead evaluator on numerous NSF projects focusing on interconnected STEM learning and engineering pedagogy, technician education, experiential learning, undergraduate research, and culturally responsive pedagogy. She has also been locally and nationally involved in development and study of service-learning as an educational pedagogy and promoting character education in schools. In 1994 she was a co-founder of one of the first charter schools in NJ.

Current evaluation and research work is in areas including  developing educational innovations, STEM education, youth development, career/college pathways, culturally responsive pedagogy, college retention, workforce development, informal learning, educator faculty development, college/industry partnerships.

      Mr. Divine Ntiokam the Founder and  Executive Director of GCSAYN. He recognizes the critical importance of  young people in building a resilient, sustainable, and prosperous  agricultural sector in Africa and around the world. This passion led him  to establish the Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network Global  (GCSAYN) in May 2014.

Teams in over 178 countries work to raise awareness  about Climate Smart Agriculture among young men and women, educating  them on the benefits of sustainable practices in increasing agricultural  yields and resilience. 

It should be noted that implementation of activities is being spearheaded by over 88 GCSAYN Approved Centers of Excellence, based in Primary and Secondary Schools, Universities and TVETs globally. 

Alongside  his role at GCSAYN, Divine was elected as the African Continental Vice  President of Youth in the Livestock, Fisheries, and Aquaculture  Incubation Network in July 2018. He was also nominated as one of the  Food and Land Use (FOLU) Coalition International Ambassadors in 2018.

In addition, Divine is a Core Member of the Strategy Group on  Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems at the Africa Europe  Foundation. In 2021, he moderated one of the World Food Prize  Foundation’s Global Youth Institute Roundtables.

To sum up, Divine is currently supporting the World Food Prize  Foundation in the recruitment of High school students or youth aged  13-18 years from across the globe for the Virtual Youth Institute (VYI)  in 2025. This has led him to become one of the World Food Prize  Foundation Global Youth Institute Roundtable Experts. At the most  recently ended World Food Prize Borlaug dialogue, he served as a  panelist and hosted a successful Workshop titled: “Advancing  Climate-Smart Agriculture” with 35 students Borlaug Fellows held in Des  Moines, Iowa.

More so, due to his active participation in rolling out Centers of  Excellence across the United States, lately engaged with the GLOBE  Program where he supported the 24-hour relay in June 2025.

Furthermore, he is an active member of the International Union for  Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Commission on Education and Communication  (CEC), Climate Crisis Commission (CCC), Commission on Ecosystem  Management (CEM), Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social  Policy (CEESP), Member for the Society for the Psychological Study of  Social issues (SPSSI) and Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). He has  served as a Judge for the Ohio Academy of Science in supporting the  Science Fair 2025 for the City of Columbus and State of Ohio. He is also  a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).

Divine’s entrepreneurial spirit and advocacy for greater inclusivity  are well-established. His background includes extensive experience in  youth mainstreaming, notably coordinating and facilitating the  translation of the Sustainable Development Goals into over sixty local  languages across Africa and Asia to ensure that “No One Is Left Behind”.  Furthermore, in 2020, the UN Special Envoy to the Food Systems Summit  2021 appointed Divine as one of the Champions to help implement the UN  Secretary General’s vision for the “Decade of Action.”

Through business incubation and strong networks of support, the  Network aims to build an Africa where youth-owned enterprises in animal  resources contribute to poverty reduction and food security.

In  2025 Divine was recognized by 8 different organizations for his work  with the youth, climate-smart agriculture, scientific awareness and  helping develop scientific temper among youth.

Richard (Rick) Lawford currently is an Associate at the University of North Dakota (Water Research Center, Engineering Department), lead for the Group of Earth Observations (GEO)’s EO4WEF (Earth Observation for the Water-Energy-Food Nexus) Project. and part time consultant. His career has included research, science management and data issues.  Until 2021, he worked as a part time Senior Scientist at Morgan State University where he supported NASA water programs and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) by coordinating GEO water activities and providing lectures and articles on the applications of satellite data in water management. He also undertook contract work related to satellite data and Sustainable Development for WHO, led a WEF Nexus study for Future Earth, and worked as the Network Manager for the Drought Research Initiative at the University of Manitoba. Previously, he served 4 years as the Director of the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Project office and 7 years as a program manager in NOAA for the GEWEX Continental International Project (GCIP) worked with others to develop the GEWEX Americas Prediction Project (GAPP) and the USGCRP Global Water Cycle Program. 

Prior to moving to the USA in 1995, he established and led the Hydrometeorological Research Division at NHRC in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. This challenge followed seven years in policy-related positions in Ottawa including the Ministry of State for Science and Technology where he explored applications of remote sensing in Canada’s resource sectors, the Wright Task Force on Federal Policies and Programs for Technology Development, managed the planning and evaluation functions for Canada’s Inland Water Directorate, served as a Carbon Dioxide Advisor for the Canadian Department of Energy and as a Science Policy advisor in Environment Canada’s Corporate Planning Group. Before moving to Ottawa, he worked in Toronto as the Chief of Scientific Services for the Ontario Region of Atmospheric Environment Service (AES) which included managing climatological services, applied climate research and regional data services. He also worked as an instructor for new meteorologists becoming AES weather forecasters, and as a research meteorologist in cloud physics. The earlier part of his career/development was spent in academic studies at the Universities of Manitoba (Brandon College), Alberta, and McGill in Montreal. He also worked as a analyst at the Canadian Meteorological Centre (Montreal) as well as spending a year and a half as a forecaster/briefer after completing post-graduate training as a Meteorological Officer.

Experiences from different aspects of his work history prepare him for contributing to this Collaboratory including the development of extensive reports by coordinating writing teams (e.g., the GEO Water Strategy), providing inputs, briefings and reviews for different levels of government, and helping to create opportunities and build support for new activities and programs. His 20 years of experience in GEO activities during and after his employment with space agencies should be of benefit, since corporate GEO goals tend to be aligned with those of this Collaboratory.

Dr. Kyle C. McDonald is the Terry Elkes Professor and  Department Chair of the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department at The  City College of New York. He joined City University in 2011 having  developed a distinguished 20-year career in the Science Division of  NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, in  Pasadena, California. At JPL, he supported NASA’s Earth Science program  as Principal and Co-Investigator on numerous Earth science  investigations involving remote sensing of terrestrial ecosystems and  the cryosphere. At the Graduate Center, Professor McDonald is affiliated  with the doctoral faculties of both the Earth and Environmental Science  (EES) and the Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior (EEB)  programs. He is a Faculty Affiliate at the CUNY Advanced Science  Research Center (ASRC) where he maintains strong collaborations with the  CUNY Environmental Initiative, and he is Associate Director for  Research of the CUNY CREST Institute, having long-standing  collaborations with the NOAA CREST Center. He is Co-Director of CCNY’s  Environmental Earth System Science (EESS) program and also actively  engaged with CCNY’s MS program in Sustainability in the Urban  Environment. Professor McDonald maintains a Faculty Part-Time position  in the Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Group at the Jet Propulsion  Laboratory and is a Project Scientist at UCLA’s Joint Institute for  Regional Earth System Science and Engineering (JIFRESSE). 

 Dr. Jack Kaye is a retired senior executive from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, where he served for more than 25 years as Associate Director for Research in the Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Over a distinguished 41-year career at NASA, he led the agency’s Earth science research and data analysis programs, advancing understanding of Earth system processes and climate.

Dr. Kaye began his career as a space scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and later managed NASA’s Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling and Analysis Program. He has represented NASA in numerous interagency and international science initiatives and has published more than 50 peer-reviewed papers.

He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and a B.S. from Adelphi University. His honors include NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal (2022) and the NASA–USGS Pecora Individual Award (2024).

 Dr  Bridie Schultz is a specialist in STEM education, program design and  social impact, with experience developing and delivering initiatives  that  strengthen scientific capability and participation across schools,  communities and scientific industries. She is the co-Founder of  teachSTEM, an Australian charity focused on ensuring people from all  backgrounds have access to the skills needed to engage with  science, technology and environmental decision-making. 

Bridie  is also a Director of Sativus and Essential Skills for Science, where  she works at the intersection of research, education, and industry to  support practical problem-solving, leadership development, and  inclusive innovation. With a PhD in the riogenology and a Masters in STEM  Education, Bridie’s work spans citizen science, authentic assessment,  and professional development for scientists and educators,  with partnerships including government agencies, universities, and  international science organizations. She brings experience in  governance, program strategy, and cross-sector collaboration to the  NextGen Globe Board.

 An NGGC Advisor provides strategic guidance and subject-matter expertise to support the organization’s mission, programs, and partnerships. Advisors bring deep experience from fields such as science, technology, education, workforce development, policy, or industry, and offer insight to help shape priorities, strengthen partnerships, and inform program design.

Advisors do not manage day-to-day operations, but serve as trusted thought partners to NGGC, contributing perspective, experience, and professional judgment to advance impact and long-term sustainability.