Scott Shepherd, M.Ed

Work with schools, families, municipalities, and resource conservation districts to strategize, facilitate, and evaluate environmental education programs and outdoor learning spaces. Clients have included San Diego County Parks and Recreation Department, Little Sprouts Preschools (San Diego, California), Transforming Youth Outdoors, Mind Treasures (Grant Writer), Urban Surf for Kids (Fundraising Director) the Solano Resource Conservation District (Instructional Designer), and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (Trainer).

Oversee the delivery of Education programs with the goal of elevating and equipping young change Maker’s to innovate solutions for a healthy ocean. Develop and implement systems that ensure participant and impact data is accurately captured, maintained and reported. Coach staff to achieve professional development goals, recruit new staff members, and effectively communicate the education team’s long-term vision, strategy, and overall work.

Is this role, I oversee 40 educators with California State Parks in over 20 Park sites in Santa Cruz County and beyond. I work to support our staff members as they strive to educate the public on our parks’ natural, cultural, and historic resources whilst increasing equitable and sustainable access to our parks for all Californians.

In this role, I work to connect underserved communities to high quality outdoor and environmental education experiences in California State Parks across the state.

As the school’s sole outdoor leadership teacher, I teach each year all 400 students in the school, ranging from Kindergarten to Grade 5. Since joining HTe in 2015, I have devised the school’s project-based outdoor education curriculum for all 6 grade levels. The curriculum meshes with the programs of the students’ grade level teachers and infuses age appropriate outdoor activities for each class level, including an overnight weekend camping experience for 4th graders and swimming lessons for 2nd graders (virtually all 2nd graders within the school become proficient swimmers each year). I also have started an on-site garden at HTe. Students learn about gardening as well as about issues at the cross section between farming and the environment, and about the manner in which our society and government prioritize values in these areas. To provide greater context for these issues, I have used my strong professional relationships to include speakers from with local land management and outdoor education organizations (such as California State Parks, I love a Clean San Diego, and San Diego Coast Keeper). My duties also involve extensive grant writing and budget management. Since 2015, I have raised and carefully deployed over $50,000 to enable various school programs (including both the 4th grade overnight and the 2nd grade swimming education programs).

I currently work full-time as Youth Development Program Manager for Outdoor Outreach 501(c)3. My duties include but are not limited to: facilitating and managing all after-school program activities for 3 San Diego High Schools, management of leadership development trainings and program activities, recruitment of participants, developing relationships with on-campus stakeholders and community members, providing a physically, emotionally and academically supportive environment, oversight of students’ personal and professional development including technical skills trainings, and stewarding the organization’s mission, vision, and values. More recently, I have managed coordination of advocacy events for our “Outdoor Voices Youth Leadership Initiative” which works with existing and past participants to share their experiences with local, state, and national decision makers to increase outdoor access to diverse urban communities.

As an instructor with Menehune Surf, I facilitated private surf instruction for groups of 1-5 participants. In addition, I supported set-up and break down of surf camp operations in La Jolla Shores, and Del Mar beaches.

As an instructor for Deer Crossing Camp I taught rock climbing, tree climbing, windsurfing, canoeing, and guitar. As a part of our instructional duties, we engaged in general counseling with participants dealing with difficult emotions or behaviors (home sickness, defiance, etc). I also planned and led multi-day backcountry expeditions (including cooking) for 9 to 18 year olds.

While an Adventure Education student at Fort Lewis College, I learned how to use and lead human powered pursuits to promote a sustainable environment and inspire positive change in individuals and organizations.

While Studying Abroad in Santander, Spain in the province of Cantabria, I studied the following subjects: ML 390 Spanish Culture ML 390 Art History of Spain ML 390 Spanish Language ML 390 Spanish Literature

During this course, we paddled 14 days from Tahsis British Columbia, around Nootka Island via the Nootka sound to the Pacific Ocean. In addition, we sailed 32 ft. Catalinas for 14 days in the Straight of Georgia.