Tara Laidlaw (she/her)
Co-Chair

Southern Oregon Land Conservancy
Education Program Manager

Tara grew up spending her summers in the high Sierra, scrambling over granite, swimming in snowmelt lakes, and stargazing through dark mountain nights. Although she didn’t know it at the time, these experiences laid the foundation for a career in helping people connect with place. Tara has now been working in place-based environmental education for over a decade, using farms, wilderness preserves, and historic estates as living classrooms to spark curiosity and wonder in learners of all ages. As a frontline facilitator, instructional designer, and teacher trainer, Tara works at the intersection of formal and informal education, helping students develop scientific, environmental, and ecological literacy; she specializes in supporting the Next Generation Science Standards in out-of-classroom settings.

Tara holds a BA in Anthropological Sciences from Stanford University and an MAEd in Natural Science and Environmental Education from Hamline University. She currently serves as Southern Oregon Land Conservancy’s Education Program Manager, and she offers independent consulting services through her own business Out to Learn. She is very excited to be part of a board that is actively exploring avenues for more equitable, accessible, and inclusive environmental education throughout Oregon.

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Sophia Anguilla (she/her)
Co-Chair and Interim Treasurer 

Friends of Outdoor School
Network Coordinator

Sophia grew up in Portland, OR. She attended several environmental education opportunities, leading her to become a high school student leader through MESD Outdoor School. There she deepened her passion for helping others which led her to pursue a career in nonprofit. Sophia currently works as the Network Coordinator for Friends of Outdoor School where she helps advocate for all Oregon students to have access to enriching and inclusive Outdoor School experiences.

Sophia now lives in Bend, OR. She uses her spare time to take in all of the natural beauty that Central Oregon has to offer and wants to ensure that beauty is preserved for future generations. She is excited to be a part of the EEAO board to connect her knowledge of Outdoor School to Oregon's broader environmental education movement.

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Libby VanWhye (she/her or they/them)
Secretary 

North Mountain Park Nature Center
Manager

Libby has been an outdoor educator since 2008 and has an M.S. in Environmental Education. For more than nine years, she has been the Nature Center Manager at North Mountain Park, which is part of Ashland Parks and Recreation. She brings a wealth of experience in youth and adult education, grant writing, program administration, and collaborative systems building. Her two greatest accomplishments have been their volunteer-led field trip program and the funding and construction of a new Nature Play Area at our park.

She is excited to help EEAO organize the resources and share the skills that will allow others to work toward greater environmental literacy in our communities. She hopes that through her participation on the Board, she can connect and strengthen the great EE resources that exist throughout our state. Her professional network includes Nature Center Administrators and Parks and Recreation Professionals. She is also on the Oregon Recreation and Park’s Association’s DEI committee, where she brings her passion for equitable access to public lands and outdoor education. She is excited to work toward equity, alongside her colleagues in the EE field.

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Abby Smith (she/her)
Board Member

Forest Park Conservancy
Manager of Development Services

Abby is a California transplant who grew up spending many hours outside in Northern California’s forests and rivers. Thanks to the values instilled in her from a young age, Abby grew up with a deep appreciation and respect for the natural world. She hopes to bring these values, along with her love of learning and extensive experience in nonprofit administration, to her role as a board member for EEAO.

Abby holds a BA in Liberal & Civic Studies from Saint Mary’s College of California, and an MA in Public History from University College Dublin. She currently works as Manager of Development Services for Forest Park Conservancy in Portland, where she assists in the planning and execution of their fundraising and membership programs. She is thrilled to join an active and engaged board that is committed to creating opportunities for environmental education in Oregon.