The Board
Although we come from different backgrounds, we bring integrity, ingenuity, and passion for education and ecological conservation to the table for the ECODUCK project.
Dr. M. Amaris Knight
M. Amaris Knight has over 20 years experience teaching children and adults as a dance instructor, K-12 educator, and public health professor. She has worked in the non-profit sector for over 10 years, acquiring funding, building & leading statewide coalitions, and conducting research & program evaluation for a variety of children’s issues. Amaris is excited to be on the board for the ECODUCK project to develop new ecological education curricula, acquire grant funding for both education and ecological restoration projects, and oversee all activities to ensure accountability & long-term sustainability.
President
Dr. Amanda Haboush-Deloye
Amanda Haboush-Deloye is the current Executive Director of the Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy under the School of Public Health at UNLV. Amanda has worked for 20 years on topics related to early childhood education, mental wellness, and child welfare. Amanda is proud to be working on the ECODUCK project to help develop educational curricula, research and acquire grant funding, and ensure financial accountability.
Vice President
Dr. Emma Benenati
Conservation Biology Director
Emma Benenati has 11 years experience teaching science to grades 6-12, 18 years teaching outdoor limnology and riparian ecology, and 10 years as a college ecology professor. She has published 11 papers in peer-reviewed journals and 11 technical reports on river and freshwater lake ecology. Emma joined the ECODUCK project to help establish the teaching and ecological recovery practices needed to produce quantitative results in both student test scores and lake, river, lagoon, and ocean ecological health.