Dr. Thrall is currently the Executive Director of the Albert I Pierce Foundation.  AIP is a private charitable foundation which supports the environment and the arts by offering opportunities for professional development, communication, and partnership.

Professional Accomplishments and NAAEE Contributions

• Ph.D. in Environmental Education, University of New Mexico;
• M.S. in Biology Education, Southeastern Oklahoma State University
• B.S. in Natural Science Education from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. 
• Statewide Coordinator, Project Learning Tree in NM until 2006
• Board of Directors, NM Science Teacher's Association
• Life time member, New Mexico Academy of Science.  
• State Level Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching and National Presidential Award for Excellence is Earth Science Teaching in 1989
• Distinguished Service Award by EEANM in 2000.
• Taught physics, chemistry, biology, geology, earth and physical science and SciTech in public and private schools in NM and OK. 
• K-12 Professional Development Coordinator for WERC, a consortium for environmental education and technology development, composed of the University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Tech, Dine College, Los Alamos National Laboratories and Sandia National Laboratories. 
• Director of WERC’s Summer Science Academy.
• A premier expert on radiation education in the state of NM and the Southwest
• Represented New Mexico in numerous national EE initiatives including NEEAP Leadership Clinic in San Diego,  EE 2000 Committee for EEANM, EPA Region 6 Leadership Clinic in Denton, TX, NEEAP Leadership Clinic in Albuquerque (where she was on the steering committee), Rocky Mountain  Regional Education Consortium Leadership Training in Salt Lake City,  EE Certification in Galveston, TX and was a conference committee co-chair for the NAAEE National Conference that was held in Albuquerque in 2005. 

Candidate’s Goals For NAAEE

I was raised on a farm in the southwest corner of the Oklahoma Panhandle and I remember watching my father as he walked the fields and tested the dampness of the soil with his bare hands.   He read the seasons to make his decisions about when to plant and harvest his crops.  He evaluated the animals that we raised, and despite never having any formal education in the field, became one of the most successful farmers in the area.  Due to his unquenching thirst for knowledge, he constantly read and researched to find a better way to raise his crops and provide for his family.

Because of this upbringing, I spent my educational career investigating the importance of the environment to the health of the earth and have spent my life trying to work with others in getting this message out to the world.   I have dedicated my life to teaching and volunteer service in the environmental realm.  I would bring my wealth of experience to bear on the current issues that face NAAEE and will work diligently to help the organization attain its’ goals especially in the areas of future funding, policy assessment and strategic planning.

Voting Member of NAAEE
Member since 1994, Voting Member 1997 - present