Michelle Heaton
Teton Regional Director and Conservation Loan Collaborative Chief Operating Officer
Driven by place, people, and hope, Michelle brings extensive experience in community-led change, non-profit management, social entrepreneurship, educational leadership and innovation, research, and transformative coaching. Michelle first arrived in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in 1994 where an early career as an outdoor educator, facilitator, and professional mountain guide inspired her strong sense of place, adventure, and collaboration. She went on to successfully help launch and lead two community-led non-profits - including a farm-based education collaborative in Concord, Massachusetts and an afterschool program in Teton Valley, Idaho - and design and implement innovative learning systems in communities across the globe.
Most recently, Michelle served as Head of School and Chief Education Officer at Teton Science Schools in Jackson, Wyoming and Director of Innovation and Strategy at One Stone in Boise, Idaho. In both of these capacities, Michelle led diverse teams in strategic planning, development, professional growth, change management, and design thinking to help achieve collective goals. She worked with leaders, educators, learners, families, schools, and nonprofits to transform communities in over 20 U.S. states and six countries.
A lifelong learner, Michelle holds masters degrees in both Education and Environmental Science and a doctoral degree in Environmental Studies. Her 2020 dissertation research, A Pedagogy of Hope: Levers of Change in Place-Based Learning Systems, uses a novel framework of social-ecological systems, transformative learning, and place-based education theories to investigate learning as an adaptive boundary system that connects individual learning to positive social-ecological change. She has presented at multiple national and international convenings, including the ASU+GSV Summit, International Boys School Coalition Annual Conference, Place-Based Education Symposium, and Farm-Based Education Network Conference.
Michelle lives with her family and two pugs in Teton Valley, Idaho. She loves hiking and skiing in the mountains, floating on the river, and completing really hard puzzles.
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