Laura Parker Roerden has over twenty-five years of experience in environmental education and educating for social responsibility. She is the executive director and founder of Ocean Matters and a fourth generation farmer. She holds a masters of education degree from Harvard University and a B.A. from Boston College and is a lecturer and author of many books, curricula and articles on young people’s social, emotional, and ethical development.

Laura has designed educational outreach projects for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Basketball Association, Pokemon USA, Olympians at Athletes for Character Education, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, AT&T, Operation Respect, Morningside Center for Social Responsibility, the National After-School Alliance, The Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crimes (MA), and the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program, as well as for various film, music and video projects including for Frontline and the Grammy-nominated children’s recording “Changing Channels.”

She is the former publisher and managing editor at Educators for Social Responsibility and former managing editor of the magazine New Designs for Youth Development. Laura has served on the board of directors of both Women Working for Oceans (W20), a fiscal partner of the New England Aquarium, as well as Earth, Ltd. of Southwicks Zoo and is a member of the Pleiades Network of Women in Sustainability.

Laura has taught marine education in a myriad of settings including traditional classrooms, on decks of science-at-sea programs, and 100-feet beneath the sea on scuba in ecosystems ranging from the rocky intertidal to the coral reef. She lives on a fifth generation family farm.

https://www.facebook.com/oceanmatters/