About CELL

Who works for CELL?

Dave and Sue Oakes

Our desire to form CELL arises from:

1. our yearning to see a global mobilization toward systemic solutions to our planet’s problems, and
2. our work in Africa and Central America, where we saw the successes and failures of various environmental and development programs.

In addition, our background includes leadership experience in college, environmental education, and international-development programs, specifically:

• A doctorate in Educational Administration with a research focus on teacher training in environmental education and a master’s in Science Education with a focus on environmental education.
• CEO experience in leading nonprofit organizations, including a nonprofit conservation-education foundation dedicated to educating the widest possible audience about the importance of agricultural biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.
• Fifteen years’ college-level teaching and administrative experience, including significant work in developing, supervising, and evaluating student-internship, college-semester, and teacher-development programs.
• International program leadership experience in the southern and eastern regions of Africa, including directing an international teacher-training program in environmental education and collaborating with various government, nongovernment, and international organizations.
• Significant experience in financial management and educational-program assessment.

Megan Reehl is the newest addition to the CELL team, and has been hired to lead the Central America abroad program leaving January 2009. Megan is enthusiastic and passionate about sustainability, and she brings  a wonderful background and a sincere caring about the environment to

Megan Reehl

the CELL program. She loves the theme of sustainability through community, the focus of all CELL abroads. “I have learned from my masters program that sustainability is a very integrative issue.” To her, sustainability relates to culture, economic challenges, political problems, and environmental issues in our world.

Megan’s love for traveling is a perfect fit for CELL. Megan graduated from Principia College in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. At Principia, she studied abroad in India, Tibet, China, and Thailand.

After college, Megan moved to Maine and worked as a substitute teacher, ran a political campaign, worked for the Maine State Planning Office, and then moved to Boston for a year where she worked at the Longyear Museum.        

This past August, Megan graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a Professional Science Masters (PSM). This degree is based on an MBA and combines business skills with a specific scientific focus. This 12 month intensive program is the only one of its kind in the country. CELL is excited to welcome Megan to our team!