NCLI Staff

All Staff are National Conservation Leadership Institute / AFWA's Management Assistance Team.

Elena Takaki –Director of Professional Development and Conservation Education
Elena Takaki serves as the Director of Project WILD and the Management Assistance Team. Elena has over twenty-five years of experience offering professional development to educators and people working in the natural resources field. Before coming to AFWA, Elena worked for non-profits and government agencies such as the North American Association for Environmental Education, National Geographic Society, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Johns Hopkins University. Elena enjoys working with other professionals who are dedicated to managing natural resources for the public and making the outdoors accessible to everyone. Elena also serves on several boards, including the North American Association for Environmental Education, Youth Learning and Citizen Environmental Scientists, and the Natural History Society of Maryland.

Gina Krusinski, M.S. - Program Manager for Communications and Learning Development
Gina has over 17 years of experience working in the natural resources sector and through the NCLI and AFWA has worked with over 100 different state, federal, NGO, tribal and industry partners in conservation. She is passionate about contributing to the sustainable future of conservation through the development of its people. She is also honored to have helped staff and manage the National Conservation Leadership Institute since its inception. Gina trained at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government on the Art and Practice of Leadership Development, earned a Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership from Mountain State University, a BFA in Communications Arts and Design from Virginia Commonwealth University and is certified in Case-In-Point teaching methodology from the Kansas Leadership Center. When not tethered to her desk she desires to get lost in the sanctuary of nature, hiking or biking on a trail beneath a canopy of trees, or uncovering some yet undiscovered corner of the world.

Amanda Myers – Program Manager for Training and Information Services
Amanda Myers joined the Management Assistance Team/ NCLI in August 2008. Her interest in conservation was sparked at a young age by her grandfather who served as a Park Ranger for the National Park Service. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from American Public University. She enjoys reading and spending time with her fiancé, Chase, and their Boxer mix, Zelda.