I’m an islander, educator, and designer working with socioecological complexity towards regenerative futures. As a youth, I experienced the collapse of the Northern cod stocks and have witnessed the resilience of the people and place still contending with this manmade disaster. During my M.Sc research in biogeochemistry I was inspired to start thinking in systems and across deep time. Eventually, I transitioned from higher education to my current career working through secondary schools via a snake ranch in Ghana, a lighthouse off Canada’s Pacific coast, and community-based conservation work in the Coral Triangle.
I am passionate about the world’s biodiversity and some of my underwater photography is featured in zoos and museums. I began SCUBA diving in high school and have been an instructor for more than 20 years. I love watersports, especially whitewater canoeing & kayaking. During COVID, I returned home to Newfoundland to teach fast rescue craft (FRC), helicopter underwater egress training (HUET), and maritime survival (STCW & OPITO) courses.
I’ve been fortunate to teach exceptional students in Canada, the Philippines, India, Ethiopia, Japan, the UK, and now Bali. When I think about great education, I am frequently reminded of Pearson College UWC where I both finished high school and began teaching IBDP biology and marine science. I also draw inspiration from Hakuba International School, where I taught PBL maths and helped build this brand new school in Japan’s Northern Alps. My pedagogy blends outdoor, experiential, and STEM education with theoretical inquiry and critical perspectives on schooling and progress. Last year I finished a two-year pilot of the Systems Transformation Pathway for Just Futures that I co-designed with my wife Raïsa Mirza at Atlantic College in Wales. Now I am stewarding the curriculum and culture of Green School Bali’s new biomimicry for regenerative design (BiRD) lab.