Faculty
Tim Bates, M.Ed.
Roles: Director of the RSOP Outdoor Program; Assistant Director of CEED; Adjunct Graduate Faculty in the Master of EE Program; Adjunct Undergraduate Faculty in the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.
Professional Interests: Tim earned his M.Ed. in Environmental Education from the University of Minnesota Duluth. His specialty areas include training for in-service teachers, environmental education, natural history of Northeastern Minnesota, and sea kayak training. His current project area is administration for the Outdoor Program.
Contact Information: web page or email tbates@d.umn.edu
Tom Beery, Ed.D.
Roles: Graduate Faculty in the Master of EE Program; Undergraduate Faculty in the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; Program Coordinator for the Undergraduate Recreation-Outdoor Education Degree.
Professional Interests: Tom earned his Ed.D. in Teaching and Learning at the University of Minnesota Duluth. His professional background includes formal classroom teaching, residential environmental education teaching, field based environmental day programming, and adventure education trip leadership. Tom's research interests include Frilufsliv, environmental connection, and environmental education, as well as work in campus and community sustainability initiatives.
Contact Information: web page or email tbeery@d.umn.edu
Julie Ernst, Ph.D.
Roles: Director of CEED; Director of Graduate Studies for the Master of EE Program; Graduate Faculty in Master of EE Program; Adjunct Graduate Faculty in Master of Education and Ed.D. in Teaching and Learning Programs; Undergraduate Faculty in Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.
Professional Interests: Julie earned her Ph.D. at the University of Florida’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation, with an emphasis in environmental education research and evaluation. She has formerly served as an education specialist for the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and as a public affairs specialist for the USDA Forest Service. Her interest areas are program evaluation, environment-based education (environmentally-based formal instructional programs), early childhood EE/nature play, and federal agency EE programs.
Contact Information: web page or email jernst@d.umn.edu
Ken Gilbertson, Ph.D.
Roles: Graduate Faculty in Master of EE Program; Adjunct Graduate Faculty in the Master of Education Program; Undergraduate Faculty in Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.
Professional Interests: Ken earned his Ph.D. in Outdoor Education with an emphasis in Clinical Psychology from Ohio State University. His interests include teaching outdoor and environmental education in non-formal settings, wilderness education and interpretation, resource management and planning, sustainability of nature-based tourism in protected nature areas, and the relationship between a skill level and commitment in adventure activities.
Contact Information: web page or email kgilbert@d.umn.edu
Chris Johnson, Ed.D.
Roles: Graduate Faculty in the Master of EE and Master of Education Programs; Undergraduate faculty in the Department of Education.
Professional Interests: Chris earned his Ed.D. in Teaching and Learning at the University of MN Duluth. His prior professional work includes middle and high school teaching and administration, athletic coaching, and outdoor/adventure trip leadership. His professional interested include environmental literature, place-based education, and outdoor/wilderness education.
Contact Information: web page or email cwjohnso@d.umn.edu
Bruce Munson, Ph.D.
Roles: Associate Dean for the College of Education and Human Service Professions; Graduate Faculty in Master of EE, Master of Education Program, and Ed.D. in Teaching and Learning Programs.
Professional Interests: Bruce's professional interests include science education, science curriculum development, aquatic studies, and applying computer technologies to enhance instruction. His current projects include Water on the Web (an internet-based science curriculum project), the impacts of computer technologies on student learning, and science teacher professional development.
Contact Information: web page or email bmunson@d.umn.edu
Beth Ruark, M.Ed.
Roles: Adjunct Graduate Faculty in the Master of EE Program; Undergraduate Faculty in the Department of Education.
Professional Interests: Beth earned her M.Ed. from the University of MN Duluth. Her background includes formal Kindergarten teaching and residential and day use environmental education. Her emphasis is families and young children, as well as early childhood environmental education. Additional areas of interest include early childhood and elementary education science, social studies methods, developmentally-appropriate environmental education, and play-based learning.
Contact Information: email bruark@d.umn.edu
Jill Torres, M.Ed.
Roles: Adjunct Graduate Faculty in the Master of EE and Master of Education Programs; Undergraduate Faculty in the Department of Education.
Professional Interests: Jill earned her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Minnesota. Prior to coming to UMD, Jill was a high school social studies teacher, an environmental education coordinator for the National Park Service, and interpreter for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Jill's current focus is in formal classroom teaching methods and social studies teaching methods. Her interests lie in curriculum development and the intersection of social and environmental history and policies.
Contact Information: email jtorres@d.umn.edu
Kevin Zak, M.Ed.
Roles: Adjunct Graduate Faculty in the Master of EE and Master of Education Programs; Undergraduate Faculty in the Department of Education.
Professional Interests: Kevin earned his M.Ed. in Environmental Education from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Prior to coming to UMD, Kevin was a middle school science teacher in St. Paul, Minnesota, taught as a naturalist at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, and served as an elementary science specialist at North Shore Community School in Duluth, Minnesota. Kevin’s current focus is on secondary science teaching methods and bridging the gap between the indoor and outdoor classroom.
Contact Information: email kzak@d.umn.edu
Mark Zmudy, Ph.D.
Roles: Graduate Faculty in the Master of EE Program; Undergraduate Faculty in the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.
Professional Interests: Mark teaches adventure education and outdoor pursuits to undergraduate students working on degrees in physical education and teacher education and in outdoor/adventure education. His research interests include adventure education and outdoor pursuits, with a particular focus on teaching processes that yield desired outcomes.
Contact Information: email mzmudy@d.umn.edu
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