Nicky Phear

FOUNDER AND GUIDE, NATURE’S EDGE: EDUCATION UNBOUND

2016 Education Award Winner

Nicky Phear is a seasoned educator and leader in environmental and transformative learning. She has dedicated three decades to fostering deep connections between people and the natural world. She is the Founder of Nature’s Edge: Education Unbound and is also currently an Instructor at the Wild Rockies Field Institute. Previously, Phear was the Co-Founding Director of the University of Montana’s Climate Change Studies Program, an undergraduate, interdisciplinary degree program that focuses on science, society, and solutions. She created an internship program that empowers students to work on clean energy solutions, taught field and classroom courses, and led month-long study-abroad programs in Vietnam about climate change effects and adaptation in the Mekong Delta. She developed and led two courses involving bicycle trips focused on energy production and climate change, one in Montana and another across Bhutan. Phear was a founding member of Climate Smart Missoula, led numerous campus and community climate discussions, convened the University of Montana’s Women’s Leadership Initiative, and co-directed a Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative program. Phear has a PhD in Sustainability Education from Prescott College, an MS in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana, and a BA in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.