Winter 2026 Nature Guardians
Denni Blum
Denni Blum is an educational anthropologist and Latin Americanist (Emeritus professor, Oklahoma State University, and NYU-Tulsa lecturer) dedicated to exploring the interplay between humans and their ecosystems. Throughout her career, she has investigated how humans are shaped by their environments and, in turn, the ways humans also shape their environments. Although semi-retired, she remain active in the academic community, continuing to teach and conduct research focused on Cuba. Her lifelong connection to Latin America is anchored by formative experiences: an English teacher in Mexico, Cuba and Ecuador, in addition to serving as an American Field Service (AFS) exchange teacher in Constitución, Chile, and participating in an Earthwatch expedition excavating pre-Colombian mummies in the Atacama Desert.
John Blackwell
John Blackwell is the director of the Grainger Observatory at Phillips Exeter Academy and an astronomy educator and researcher who opened his own domed observatory (Northwood Ridge Observatory IAU 225) in 1997. John earned his Bachelor of Science in aviation management and flight operations from Daniel Webster College and has been a software engineer and planetarium educator before his current position teaching astronomy, physics and epistemology at Phillips Exeter Academy. John completed his master’s degree in astronomy from James Cook University, Queensland, Australia in 2007 with a focus on extrasolar planet research and cataclysmic variable stars. John is an active data contributor to the American Association of Variable Star Observers and to the Harvard Minor Planet Center and continues to publish primarily on the topic of variable stars. In the classroom, John strives to offer students hands-on astronomy research opportunities. In 2021, John received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. In 2024, John engaged with the Buddhist monastery, Plum Village, focusing on Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. From this point onward, John has added to his course curricula environmental concerns, focus and strategies to better understand our planet, its environment and how to preserve it.
Sue Blackwell
Sue Blackwell was raised in the New England area of the United States to appreciate outdoor spaces and the creatures that inhabit them. After earning a bachelor’s degree in animal science from UMass Amherst and working as a veterinary technician at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Boston, Sue went on to earn her law degree from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce Law Center. Sue canvassed for Greenpeace in college, single-handedly ran an aluminum recycling program in law school, created a policy externship for UNH law students at the Society for the Protection of NH Forests, and as a young lawyer worked for the nascent New Hampshire Land Conservation Investment Program (now LCHIP). Sue now lives with her spouse in a LEEDS certified “green” technology home on the grounds of a world-renowned independent secondary school, where Sue works as a library public services associate and teaches yoga. Sue is a long-time active member of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Exeter, New Hampshire (FUUSE), whose mission statement includes the pledge “to work to heal the natural world.” Sue is a member of FUUSE’s “green team” and has consistently practiced ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ and supported environmental NGOs in her personal life. Most recently, despite a deep drought, FUUSE planted a mini forest on its property, to promote carbon sequestration, oxygen production, wildlife habitat and a peaceful space for humans to contemplate, and Sue among others has literally been carrying water to serve the trees.
Victoria DeFazio
Victoria DeFazio graduated from Arizona State University in 2024 with her B.S. in astrophysics. She now works in satellite operations for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera mission at Intuitive Machines. In this role, she is also heavily involved in educational and public outreach, sharing the importance of lunar and space exploration with students and the general public of Arizona and beyond. Victoria is also a volunteer observatory operator with the East Valley Astronomy Club. In addition to space exploration, she has pursued many projects in the humanities. Victoria’s undergraduate honors thesis explored sea turtle conservation efforts in Costa Rica and their relation to local traditions and spiritual beliefs and received the Quesada Award for her work. Additionally, she was a Poesiaeuropa fellow in 2024 where she studied science fiction literature and poetry and its potential for creating utopian and innovative scientific advancements. She conducts advocacy work with multiple STEM organizations, including the Association for Women in Science Advocacy Committee, the American Physical Society Advocacy Champions, and the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences Federal Relations Subcommittee. In her spare time, she is a docent for a historical Victorian home in Phoenix, exploring how the environmental context of the home, technological innovations, and political movements of the time shaped the people who lived there.
Joel Goodman
Joel Goodman is an amateur astronomer and informal educator from Howard County, Maryland. After retiring from 35 years as a family dentist in 2012, Joel devoted himself to sharing his lifelong passion for astronomy and space science.
In 1997, he founded the Celestial Searchers, an after-school astronomy club for students in grades K–6. In 2000, he joined the Howard Astronomical League (HAL), where he spent the next 15 years spearheading efforts to establish an observatory for the club’s 1930s handcrafted 12-inch f/6 Newtonian telescope. HAL’s publicly accessible observatory and library opened in 2015. Joel has also produced and presented live planetarium programs at nearby Robinson Nature Center.
For 10 years, Joel chaired Howard County’s Recreation & Parks Advisory Board, where he advocated for responsible “smart lighting” solutions and greater public awareness of light pollution. In 2014, he was among the inaugural group of NSF/NRAO/UNC/UChicago/Astronomical Society of the Pacific-sponsored Skynet Junior Scholars leaders trained at Yerkes Observatory. The Skynet web portal provides secondary students with access to a worldwide network of robotic telescopes.
Joel’s interest in astronomy has also taken him to Chile. He was a member of the January 2018 Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program (ACEAP) cohort and participated in the Mission Patagonia expedition in early 2025.
He looks forward to returning to Melimoyu in December 2026 to continue exploring its unique ecosystems and learning how best practices can be applied back at his winter home in the Dominican Republic. For the past six years, Joel has embraced the work of Fundación Grupo Puntacana and its efforts to balance ecotourism with strong environmental stewardship and sustainability.
Arianna Perdomo
Arianna Perdomo is a Henry David Thoreau Scholar and student at the University of Maine studying Human Dimensions of Climate Change and International Affairs. Her academic and professional work focus centers on community engagement, grassroots organizing, and environmental justice, with a dedicated commitment to empowering local populations through advocacy and education. Trilingual in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, she uses her linguistic and cultural skills to connect with diverse communities across regional and international borders.
During her high school career, Arianna developed a strong foundation in grassroots activism working with local non-profits, including GreenRoots and Our Climate. These early experiences exposed her to youth advocacy and empowered her to help lead statewide youth rallies to mobilize local populations around environmental justice. During college, Arianna Perdomo has been the lead youth instructor for an outdoor nature program she developed called Wild Wonders. For six weeks throughout the summer, she has been teaching environmental topics to 20 elementary school children in Chelsea, Massachusetts.
Arianna’s passion for community activism and education drives her ambition to pursue international careers that showcase the transformative power of education in addressing climate change. Looking ahead, she plans to join the Peace Corps before pursuing a legal education—a path that reflects both her personal values and her ongoing commitment to community empowerment. Grounded in her past work with grassroots organizing and youth mentorship, she is eager to apply her multilingual communication skills and learn from global conservation initiatives such as Mission Patagonia.