About TEDxTupper Lake

Cammy is a professor and disabilities specialist for North Country Community College. A native of the region, Cammy has a special interest in promoting the well-being of the people who reside in the Adirondacks and finding symbiosis between the natural environment and those who call the Adirondack Mountains home. Cammy has served and continues to serve on various boards such as Lake Placid Board of Education, Essex County Community Services Board, JohnBrownLives! and ADKAction, with focuses on education, mental health, environmental and social issues that impact the Park and its residents. Cammy splits her time between Lake Placid and Upper Saranac Lake, where she skis, paddles, hikes and enjoys the outdoors with her family and friends.

Curt Stager is a scientist, educator, and author whose research and outreach deals with climate change, human connections to the natural world, and environmental history in Africa, the Adirondacks, and elsewhere. His work has been published in prominent journals, including Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, his writings for the public have appeared in periodicals such as National Geographic and The New York Times, and he co-hosted Natural Selections, a weekly science program on North Country Public Radio, for 30 years. Curt is also the author of four books, most recently “Still Waters: The Secret World of Lakes.” He currently teaches natural sciences at Paul Smith’s College, where he holds the Draper-Lussi endowed Chair in Paleoecology and Lake Ecology. In 2013, the Carnegie-Case Foundation named him Science Professor of the Year for New York State. Learn more about Curt.

Echo is the co-founder of The Station in Onchiota, New York. The Station is an experimental art space dedicated to amplifying and supporting creative culture. The Station exists to broaden people’s perspectives by introducing them to new experiences, people, and art forms.

Echo has a college degree. However, his primary education comes from a lifetime of participation in DIY culture and various music scenes across America in military bases, suburban wastelands, urban centers, artist communities, off-grid homesteads, and small towns. Raising two amazing teenage boys with his partner probably qualifies him for some kind of Doctorate.

Some of Echo’s regional creations include the Carnival of Light projection art festival, The Invisible Creatures Petting Zoo, and Summer Sessions. In previous versions of his life Echo has worked as a team building facilitator, a construction worker, a DJ, a wilderness trip leader for at-risk youth, a stagehand, a barista, and other odd occupations.

Jenna Audlin is a high school student and author of The Explore More Challenge, an activity book for kids and families. They are passionate about encouraging children to explore nature and are pursuing a career in environmental education. Audlin’s work has already sparked the interest of young readers and outdoor enthusiasts, and they continue to develop new projects aimed at inspiring future generations to connect with the environment in meaningful ways.

Katsitsionni Fox is an artist, filmmaker and educator from the Mohawk Territory of Akwesasne. Her films are focused on empowering stories of resilient Indigenous women. Her award-winning documentary films include Ohero: Kon Under the Husk (2016) and Without a Whisper – Konnon: Kwe (2020). She directed the Indigenous Women’s Voices Series focused on the healing and empowerment of Native women, released in 2020. Her most recent film is Kanenon:we – Original Seeds, a documentary following three Haudenosaunee women reclaiming their ancient role as seed keepers, regenerating, protecting and rematriating sacred and endangered heirloom seeds for the future generations.

Keeley Jock grew up in Akwesasne, as a enrolled member of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe and Mohawk Council of Akwesasne. From her strong belief in the Seven Generations philosophy taught to them at a young age, it moved them to obtaining a B.S. in Environmental Science from Paul Smith’s College, with the dream of doing something bigger than herself in this world. With a keen interest in wetland ecology and botany, Keeley wrote their undergraduate thesis on Indigenous Knowledge informing EPA standard wetland assessments to help improve regulations for highly impacted/less pristine wetlands. As a recent graduate, she is starting off her future with beginning work at ANCA beginning in 2024, as a Climate Justice Fellow through a NYSERDA grant program. Out of the office you may find them skiing, reading, drinking coffee, or picking up any other random hobby.

​​Michale Glennon is a wildlife ecologist, fiber artist, and director of Wool and Water, a project of the Adirondack Watershed Institute at Paul Smith’s College. Wool and Water is a collaborative project that blends fiber art with scientific information to create visual representations of changing water quality conditions in the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain Basin. Knitting, crochet, weaving and other fiber arts are used to illustrate concepts and trends related to our waterways, and to provide inspiration for their protection. As a Senior Research Scientist at the Adirondack Watershed Institute, Dr. Glennon uses wildlife as a tool for understanding threats to ecological integrity and watershed health. She helps provide leadership to AWI’s scientific research program, support high quality research opportunities for students, and advocate for science in support of the management and stewardship of the natural resources of the Adirondack Park. Michale serves on the boards of the Adirondack Council and TAUNY (Traditional Arts in Upstate New York). She grew up in Lake Placid, NY and lives in Ray Brook with her husband, Scott, 2 kids, 1 horse, 1 goat, and 1 housecat.

Randi Renate was born ‘en caul,’ intact inside the amniotic sac, in San Antonio, TX. Her artwork choreographs bodies within a sculptural framework to investigate how the ‘micro’ of the individual weaves into the ‘macro’ of the collective whole. Randi received her BFA in Studio Art and BA in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. She is a 2020 MFA graduate of the Sculpture Department at the Yale School of Art. She is the recipient of numerous fellowships, including Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, NY; Lighthouse Works on Fishers Island, NY; Bemis Center for Contemporary Art in Omaha, NE; Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT; Santa Fe Art Institute, NM; and Sculpture Space in Utica, NY. Her 2021 permanent public sculpture, “blue is the atmospheric refraction I see you through,” was made in part by a NYS Council of the Arts Grant and featured in Interior Design Magazine, while her 2022 Socrates Sculpture Park commission was featured in Sculpture Magazine.

Stephanie’s work centers on socially conscious, interdisciplinary, collaborative projects that integrate art, design, and community building. She co-directs Watershed Movements, which earned a $50K award to fund a yearlong exploration of how storytelling and art might enhance our connection to watersheds. In 2022, her collaboration with students and the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY, secured a $100K grant from Verizon and NYC Media Labs for innovative edtech. Her ongoing work on ADKClimateStories.org, aims to promote climate action by highlighting our humanity, sharing and reflecting on the local consequences of climate change. At the University of Rochester, Stephanie teaches experiential, project-based design courses and serves as the Director of Digital Media Studies.

Blake and Tzintzun (both they/them) are two storytellers and movement weavers currently living in the Kaniatarowanénhne/ Upper St. Lawrence River Valley, at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, Haudenosaunee Territory. Through their work with the environmental storytelling group Talking Wings, they have organized numerous conferences, curated in person and virtual art exhibitions, and produced visual storytelling pieces that share the voices of Land and Water. The story-making duo also helped found the nonprofit Talking Rivers, Inc., an organization that educates human communities about the Rights and Rites of rivers and their ecosystems. In collaboration with Talking Rivers, they are currently working with humans across the Adirondack Watersheds to create ecocentric governance systems that meet Nature’s needs.

Tyler Dezago is a fiddler, guitarist, music educator and songwriter rooted in American Traditional Music. As a songwriter, Tyler’s brings new repertoire to the genre, continuing the tradition of sharing stories centered around place, people, and the adversities they faced.

His current work focuses on the lives of Adirondack people from the last 200 years. His songwriting is detail-rich and brings listeners back in time to the days before the Adirondacks were a vacationland.

He is a member of High on the Hog Stringband and Strawberry Wine Trio and performs regularly across the Adirondacks and Upstate New York.

Leanne Favreau is the Interpretive Programs Manager at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, New York, where she crafts and oversees educational programs that help visitors forge deeper connections with nature. Whether it’s leading a naturalist walk, canoe trips, hosting animal presentations, or facilitating hands-on art or STEM workshops, Leanne thrives on creating meaningful and memorable experiences for people of all ages. As a Certified Interpretive Guide Trainer and New York State Licensed Guide Leanne is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of environmental educators. She also helps to design and manage exhibits like Wild Lights and organizes conferences/events, including most recently the Adirondack Building Conference and the Total Solar Eclipse Festival.

Leanne earned her B.A. in Integrated Studies from Paul Smith’s College, focusing on Environmental Studies, Natural Resource Sustainability, and Hospitality. Her varied career path includes teaching molecular biology and draft horse management at Paul Smith’s, conducting research on climate change mitigation through silvopastures, working with the Horticulture for the Handicap Occupational Training and Therapy Center and Vermont State Parks. These roles highlight her commitment to blending environmental stewardship with accessible education. Outside of work, Leanne’s enthusiasm for the outdoors shines through in her love of paddling, camping, downhill and cross-country skiing, painting, yoga, and stargazing. She’s always on the lookout for new ways to connect with nature and inspire others to do the same.