Gregory C Ira

Greg is the Director of UC Environmental Stewards, a statewide program within the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Greg provides programmatic and operational leadership to this collective impact network involving over 85 community-based partner organizations and over 13,000 course alumni. Through this collaboration, our community partners deliver two UC-branded, adult, education and service courses: 1) California Naturalist and/or 2) Climate Stewards. The program currently certifies over 1,000 participants each year who go on to provide an average of 35,000 hours of volunteers service in support of local environmental stewardship. Greg's interests include inquiry-based instruction, cultural competency in environmental education, participatory and community science, and innovative approaches to achieving collective impact through social franchising and communities of practice. Prior to joining UC ANR, Greg was the Director of the Office of Environmental Education in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (2000-2015) and the Director of the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture program at the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (1992-1999). Greg is a member of the California Naturalist and Environmental Education Workgroups and the Climate Change Program Team.

University and Public Service

• 2025-Present. Co-Chair, Biodiversity Conservation and Stewardship Program Team
• 2022-2024. Academic Peer Review Committee
• 2019-2024. Reviewer, California Department of Education's (CDE) Green Ribbon Schools Award Program

Professional Affiliations

• 2015-Present. Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach and Service Programs (ANROSP)
• 2015-Present. California Association of Environmental and Outdoor Educators (CA AEOE)
• 2015-Present. California Interagency Environmental Education Network