A Michael Marzolla

Bio-Sketch: A. Michael Marzolla, M.A.

I served as 4-H Youth Development Advisor, with University of California Cooperative Extension from 1983 through June of 2011. I served in this position in Santa Barbara County, California since 1983 where I led the county 4-H Youth Development Program.  From 2004-2010 I served as the county's Master Gardener Advisor. In October 2010 through June 2011, I served as Youth Advisor for southern Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

I have over thirty years of experience in the field of Informal science and environmental education. My projects included the nationally recognized USDA funded Neighborhood GreenNet, and the 4-H Agua Pura. I have served as the Chair of the EPA funded diversity project for the Golden State Environmental Education Consortium (GSEEC), and chair of the CREEC (California Regional Environmental Education Community) Region 8 Steering Committee. I was the president and co-founder of the California Aquatic Science Education Consortium (CASEC). I co-founded of the “Los Marineros” marine science education program. I also served as Vice President for the Santa Barbara based Center for the Study of the Environment, (CSE). In 2003 CSE was appointed by the U. S. Department of State to serve on the United States National Commission for UNESCO. I served on the board of the North American Association for Environmental Education as Chair of the Non-formal Commission, and locally as a member of the board for La Casa de la Raza. I hold a Masters in Education, specializing in non-formal education, from the Center for International Education at the University of Massachusetts. My undergraduate degree is in fine arts, from Humboldt State University, where I did course work and special projects in environmental planning and design. My international work experience began in the Peace Corps in Guatemala, where I coordinated the country's school and community garden program, and served as a team member responsible for nonformal education for a nutrition education research project with INCAP (Institute of Nutrition for Central America and Panama). As a consultant in Lesotho, Southern Africa, I lead the establishment of a non-formal education service center. My experience includes the development of the appropriate technology training program and manual for the Peace Corps. In recent years I undertook various consultancies with ACDI/VOCA in Bolivia and most recently in Serbia. Before I began my work with the University of California, I directed a farm worker service center for eighteen Northern California counties. I am fluent in Spanish and Italian.