Van Trat (she/her) earned a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from Ramapo College of New Jersey in 2019. Currently, Van works for The Land Conservancy of New Jersey as their Education Manager where she develops, manages and teaches environmental education programs for elementary students in northern New Jersey. Van has previously worked as an Environmental Educator at The Meadowlands Environment Center and has non-profit management experience working at Teaneck Creek Conservancy. Van was awarded the Dick Engsberg Teacher Appreciation Award from Bergen County Audubon Society in 2023 & has completed the Master Ecologist Program at Duke Farms in 2024.
Van was first introduced to MEVO in 2017, where she was a Stag Hill Research Intern as well as a Farm Intern. Van was greatly inspired by MEVO during this timeframe and continued to work with the organization after her internship. She held job positions, such as Volunteer Coordinator, Earth Crew Leader, Farm Harvester and served as MEVO’s pilot Educator. Van is looking forward and is incredibly honored to work with MEVO again by serving as a member of the Board of Directors.