Karena Mothershed

Karena (Ruggiero) Mothershed is a Senior Program Manager with extensive experience in environmental education and policy. At The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine since January 2017, Karena has held various positions, progressing from Associate Program Officer to Senior Program Manager. Previously, Karena served as Director of Education for Earth Day Network and as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Center for Transportation Research UT Knoxville. Karena's academic background includes a Ph.D. in Environmental Education and Policy Studies from the University of Tennessee, where research focused on environmental literacy planning in the U.S., as well as a Master's Degree in Political Science and Government from the University of Rhode Island and a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Studies and Journalism from the University of Wyoming. Additionally, Karena has experience evaluating educational programs with the Tennessee Department of Education and conducting research for the North American Association for Environmental Education.