About CELL

Dave and Sue Oakes

Who are CELL’s founders? 

Our desire to form CELL arises from:

1. our yearning to see a global mobilization toward systemic solutions to our planet’s problems, and
2. our work in Africa and Central America, where we saw the successes and failures of various environmental and development programs.

In addition, our background includes leadership experience in college, environmental education, and international-development programs, specifically:

• A doctorate in Educational Administration with a research focus on teacher training in environmental education and a master’s in Science Education with a focus on environmental education.
• CEO experience in leading nonprofit organizations, including a nonprofit conservation-education foundation dedicated to educating the widest possible audience about the importance of agricultural biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.
• Fifteen years’ college-level teaching and administrative experience, including significant work in developing, supervising, and evaluating student-internship, college-semester, and teacher-development programs.
• International program leadership experience in the southern and eastern regions of Africa, including directing an international teacher-training program in environmental education and collaborating with various government, nongovernment, and international organizations.
• Significant experience in financial management and educational-program assessment.