Jane Tesner Kleiner

Nature connections are at the core of Ms. Kleiner’s work to support healthy communities. She has had the privilege of working in city and county governments for parks, trails, and clean water, as well as private sector consulting to communities. Ms. Kleiner’s work in Michigan, Washington and Oregon has bridged ecological restoration in urban areas to create healthy environments in neighborhoods, schools, hospitals and public spaces. She thrives in building relationships and hearing from stakeholders and bringing nature to their doorsteps. Her most recent and on-going work, to move the Green Schoolyard movement forward, has brought her connections as co-author to national movements with the Children & Nature Network, Green Schoolyards America, and the Cities Connecting Children to Nature Initiative in Southwest Washington. Ms. Kleiner has been spending lots of time at recess, parent teacher meetings and meetings with community partners to build and sustain healthy environments for school staff, students, and communities. It can’t get better than helping students see nature up-close, to care and nurture their natural world. She owns Nature+Play Designs in Vancouver, Washington, and is the program manager for the regional coalition, Lower Columbia Nature Network.