Educator Spotlight: Abby Weinshenker

Abby Weinshenker, the Resource Education Coordinator for the Cabarrus Soil and Water Conservation District, recently completed her NC Environmental Education Certification. In addition to completing her certification, the NC Wildlife Federation awarded Abby  “Environmental Educator of the Year” for the 2026 Governor’s Achievement Awards.

Abby says this role gives her the opportunity to connect the community to the importance of natural resources. “I create and lead educational programs, support conservation initiatives and inspire people of all ages to care for the environment. Outside of work, I love scuba diving, getting lost in a good book
and spending time with my pets."

Abby says her favorite part of earning her certification was taking the workshops. “They helped me feel more confident when I teach.” Her favorite experience was taking the Methods of Teaching Environmental Education at Stevens Creek Nature Center and Preserve in Mecklenburg County. “I learned a lot of new techniques and terminology related to environmental education. This is the class that I credit for my confidence boost and for the methods to teach environmental education.”

For her community partnership project, Abby started the first annual Creek Week for Cabarrus County. “It was a challenging process that required extensive planning, coordination and collaboration with multiple partners, but the effort paid off and the event was a success. We’re now in the midst of planning our second annual Creek Week, building on what we learned to make it even better.”

Abby says the program changed her approach to teaching. "Taking the Methods workshop allowed me to become a more confident public speaker, but when I took “Accessible by Nature” through Environmental Educators of North Carolina, I changed my approach to education entirely. I learned several techniques to be more inclusive for all learners, and I highly recommend everyone take that course.”

When asked if the program changed the way she views environmental issues, Abby says her opinion on issues hasn’t changed but her communication about those issues has changed. “I learned to scale the heaviness of the topic amongst different age ranges and not to let my own opinions seep into the topic when I’m talking about it. We need to give learners the facts and let them form their own opinions on issue.”