Group+photo4+by+Mitsunari+Terada+19+Nov+18_edited.jpg

WHO WE
ARE.

The ISGA comprises Supporters, Leadership Council members and an Executive Committee.

The Leadership Council includes almost 70 members from around the globe, who bring knowledge and expertise in supporting outdoor learning and outdoor play in a myriad of educational settings.

The ISGA's Executive Committee oversees the organisation's business with powers delegated by the Leadership Council.

MEET THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

Laís Fleury, Brasil

Laís Fleury has twenty years of experience as a social entrepreneur and has been a Fellow of Ashoka Social Entrepreneurs since 2003. She co-founded the NGO Associação Vaga Lume, dedicated to promoting reading in rural communities in the Amazon region. Over the last 8 years, Laís has been working for Alana, advocating for the right of every child to connect and have access to nature. She has coordinated Instituto Alana's Children and Nature program for 6 years and currently serves as the Head of Partnerships at the Alana Foundation. Laís is credited as the signatory of the argument for the film "The Beginning of Life 2: Outside" and holds the position of Co-chair US for the global movement #Natureforall. She also holds a postgraduate degree in the theme "The Time and Voice of Children: Anthropological and Poetic Listening to Childhood."

Marwa El-Aasar, Egypt

Marwa El-Assar is an architect from Egypt with a profound commitment to transforming outdoor learning environments. With over 20 years of experience, she holds a Master's degree focused on creating Outdoor Classrooms and a Ph.D. dedicated to employing these environments as a 3D Textbook for teaching Sustainable Development Goals in Egyptian schools. Marwa is a certified "Green Classroom Professional" by the U.S. Green Building Council and has contributed significantly to academic literature on children’s environmental awareness. In 2024, Marwa’s paper “Outdoor Learning Environment as a Teaching Tool for integrating Education for Sustainable Development in Kindergarten, Egypt” was published in Ain Shams Engineering Journal, by Elsevier. As a co-founder of Barrani, she merges architecture and education to promote outdoor learning and sustainable development through school building projects. Marwa is passionate about empowering children and believes education is paramount in addressing global challenges, utilizing her expertise to enrich their lives through nature-based learning experiences that help prepare children for future life endeavors.

Susana Morais, Portugal

Landscape Architect, with a master's degree in Environmental Planning and Landscape Architecture from UC Berkeley, California, USA, specialized in Landscaping and Environmental Planning and Spatial Planning. She has been a member of the Executive Committee (EC) of the International School Ground Alliance (ISGA) since 2020 to date. Founder and Managing Partner of the company Outras Paisagens, since 2005, where she collaborates with various bodies and entities, public and private, in the scope of the preparation and assessment of Landscape Integration and Planning Projects, and in the scope of the environmental component of plans and projects.
As a landscape architect she has worked with school grounds and found it one of the most challenging line of work in her life, as it is an opportunity to re-think how these spaces can be special for children!

Kristian Åbacka, Finland

Senior advisor, working for school ground development
Education and Culture department at the Regional State Administrative Agency
for Southern Finland
LC Member since: 2018
Kristian has a background in education and public service, and he actively supports green schoolyard initiatives that promote healthy growth. His involvement started as a teacher and has since expanded to roles within municipal and national frameworks in Finland. As a member of ISGA, he advocates for global collaboration on the sustainable development of school grounds

Lisa Howard, USA

Landscape Architect

Lisa Howard, a landscape architect and founder of Bay Tree Design, has over 20 years of experience advocating for sustainable, inclusive green schoolyards worldwide. A member of ISGA’s Leadership Council since 2015, she has actively contributed to the organization's mission of creating "whole" environments—spaces where children can explore, connect, and grow with nature. Her leadership experience spans roles in various non-profits and community initiatives, including ASLA Children’s Outdoor Environments PPN and the California Native Plant Society. Through collaborative action, Lisa champions ISGA's vision to develop resilient, nature-rich schoolgrounds that inspire future generations and support global environmental health.

Birgit Teichmann, Germany

Landscape Architect
Teichmann Landschafts Architekten
LC Member Since: 2011
With 25 years of experience as a landscape architect, Birgit has dedicated her career to designing nature-based school grounds, playgrounds, and kindergartens, primarily in Berlin and the surrounding areas. Initially part of a small group advocating for natural school environments, Birgit found invaluable support and camaraderie within the ISGA community during a 2011 conference in San Francisco. This steadily growing network became a cornerstone of her professional journey, fostering initiatives for ecological school grounds and helping her form lifelong connections.

A career highlight for Birgit was organizing the 2017 ISGA Conference in Berlin, which reaffirmed her commitment to green spaces. Recent gatherings, including an important retreat in Belgium, emphasized the need to tackle emerging global issues such as climate resilience and resistance to green initiatives, while also strengthening ISGA's collaborative mission. Together with ISGA, Birgit is helping to shape sustainable spaces and inspire a movement that will have a lasting impact on future generations.

Kylie Yule Moses Hong Kong

M.Ed., Postgrad Dip Exercise Sci.,
B.Human Movement Studies (Ed)
LC Member Since: 2015
Kylie is an Australian environmental educator and Sustainability Program Manager in Hong Kong. She is dedicated to integrating nature into education to promote healthier, greener communities. With over a decade of experience in executive roles, including her work with the Australian Association for Environmental Education, Kylie has organized numerous environmental events and presented her Master’s research on outdoor learning internationally.

Her work emphasizes the critical importance of nature for childhood health and development, advocating for school grounds that encourage daily interactions with the natural environment. As a member of the ISGA Executive, Kylie merges her expertise in child-centered environmental education with unique insights from both Asia and Australia. She envisions a more resourceful ISGA network that includes a global directory of greening resources, an expanded social media presence, and ongoing collaboration to support vibrant, nature-connected communities around the world.

ISGA Allies

Support the work of the ISGA with a donation or conference sponsorship.

Kylie Moses, ISGA Execuitve Committee

EXECUTIVE COMMITEE SUPPORT

Lois Brink, USA Treasurer/Ex Officio Member & Fiscal Agent

Meet the
Leadership Council

Explore the ISGA community

Provinciaal Natuurcentrum Limburg

NGO Estonian Green School Grounds

Leadership Council
Origin Story

It all started in 2011…

...when the first ‘official’ International School Grounds Alliance Conference took place in San Francisco and Berkeley, California. Following the hugely successful and invigorating conference, an exploratory retreat took place at Westerbeke Ranch, and the Leadership Council was formed.

The fledgling Council’s first task was to create the Westerbeke Declaration, which set parameters for the ISGA’s work, including defining the role of a wide, diverse and representative Leadership Council.

Today, the Council includes almost 70 members from around the globe, who bring knowledge and expertise in supporting outdoor learning and outdoor play in a myriad of educational settings.

We welcome applications to join the Leadership Council from individuals and organisations that in their country are leading outdoor learning, outdoor play, school grounds development.

Or, become an ISGA supporter to share your knowledge and expertise with a friendly, supportive, enthusiastic and skilled network of schoolyard champions.

Join th ISGA

WHO WE ARE.