Paul Kazyak

Paul Kazyak has been a popular part-time instructor in the AAP Environmental Science and Policy Program since 1994. His many courses have included: sustainability leadership, applied sustainability, freshwater ecology, water quality assessment, coastal ecology and management, Great Lakes ecology and management and an applied leadership practicum.

Paul retired from his job as a senior scientist from the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources in 2016 to spend more time on things he is passionate about. His various roles with the agency included oversight of water quality monitoring for the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays Trust Fund, designing and leading the nationally renowned Maryland Biological Stream Survey, and serving as Maryland liaison for the Highlands Action Program (HAP). In the latter role he worked on numerous sustainability-related projects, did environmental leadership and sustainability trainings for community leaders, DNR staff, and high school youth. One of his HAP projects, Frostburg Grows, is sustainable agriculture training center that was a national finalist for a Climate Leadership Award.

Paul has also worked extensively with high school youth as well as undergraduates at various institutions in the region. As Advisor for a co-ed Boy Scout Venturing Crew, he helped guide what may have been the most environmentally active youth group in the US, planting more than 40,000 large trees, assisting DNR with monitoring activities, and doing thousands of hours of public outreach. For his work with Venturing Crew 202, Paul was named National Science Teachers Association’s 2008 Environmental Educator of the Year. He was also the 2011 James B. Coulter Award winner for his environmental achievements as a government employee and was named the 2013 Green Employee of the Year by Maryland DNR.

Paul has been conducting leadership trainings for nearly two decades, including high school and college students, graduate students, foreign students, government employees, NGOs and other organizations. He is a Fellow of the prestigious National Conservation Leadership Institute (NCLI) and he served for a year as an NCLI staff member following his fellowship year.

Beyond his teaching interests, Paul is totally committed to helping put the world on a path to sustainability. The Kazyak family walks the talk (solar PV, electric cars, LED lighting, carbon offsets, compost, garden, etc.) and he shares these approaches with others. Paul is a community organizer and Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream (ATD) facilitator for the Pachamamma Alliance. He also exercises his right to protest environmental and social injustice.