Paving Paths to Conservation
Inspiring future leaders through mentorship, research, and hands-on experiences.
About Conservation Pathways
This organization was created to answer a need in our community. The root of our mission is helping future conservation leaders find their direction by bridging the gaps between college and career.
Bridging these gaps involves providing experiences to students that will increase their knowledge of, and passion for, the unique ecology of our region, help them better understand their career and college choices, and hone their marketable skills.
But the real magic of our organization is in the stories of how our programming impacts our alumni, the community and beyond.
Newsletters
Missed our newsletter? We’ve got you covered. Sign up for our emailing list to always be in the know! You can also click on the links below to read past issues.
Meet Our Inspiring Team
Explore our passionate team of experts committed to inspiring future conservation leaders.
Rebecca Means
Executive Director
Rebecca has over 25 years experience as a Conservation Biologist and Science Educator. She finds joy in mentoring students, rock climbing, kayaking, hanging out with her daughter, listening to live music, and eating.
Ava Bass
Digital Communications Coordinator
Ava started with us as an intern just before she graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Science. She made such an impression on us, with her ability to combine her scientific knowledge with her mad media skills, we were lucky enough to hire her part-time to keep the magic going.
Kellie Keys
Board Member
Kellie Keys lives in Wakulla County. She studies environmental communication and is managing director of communication and outreach for the Wakulla Springs Lab at FSU. She helped Rebecca build the internship program which became Conservation Pathways.
Jessie Watson
Board Member
Jessie has a career in Marketing and Communications (aka storytelling). She believes real-world career exposure is as important (if not more) as classroom curriculum.
Matt Watson
Board Member
Matt has a background in finance (or bean counting as he says) and helps keep us in line by making numbers behave and budgets obey. He’s excited to use his expertise to support buidling bridges and opening doors between education and meaningful careers.
Katie Allen
FSU Student Representative to the Board
Katie was our Summer 2025 FSU Sustainability Fellow working on a grant writing project. Her energy, organizational skills, and knowledge made her a great fit for this board position.
Our Logo Designer
The super talented Genevieve Story performing various acts of art and design, including but not limited to graphic design, illustration, chalkboards, and leather pyrography 🔥