Lissa Gilmore
2026 Non-Formal Educator Award for Excellence in Environmental Education
Lissa Gilmore is being recognized for her outstanding contributions to environmental education as founding director of the Sky Mountain Outdoor Education Center. Located in Emigrant Gap, CA, Sky Mountain is operated by the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) and provides immersive outdoor learning experiences for 4,500 fifth and sixth graders plus their 450 high school counselors annually.
Leading with a philosophy of growth, community, and stewardship, Lissa has worked collaboratively to create an environment which supports youth by:
Fostering Growth – The outdoors can be scary for kids, so it’s important to give them chances to try something new, to find opportunities for personal growth.
Revealing Community – Helping youth learn they are part of a community, a part of the ecosystem. They need to see it to understand it. To understand a cell you need to see it through a microscope. To understand an ecosystem, you just have to get out in it!
Building Stewardship – Learning that we are all connected!
Lissa knew early on that she was interested in outdoor education when she attended the Yosemite Institute as a student herself, but it took a full career spanning classroom education, science instructional support, an MA in administration (and more!) before she came full circle as director of the SJCOE Camp Jones Gulch in La Honda. Soon after her arrival, SJCOE found an opportunity to relocate their camp to a new permanent home in the Sierras, making Lissa the founding director of the Sky Mountain Outdoor Education Center in its current location. Lissa brought with her the wisdom of a diverse career and her passion for helping youth find new parts of themselves through time in nature, and she worked to transform the new campus and its programming into a thriving outdoor school for the Stockton region’s youth…with snow!
One of Lissa’s hallmark contributions has been the development of a three-touchpoint plan. Youth come to camp first as fifth graders, return as sixth graders, then serve as counselors during high school. Youth connect more deeply with the outdoors and grow themselves in new ways each year they return. In addition, she includes important career education for the high-schoolers by introducing them to the full range of outdoor jobs visible on campus. Students are able to see that in addition to careers in outdoor education or science and conservation, there are also great outdoor work opportunities in facilities maintenance, hospitality and kitchens, or land care. There are pathways available for people of all interests.
Collaboration has been a hallmark of Lissa’s career, and she shares how proud she is to have created this school with her staff and colleagues, bringing students the experiences they are able to have today. She recalls one student who commented, “I didn’t even know what kind of fun you could have outdoors.” Mission accomplished!
Lissa’s leadership in outdoor education has created an important space to help kids find new parts of themselves and who they want to be. She leaves a legacy of work that has truly meant something. Lissa, thank you for your lasting impact!