Brad Paterson
IECA’s new conference and education manager shares his love for the environment with everyone from children to CEOs
BRAD PATERSON IS OUTDOORSY. He enjoys hiking, skiing, and backpacking, and he has been able to translate a love of nature and the environment into a career in environmental education. Recently hired as IECA’s conference and education manager, Paterson will now lead the planning, development, and execution of IECA education and events to advance members’ professional growth and success.
Born and raised in Colorado, Paterson attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, earning a degree in sociology and anthropology. He returned to his home state soon after graduation to work in environmental education with underserved youth, helping kids build life skills and employment readiness through outdoor adventures.
A gap year spent traveling Asia and the western U.S. with his fiancée reaffirmed Paterson’s belief in the interconnectedness of environmental systems, and he returned to school to get a master’s degree in environmental policy and natural resource management at the University of Denver. That led to a job with the city promoting community waste diversion programs with Denver Recycles.
Paterson eventually moved to Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency (CASR), where he developed a specialty in finding nature-based solutions to environmental challenges. “Our mission was to protect vulnerable populations from climate change,” he says. “That was exciting work.”
One big success during Paterson’s tenure was a tree-planting program he developed to help cool Denver’s warmest neighborhoods. The program led residents to plant more than 1,700 shade trees on private property. Paterson’s work encompassed many municipal green infrastructure projects to enhance ecological health and biodiversity in ultra-urban areas. He has seen firsthand the many applications of responsible erosion and sediment control in a growing and environmentally conscious city.
Whether he’s educating schoolchildren or CEOs, Paterson says it’s important to provide new insights that inspire a sense of wonder. “Water and soil resources are interconnected,” he says. “One of my goals is to protect [those] resources, and the other is advancing learning among IECA members by taking their lead on what they want to know and matching education to that. “It’s a privilege to join a global network of professionals who are not only passionate about protecting our natural resources but also committed to education, innovation, and collaboration across industries and borders,” he adds. “I’m extremely honored to support IECA members in achieving their professional goals. I’m ready to work hard for the community.”
