Great ideas need great leaders. However, these ideas can run out of steam once those leaders move on. Greg Swick is determined to make sure a conservation legacy and plans for the future continue on no matter who is at the helm.

Greg has spent most of his life teaching and motivating Missouri students to develop an acute awareness and respect of the environment. He has developed curriculum for gifted students, coached award-winning Science Olympiad and Future Problem Solving teams, hosted Science Fairs, and developed a district-wide recycling program. Greg has also developed and taught a number of conservation-related courses and is currently director of GLADE, the Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems, a project made possible through a TogetherGreen innovation grant. GLADE is a week-long, service-learning, peer-mentoring student academy that provides hands-on habitat restoration, leadership training, interaction with conservation experts, and student grants for independent conservation projects.

Greg used his TogetherGreen fellowship to write a comprehensive sourcebook addressing all aspects of the academy and ensure effective long term leadership of GLADE. The sourcebook serves as a "living" document and a "go to" reference book for future leaders as they integrate environmental education philosophy, leadership training, and ecological research into a working model of habitat and community improvement locally and across the nation.

Greg’s sourcebook and additional diversity and leadership training have helped ensure a fluid transition for future leaders, and forged essential partnerships within the local community for the common cause of conservation.