Krystal Brown

Krystal Brown is a fifth-generation Southwest Colorado resident who grew up on a hobby ranch in Dolores. Educating and coaching has been central to her career, spanning both youth and adult learning. One of her most meaningful experiences was teaching wilderness and remote first aid to veterans transitioning into the civilian workforce through Colorado Firecamp. She recently completed her seventh year as a high school science teacher, inspiring students through hands-on, community-based learning.

Students in her class have presented internationally at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Conference of the Parties and United Nations Mountain Partnership meetings, as well as at Colorado water conferences and the Colorado Youth Climate Summit. They have also completed award-winning projects through the Earth Force Resilience, Innovation, Student Engagement, and Education Challenge and regularly lead community natural hazards resilience projects with support from Hazard Education, Awareness, and Resilience Task Force (HEART Force).

In 2024, Brown received the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators, administered by the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Council on Environmental Quality. She has presented nationally at North American Association for Environmental Education, National Science Teaching Association, and Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching conferences for both Colorado University’s HEART Force and Telluride Institute’s Sustainable Communities and Place-based Education programs. She serves as an Alumni Teacher Fellow for HEART Force and Underwriters Laboratories Research Institutes’ (ULRI) Xplorlabs program.

Outside the classroom, Brown volunteers as a firefighter and contributes to safety research with ULRI and curriculum development projects with HEART Force and Western Colorado University’s Geology Department.

In her free time, she enjoys all the recreational opportunities Colorado has to offer, participating in local dance productions, portrait photography, traveling, gardening, tending her chickens, and generally having a good time outside with friends and dogs.