Cherise Acker-Cooper is an environmentalist, a social change strategist and a mother who has a strong passion for building connections with the natural world and all its inhabitants. She has worked with academic and civil institutions as conduits to achieve environmental appreciation. She has won numerous awards for her contribution to creating environmental solutions and has developed a number of environmental education tools utilised in bringing about social change. She is a keen researcher who believes the alignment of social and natural sciences is the key to unlocking the principles of sustainability. She is also a serial student with a range of interests and a few of her achievements include an Advanced Diploma in Nature Conservation, a Diploma in Psychology, life coach certification and an accredited facilitator. Currently, she is employed with the Endangered Wildlife Trust as the Senior Operations Officer for the Threatened Amphibian Programme.