Paul Hai is the Associate Director of the Adirondack Ecological Center and leads the Northern Forest Institute for Conservation Education and Leadership Training (NFI), based at the Newcomb Campus of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF).
He is an expert in creating inter- and multidisciplinary programs using natural history and the process of science as the connective thread between disciplines. Exploring the interconnections between science, art, math, literature, history, and technology, all while using the Adirondacks as an unparalleled outdoor classroom inspires him to teach and to create new programs engaging students of all ages.
Areas of expertise include:  

The historic and contemporary tension between managing natural and human communities in the Adirondacks
The influence of the Adirondacks in United States environmental, public policy, and cultural history
The intersections of science, art, and the humanities
Creating leadership development and trek-based training programs building leadership capacity and skills for emerging and established professionals
Working to improve human diversity in natural science academic programs and careers, and in the Adirondacks more broadly

Hai is co-founder of Children in Nature, New York, and serves on the Grassroots Leadership Team of the national Children and Nature Network. 
In partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, he co-founded the Hudson River Environmental Opportunities Network and is one of four co-founders of the .
Hai earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Houston and his master’s in environmental education at ESF.