James Fester is an educator, author, and advocate for experiential learning with more than 20 years of experience in education. In addition to his current role as a magnet coordinator at a Title I public school, he has spent 15+ years working for a number of different organizations including PBLWorks, The National Park Service, and MGIEP-UNESCO to help educators and school leaders across the globe put in place the conditions for empowering, learner-centered classrooms. . He’s also the author of The National Park Classroom: A Guide to Designing Project-Based Learning Adventures (ISTE, 2025) and Environmental Science for Grades 6–12 (ISTE, 2021).