Inside the Mind of a Climate Stewards Instructor

By Matilda Peck

Cathy Johnson has been teaching the UC Climate Stewards course to SEI Climate Corps Fellows since 2023.

What does it mean to teach climate stewardship? I asked Cathy Johnson, an instructor of the UC Climate Stewards course. Johnson administers the course to SEI’s Climate Corps Fellows as a key component of their professional training. “I want Fellows to finish the course with confidence to talk about climate change,” Johnson said. “And with hope — that they are part of the solution and that everything they do matters, every step, every conversation, every action.”

The UC Climate Stewards course aims to prepare participants “to communicate and engage in local solutions to advance community and ecosystem resilience.” This mission – originally developed by the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources – means a great deal to Johnson. A scientist by trade, she spent 20 years researching pesticides and climate shifts. “I had a good working knowledge [of climate] that I wanted to share,” Johnson said, but after nearly two decades of research, “felt I needed to refine my communication skills." 

Johnson enrolled in the UC Climate Stewards in 2021, with the goal of sharing her own scientific research. She learned tools for communicating and engaging with different communities “so that I could have productive conversations with all people, regardless of their viewpoints." After finishing the course, Johnson was committed to becoming a teacher herself, and received her Climate Stewards Instructor Certification in 2022.

Becoming a Climate Steward has become an integral part of SEI’s Climate Corps Fellowship experience, as has Johnson herself. The course takes roughly 50 hours to complete, including 24 hours of class time. Since launching in 2023, 60 Fellows have completed the course. A new cohort of 31 Fellows are currently enrolled.

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Cathy Johnson teaching a Climate Stewards class to Fellows over Zoom.

“Cathy created a welcoming environment that encouraged Fellows to speak openly about their experiences,” said Fellow Kaila Kiefer, who received her certification in July. “It’s not often you have the opportunity to learn from someone as passionate about a subject as you are. However, Cathy is this person." 

Indeed, passion is in no short supply for Johnson. “I enjoy teaching the course to the Fellows as each one brings a different perspective,” she said. Coming from different host sites and work experiences, “each Fellow brings so much to the class. I am impressed with all the knowledge and their openness to share." 

To teach climate stewardship, according to Johnson, is to be learning. “The students inspire me,” she said, “they have made me a better climate communicator which in turn makes me a better scientist." When it comes to climate action, “everything starts somewhere, and I am proud to have been this part of their everything.”