Monica Marshall appointed to Footpath Foundation Board

Euclid native Monica Marshall, the outdoors and environmental manager for Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Footpath Foundation, a 5-year-old nonprofit dedicated to empowering all children through discovery of the natural world.

Marshall, who lives in Shaker Heights, has a passion for “getting kids excited about exploring nature.” She is a graduate of Alaska Pacific University, a small liberal arts college in Anchorage.

“Monica brings energy and a passion for learning about the natural world. We are so excited to have her on Footpath’s board,” said Mary Macias, president and CEO of Footpath Foundation.

Marshall has guided outdoor programming at BGCC since 2019. She previously worked at Lake Erie Science & Nature Center and at Footpath Foundation, where she helped run the Footpath Nature Club sessions at Clubs in Cleveland and Lorain County.

After graduating from high school in 2011, Marshall went to Alaska to study glaciers. “I found “I found out pretty quickly that glaciers are hard to study,” she says. But the university’s focus on hands-on learning was a perfect fit for Marshall, who helped start farms, worked closely with Native Alaskans and became an activist in efforts to protect natural resources, including the sockeye salmon fishery threatened by a proposed copper and gold mine.

Marshall enjoys bowling, birding and playing guitar.

Her father, who works for the Cleveland Municipal School District, and mother live in the same Euclid home the family has owned for decades. Her twin sister, Monique, works for the U.S. Postal Service.

Founded in 2015, Footpath Foundation is dedicated to empowering all children through discovery of the natural world. Footpath partners with like-minded organizations to provide all kids outdoor experiences they need to become resilient and productive adults.

Footpath’s offerings include summer camps for kids who could not otherwise afford them, outdoor adventures like fishing and high ropes courses, school-based initiatives and equestrian therapy.