Heather Burns, EdD, is an associate professor and coordinator of the Leadership for Sustainability Education (LSE) graduate program in the Educational Leadership and Policy department at Portland State University. She is also the PSU faculty coordinator of the Learning Gardens Laboratory, a dynamic garden-based education site. Dr. Burns completed her doctorate in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in sustainability education at PSU. Her master’s degree, from Oregon State University, combined adult education, womens studies and communication studies into an interdisciplinary degree focusing on experiential social justice education. Dr. Burns has a variety of experience as an administrator and instructor in higher education, including many years working with international students. Dr. Burns teaches courses on sustainability leadership, sustainability pedagogy, spiritual leadership, permaculture and whole systems design, and deep ecology. Her scholarship focuses on sustainability teaching and learning in higher education, including the roles of transformative learning, experiential learning, whole person learning, contemplative inquiry, and community-based learning in creating sustainable change. Her most recent research has focused on the integration of self-care and self-compassion in graduate courses. In addition to her academic interests, Dr. Burns is a forest therapy guide, a certified permaculture designer, and operated her own community-supported farm business in the Portland area for several years.