Ronnie Vesnaver joined Gunston from the Pennington School in Pennington, NJ where she taught and lived as a residential faculty member for the past five years. During those five years she taught United States History and Government for both middle school and upper school students. In her time at Pennington, Ronnie grew to recognize the importance and power of environmental education. In 2017 she and a colleague formed and led a Sustainability Committee that is now a growing and essential part of the school program at Pennington.

Ronnie’s passion for the environment and sustainable practices are connected to her love for the water. Ronnie grew up near the water in southeastern Connecticut and was a frequent visitor to the Mystic Seaport Museum. Her time spent at the Seaport sparked an interest in both maritime history. In her junior year of college, Ronnie attended the Williams-Mystic American Maritime Semester. During the semester program, Ronnie began to understand just how much maritime history was in fact environmental history. Ronnie has since been inspired to share, teach, and continue to learn about human interactions with the environment.

Ronnie is a graduate of Colby College in Waterville, ME where she majored in American Studies and Art History. She recently earned her Master’s degree in environmental history from Rutgers University-Newark. In addition to the Williams-Mystic program, Ronnie a semester in Dijon, France during her first year of college. In the summers of 2014 and 2018, Ronnie crewed for the schooner Mystic Whaler out of New London, CT and continues to make an appearance here and there when the ocean calls. When Ronnie isn’t teaching she enjoys running, hiking, biking, yoga, paddleboarding, kayaking, going to the beach, and of course walking countless miles with her black lab, Archie.