Courtney King

Courtney King founded the NatureSTEAM nonprofit approximately four years ago, drawing on her background as a nature guide in the Ozark National Forest for over a decade and her family's legacy as educators. The organization blends STEAM subjects with art and nature to create accessible learning experiences, and under her leadership it has doubled and then quadrupled program attendance each year. King is currently pursuing a master's degree in art education at the University of Arkansas, supported by the Single Parent Scholarship Foundation, and she recently secured a marketing grant to expand offerings virtually. She is developing plans for a makerspace called the Elkins Creation Station within her local city park to provide free programming. In addition to her nonprofit work, King is in the process of joining the Committee of Parks and Recreation and has been asked to run for the Arkansas House of Representatives to advance educational policy statewide. She is also a recent member of the VFW auxiliary and leads a family project to recognize her father's military service in Vietnam with a ceremony, book, and documentary.