David T. Sobel, M. Ed., is a Senior Faculty in the Education Department and Director of the Center for Place-based Education at Antioch University New England. Prior to 1997, he served as the Chairperson of the department for a dozen years. He was one of the founders of The Harrisville Children's Center and has served on the boards of public and private schools. He was m member of the editorial board of the journal Encounter: Education for Meaning and Social Justice and has served as a correspondent for Orion Magazine. His published books include Children's Special Places, Beyond Ecophobia, Mapmaking with Children, Place-based Education: Connecting Classrooms and Communities, Childhood and Nature: Design Principles for Educator, Place- and Community-based Education in Schools with Greg Smith, and Wild Play: Parenting Adventures in the Great Outdoors.

His articles examine the relationship between child development, authentic curriculum and environmental education. He was the winner of a 1991 Education Press Award. In 2007, he was identified as one of the Daring Dozen educators in the United States by Edutopia magazine. His book Nature Preschools and forest Kindergartens will be published by Redleaf Press in autumn, 2015. For ten years, David was director of Project CO-SEED (Community-based School Environmental Education). This project created partnerships between communities, school districts and environmental organizations in an effort to collaboratively improve schools and support community development.David's exploration and documentation of the natural interests of children are the foundation for much of his work. He has served as a consultant with school districts, foundations, environmental organizations and the National Park Service to assist educators with curriculum development, program planning and evaluation from a learner-centered perspective.