About

Moki Kokoris is a freelance graphic artist/designer/illustrator, as well as a teacher of graphic design, piano, and polar ecology in Ridgefield, CT. Kokoris holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cooper Union and is also a graduate of the Ukrainian Music Institute. She is the United Nations Representative for the World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations (WFUWO), a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the Department of Public Information of the UN, having been appointed to the Planning Committee for the Conference on Climate Change.

Kokoris was the first woman of Ukrainian descent to reach the North Pole (April 18, 2003) and is a lifetime member of the American Polar Society. She is also an active member of Polar Bears International and has recently launched a new outreach in-classroom educational program named 90-north which includes a collaborative exchange with the United States Polar Rock Repository at the Byrd Polar Research Center. Moki’s research interests and presentation materials center on general studies of the polar regions, with a concentration on the Arctic, including its flora, fauna, indigenous peoples, climate change issues, as well as the importance of conservation of these areas. She also worked as a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC).

Moki has made numerous visits to various schools and Scout groups in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Her lectures are typically tailored to match current classroom curriculum and have included talks on polar history and exploration, geography, ecology, zoology, paleontology, as well as indigenous anthropology. Representative lectures titles include:

* The Polar Bear and Its Habitat
* North Pole Expedition and Life of the Explorer on the Big Ice
* Polar Research and Science
* Lifestyles of the Inuit and the Saami

Moki’s presentation topics are predominantly geared towards grades 3-5. She also prefers to cover a maximum 3-hour (one way) driving distance in the New England area due to the large amount of accompanying equipment, polar gear, and hands-on artifacts that are an integral part of her presentations. Please note though that interested parties should call to discuss the above in case options are available.

Moki is excited about being an Arctic Visiting Speaker and is looking forward to broadening her affiliations and scope of environmental education thereby promoting additional methods of reaching students who would otherwise not have access to such subjects and experiences.

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