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• Ashley Boren, Executive Director

  Ashley has directed the strategy, growth and operations of Sustainable Conservation since 1997. Ashley received a 2007 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award for her unwavering commitment to innovative, balanced problem-solving to address a variety of critical environmental problems facing California.

  Prior to Sustainable Conservation, Ashley spent eight years at Smith & Hawken, a mail order and retail gardening company, where she worked in finance, new business development, inventory planning and retail merchandising. She began her career at The Nature Conservancy in program development and fundraising. In addition to her work at Sustainable Conservation, Ashley serves as an Independent Trustee of Marketocracy; on the California State Board of Food and Agriculture; on UC California's President's Advisory Commission on Agriculture and Natural Reosurces and on the Executive Committee of the Agricultural Sustainability Institute's External Advisory Board at UC Davis. Ashley served on the Board of the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation from 2002 to 2011, the last two years as Chair, and on Stanford Business School's Alumni Consulting Team Board from 1995 to 2002, the last three years as Chair.

  Ashley is a graduate of the Marlborough School in Los Angeles, which awarded her their 2008 Woman of the Year Award, and has a BA in human biology, an MA in applied economics and an MBA from Stanford University.

• Bob Adams, Program Director - Business Partnerships

  Bob Adams leads the implementation of key strategies for successful partnerships with California's agricultural industries to solve environmental problems. Prior to joining Sustainable Conservation, Bob consulted and lectured internationally on sustainability, innovation and transformation for nearly 10 years. From 2003-2009, he led the Design for Sustainability initiative at IDEO, one of the world's leading design and innovation consultancies, where he is currently an IDEO Fellow. Trained in mechanical engineering, product design and agronomy, Bob has been working on the integration of the design process with principles of sustainable development since 2001 when he joined The Natural Step and authored the formative white paper Sustainability for Designers.

  Since 1987, Bob has taught at Stanford University, London's Royal College of Art and UC Davis, developing and teaching courses in product design, technology and aesthetics, human-computer interaction, music and viticulture.

  Bob holds advanced degrees in Viticulture from UC Davis and in Product Design from Stanford University. His undergraduate training was in Mechanical Engineering and Product Design at Stanford University. Bob also owns and operates a farm in the California's Sacramento Valley where he produces heritage fruits and vegetables, grains and olive oil.

• Ladi Asgill, Senior Project Manager

  Ladi is Senior Project Manager with Sustainable Conservation. Over the past seven years, Ladi has managed a variety of projects within the Sustainable Agriculture group focused on improving air, water quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Prior to joining Sustainable Conservation, Ladi managed business operations at biogas and hydro generation facilities in California and Washington. Also prior to his consulting work, Ladi had six years of experience as a product manager with Harris Moran Seed Company where he coordinated breeding and marketing of vegetable seed varieties for commercial growers.

  Ladi is a certified crop advisor and received a BS in tropical agriculture from the University of Sierra Leone, an MS in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Santa Clara University.

• Susanna Aulbach, Grants and Contracts Administrator

  Susanna manages the administration of government-funded awards and contracts. Prior to her moving to San Francisco, Susanna worked in Washington, DC and abroad with non-profit and for-profit organizations in international development. At the Institute for War & Peace Reporting, she supported teams of journalists based in the Middle East and Asia in implementing and monitoring media grants funded by the U.S. government and private foundations. With Chemonics International, she worked overseas on a U.S. Agency for International Development-funded project for economic development, assisting management in budgeting and analysis, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and subcontractor management.

  Susanna holds a BA in anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from George Mason University

• John Cardoza, Project Manager

  Working out of Sustainable Conservation's Modesto office and partnering with Central Valley farmers, John helps oversee the organization's Best Management Practices Challenge. The program helps farmers simultaneously promote clean air and reduce costs— all the while maintaining optimal crop yields.

  John's deep understanding of farming is attributed to growing up on a family farm near Modesto, CA and his experience working with diverse agricultural sectors. While with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, John served as a County Program Technician working closely with producers in all facets of agriculture, as well as with the Natural Resource Conservation Service and Resource Conservation and Development in San Luis Obispo County. At Farm Credit West, John gained an understanding of the financial side of farming on California's Central Coast, working with vineyard operations, wineries and vegetable growers from Paso Robles to Santa Barbra.

  Time spent on his family's farm, Cardoza Farms, gave John firsthand experience farming alfalfa, silage corn, sweet corn, pumpkins and other crops. During this time, he also helped run a custom harvesting business and worked closely with dairies in the Modesto area.

  John earned his BS in Agribusiness from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

• Robyn Carliss, Creative Specialist— Development and Communications

  Robyn furthers Sustainable Conservation's fundraising and marketing goals, in collaboration with the Development and Communications team and program staff, through the creation of compelling written and visual materials for donors and partners. On the design side, she develops the visual components of internal and external presentation collateral, from PowerPoints and print ads to conference displays and electronic newsletters. Regarding written communications, she crafts copy for print and email project updates, fund appeals, and various special bulletins. Working in partnership with the Director of Development and Communications, Robyn also manages the organization's annual giving program, special events, and stewardship activities.

  Prior to joining Sustainable Conservation and making California her home, Robyn served as a vital member of the development department at Bard College's Office of Alumni/ae Affairs in New York. An avid photographer, Robyn's images have been published in Capital Press, West-Northwest Journal of Environmental Law and Policy and University of California's California Agriculture. Robyn received her B.A. in fiction and poetry writing from Bard College.

• Joseph Choperena, Senior Project Manager

  Joe coordinates Sustainable Conservation's dairy water quality project, a state-funded effort to improve manure management infrastructure on dairies and evaluate environmental benefits of innovative manure management practices. Joe is also involved with the organization's efforts to develop a biofuels industry and encourage renewable fuel use in California.

  Growing up on a farm in California's San Joaquin Valley, Joe is deeply rooted in agriculture. The majority of his work experience has involved agricultural production and processing - throughout the state and overseas. He worked for a winery in the Arroyo Grande Valley on the Central Coast of California, and most recently he spent five years with the US Department of Agriculture as California Renewable Energy Coordinator for Rural Development. In his position, he managed the agency's renewable energy and energy efficiency grant, and guaranteed loan program. He represented the agency in the San Joaquin Valley Dairy Manure Collaborative, partnering with dairy producers, government agencies, milk processors and non-profit organizations. Joe has also worked on various international development projects both in Latin America and Eastern Europe.

  Joe holds an MS in International Agricultural Development with a specialization in Sustainable Forestry from University of California, Davis and a BS in Agribusiness from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

• Patricia Clark, Grants Manager

  Patricia creates and conducts a comprehensive foundation and corporate giving program for Sustainable Conservation. Patricia has over 15 years experience in fundraising.

  Prior to joining Sustainable Conservation, Patricia served as the Development Director at the Latino Community Foundation where she provided leadership to all development efforts. She's served as the Associate Director for St. Jude Children's Hospital and gained proficiency in and executed core fundraising programs. Patricia spent five years as the Regional Development Director for the American Lung Association of California where she achieved extraordinary increases in revenue and staff capacity. She also served as the Associate Director of Development at East Bay Agency for Children for six years, where she effectively increased revenue.

  Patricia has a BA in Communication and Sociology from Rutgers University and has been a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) for 10 years.

• Susan Corlett, Director of Development and Communications

  Susan joined Sustainable Conservation in 2004 and oversees fundraising and communications. During Susan's tenure, Sustainable Conservation's individual giving and foundation revenue, and number of donors have all nearly tripled.

  In 2005, Susan oversaw the creation of a comprehensive communications outreach plan, and in 2007 Sustainable Conservation received more than 120 media hits - more than in the organization's first 13 years combined. KQED public television and radio, ABC-TV News, Today Show (NBC), Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle are among the many news organizations that have showcased Sustainable Conservation's work.

  Susan began raising money for the environment during her 10 years at Sierra Club headquarters, where she managed the direct marketing programs. She then worked with the East Bay Agency for Children for eight years, serving first as Director of Development and then as Executive Director for the last three years. Under Susan's leadership, the agency's budget increased from $2.1 million to $5.2 million. Susan holds a MA in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University and a BA in Business Administration from Lewis & Clark College.

• Amanda Dyson, Development Associate

  Amanda supports the Development and Communications Department in all its work, providing critical support for Sustainable Conservation's annual and initiative fundraising efforts. She manages all aspects of the donor database, provides social media and communications support, and assists with cultivation events.

  Amanda holds a BA in Studio Art and English Literature (summa cum laude) and an MA in Cultural Policy and Arts Management from University College Dublin, Ireland. Following graduate school, she completed internships with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in New York and SITE Santa Fe in New Mexico. She also taught English in Seoul, South Korea and supported the Development team at Austin Children's Shelter in Austin, Texas before relocating to San Francisco.

• Ruth Herring, Campaign Manager

  Ruth is an ardent outdoorswoman and conservationist. She joined Sustainable Conservation in July 2012 to manage the launch of the organization's Making Big Ideas Work Campaign.

  Over 26 years, she has served as a staff fundraiser for arts, environmental, women's, legal and education organizations including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Appalachian Mountain Club, Leadership Public Schools and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. She has also consulted with leaders of dozens of small and mid-sized organizations on how to expand organizational impact by building diverse and sustainable fundraising programs.

  Ruth's first career was as a classical violinist, and she brings a musician's creativity and passion to her non-profit work.

• Alex Karolyi, Associate Director of Communications

  Alex manages the organization's communications and public relations activities, including the development of a range of media and public outreach materials. Alex has more than 15 years' experience in research, writing and communications - having served as News Producer for WashingtonPost.com and Newsweek.com, and receiving the California Press Association Award and Pacemaker Award for excellence in journalism. He earned an MA in language studies from Georgetown University and BA in English Literature from California State University, Chico.

• Leah Katz Ahmadi, Donor Relations Manager

  Leah furthers the organization's annual and Campaign fundraising goals through major donor research, solicitation and stewardship. She brings more than eight years of collaborative land management experience in the western United States to Sustainable Conservation's Development team.

  Prior to joining the organization in 2008, Leah was a Senior Associate at a leading Bay Area environmental consulting firm, where she worked with local, state and federal agencies to identify land management priorities, address natural resource conflicts and conduct environmental reviews of watershed-scale plans. She has also worked in the public, academic and non-governmental sectors to resolve environmental conflicts through stakeholder working groups. Leah earned her MS in Natural Resource Management from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and BA in Urban Studies and Planning from the University of California, San Diego.

• Erika Lovejoy, Associate Director of Restoration on Private Lands

  Erika is responsible for expanding the Partners in Restoration Program by working to acquire statewide programmatic permits to help promote widespread implementation of restoration projects across California.

  She has more than 15 years of experience working collaboratively with government agencies, the private sector and public interest groups on resolving environmental problems through both voluntary and policy solutions. Prior to joining Sustainable Conservation, Erika gained substantial field and policy experience in aquatic habitat restoration and water quality protection programs while working as an Environmental Scientist/Planner for California's Water Boards, Coastal Commission, and Department of Water Resources, and San Francisco County. Erika has also managed a major watershed planning effort for the South San Francisco Bay, leading environmental programs, mediating stakeholder conflicts, managing grants, and developing policy.

  Erika acquired her BS in environmental policy analysis and planning from UC Davis.

• Kelli McCune, Senior Project Manager

  Kelli manages Sustainable Conservation's ecosystem services program, overseeing its integration across the organization's many other efforts to address climate change, and promote clean water, clean air and biodiversity. Ecosystem services are those benefits provided by nature - like drinking water purified by wetlands - that would otherwise require costly investments such as water treatment facilities. A key aspect of Kelli's work involves quantifying these services so they can be registered as credits, and provide financial rewards for California farmers and other landowners for sound environmental stewardship that enhances the natural benefits that their land provides.

  Prior to joining Sustainable Conservation, Kelli worked for the Bureau of Land Management in California's Central Valley and southeast Arizona, assisting with the management of a variety of large-scale species conservation and habitat restoration projects. Kelli received her master's degree from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara where she specialized in conservation planning. She holds a BA in environmental science and Spanish (magna cum laude) from Northern Michigan University.

• Dr. Daniel Mountjoy, Director of Restoration on Private Lands

  Daniel joins Sustainable Conservation as Director of Restoration on Private Lands and is responsible for leadership of three program areas: statewide expansion of the Partners in Restoration Program, Ecosystem Services, and Water Management. In support of these program areas, he is also working on strategies to strengthen the capacity of Resource Conservation Districts to assume a greater role in implementing small scale restoration projects.

  Prior to joining Sustainable Conservation, Daniel was Assistant State Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service serving the California Central Coast and San Francisco Bay-Delta regions. During his 17-year career with NRCS he fostered partnerships with Resource Conservation Districts, technical advisors, researchers and the agricultural community to promote water quality and habitat protection practices, and led efforts to integrate food safety with conservation practices. He collaborated with Sustainable Conservation for more than a decade to pioneer and expand permit coordination programs for restoration projects.

  Daniel earned a PhD in human ecology from UC Davis for his research on strategies to improve cross-cultural communication for resource management with Hispanic farmers. He also holds a BA in agroecology from UC Santa Cruz and an MA in Latin American studies from Stanford University. Daniel has practical on-the-ground experience as a farm and land manager on rural properties in northern California in the 1970s and as a landscape contractor in Santa Cruz in the 1980s.

• Cristina Reis de Araujo, Controller

  Cristina plays a key role in overseeing Sustainable Conservation's finances, having worked in the finance area for many years. For the past 12 years, she dedicated her professional career to the non-profit sector, where she feels she can contribute to social and environmental change. She served as Director of Finance and Administration for San Francisco Women Against Rape, Inc. and Youth Together, Inc.

  Cristina holds a BA in Tourism from the Catholic University of Petropolis, Brazil, and a Certificate in Ecological Horticulture from UC, Santa Cruz and Accounting from City College of San Francisco.

• Greg Richardson, Project Manager

  Greg oversees PlantRight, which brings together the horticultural industry with environmental groups, public gardens and arboreta, scientists, and government agencies to halt the introduction of invasive plants in California. Greg manages the metric collection initiatives that PlantRight oversees, including the Spring Nursery Survey, and provides general support for many of PlantRight's efforts.

  Prior to Sustainable Conservation, Greg held positions in the fields of green building, corporate environmental responsibility and environmental journalism - experiences that offered exposure to each of the private, nonprofit and public sectors. Greg received a dual-degree Bachelor's of Science degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2009 for his studies in economics and environmental sciences.

• Erik Schmidt, Senior Research Analyst

  Erik takes a lead role in Sustainable Conservation's efforts to promote and grow the Partners in Restoration permit coordination program throughout California, focusing on programmatic federal and State regulatory processes. For the past four years, he has also led the development of a Partners in Restoration program for the Upper Pajaro River Watershed. Erik came to Sustainable Conservation with extensive regulatory and technical writing experience, having spent the previous four years with NOAA Fisheries, where he worked on Endangered Species Act consultations for listed salmonids and their habitat in the San Francisco Bay region. He also managed a $3 million salmonid habitat restoration grant fund in cooperation with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Prior to his federal service, Erik worked with government and non-profit agencies in Santa Cruz on open space protection, water management and transportation planning.

  Erik earned an MA in environmental policy from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a BA in cultural anthropology from the University of California, San Diego. Following his graduate studies, he was awarded a Knauss National Sea Grant Fellowship from NOAA in Washington, DC. Prior to graduate school, Erik competed internationally for several years as an elite cyclist.

• Pamela Sergio, Director of HR and Administration

  Pamela began her work with Sustainable Conservation as a consultant in November of 2006. Inspired by our mission and commitment to finding solutions through partnership and collaboration, Pamela joined the organization as Director of Human Resources and Administration a few months later. She brings over 18 years of senior management experience to the position, having spent most of her career in the legal field, where she faced significant change management issues, including two back-to-back mergers.

  Today, Pamela focuses on developing Sustainable Conservation's human resource initiatives and best practices, building a strong infrastructure to support a talented staff, and cultivating a healthy culture at work. She particularly enjoys helping us "walk the talk" of partnership and collaboration internally. Drawing upon tools and resources she has both used and taught in outside trainings, Pamela looks for opportunities to coach others in effective communication and conflict resolution.

  Pamela is certified as a Senior Professional of Human Resources (SPHR) from the Society of Human Resources Management. She received her B.A. in Spanish at the University of Oregon, which she put to good use in Madrid, Spain, where she lived and taught for two years. Pamela stays in touch with her Spanish through a steady diet of dancing salsa, Argentine tango, and, most recently, flamenco.

• J. Stacey Sullivan, Policy Director

  Stacey directs Sustainable Conservation's growing involvement in public policy issues. He retired from the California State Assembly in November 2008 after a 12-year career as a consultant for the Natural Resources Committee and Budget Subcommittee #3 (Resources) and, for the last eight years, as Chief Consultant to the Local Government Committee. His work while with the Assembly included in-depth involvement in significant legislation and policy initiatives concerning the California Environmental Quality Act, water policy, sustainable agriculture, housing and land use planning.

  Stacey is currently a Member of the Board of Directors of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) and the Steering Committee of the Central Coast Rangeland Coalition. He was educated at the University of California, Santa Cruz, University of Oxford and King Hall School of Law at the University of California, Davis.

• Bill Taylor, Office Coordinator

  Bill supports the daily needs of the office with front desk and project support. He likes the constant challenges and the opportunities to be of service. His daily tasks include everything from logging donations, writing acknowledgement letters, filing, IT support to office maintenance.

  After receiving a BA in History from the University of California at Davis, Bill attended the California Culinary Academy where he received an AOS degree in classical French cuisine. Bill is also a guitarist and a singer/songwriter and has performed in groups since the age of 13.

• Lisa Thompson, Senior Project Manager

  Lisa manages Sustainable Conservation's Partners in Restoration (PIR) efforts in San Luis Obispo County. Lisa brings over 10 years of experience in environmental conservation centered on ecological restoration and protection. Her prior work includes managing a county conservation program for The Nature Conservancy. She developed conservation strategies, provided planning for the conservation practices and coordinated the implementation of those conservation efforts. Lisa was also an instrumental member and advisor on a coalition dedicated to protecting a critical water basin. During her work for the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service as a Restoration Biologist, Lisa performed biological surveys for threatened and endangered species while restoring their habitat to help ensure their survival. Lisa also facilitated a conservation sustainability effort between conservationists and limestone miners. This endeavor resulted in the protection of endangered species endemic to limestone while allowing miners to continue their business activities. Lisa earned a BA in Environmental Studies (magna cum laude) from the University of Redlands and received the Environmental Studies Departmental honor for her thesis on Conservation Sustainability.

• Kathy Viatella, Managing Director of Programs

  Kathy manages the organization's programs to develop and implement lasting, balanced solutions to California's most pressing environmental problems.

  Prior to Sustainable Conservation, Kathy served as a Senior Project Director with The Nature Conservancy of California— where for five years she managed the San Diego project, a site that has influenced how The Conservancy works at the state, national and international levels. There she worked with public and private partners to develop and implement innovative strategies for conserving the most ecologically important Mediterranean-type habitats in the heavily populated landscape of Southern California and northern Baja California.

  Kathy began her conservation career as an economist with Environmental Defense Fund where she helped create landowner incentives for the conservation of natural resources, including rare plants and animals. She also worked on federal farm bill policy and assisted several states in developing Conservation Reserve Enhancement Programs that today have conserved more than a million acres of the nation's most sensitive farmland.

  Kathy holds a BA in International Development and Economics from Mount Holyoke College and an MS in Food and Resource Economics from the University of Florida.