The staff of Sierra Nevada Alliance

Staff emails: replace AT with @.
 

Joan Clayburgh (joanATsierranevadaalliance.org - extension 307), Executive Director

Joan Clayburgh is the Executive Director of the Sierra Nevada Alliance, joining the organization in December of 2001. The Sierra Nevada Alliance has been protecting and restoring Sierra land, water, wildlife and communities since 1993. The organization has over 80 member groups that work on conservation issues throughout the 400 mile long region. Primary programs address climate change, water quality and growth and development. Joan has over 20 years experience in non-profit management. Prior to the Sierra Nevada she was the Sierra Club national press secretary, a founder and campaign director for the coalition Californians for Pesticide Reform, executive director of Pesticide Watch, and campaign director for CALPIRG. She has provided technical assistance, training, and consultation to grassroots organizations throughout her career. Her specialty is leveraging coalition resources to achieve reforms at the local, state and national level. Joan graduated from Tahoe Truckee High School in 1981 and has a BA in communication from the University of California, San Diego. She is an outdoor enthusiast enjoying skiing, hiking, and camping with her husband and two dogs.

Mary Bennington (maryATsierranevadaalliance.org - extension 308), Associate Director

Mary has lived in and near the Tahoe area for about 27 years. She brings to the Alliance over 20 years of experience managing non-profit organizations and governmental programs. She comes to the Alliance from the Washoe Tribe after working there for 5 ˝ years, first as their Environmental Program Coordinator and then as the Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program Compliance Officer. Prior to the Tribe, she served as the Carson River Project Manager for The Nature Conservancy. She has extensive experience managing multifaceted programs, federal, state and private grants, developing policies and procedures, budgets and general program operations. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Carson Valley Trails Association as a 501(c) 3 and served on their board for over seven years. She was elected twice to the Douglas County School Board and served on the board of the League of Women Voters for over 5 years. Mary’s passion has been access to public lands, conservation of key parcels for habitat preservation and land use planning in Douglas County, Nevada. She worked closely with the County to establish the Douglas County Trails Plan, was the volunteer coordinator on the Open Space Campaign and preserved access to public lands when developments threatened to cut off access. She has a B.S. Degree in Home Economics from U.C. Davis – and has been heard to be referred to as Martha (without the ankle bracelet). Mary loves to hike, bicycle, telemark ski with her husband and has a huge garden that she enjoys with her chickens.

Morgan Fessler (morganATsierranevadaalliance.org - extension 312), Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership Regional Coordinator & Program Associate

Morgan joined the Alliance in November to affect positive changes in the Sierra that she loves so dearly. Morgan is a native of Northern California and comes to the Alliance with a conservation and restoration background working with organizations such as the Student Conservation Association, New Hampshire State Parks, and the National Park Service. Morgan splits her time between the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership (SNAP) Program and the Community Group Support Program focusing on coordinating Alliance efforts with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Morgan holds a B.A. in Sociology and Global Peace and Security from UC Santa Barbara. During her free time, she can be found taking advantage of the snowy playground out her backdoor or lacing up her boots for her next backpacking adventure.

Marion Gee (marionATsierranevadaalliance.org - extension 320), Water & Climate Change Program Associate

Marion Gee joined the Sierra Nevada Alliance in January 2008. Marion first served as an AmeriCorps member/Sierra Water and Climate Change Program Assistant and in 2009 she was hired as the Program Associate. Marion provides consultation to Integrated Regional Water Management efforts throughout the Sierra, advocates for strong state programs and policies that protect and conserve Sierra natural resources, and educates resources managers and the public on Climate Change adaptation and emission reduction. Marion now serves on the Department of Water Resources Climate Change Technical Advisory Group. Marion hails from the tame suburbs of Orange County, and while a SoCal resident for most of her life, she traversed much of the Sierra from an early age, hiking, fly-fishing and skiing with her family. In 2004, she graduated with a BA in history from the University of California. She went on to finish her Masters in environmental history and policy at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. After graduate school, Marion proceeded to Santiago, Chile to volunteer in a children's shelter for the non-profit organization, VEGlobal.

Patricia Hickson (patriciaATsierranevadaalliance.org - extension 313), Land Use Associate

Patricia Hickson is a Program Associate of the Sustainable Sierra Land Use Campaign. Patricia grew up in Colfax, California – a small town in the foothills of Placer County. Growing up Patricia bore witness to the rapid population growth and subsequent sprawling development of Placer County’s western slope. She recognized the rapid development of her home county was not only land and resource intensive, but antithetical to the idea of community. She has been passionate about changing land use development patterns every since. Patricia believes good planning is the foundation to a more sustainable society and she is excited to be working at the Alliance aspiring towards this vision. Prior to joining the Alliance Patricia worked as a project assistant for an Environmental Consulting firm in the Tahoe Basin and as a reporter for the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza. Patricia has also held positions with a variety of environmental non-profits including: Sierra Forest Legacy, Tahoe Area Sierra Club, and Earthworks. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies and Philosophy from UC Santa Cruz.

Dan Keenan (danATsierranevadaalliance.org - extension 315), Watersheds Program Associate

Dan grew up in Syracuse, NY and graduated from St. Michael’s College in Burlington, VT in 2003 with a B.A. in Anthropology/Sociology and a minor in Spanish. He has lived in the Sierra since 2004 and was the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership (SNAP) Watershed Program Assistant in 2008. During that time, he led a citizen water quality monitoring group, implemented a Sierra-friendly yard and garden demonstration site, and gained experience in watershed management planning involving a multi-stakeholder approach. Dan continues to pursue educational opportunities in environmental science and in his free time, he enjoys mountain biking, skiing, and adventures abroad with his wife.

Do Lee (doATsierranevadaalliance.org - extension 303), SNAP Program Director

Do grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and has been a resident of South Lake Tahoe for over two years. Do was the Open World Program Coordinator with Pacific Environment and ISAR managing their environmental exchange programs for 90 Russians, Lithuanians, and Ukrainians, including organizing an orientation program and coordinating an eight-city exchange program in the U.S. focused on various environmental themes. Do oriented local hosts to program requirements, handled program logistics, and was responsible for programmatic and financial reporting. He also was an Environmental Education Volunteer in Kazakhstan in the Peace Corps working to increase the capacity of local environmental organizations and implementing various environmental activities, such as an environmental summer camp for regional children. He also was the Program Officer with ISAR: Resources for Environmental Activists managing and reporting on environmental programs and their budgets, grant-writing, developing programs, managing the program work of staff, interns and volunteers, and organizing workshops, trainings, and exchanges. Do also has experience conducting environmental analysis and research. He is also a skilled and published still photographer and speaks Russian and Korean. Do has a Master of Public Administration, Earth Systems Science, Policy, and Management, Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and a BA in Molecular Cell Biology (Biochemistry), University of California at Berkeley, 1997.

Kay Ogden (kayATsierranevadaalliance.org - extension 304), Development Director

The Sierra Nevada Alliance welcomes to staff Kay Ogden to fill our new position as Development Director. Kay Ogden started work on January 5th and will be based in our South Lake Tahoe office. Kay has been involved in many areas of development, fundraising, event management and outreach. She comes with strong interpersonal and communication skills. She has extensive experience managing projects, planning activities, and building alliances. And as important, she has a passion for the Sierra Nevada, a love of people, and adoration of the outdoors. She also has an attachment to 750-mile long bicycle races and the mental and athletic challenges these races provide. Most recently Kay was the Community Development Coordinator for IntraCare Hospitals in Houston Texas. Prior to this position in 1996 to 1999 she was the Marketing Director and Special Events Coordinator for the Mono Lake Committee based out of Lee Vining California. From 1983 to 1996 she was the owner of a multi-dimensional consultation and design company specializing in marketing. She is very much looking forward living in the Sierra again and working for the Alliance.

Kara Ramos (karaATsierranevadaalliance.org - extension 301), Officer Manager

Kara came to the Alliance in October 2009. She moved back to California after graduating from Hawaii Pacific University with an M.A. in Sustainable Development. While in Hawaii, Kara worked as a legal assistant for a corporate law firm, and also completed her Master's Thesis on monitoring the energy emissions for the Hawaii Loa campus, which is beginning its process of becoming LEED Certified Silver. Kara is orignially from Elk Grove, CA, and has spent much time in the Sierra doing many recreational activities such as camping, hiking, fishing, snowboarding, and enjoying the beauty of the Sierra.

Nick Santos (nickATsierranevadaalliance.org - ext. 323), AmeriCorps Member/ Program Assisant

Nick Santos is the AmeriCorps member and Program Assistant for the Regional Sustainability Program at the Sierra Nevada Alliance. His service will focus primarily on water and climate change education and outreach. Nick grew up in Sacramento and depended on the Sierra for water, electricity, and recreation. His family took regular trips to Sierra lakes and trails, instilling a lifelong love of the Sierra and the outdoors. Prior to joining AmeriCorps, Nick worked in Washington, DC as a policy fellow for 1Sky, a national campaign to enact federal climate change legislation. A graduate of UC Davis, Nick studied environmental policy analysis and geographic information systems. While in school, Nick worked for the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, part of USDA's cooperative extension system, and also engaged in work with the Roosevelt Institution, a national network of student policy think tanks. In his free time, Nick naturally loves the outdoors including biking, frisbee, soccer, and backpacking, but he also spends significant time working on facilitating better consumer and business communication on environmental issues through a group he started called The Environmental Consumer.

Katie Scott (katieATsierranevadaalliance.org - extension 305), Development Program Associate

Katie Scott is the Development Program Associate at the Sierra Nevada Alliance. Growing up on a ranch in Montana, she developed her love for nature and her passion for whitewater kayaking at a very young age . In 2005, she came to California for the first time in quest of all the whitewater treasures nestled throughout the Sierra. Blown away by the sheer beauty of this magical place, she decided to stay. As a professional whitewater kayaker, Katie wanted more out of expeditions than pure adventure. She wanted an adventure with a purpose, which led her to the making of the award-winning documentary film, "The Last Descent". Inspired by the tragic story of the loss of Hetch- Hetchy in Yosemite National Park, Katie and her two best friends set out on a year-long endeavor to document and kayak some of the world’s most precious rivers before they are lost to large scale hydropower projects. On her journey she traveled to countries such as Nepal, India, and Uganda to highlight the effects of large scale hydro- projects on local communities and natural resources. After attending college in Sacramento, Katie is very excited to be back in the Sierra working to help protect the land she loves most. Katie will be working directly with Kay Ogden and the Sustainable Organization team. She will be organizing community events, fundraising and marketing for the Alliance. In her free time she continues to kayak the wild rivers of California, ski, surf, mountain bike, and play the fiddle.

Megan Suarez-Brand (meganATsierranevadaalliance.org - extension 302), Watersheds Program Director

Megan has a master's of Social Science in Environment and Community from Humboldt State University. She has a strong background in watershed issues. Her graduate work created a curriculum for a watershed based environmental education program for educators in Humboldt County. She did a watershed assessment of the Upper Truckee and has taught watershed issues. Before coming to the Alliance in 2004 she was a Naturalist and Information Specialist for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit at Taylor Creek. Megan loves all things outdoors including skiing, hiking, mountain-biking and hanging at the beach with her little girl--Juni.

Reyna Yagi (reynaATsierranevadaalliance.org - extension 317), AmeriCorps Member and Program Assistant for Sustainable Sierra Communities Program

Reyna is serving as the Watershed Program Assistant AmeriCorps member with the Sierra Sustainable Communities Program. She will be focused on protecting and restoring impaired Sierra watersheds through local projects that collaborate with communities and organizations to develop sustainable watershed management practices. Reyna comes to the Alliance most recently from UC Davis, where she graduated with a degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning, specializing in water policy. Originally a Bay Area native, Reyna has found her way to the Sierra Nevada through internship experiences as a Water Policy Intern at the Planning and Conservation League in Sacramento and as a Watershed Field Intern with the Tahoe Environmental Research Center. She brings a knowledgeable background in California water issues and experience in youth environmental education