Staff

Project Coordinator

Helen manages the Creek Monitoring and Wild Shorelines Programs for The Watershed Project, and is also the Watershed Coordinator for SPAWNERS. Helen grew up on the Central Coast of California and studied marine biology at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She went on to manage a research lab at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she investigated the impacts of nanomaterials on aquatic food webs. While the work was fascinating, what she really wanted to do was get outside and work with nonprofits. She moved to the Bay Area in 2013 to achieve that goal, and has since worked with San Francisco Baykeeper, Friends of Five Creeks, and Friends of Sausal Creek, as well as The Watershed Project and SPAWNERS. Helen lives in the Strawberry Creek Watershed.

Community Programs Manager

Paula became involved with The Watershed Project through her interest in researching trash in local streams. She led the Richmond data collection effort for the Taking out the Trash Project and is currently the Project Coordinator for the Waste Matters Project, an environmental education program that involves students in hands-on actions to reduce their environmental footprint, such as composting lunch scraps and working in the school garden. Paula has an M.A. in Geography from San Francisco State University and also holds a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Chicago. She gets her kicks from playing soccer and fiddling in baroque orchestras and ensembles. She lives in the Potter Creek Watershed but prefers hiking in her old 'hood, the Lion Creek Watershed.

Greening Urban Watersheds Program Manager

Kat is a rainwater catchment specialist with experience developing programs to strengthen urban stormwater infrastructure with rainwater harvesting and LID strategies for the San Francisco Unified School District, the City of San Francisco and the City of Oakland. She is inspired by activities that bring people together to enliven their communities and strives to build bridges between civic agencies and grassroots environmentalism. Kat brings these skills to The Watershed Project as a Program Manager for the Greening Urban Watersheds Initiative, implementing projects that green the city of Richmond. She holds an MA in Organic Architecture from the San Francisco Institute of Architecture.

Restoration Manager

Paula brings her love of California flora to her role as Restoration Manager. Whether planting trees in urban environments or native plants in bioswales, rain gardens or pollinator gardens, Paula takes pride in "greening" these spaces and providing a public benefit to all. As a fluent Spanish speaker, she particularly enjoys working in immigrant communities to educate on the myriad benefits of urban greening. Paula studied Anthropology at UC Davis and is a Certified California Naturalist and an NAI Certified Interpretive Guide. Paula lives in the San Pablo Creek Watershed.

Education and Community Programs Manager

Anne is passionate about connecting people with the natural environment through education and action. She earned her B.A. in Environmental Analysis from Pitzer College and spent several years in Claremont, CA designing and implementing sustainability programs for government and nonprofit organizations. A desire to return to her home region of the East Bay Area and gain further experience in environmental education led her to join The Watershed Project. A certified California Naturalist, Anne is thrilled to have found a role that combines her background in community engagement with environmental education. She enjoys tap dancing, playing piano, and hiking with her dog, River. Anne lives in the Walnut Creek Watershed.

Lead Environmental Educator

Olivia has a passion for getting youth outside, and learning about the natural world around them. She believes that through hands-on, placed-based environmental education we can give students the tools they need to become change-makers in their own communities. Having grown up in Michigan, surrounded by water, she feels a strong responsibility to protect water wherever she goes. In her role, Olivia is excited to leverage her service in AmeriCorps to recognize needs within a community, her B.A. in Social Relations and Policy to pull community partners together, and her teaching experience with NatureBridge to engage students in the science and wonder of the natural world. When not educating students, Olivia can likely be found rollerskating, baking a pie, or enjoying a hike with good friends.

Education and Communications Coordinator

Dan is an educator, mushroom forager, rain enthusiast, dune dog, maker of peculiar things, stomach sleeper and a Queer Capricorn. In full pursuit of deep connection to place, Dan is nourished by feeding personal relationships with the natural environment. After receiving a B.A. in Environmental and Urban Studies from Bard College, Dan worked on farms, in the food industry, in costume/wardrobe production and most recently as the Tribal Resource Response Specialist for the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians on the Oregon Coast, of which Dan is an enrolled member. Dan began working for The Watershed Project as volunteer through the Bay Area Youth Agency Consortium and is delighted to now be staff and part of the team. Currently, Dan lives in the Sausal Creek watershed in Huichin (East Oakland).

Outreach Coordinator

Sara graduated from Richmond High School, and was a part of Earth Team's internship program. She joined The Watershed Project Green Collar Corps as a way of giving back to the community. Sara is currently a growing leader in her community, recently promoted to Outreach Coordinator to further her community organizing skills. She is actively part of the North Richmond Resident Leadership Team and has also been admitted to this years Urban Habitat Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute where she is learning equitable polices in regards Land Use, Transportation, Housing Justice and Environmental awareness.

Outreach Coordinator

Gabriela graduated from Vista High School. She was a volunteer throughout her Junior and Senior year she then joined The Watershed Project Green Collar Corps in order to learn more about the Environment in her community while also bringing some awareness and knowledge to it about the nature surrounding it. Gabriela She is currently attending Contra Costa College to study biotechnology. She lives in the Wildcat creek watershed.

Green Collar Corps

Haleema is a Green Collar Corps intern with a passion for plants. Her experience with nature has been like a moving pendulum. Her fondest memories are of watering and caring for plants in her suburban home and running wild in her Grandparent’s farming village. Her worst memories are of living in an area where neither trees nor plants existed in the human landscape. She firmly believes that nature enhances and beautifies life. By working with The Watershed Project she hopes to learn about and preserve our environment for the enjoyment of future generations.