Mission & People
People need trees and trees need people.
TreePeople is Southern California’s largest environmental movement whose mission is to inspire, engage and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, making it safe, healthy, fun and sustainable and to share our process as a model for the world.
Leadership
Amanda Begley
Watershed Senior Program Manager
Daniel Berger
Executive Director of Operations
Eileen Garcia
Director of Community Forestry Strategic Partnerships & Operations
Kevin Gaston
Executive Director of TreePeople Land Trust
Manny Gonez
Director of Policy Initiatives
Alex Miller
Director of Marketing and Communications
Saxon Miller-Jones
Director of Development
Katie Mills
Director of Education & Outdoor Equity
David Pineda
Director of Operations and Grants
Thierry Rivard
Director of Mountain Forestry Strategic Partnerships & Operations
Yvette Rojas
Director of Administration & Park Operations
Marcos Trinidad
Senior Director of Forestry
Emily Tyrer
Director of Green Infrastructure
Forestry
Mario Dagonel
Senior Manager of Community Engagement
Loren Feder
Teams for Trees Program Manager
Mathieu Koontz
AmeriCorps Program Manager
Haley Marzolf
Forestry Administration Assistant
Libby Thomas
Forestry Administrator
Bryan Vejar
Senior Manager Arboricultural Training and Education
Talia Dotson
Community Organizing Senior Manager
Mountain Forestry
Ivan Castillo
Mountain Forestry Program Manager
Matthew Loftis
Mountain Forestry Senior Program Manager
Alex Turner
Mountain Forestry Senior Coordinator
Santos Amaya
Mountain Forestry Associate Program Manager
Stephanie Liu
Mountain Forestry Associate Program Manager
Ian Smith
Mountain Forestry Associate Program Manager
Max De Maria
Mountain Forestry Associate
Charles Spurr
Mountain Forestry Associate
Vicky Phan
Mountain Forestry Coordinator
Alyssa Walker
Mountain Forestry Senior Program Manager
Heather Turpin
Santa Clarita Community Organizer
Gil Lester
Forest Health Community Organizer
Community Forestry
Xiomara Duran
Forestry Associate Manager
Alyssa Carrillo
Community Organizer (San Fernando Valley)
Rose Liston
Community Forestry Coordinator
Alejandro Montes
Regional Manager (Inland Empire)
Marcia Castro
Community Forestry Manager (Inland Empire)
Rich Rivera
Community Forestry Associate (Inland Empire)
Alexandra Diaz
Community Forestry Coordinator (Inland Empire)
Viviana Rodriguez
Community Forestry Apprentice (Riverside)
Irma Barba
Community Forestry Apprentice (Riverside)
Kyle Kohlbrenner
Community Forestry Associate Manager (South Los Angeles)
Michelle Mendoza
Community Forestry Associate (South Los Angeles)
Ojani Casillas
Community Forestry Associate (South East Los Angeles)
Juan Cueto
Community Forestry Associate (South East Los Angeles)
Monica Pineda
Community Forestry Coordinator
Juan Vaca
Community Forestry Associate (South East Los Angeles)
Marcela Jaquez
Community Organizer (South East Los Angeles)
Francisco Vargas
Community Forestry Manager (San Gabriel Valley)
Jonathan Campos
Community Forestry Coordinator
Carmen Sanchez
Community Forestry Associate (San Gabriel Valley)
Priscila Papias
Community Forestry Coordinator
Idelfonso Villarreal
Community Forestry Associate
Charlene Williams
Community Forestry Apprentice
Jack Smith
Community Forestry Manager - Urban Parks
Nursery
Katie Aymar
Nursery & Restoration Specialist
Education
Youth Leadership
Rebecca Saltsman
Youth Leadership Senior Manager
Savannah Ackerman
Youth Leadership Program Manager
Trisha Herrera
Youth Leadership Coordinator
Kylie Lesko
Youth Leadership Coordinator
Laura Hegstetter
School Outreach Coordinator
Outdoor Equity
Maria Adame
Outdoor Equity Senior Manager
Zoë Temple
Eco Opportunities Program Manager
Cesar Hernandez
Outdoor Equity Coordinator
Jazmin Quezada
Outdoor Equity Program Manager
Shoshana Ambartsumyan
Outdoor Equity Lead Educator
Garrett Gray
Outdoor Equity Educator
Abigail Gonzalez
Outdoor Equity Educator
Dina Khatib
Outdoor Equity Educator
Olivia Bailey
Outdoor Equity Coordinator
Hillary Lefkowitz
Outdoor Equity Coordinator
Jessica Martinez
Outdoor Equity Coordinator
Carissa Donahoo
Outdoor Equity Strategic Operations Manager
Green Infrastructure
Bertilla Baudiniere
Design Principal
Michelle Bagnato
School Greening Senior Project Manager
Eric Wilson
Green Infrastructure Program Manager
Edward Saloj
Green Infrastructure Coordinator
Policy & Research
Dustin Herrmann
Principal Scientist
Alejandro Fabian
Policy and Research Associate
Mary Hillemeier
Policy & Research Senior Coordinator
Igor Bronz
Policy & Research Senior Coordinator
Peter Massey
Water Equity Programs Project Manager
Marketing & Communications
Edgar Iriarte
Web & Technology Manager
Adam Thomas
Events & Community Partnerships Manager
Zoie Matthew
Digital Marketing Manager
Bliss Parsons
Senior Graphic Designer
Cez Cruz
Jr Graphic Designer
Operations & Grants
Chuck Mills
Senior Grants Administrator
Brenna Humann
Grant Writer
Marylu Issaevitch
Grant Accountant
Development
Lucy Yoshioka
Development Associate
Sammy Glazer
Development Program Coordinator
Brielle Cruz Vega
Corporate and Foundation Relations Manager
Administration & Park Operations
Loyda Ramos
Administrative Services Partner
Julio Tzoc
Facilities Maintenance Manager
Mario Melgarejo
Human Resources Assistant
Nathan Bock
Grounds Manager
Eduardo Moreno Ambriz
Park Operations Assistant
TreePeople Land Trust
Mark Fiege
TreePeople Land Trust Restoration Project Manager
Nick Handman
TreePeople Land Trust Stewardship Manager
Manny Gomez
TreePeople Land Trust Restoration Specialist
Dan Berman
Stewardship Coordinator
German Chiuz
Stewardship Technician
Board of Directors
Philip Boesch, Esq.
Board of Directors, Chair, Boesch Law Group
Noah Perch-Ahern
Vice Chair, Partner at Greenberg Glusker Environmental Department
John D. Bunzel, CFP®
First Vice President | Financial Advisor | Global Sports and Entertainment Director, Certified Financial Planner™ Insurance Planning Director THE 310 GROUP Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Ruth Y. Goldway
Treasurer, The Honorable Ruth Goldway, retired chairman | US Postal Regulatory Commission
Edgar G. Dymally
Secretary, Senior Environmental Specialist | Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
J. Lee Braly
Board Member, Principal | i2i Consulting
Laurie Benenson
Board Member, Writer, Editor, Filmmaker
Beth Burnam
Board Member, Co- President and Founding Member of the North Topanga Canyon Fire Safe Council
Susan W. Drake
Board Member, Co-Owner Casa Automotive Group
Dr. Jonathan Fielding
Board Member, Professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and Author
Karin Fielding
Board Member, Public Health Advocate
Jonathan Friedland
Board Member, Octagonal Hall LLC
Nancy Helsley
Board Member, Retired Public School Teacher
Dr. Lee Kats
Board Member, Professor of Biology, Vice Provost for Research and Strategic Initiatives
Jered Lindsay
Board Member, Senior Attorney, Environmental Section, Southern California Edison Law Dept.
Robert Llorens
Board Member, EVP & Chief Credit Officer Cal Private Bank
Sara Rutherford Nichols
Board Member
Josephine Powe
Board Member, Environmental Lawyer
William Quicksilver
Board Member, Manatt, Sr. Partner, Chief Executive Officer, Managing Partner Emeritus
Mindy Rothstein Mann
Board Member
Keith Terasaki
Board Member, Interventional Radiologist at the Kaiser Hospital, Chairman of the Terasaki Family Foundation, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Wesley Health Clinics
Sam Whiting
Board Member, Director, Boeing Global Engagement
Ira Ziering
Board Member, Entrepreneur, Ziering France Co.
David Zucker
Board Member, Writer, Director, Producer
Founder
Andy Lipkis
Founder, TreePeople
Our Core Values
At TreePeople, we are....
Enthusiastic
Sparking joy is at the core of everything we do. Our work is fun, hopeful, and uplifting. We spread our passion to others and support them to change the world for the better.
Welcoming
We foster kindness and a culture that welcomes everyone. We center diverse voices to further environmental justice and equity in the communities we serve. Everyone has a place in our movement; we are all TreePeople.
Respectful
We actively listen to gain understanding and are courteous and mindful in our interactions with others. We show respect to the spaces where we work, to the people and cultures we work with, and to the history that precedes us.
Harmonious
We prioritize collaboration. We do this within the organization and the communities we serve. We are at our best when we work together and actively step up when one of us needs support.
Committed
We ensure the longevity of our work through lasting and meaningful commitment to the spaces and the communities we engage with. We strive to exemplify our mission not only through our words but through our actions. We are dedicated to learning and innovating as we strive towards a greener future for us all.
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