

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.
Our People

Cindy Montañez
Chief Executive Officer
Education and Community

Mario Dagonel
Senior Manager of Community Organizing

Bryan Medina
Community Organizer (Riverside)

Maria Adame
Senior Manager Outdoor Access

Cesar Hernandez
Lead Eco Educator

Peter Massey
Project Manager- Water Equity Programs

Rebecca Saltsman
Senior Manager - Generation Earth

Savannah Ackerman
School Outreach Coordinator

Roland Pacheco
Tribal Engagement Coordinator

Shoshana Ambartsumyan
Eco Educator

Talia Dotson
Urban Greening Community Organizer

Andrew Castillo
Community Organizer (South East Los Angeles)

Emily Tyrer
Green Infrastructure Project Manager

Heather Turpin
Community Organizer (Santa Clarita)

Ayla Montoya
Education and Community Program Associate

Jazmin Quezada
Youth Leadership Coordinator

Jessica Martinez
Eco Educator

Hillary Lefkowitz
Eco Educator

Alejandro Montes
Community Organizer ( San Bernardino)

Amanda Begley
Associate Program Manager

Lilly Garcia
Senior Community Organizer

Katie Mills
Director of Education and Outdoor Access

Sebastian Morales
Youth Leadership Coordinator
Forestry and Urban Greening

Thierry Rivard
Director of Mountain Forestry

Eileen Garcia
Director of Community Forestry

Alyssa Walker
Mountain Forestry Program Manager

Matthew Loftis
Mountain Forestry Program Manager

Juan Solomon
Program Manager

Sergio Olvera
Urban Forester Foreman

Pam Gibson
Regional Manager Northeast Valley

Jack Smith
Ecological Restoration and Nursery Manager

Michelle Bagnato
Community and School Greening Specialist

Gemma Lurie
Community Forestry Program Manager

Loren Feder
Volunteer Manager

Alex Turner
Senior Mountain Forestry Coordinator

Kylie Lesko
Senior Mountain Forestry Coordinator

Gabriela Gonzalez
Tree Care Assistant

Jonathan Manikan
Community Forestry Coordinator

Marcos Trinidad
Regional Director (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties)

Idelfonso Villarreal
Urban Forester

Kyle Kohlbrenner
Community Forestry Coordinator

Oscar Perez
Community Forestry Foreman

Garrett Ashby
Community Forestry Associate

Monica Pineda
Community Forestry Associate

Ivan Castillo
Mountain Forestry Program Manager

Bertilla Baudiniere
Landscape Designer

Max De Maria
Mountain Forestry Coordinator

Stephanie Liu
Mountain Forestry Coordinator

Ojani Casillas
Community Forestry Associate

Maritza Armenta
Mountain Forestry Coordinator

Libby Thomas
Forestry Administrative Assistant

Katie Aymar
Nursery Coordinator

Xiomara Duran
Community Forestry Associate

Cooper Salomon
Mountain Forestry Coordinator

Seth Thomas
Mountain Forestry Coordinator

Steven Ring
Associate Mountain Forestry Program Manager

Viviana Rodriguez
Community Forester

Alexandra Diaz
Community Forester

Alyssa Carillo
Tree Ambassador

Ana Garcia
Tree Ambassador

Bianca Gallegos
Tree Ambassador

Bryan Vejar
Community Forestry Foreman (El Monte)

Marcia Castro
Community Forestry Coordinator

Gil Lester
Forest Health Community Organizer

Danny Padilla
Community Forestry Associate

Irma Barba
Community Forester

Isaiah Millan
Community Forester

Jonathan Campos
Community Forester

Carmen Sanchez
Community Forester

Michael Felipe
Community Forester
Marketing and Communications

Jean-Paul Renaud
Chief Communications Officer

Alex Miller
Associate Director of Marketing & Communications

Edgar Iriarte
Web & Technology Manager

Bliss Parsons
Senior Graphic Designer

Adam Thomas
Digital Content Specialist

Cez Cruz
Jr Graphic Designer

Miguel Vargas
Social Media and Marketing Coordinator
Policy

Manny Gonez
Director of Policy Initiatives

Dustin Herrmann
Principal Scientist

Mary Hillemeier
Policy & Research Coordinator
Administration

Yvette Rojas
Chief of Staff

Loyda Ramos
Administrative Services Partner

Carla Jimenez
Administrative Services Coordinator

Mario Melgarejo
Recruiting Assistant
Operations

Daniel Berger
Director of Forestry and Urban Greening

David Pineda
Operations and Grants Manager

Chuck Mills
Senior Grants Administrator

Brenna Humann
Grant Writer

Marylu Issaevitch
Grant Accountant
Park Operations

Brian Rekart
Senior Manager Park Operations

Julio Tzoc
Facilities Maintenance Manager

Nathan Bock
Grounds Coordinator

Dan Berman
Park Restoration Coordinator

Eduardo Moreno Ambriz
Park Assistant
Development

Robyn Rehak
Chief Development Officer

Jordan Hutkin
Major Gifts Manager

Abby Fuirst
Development Associate

Saxon Miller-Jones
Major Gifts Officer

Emily Andris
Stewardship & Donor Relations Assistant
Board of Directors
Philip Boesch, Esq.
Board of Directors, Chair, Boesch Law Group
J. Lee Braly
Vice Chair, Principal | i2i Consulting
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
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
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.
Sara Rutherford Nichols
Board Member
David A. Paschal
Board Member, Assistant General Manager, City of Los Angeles Department of General Services
Noah Perch-Ahern
Board Member, Partner at Greenberg Glusker Environmental Department
Josephine Powe
Board Member, Environmental Lawyer
William Quicksilver
Manatt, Sr. Partner, Chief Executive Officer, Managing Partner Emeritus
Mindy Rothstein Mann
Board Member
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
Board Member, Founder, TreePeople
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