

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 Team

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
Eco-Tours Coordinator

Peter Massey
Project Manager- Water Equity Programs

Rebecca Saltsman
Youth Leadership Senior Manager

Savannah Ackerman
Eco-Tours Program Manager

Shoshana Ambartsumyan
Lead Eco Educator

Talia Dotson
Green Infrastructure Community Engagement Senior Manager

Andrew Castillo
Community Organizer (South East Los Angeles)

Emily Tyrer
Director of Green Infrastructure

Heather Turpin
Community Organizer (Santa Clarita)

Ayla Montoya
Generation Earth Program Manager

Jazmin Quezada
Natural Connections Associate Program Manager

Jessica Martinez
Regional Coordinator (North Los Angeles)

Hillary Lefkowitz
Eco Educator

Alejandro Montes
Senior Community Organizer (Inland Empire)

Amanda Begley
Associate Program Manager

Lilly Garcia
Senior Community Organizer

Katie Mills
Director of Education and Outdoor Access

Sebastian Morales-Cashell
Youth Leadership Senior Coordinator

Kobe Ward
Eco Educator

Laura Hegstetter
School Outreach Coordinator

Olivia Bailey
Eco Educator

Veronica Garcia
Regional Coordinator (South Los Angeles)

Mia Diaz
Regional Educator (South Los Angeles)

Trisha Herrera
Youth Leadership Coordinator

Zoë Temple
Eco Opportunities Program Manager

Eric Wilson
Green Infrastructure Program Manager

Kylie Lesko
Youth Leadership Coordinator

Marcela Jacquez
Community Organizer (South Los Angeles)
Forestry and Urban Greening

Thierry Rivard
Director of Mountain Forestry Strategic Partnerships & Operations

Eileen Garcia
Director of Community Forestry Strategic Partnerships & Operations

Alyssa Walker
Mountain Forestry Senior Program Manager

Matthew Loftis
Mountain Forestry Senior Program Manager

Juan Solomon
Green Infrastructure Construction Manager

Sergio Olvera
Green Infrastructure Foreperson

Pam Gibson
Regional Manager Northeast Valley

Jack Smith
Ecological Restoration and Nursery Manager

Michelle Bagnato
School Greening Senior Project Manager

Gemma Lurie
Community Forestry Program Manager

Loren Feder
Volunteer Manager

Alex Turner
Senior Mountain Forestry Coordinator

Gabriela Gonzalez
Green Infrastructure Associate

Jonathan Manikan
Community Forestry Coordinator

Marcos Trinidad
Senior Director of Forestry

Idelfonso Villarreal
Green Infrastructure Associate

Kyle Kohlbrenner
Community Forestry Associate Manager

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

Libby Thomas
Forestry Administrative Assistant

Katie Aymar
Nursery Coordinator

Xiomara Duran
Community Forestry Associate

Seth Thomas
Mountain Forestry Senior Coordinator

Viviana Rodriguez
Community Forester

Alexandra Diaz
Community Forester

Alyssa Carrillo
Community Organizer (San Fernando Valley)

Bryan Vejar
Community Forestry Foreman (El Monte)

Marcia Castro
Community Forestry Manager (Inland Empire)

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

Mathieu Koontz
Mountain Forestry AmeriCorps Program Manager

Sage Cobos
Mountain Forestry Associate Program Manager

Rose Liston
Nursery Restoration Technician & SFV Community Forestry Associate

Kyle Friesen
Mountain Forestry Coordinator

Vicky Phan
Mountain Forestry Coordinator
Marketing and Communications

Alex Miller
Interim Director of Marketing and Communications

Edgar Iriarte
Web & Technology Manager

Bliss Parsons
Senior Graphic Designer

Adam Thomas
Events and Community Partnerships Manager

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

Alejandro Fabian
Policy & Research Associate
Administration

Yvette Rojas
Chief of Staff

Loyda Ramos
Administrative Services Partner

Carla Jimenez
Administrative Services Coordinator

Mario Melgarejo
Recruiting Assistant
Operations

Daniel Berger
Executive Director of Operations

David Pineda
Director of Operations and Grants

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 Manager

Dan Berman
Park Restoration Coordinator

Eduardo Moreno Ambriz
Park Assistant
Development

Robyn Rehak
Executive Director of Development

Saxon Miller-Jones
Associate Director of Development

Lucy Yoshioka
Development Associate

Sammy Glazer
Development Program Coordinator
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.
Sara Rutherford Nichols
Board Member
David A. Paschal
Board Member, Assistant General Manager, City of Los Angeles Department of General Services
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
Board Member, Founder, TreePeople
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