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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