ROOTED

Lylianna Allala, an EarthCorps alum, is the Deputy Director for the City of Seattle’s Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE). Over nearly seven years with OSE, she has served as Equity and Environment Manager, Climate Justice Director, and now Deputy Director, providing strategic leadership on policies and programs that address the root causes and impacts of climate change, including citywide implementation of Seattle’s Equity and Environment Initiative, Seattle’s Green New Deal, and Seattle’s Climate Action Plan. Prior to joining the City of Seattle, she led climate and environmental policy and outreach for U.S. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, and she began her career in trail building, habitat restoration, and ecology, with a focus on upland and urban forests and wetlands. With expertise in organizational development, change management, race and social equity, systems thinking, and building high-functioning teams, Lylianna has a talent for designing and launching new strategies, programs, and policies that co-develop solutions toward a more equitable and just world.

Her leadership was recognized on the 2023 Grist 50 list for her role as a bridge between environmental policy, community engagement, and climate justice. She is a 2019 Henry M. Jackson Foundation Leadership Fellow and a 2024 Obama Foundation USA Leader, where she co-convenes the Obama Leaders Climate Community of Practice. Lylianna holds a B.A. in English from Winona State University, along with certificates in Climate Change and Public Health from Yale University, Non-Profit Management from Georgetown University, and Wetland Science and Management from the University of Washington. She serves on the boards of Seattle’s Short Run Comix & Arts Festival and The Nature Conservancy, Washington, and is a co-creator of Growing Old, a podcast exploring what it would take for Seattle to become a place where both trees and humans can grow old.

After studying environmental science at Western Washington University, Pablo (he/they) discovered a passion for restoration ecology while completing two terms with the Washington Conservation Corps, where they partnered with the Snoqualmie Tribe and Seattle Public Utilities to steward wetlands and the Snoqualmie and Cedar River watersheds. In 2025, Pablo joined EarthCorps as a Crew Lead, an experience that proved transformative in building community and mentoring the next generation of environmental professionals. Pablo  is excited to continue stewarding ecosystems as a Crew Supervisor in 2026.

Pablo loves both learning and teaching plant identification and restoration skills — brushcutting especially. In 2026, they’re looking forward to working alongside a new cohort of environmental stewards and getting back out into the field together. Outside of work, Pablo enjoys spending time with friends, listening to podcasts, watching YouTube, and simply noticing the plants and animals around them.

Ruby Whelan is a Crew Leader for the 2026 term at EarthCorps, and previously served as a Crew Member in 2025. In addition to her role at EarthCorps, she is currently volunteering with Friends of Lake Samammish State park to redesign their rain gardens, develop a management plan for the site, and strengthen their volunteer resources.

Ruby was born in Australia, and spent her youth living in Wisconsin, Singapore, and Washington. Her international childhood inspired a deep appreciation of culture and community, which she maintains throughout all of her work. Ruby graduated with a BA in Sociology with Honors from the University of Washington, where her interests lay in criminal justice, gender studies, and environmental justice. Her research was awarded the Public Health Recognition Award, and she had the honor of being a Husky 100 recipient in 2024. Ruby ultimately hopes to pursue a career at the intersection of culture and the environment.