As a Project Manager, Anna helps to train and orient crews, scope new restoration sites, and communicate with agency partners to develop unique restoration plans. She grew up in the Seattle area with a deep love of the outdoors, especially our forests. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Washington, worked in a blood cancer pathology lab doing DNA sequencing, and then transitioned into the environmental field. Native prairie restoration in Central Minnesota with The Nature Conservancy was her first environmental job, where she spent 6 months harvesting seed from native prairie plants and assisting with prescribed burns. Her love and appreciation of learning and knowing plants really took root here.
Anna first worked with EarthCorps as a Crew Member and Crew Leader in 2019 and 2020, where she quickly affirmed that Pacific Northwest environmental restoration with a focus on equity and environmental justice within the field and for all members of the community would be a long term career path for her. She is excited to bring her recent corps experience to the team to advocate for the corps and provide background context to make every project meaningful.
When Anna’s not working, she is most often found entertaining her two dogs Orca and Ottie, hiking alongside rivers looking for cool plants and critters, playing board games and the Nintendo Switch, painting, and eating ice cream.
As a Logistics Assistant, Bella hopes to ensure that all crews feel prepared for camping trips, and generally supported for all their projects. She helps handle vehicle issues, broken tools and keeps the workshop in organized chaos with Paula.
Bella is from Colorado and has always loved being outdoors. She first developed an interest for environmental work while studying Ecology at Seattle Pacific University. She had the opportunity to study field Ecology in both Ecuador and Cambodia, which only deepened her love for field work! Bella served as a corps member for EarthCorps in 2021 and was most recently leading a “stream team” for King County’s macroinvertebrate stream surveying program.
When they’re not working, they are probably climbing, biking, or hanging out with her community. They love cooking large communal meals and attempting to garden.
Between camping with his family and working at a summer camp growing up, Brandon learned early to love being outside.
Brandon is from Lancaster, PA. He received his Master’s in Business Administration with a dual concentration in leadership and social impact from Eastern University. With a background working with youth, children, and their families, he is passionate about making positive change in the world.
Working as a residence hall director for international high school students, Brandon developed a love for the magic that cross-cultural experiences spark. As the Alumni Engagement Coordinator, he looks forward to facilitating a bit of the magic at EarthCorps while connecting with the incredible alumni from all over the world.
When not at work, Brandon can probably be found reading fantasy, getting lost in a new place, or obsessing over his dog, Atlas.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Brianna developed a deep love for the outdoors.
After graduating from the University of Oregon, she joined an in-house marketing and communications agency before pivoting to serve with AmeriCorps as a VISTA. Prior to joining the EarthCorps team, Brianna lived and worked in Cambodia – supporting initiatives for youth development in communities marginalized by poverty, gender, and social stigmas. With a passion for the environment and a commitment to transparency and equity, she is thrilled to join the EarthCorps team as the Communications Manager.
Outside of work, you can find Brianna paddle boarding with her dogs, tackling a woodworking project, or playing board games with friends.
Britt has spent the past eight years working in the environmental field, doing everything from spending ten consecutive days in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness digging pit toilets (fun!) to managing volunteer programs that engage thousands of community members each year (also fun!). Britt will forever hold dear the time she spent with her EarthCorps cohort in 2014. Through her work, she hopes to share a little bit of EarthCorps magic with present-day corps members and volunteers. In her spare time, Britt likes to stare at the Internet and sit on her couch. Sometimes she rides her bike (named Hedwig) and goes on long walks with a heavy backpack.
Chris graduated from the University of Colorado with a BA in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Chris began her journey with conservation/sustainability in the field, working on ecological monitoring sites and plant identification with several universities and non-profits. She eventually transitioned into more of an interpersonal role where she worked as an Advocate at a non-profit helping to eliminate barriers to success and teaching Child Youth Development to corps members.
As the Corps Operations Manager, Chris primary role is focusing on the people that make up our Corps. Understanding needs and figuring out ways to address those needs. With the help of the Program Team, Chris helps with day-to-day logistics of programming and supporting corps members throughout their time at EarthCorps.
Originally from Boulder, Colorado, Chris recently moved to Seattle from Bend, Oregon. Outside of work, Chris loves nothing more than getting out and exploring everything Seattle has to offer. When she is not out exploring, she can often be found hanging out with her dog, watching horror movies, or belting out her favorite tunes at karaoke.
Devon has spent all of her life in the Puget Sound region and has a deep love for our wildlife and ecosystems. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Minor in Geography from Western Washington University in 2015 and in 2018, she received a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Washington. Devon believes learning is a life-long journey and values it in all forms. She is passionate about supporting the development of opportunities for youth in marginalized communities to learn about and experience the natural world.
Devon comes to EarthCorps with six years of experience in the nonprofit sector, most of which was focused on development and administration in the environmental, education, and community inclusion fields. She is thrilled to join an organization that not only supports the health of Puget Sound ecosystems, but empowers youth in our community to become environmental leaders.
In her spare time, Devon enjoys visiting local parks and natural areas, playing board games (the only time you will see a competitive side!), trying new restaurants or recipes, and attending community events and concerts.
Elizabeth has a desire to connect people to the green places around them, to empower them to steward our urban forests and natural places and to help them discover their own leadership potential.
Elizabeth first joined EarthCorps as an AmeriCorps member in 2002 and led as a Crew Leader in 2003. Over the years she has been a Project Manager for EarthCorps’ Volunteer Program and the Program Manager of our Volunteer Team. She graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in English.
As Corps Coordinator, Ethan supports the Program Team in ensuring that the Program is running smoothly and the Corps Members are getting the support they need.
Before coming to Seattle, Ethan earned a BA in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Brown University in Rhode Island. In 2020, he moved to Seattle to join EarthCorps as a Crew Member where he fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and the passionate people at EarthCorps. Feeling galvanized by the experience, he returned in 2021 as a Crew Leader before returning again in 2022 to the Corps Coordinator role to help the Corps have an even better experience.
In Ethan’s spare time, he’s often playing piano, attempting to learn bass guitar, or raising his puppy Jolyne.
Evlyn brings not only a passion for the environment and youth development but also extensive experience in management, finance, fundraising, organizing, and advocacy across the academic, government, and nonprofit sectors. Evlyn is joining us from her most recent position as a Policy Advisor on Land Use, Environment, and Environmental Justice to San Diego County Board Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer. Evlyn’s experience also includes serving as the Development Director at Climate Action Campaign, and Manager for both the Office of Diversity and the Center for Public Health Practice at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. She has also served in numerous volunteer positions supporting low-income families on topics ranging from college admissions to substance abuse and addiction. Evlyn has been a passionate proponent of social, economic, and environmental justice and has served on various executive boards for Democratic clubs throughout the San Diego region, as well as the Sierra Club. She also has experience working on local, regional, and national political campaigns.
She believes that all creatures and things have a right to feel community and acceptance because we’re all interconnected. When the people are happy, the environment will be happy. In her free time, she enjoys cuddling her cats, eating food, taking care of shelter cats, practicing Tae Kwon Do, leisurely nature walks, waterfalls, archery, long conversations, camping, dancing, and concerts.
As Administrative Coordinator Irene oversees and improves upon organizational systems and office culture. Irene hails from California’s central valley (proud descendent of migrant farm workers and the people of the Aztecs), and in the recent decade has made the PNW her chosen home. With a degree in Environmental Studies from WWU, and an eclectic background dabbling in urban food systems, social media/events/product photography, and most recently finance, she can be considered the Swiss Army Knife of the organization. Irene considers herself to be a high functioning introvert, a secret master of deadpan comedy, and a bird nerd (just please don’t ask for any of the latin names). As a lover of all things environment (flora/fauna/green tech), healing and reconnecting with the land and food access and sovereignty rank high on her list of advocacy, and has experience with both through previous roles such as Produce Lead and as an ongoing Seward (Park) Steward with Green Seattle Partnership.
In her free time you can find Irene napping in a hammock, soaking up the weather (yes, rain or shine) with her comrades and some good food/local brews, enjoying a new film at the local arthouse, or tending to her houseplants.
Johnny is a versatile professional with experience as a CFO, communication coach, consultant, investor, and financial analyst. He is passionate about Environmental, Social, and Governance investing. As a startup CFO, he successfully raised and managed $1.65 million, leading to an acquisition. Johnny has also handled accounting for a large nonprofit with a $100 million budget and analyzed investments for an investment firm with $2.8 billion in assets under management. He began his career as a structured equity analyst for a top-tier investment bank.
Johnny holds an undergraduate degree from Stanford University, where he was awarded the Harry S Truman Scholarship for his public service in the child welfare field. He enjoys biking, meditating, cooking, and salsa dancing.
Jorge began his journey in conservation and environmental science while at the University of Redlands where he studied organic pollutants in the Sierra Nevada mountains. After graduation, he went on to work as an environmental specialist with a Native American tribe in Southern California, working to protect and preserve natural resources on Native lands. Most recently, Jorge was the Program Director for a wilderness summer camp providing environmental and experiential educational opportunities for individuals from historically marginalized communities.
Jorge Mendoza serves as the Corps Operations Manager where he supports and supervises corps members throughout their EarthCorps experience. Together with other staff, Jorge facilitates trainings and workshops that allow corps members to develop their leadership abilities and foster genuine connections with themselves and their communities.
Outside of his time at EarthCorps, Jorge can be found hiking or running with his dog Maya, climbing mountains, performing as part of a mariachi, reading, or testing out new recipes in the kitchen.
From 2017-2019, Mahleah Grant went to school for Environmental Studies and discovered that the best way to get to know others is through struggling together in the mud outside and working towards a common goal. She was an outdoor wellness leader in college and loved facilitating experiences for students and building connections. Through her time there, she discovered restoration and worked on a team to restore a small site at North Creek Forest in Bothell. She and her team organized volunteer events and witnessed firsthand the amazing transformation of the land when everyone worked together. This led her to seek out further opportunities to work in the field and learn more about the work being done in the Seattle area. Mahleah joined EarthCorps as a crew member in 2019 and returned the next year as a logistics specialist. Mahleah is very excited to be back as a field coordinator to help support the team and feels energized to be here in this important time in EarthCorps’ growth.
In Mahleas’s spare time, you can find her binge-watching shows, reading books or Co-Star and playing with her two dogs. She can also be found listening to music, swimming and getting artsy.
In 1993, Miguel came to Seattle from Chile to help launch the early stages of the EarthCorps program. He later joined founder Dwight Wilson taking the model created in Seattle to multiple countries worldwide. Now he has returned to EarthCorps to help the team expand and diversify our community of partners, projects, and services, especially among BIPOC communities.
Miguel is a social entrepreneur with extensive experience in creating multicultural and inclusive organizations. Throughout his professional career, Miguel’s work has focused on creating opportunities for underserved communities, promoting environmental protection, facilitating equitable access to technology, empowering women and girls, enhancing civic and community engagement, and establishing social innovation clusters.
When not working on his main activities. Miguel is an artmaker, enjoys carpentry and construction. A serious coffee lover, an avid cyclist, mountaineer, and a cuisine enthusiast.
Miranda seeks to align a career forwarding powerful solutions for global climate change with a personal life fostering a sustainable and inspired world.
Miranda joins EarthCorps after leading fundraising and development teams across Western Washington, from the North Olympic Salmon Coalition’s work leading salmon restoration on the Olympic Peninsula to the International Living Future Institute’s work spurring forward green design throughout the world.
Miranda’s interest in Earthcorps stems from her experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Kingdom of Tonga where she started fundraising for environmental and equity solutions. Now, she is tickled pink to join the team and partner with Evlyn to provide the funding required so that the next generation of environmental leaders have the social and technical skills needed to ensure all people and nature thrive together through an equitable, justice-oriented movement.
Nadia works as a Recruitment and Admin Coordinator. They organize the recruitment of annual corps members and EarthCorps staff, as well as assist Irene in all things office. Nadia largely grew up on the lands of the Duwamish, Stillaguamish, and Snoqualmie peoples, otherwise known as Issaquah and Sammamish. However, they consider their homelands to be split between Morocco and Scotland. They are passionate about land-based healing: such as understanding their local food systems or making art with local dyes and mediums. After graduating from Western Washington University, with a BA in American Cultural Studies and a focus on Race, Sexuality, and Language, Nadia has been continuing to question, learn, and grow without the pressure of academia. In their spare time, you can catch them in art galleries, listening to podcasts, or spending time with their dog (Scout) and cat (Penny). In summer months, Nadia frequents the farmers market, skate-park, and river. In the winter, they look forward to skiing, ice-skating, and working on indoor crafts.
Nelson conducts quantitative data analysis, develops vegetation management plans and site resource inventories, and addresses a variety of management goals and objectives. He has been providing GIS/GPS mapping and analysis for projects since 2005. In addition, Nelson trains and leads volunteers in restoration monitoring, forest inventory and analysis and native plant seed collection.
Nelson worked as an ecologist with Seattle Urban Nature before they merged with EarthCorps in 2010. Prior to that, he has worked with the Bureau of Land Management and the Student Conservation Association. He holds a BS in Botany from Humboldt State University and currently serves on the board as Botanist for the Puget Sound Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society.
Nelson can often be found squinting through a hand lens studying or photographing the lichens, bryophytes, and fungi that also make the Pacific Northwest their home. In his spare time, he enjoys exploring and discovering the natural world with his wife and two children.
From tool and vehicle acquisition to inventory and maintenance, to project management, Paula makes sure that behind the scenes systems and logistics are field ready. Paula works closely with the field team and corps members.
Before joining EarthCorps in 2010, she worked in conservation-related fields including habitat restoration, trail construction and as a wilderness ranger. She has years of experience as an international volunteer working on sustainable agriculture and land rights issues abroad. She has a BA in Political Science from The Evergreen State College.
Paula spends off time with her daughter enjoying local parks, mountains, and beaches.
Sean Day (they/them) hails from the Ohio River Valley. After earning a bachelor’s in IT and working a desk job for a few years, they began shifting towards environmental work through an internship on a small organic farm. Soon after Sean would put career aspirations on hold to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. After moving to Seattle in 2020 they wanted to serve the community and environment and found that could be best done through service at Earthcorps. After serving a term as a crew member, Sean worked as a crew lead before joining the staff as a Project Manager.
“My grandmother always made an effort to get us outside, be that in the backyard or on four-hour road trips to cave systems. Her persistence paid off as I developed a respect and admiration for various ecosystems. The curiosity she instilled has led me to eventually follow a career path that aims to restore and preserve these ecosystems. I’m excited to continue that work this year with an all new cohort. I’m certain we will have so much to learn from each-other.”
As a Project Manager, Whitney develops and manages ecological restoration projects for EarthCorps. Whitney is passionate about collaborating with stakeholders to develop ecologically healthy ecosystems.
Whitney has a BS in Natural Resources and Environmental Management and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Washington. In 2013, 2014 and 2016 Whitney was a crew member, crew leader, and field specialist right here at EarthCorps! Between time spent at EarthCorps, Whitney was a trail construction intern for the NPS, a trail construction supervisor for the USFS and a landscape technician for In Harmony organic landscaping.
Whitney enjoys typical PNW activities, such as hiking, backpacking, KEXP, and music events.