Chris has eighteen years of experience implementing and managing restoration projects in the Sacramento Valley. Chris gained his first habitat restoration experience while working with Hedgerow Farms in the mid-nineties. Since then, Chris has managed and implemented habitat restoration projects for the Yolo County Resource Conservation District, Colusa County Resource Conservation District and was the Habitat Restoration Program Manager for Audubon California’s Landowner Stewardship Program for seven years. He now serves as the Executive Director for Solano RCD. Chris is a current board member of the Putah Creek Council and is a former president of the California Native Grasslands Association. Chris graduated from UC Davis with a degree in political science with an emphasis in environmental studies and planning and a minor in natural resources.

Deputy Executive Director
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Katherine manages and implements a wide diversity of restoration programs for Solano RCD. She works with a variety of public and private partners to eradicate invasive weeds, propagate and install native plants, design and install irrigation systems, and monitor program success. Her projects have included riparian corridor enhancement, on-farm conservation (hedgerows and wildlife ponds), and rangeland weed control. She chairs the Solano County Weed Management Area. Katherine has worked for Solano RCD since 2007; prior to that she worked for six years in resource management for California State Parks and eight years in recycling coordination for the city of Manteca. Katherine holds a BS in Biology/Botany from CSU Stanislaus and a PhD in Ecology from UC Davis.

Office Manager
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Caitlyn has worked for Solano RCD since 2016. She wears many hats for the RCD including office manager, bookkeeper and Board Clerk for the Solano RCD Board of Directors. Her responsibilities also include coordinating payroll with Solano County, maintaining personnel records and general office management. Caitlyn joined the RCD team with over 10 years of experience in various office settings. Born and raised in Solano County, she loves that the RCD gives so much back to the community she calls home. Caitlyn earned a BA in History from UC Santa Barbara in 2011.

Restoration Project Manager 
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Elizabeth graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2018 with a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. In 2016 she started assisting with ecological restoration along the California Central Coast at Younger Lagoon Reserve of the UC Natural Reserve system. While beginning her work ecological restoration, she has worked for two different plant ecology labs at UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis where she assisted in research on an invasive legume of the Pacific Northwest, plant fungal interactions, and species coexistence patterns along the California Coast. As one of the newer members of the Solano RCD team she is eager to learn more about ecological restoration practices, Solano county flora and fauna, and forming successful partnerships with local land owners and public entities.

Watershed Project Manager
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Amy has worked for Solano RCD since July 2008 and manages a variety of projects that aim to involve landowners, farmers and ranchers in creating wildlife habitat, controlling erosion, improving water quality and sequestering carbon on their land. She also monitors urban water quality for the cities of Fairfield, Suisun City and Vallejo in partnership with other Bay Area groups, and works with the Solano County Water Agency to manage a County-wide Small Grant program for flood control. Her previous work experience includes running a small landscaping business, conducting research on nutrient cycling and greenhouse gas emissions in agricultural systems, and environmental outreach on climate change and sustainable agriculture at UC Davis. She earned a BA in Biology from UC Santa Cruz in 1997 and an MS in Ecology from UC Davis in 2003.

Restoration Project Manager
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Sarah began working for Solano RCD in January 2016 as Restoration Project Manager, and since then has managed a variety of habitat restoration, enhancement, and invasive species management projects. Prior to joining the RCD, Sarah came with over 10 years of experience working with natural resource conservation organizations, including the California Department of Boating and Waterways, Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency, Sacramento Area Creeks Council, The Nature Conservancy at Cosumnes River Preserve, and the Sacramento Tree Foundation. Her work and volunteer experiences have centered on native plant establishment, habitat restoration, invasive plant management, and vegetation monitoring throughout Sacramento Valley. Sarah earned a B.S. in Ecological Management and Restoration from U.C. Davis.

Conservation Project Manager
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Since coming to Solano RCD in 2006, Andrea has managed projects focused on enhancing native plant communities and wildlife habitat on private and public lands. Andrea coordinates with the RCD’s federal partner—the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service—to provide technical and planning assistance to county residents and producers in order to achieve conservation goals on private lands. She also works with the Dixon-Solano RCD Water Quality Coalition, assisting agricultural producers to comply with state water quality regulations. Before coming to Solano RCD, Andrea held positions with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, California Resources Agency, and the California Department of Fish and Game. She was awarded a BA in English and Biology from Saint Mary’s College of Maryland in 1996 and a MS in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from Virginia Tech in 2001.

Restoration Project Manager
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John studied Ecology and Evolution at CSU San Bernardino. He got started working in conservation and horticulture at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden and the Bureau of Land Management. While living and working on a farm in the central Sierras, he learned about conservation practices in agriculture and began growing native plants for the farm. Following that experience, he has worked with many farmers on similar projects, and continues to do so now as a Restoration Technician with Solano RCD.

Conservation Project Manager
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Karin completed her Wildlife and Education studies at UC Davis in 2013. She has been working in environmental fields for 8 years and has experience in education, habitat restoration, and fisheries biology. She enjoys combining her educational and professional backgrounds with an array of outdoor activities and finding new ways to explore the world around her. Her enthusiasm for the outdoors and ecology complement her engaging teaching style and help her excite students about natural resource conservation.

Watershed Project Manager
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Kevin graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a major in Environmental Science with an emphasis in water pollution. He has assisted with research on Tamarisk and Phragmites with the RIVR Lab, as well as interned as an invasive mussel inspector with a WIT II certification and as a water resource intern with the Solano County Water Agency. As a Water Quality Technician and a certified SUAS pilot for Solano RCD, Kevin continues his exploration of the environmental science world and works to expand his skill base and passion for environmental stewardship.

Restoration Field Manager
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David joined Solano RCD in 2020. Originally from Contra Costa County, David spent the last 16 years working in community organizing, urban agriculture and environmental just in New York City. As Director of the East New York Farms! Project, he helped establish 5 new urban farms and developed collaborative research projects on specialty crops, native pollinators, composting, urban soil quality, and youth development. He first got involved in restoration as a crew leader in Northwest Youth Corps, and has been helping his family with a prairie and oak savannah restoration in Iowa for over a decade. He studied at Deep Springs College and received his BA at Columbia University.

Restoration Project Coordinator
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Sammy first fell in love with restoration, volunteering in high school, hand weeding California Least Tern nesting sites for the San Diego Audubon Society. He then went onto UC Davis where he worked as a Seasonal Restoration Technician for Cache Creek Conservancy and a Co-Coordinator for the Learning by Leading Ecological Land Management Team at UC Davis while attending college. After graduating from UC Davis, with a B.S. in Ecological Management and Restoration, he worked as a Seasonal Restoration Technician for Yolo Resource Conservation District and an On-Call Biologist for Transcon Environmental. As a new member of Solano RCD this year he is excited to be part of the stewardship of land in Solano County and getting to work with the people who live and work in the county.

Restoration Project Coordinator
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Orlaith graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Environmental Horticulture and an emphasis in Ecological restoration. Before joining Solano RCD, she interned on the horticulture team at Cache Creek Conservancy and on the Environmental Land Management team through the UC Davis Putah Creek Riparian Reserve, while also helping with ecological research throughout all of her classes. She helps install, maintain and implement Restoration plans throughout our sites. Orlaith is an avid outdoor and plant enthusiast, and is thrilled to join the team! As a Project Coordinator, she is excited to understand more restoration practices and techniques, get involved in more community outreach, and continue to experience different ecological landscapes. All while changing the world, one plant at a time.

Restoration Project Coordinator
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Beck helps implement and plan on-the-ground fieldwork to install, maintain, and monitor the SRCD's restoration sites. After studying Ecological Restoration and Geospatial Analysis at Cal Poly Humboldt, they had great experiences working as part of the Forest Service Hiawatha National Forest recreation team and the Bureau of Land Management Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring team in Western Colorado. She hopes to apply her skills at the Solano RCD while learning how to navigate partnerships, apply restoration practices, and contribute to new ones in an ecologically complex and increasingly urbanized landscape.

Environmental Education Director
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Marianne has been managing Solano RCD's education program since 2008 and she has more than twenty years combined experience as a watershed educator. Marianne works collaboratively with partners and funders throughout the region to create and implement K-12 environmental education programs that reach over 10,000 students annually. Programs focus on water education and best reflect Solano County's priority environmental concerns. Marianne coordinates three large scale annual County cleanup events and acts as a liaison between Solano County, its cities and the California Coastal Commission. Marianne manages the Lake Berryessa Boater Outreach Program promoting water quality at the County's primary drinking water source, as well as other boater outreach programs throughout the County. In addition to managing programs, Marianne hires and manages a team of ten full and part-time educators. She holds a BA in Education and an MS in Natural Resources with an emphasis on sustainability. She has completed the New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Americorps Program and several environmental internships in New Jersey, Maryland and Arizona during her career.

Environmental Education Program Manager
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Originally from Duluth, Minnesota, Lee is an enthusiastic educator, public speaker, and education program developer. Lee’s experience includes leading and developing tours, summer camps, K-12 curriculum, and hands-on programming at a variety of museums, including the UW-Madison Geology Museum, California Academy of Sciences, and the Aerospace Museum of California. Lee taught English as a Second Language in San Francisco and Ecuador and is interested in how Next Generation Science Standards can also support English Language Learners. Lee graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a double-major in Anthropology and Zoology and a certificate in Archaeology. In her free time, Lee enjoys hiking, cooking, and traveling to new places. Lee oversees Solano RCD's Watershed Explorers Program, the School Water Education Program, and Benicia Water Education Program.

Environmental Education Program Manager
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Shea manages Solano RCD's Suisun Marsh Watershed Education Program and the Solano County Biomonitoring Program, as well as professional development programs for teachers. Prior to joining Solano RCD, Shea was an organizer with a non-profit that worked with scientists and activists to advocate for science-based federal policymaking. She also previously taught high school English and was the faculty sponsor for her students’ environmental clubs. Shea enjoys combining her lifelong passion for environmental issues and education in her work in Solano County. She earned her BA and MA in English from Georgetown University. 

Assistant Education Program Manager
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A Solano County native, Sierra earned her degree in Environmental Education and Interpretation from Humboldt State University in 2018. Sierra went on to work as an educator for several non-profit organizations such as Friends of the Dunes and Sequoia Park Zoo. After spending several years in the Pacific Northwest, she returned to Solano in 2021. Sierra enjoys bird watching and going on nature adventures with her young daughter. Helping students explore the world around them is by far her favorite part of environmental education. She believes that there is nothing more rewarding than working with the future generation of stewards that will protect this place she calls home.

Assistant Education Program Manager
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Stephanie found her enjoyment of water and the outdoors early, spending many childhood hours at the rocky and sandy beaches of Monterey Bay and the cool blue of Lake Tahoe. After moving with her family to Texas as a teen, she earned her degree at Texas A&M University and followed her love and nature and learning into a career in science education. Stephanie joins us at SRCD with a decade of formal and informal teaching to draw on including classroom experience in elementary science lab and 4th and 5th grades, creating and leading interdisciplinary K-12 summer and after school programs, and a season of watershed-specific environmental education in the Carmel Valley. With her training as a Certified Interpretive Guide and a California Naturalist she brings an interest in our interconnected ecosystems and a focus on facilitating experiences of wonder for all students. In her personal time, you can find her volunteering at The Marine Mammal Center, scouring tidepools for nudibranchs, cooking, or reading.