Board of Directors, 2021-2022
Don McDougall, Co-Chair
Retired software CEO, now nature and environment experience and learning advocate
Growing up at the foot of the Canadian Rockies, Don has a passion for nature, learning, and now, all things von Humboldt. Retiring from a career leading high growth tech companies, he has led Library Commissions as they shift from books to community gathering places, led Parks and Recreation commissions to think about more open and inclusive use of open, and volunteered for EV in classrooms and on hikes. Don also enjoys being a docent and leader at Point Lobos Natural Reserve in Carmel, CA. Don believes that education, and especially that “all things are connected in nature” (Von Humboldt) is important and necessary to develop and foster the love, care and stewardship of nature needed to protect our challenged natural environment. Like his time leading entrepreneurial companies, Don actively embraces this education challenge.
Debra McLaughlin, Co-Chair
Senior Manager of Corporate Responsibility at formally Symantec Corporation
Debra has over 20 years of experience in sustainability and corporate responsibility. Most recently, Debra led ESG reporting and grantmaking for a large cybersecurity company in the Bay Area. She holds a M.S. from The London School of Economics and Political Science and a B.S. in Finance from Boston College.
Debra found her way to the EV six years ago through her professional life and has been involved with the EV ever since. She joined the EV board in 2016 and served as the board as Secretary for the first four years. Now in her second year as Co-Chair, Debra seeks to address the climate emergency for our future generations.
Originally an east coaster, Debra moved to California in 2006 and fell in love with the stunning coastline and forests. Spending time in nature has always helped Debra reset and relieve stress and she is passing on her love of the natural world to her son and daughter.
Kimberly McMorrow, Secretary
Retired environmental attorney
Kimberly practiced environmental law for 28 years and served as Special Environmental Counsel at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati for 17 years. Kimberly has for decades been committed to empowering youth through education and connecting them to the outdoors. In addition to serving as President of the Woodside Elementary School District Board, Kimberly has tutored at schools on the Peninsula, including Eastside College Preparatory in East Palo Alto. In 2005, she started an outdoor environmental education program at Eastside creating opportunities for students to connect with the wonders of nature and take part in challenging outdoor adventures such as backpacking, rafting, rock climbing, and skiing.
Michael Patrick, Treasurer / Finance Chair
Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at Merlyn.AI Corporation
Mike is currently the Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at Merlyn.AI Corporation. Before Merlyn, Mike was a partner at the law firm of Fenwick & West. After leaving Fenwick, Mike became active in mentoring at-risk youth in Redwood City. From Sept. 2017 to Sept. 2019, Mike served as Co-President of the Board of La Comida (a Palo Alto-based non-profit) and he served on the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury for two terms (2017-18 and 2018-19). Mike joined EV’s Board because of his deep concerns about environmental issues and education and is currently the Chairperson of the Board’s Projections and Tracking Committee. Mike is an avid bicyclist and also enjoys spending time playing the guitar and building wooden ship models.
Diana Garcia, DEI Committee Chair
Senior Global Finance leader
Diana is an experienced finance professional with over 20 years of solid hands-on experience in financial planning , analysis, and global investment management. She minored in environmental science after spending a year abroad being inspired by the natural wonders of Norway. She joined the EV to enable kids, especially far reaching students, to experience what she saw in Norway – the beauty of the natural world.
Rodrigo Alfaro
Executive Director at BUILD
Rodrigo Alfaro brings over a decade experience in community outreach and nonprofit leadership from churches to college access orgs across the Bay Area. A true relationship builder, Rodrigo consistently seeks ways to unify diverse partners in service to equity for under-represented communities. As a native of El Salvador who moved to the Bay Area at a young age, Rodrigo brings a deeply personal perspective to hi role. He experienced first-hand challenges many immigrants face balancing diverse cultural identities, and the transformative power of entrepreneurship for families like his own.
Michael Eldredge
Senior Director, Oracle Corporation
Michael Eldredge brings experience to non-profits from a wide range of environments including start-up and public technology companies, management consulting, and academic research. Michael has served on non-profit boards supporting Nature exploration and education, environmental advocacy, wildlife rescue, music in schools, and childhood and family Social and Emotional Learning.
Kayaking, tidepooling, scuba diving, and hiking have anchored his connections to Nature. His interests also include playing guitar, working in a little home recording studio, or bike riding.
Michael holds a MS and BS in Electrical Engineering / Computer Systems from Stanford University.
Marion Krause
Formerly the Transition Specialist for Special Needs students, Palo Alto Unified School District
Marion Krause was born in Honolulu, Hawaii but moved to California when she was only 8 months old so she considers herself a true Californian. She was raised in Palo Alto and continues to live in Palo Alto today. Marion graduated from University of the Pacific and later earned an MBA from Santa Clara University. Marion had a varied career but the last twenty years were spent working for Palo Alto Unified School District as a teacher and Transition Specialist working with Special Needs kids in helping them transition from high school into whatever their next steps were after graduation. It was rewarding and fulfilling work.
Marion is a life-long birder and environmental activist. After retiring in 2013, she joined Environmental Volunteers as an environmental education volunteer. She believes that exposing young children to our natural world and teaching them the importance of a healthy planet, is a key component in producing the next generation of environmentalists. In 2016, she was asked to join the EV Board and was co-chair from 2017-2019.
Jeff Langston
Advising start-ups and growth companies on product, technology and leadership
Jeff joined the Board of Environmental Volunteers in 2020 and is excited to contribute to EV’s mission – to promote the understanding of and responsibility for the environment through hands-on science education. Beyond EV, Jeff advises start-ups and growth companies on product, technology and leadership, and teaches computer science. Jeff’s passion for delivering innovative products to customers through durable technology has shaped his extensive career in software technology, during which he has enjoyed roles ranging from developer to start-up CTO and senior vice president of a Fortune 500 company.
Dudley Andersen
Financial Advisor, Corporate Executive and
Business Founder
Dudley Andersen attended the U. S. Coast Guard Academy, then earned a B.M.E. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. He has had a varied career as a management consultant, business founder, corporate executive, and financial advisor. He was the Director of General Management Consulting at SRI International, co-founder of a financial advisory firm, Senior Director for Corporate Development & Strategy at Apple, Inc., and was a business consultant to several other major firms.
Dudley has had a continuing interest in education and the environment. He joined the Board of Environmental Volunteers in 2014 and was CFO 2016 – 2020. Dudley also serves/served on several other non-profit Boards or Advisory Committees, including the Foothill-DeAnza Foundation; the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee for the Foothill-DeAnza Community College District; the Cardiac Therapy Foundation of the Mid-Peninsula; and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
Maya Watts
Consulting with nonprofit, education, ed-tech and other organizations and individuals
Maya brings a blend experience across high tech, social impact, and nonprofit. Her passion has always centered around children and education – and it was this combination that brought her to the EV. She has served on the Board’s marketing & communications, donor relations, and projections and tracking committees, lending her expertise in marketing, communications, operations and people management. Maya finds respite and adventure in the outdoors; she’s an avid skier and swimmer and loves exploring new beaches and hiking trails.
A Bay Area native, Maya resides in Menlo Park with her family. Her two daughters, participants of EV’s incredible field trip program, and husband inspire her every day. Maya holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School Business and a BA in Communication Studies from UCLA.
Hazel Watson
Environmental Volunteer Docent and former science educator
Hazel trained to be an EV school programs volunteer in 2016. When offered a place on the Board she jumped at the chance to be a part of an organization whose mission she passionately believed in. Hazel’s love for the environment and nature has been a theme since early childhood whether it was walking on the beaches of her hometown, Bridlington, or exploring the woods and fields on her grandparent’s farm in the Yorkshire Wolds, UK. Hazel was the first in her family to attend college and went to Bristol to study applied biology at the University of the West of England. After 10 years working in medical and veterinary science laboratories in Bristol and Paris, she then trained as a biology high school teacher. In 1999, she moved with her family to California. There she became a PTA volunteer in the local schools, which led her to find the EV. Hazel’s perfect EV day is taking a group of kids on a walk, watching their curiosity unfold as they observe their surroundings. Hazel has been on the EV Board since 2018.
Staff
Brittany Sabol (she/her/s)
Managing Director | Brittany@EVols.org
Brittany came to environmental education for one reason – she is a leo. Born in late July, Brittany’s mother started a lion collection inspired by the zodiac. She grew up learning everything about the African Lion. After a suggestion from a friend to take that knowledge and become a zookeeper, she headed off to the University of Minnesota to receive a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and a Bachelor of Arts in Theater (due to a lifelong passion of putting on a show). Over her career, Brittany has taught theater in an after-school program, wildlife ecology at a rehabilitation center, and design and engineering at The Tech Museum of Innovation. Working at the Environmental Volunteers brings together all of her passions: teaching kids in our programs and adults in our volunteer training courses, designing innovative and creative curriculum (which is more like a theater piece than some realize), and spending time out of doors because your boss expects it.
Christine Zack (she/her/s)
Education Operations Manager | Christine@EVols.org
Christine joined the Environmental Volunteers team in 2017. She has a degree in biological anthropology from UC San Diego and masters in Biology where she studied communication among polar bears. Christine, worked in research for nine years at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research specializing in the reintroduction and translocation of endangered species such as the San Clemente loggerhead shrike, burrowing owl, Stephens’ kangaroo rat, and the Los Angeles pocket mouse. She flirted with a career in environmental education since the start, working for the San Diego Natural History Museum and teaching ecology at the Elementary Institute of Science but it wasn’t until she relocated to the bay area that it took hold. Since then she has worked for the education departments of Santa Clara County Open Space Authority and Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society. Christine, is passionate about working with volunteers and is an active volunteer herself for SFBBO and several community science projects. In 2016, she became a California naturalist which was an excellent way to combine her interests in ecology, birding, reading, gardening, volunteering, and community science.
Drew Thompson (he/him/his)
Program Coordinator | Drew@EVols.org
Drew joined Environmental Volunteers in 2018 as a school programs and EcoCenter Intern. He graduated from San Jose State University in December of 2018, with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and a minor in environmental restoration. His academic and personal passion is in environmental conservation and restoration, and before joining the environmental volunteers Drew interned with another bay-area based environmental non-profit, Grassroots Ecology. Through his current role, Drew has found a new passion in Environmental Education, finding it to be engaging, fulfilling, and a lot of fun. He joined the Environmental Volunteers as a full time staff member in the beginning on 2019, and works to further environmental education through the schools and the communities of the Bay Area. In his personal time he is a music nerd who also enjoys painting and hiking throughout the bay area and beyond.
Elliott Wright (he/him/his)
Executive Director | Elliott@EVols.org
Elliott has spent his life focused on equity in experiential education and philanthropy to protect the rivers, lakes, wetlands, oceans, and forests that sustain all life and allow a stable climate. Growing up on native land of the Jemez people in New Mexico with two hippie parents and wild-child siblings, Elliott explored regenerative systems between people and nature, and began a journey to understand the intersectionality of race, gender, ableism, and justice as keys to scale the environmental movement. After graduating from a nonprofit management fellowship with El Pomar Foundation, and receiving a Biology degree from Bowdoin College, Elliott began his career in education and conservation in 2007. Since then Elliott has worked locally and globally to scale solutions to the climate and biodiversity crisis at a variety of organizations. Elliott’s new focus at Environmental Volunteers is on scaling volunteer-driven programs and providing exceptional and equitable experiences for all ages in nature. He believes strongly that a thoughtful, culturally relevant, enthusiastically-designed and passionately executed outdoor program can be life-changing and life-affirming. Elliott loves trail running, triathlons, climbing, playing guitar, baking bread and laughing with his family and friends.
Jahmal White (he/him/his)
Communications Coordinator | Jahmal@EVols.org
Jahmal White was born and raised in the Bay Area. He earned his Bachelor Degree of Science in Human Services at Notre Dame University in Belmont CA. And later earned his NOAA certification as a Farallone Naturalist at the Greater Farallone Association in San Francisco CA. Jahmal became connected with the EV center in the spring of 2019, as an EV volunteer to learn more about nature and the environmental field and was later hired as communications coordinator in the fall of 2020. Jahmal currently works for the San Bruno Park School District as a school district behaviorist with children with autism and special needs and also speaks ASL. His hobbies are spending most of his time outdoors, watching old movies, spending time on the coast to go bird watching, the beach, drawing art sketches, reading, and listening to classical, folk, country, jazz, and R&B.
Katarina Pittis (she/her/s)
Marketing & Communications Director Katarina@sproutup.org
Katarina’s passion for environmental education started when she was a 1st grader and a youth organization visited her classroom to talk about water conservation. She grew up in the countryside of Santa Fe, New Mexico and this piqued her interest in how droughts impacted her local environment. This classroom experience stuck with her, so she joined Sprout Up in 2015 as a lead instructor, with the hope that she could also inspire children. She graduated from NYU with a degree in Film and Television and continues to use her passion for storytelling to highlight environmental issues. In addition to her work with Sprout Up, she is a photographer and filmmaker and has worked on a variety of short documentaries about water pollution, wildlife conservation, and environmental justice. In her spare time, Katarina likes to hike and spend time with her cats.
Kendall Post (she/her/s)
Sprout Up Director of Growth | Kendall@sproutup.org
Kendall is passionate about inspiring and igniting the next generation of environmental problem solvers and nature lovers. Her first formal introduction to being an environmental educator was through the Sprout Up chapter at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she volunteered as a classroom lead instructor and worked on the education team to refresh the chapter’s curriculum. Since graduating from UCSB in 2019 with a degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Elementary Math and Science Education, Kendall has spent the last several years mentoring college students and developing environmental education programs for the non-profit organizations Acterra and Gravity Water. She loves exploring new trails and outdoor spaces around the Bay Area, finding secondhand treasures at thrift stores, and tending to her houseplant and succulent collection.
Maddie Taylor (they/them)
Sprout Up National Director | Maddie@sproutup.org
Maddie graduated from Barnard College in 2017 with a degree in Environmental Biology. They are a founding member of Sprout Up NYC. They have worked in environmental education for seven years including positions at Hudson River Park Trust, NASA, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. They recently published their Barnard thesis on a very specific type of seaweed. In their free time, Maddie likes learning about social theory, going foraging in the woods, and hanging out with their dog, Winnie.
Molly Landrith (she/her/s)
Volunteer Programs Specialist | Molly@EVols.org
Molly was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit and moved to the Bay Area in 2015 to marry her college sweetheart. She found her way to the EV because it was the perfect combination of passion for nature and people. She enjoys spending time outside, especially close to the ocean. Molly loves meeting new people and welcoming them into the EV family.
Ricky Davis (he/him/his)
Volunteer Coordinator | Rick@EVols.org
Rick Davis loves the outdoors and the environment. His love of the outdoors starting when he was a kid in scouting. Ricky then went on to get an Associate in Science in Park Management in 2007 from West Valley, with the hopes of becoming a Park Ranger. Due to a lack of jobs in government at the time, he decided to pursue further education and got a Bachelor of Science from San Jose State University in Recreation Management in 2013. After this, Ricky entered the non-profit wold as a volunteer coordinator for Guadalupe River Park Conservancy. Since then, he has also worked for two other nonprofits serving low income and unhoused community.
Ricky is very excited to get back to his roots in environmental and outdoor education. When he is not working, he loves to play with his 120 pound dog, practicing martial arts and doing photography of Mother Nature.
Toby Goldberg (she/her/s)
School & Collaboration Programs Manager | Toby@EVols.org
Toby has been working in the field of Environmental Education for about 12 years, but her pathway to that career field has been circuitous and varied. Originally planning a career in either Veterinary Medicine or Conservation Ecology Research, Toby quickly discovered that she is a nature-nerd people-person who can’t stomach blood. Hailing from the Boston area, Toby came out to California to attend Stanford University, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology. Spending a couple of years doing research overseas in Chile and Israel helped her connect with many different cultures and languages, but she returned to California to get her Master’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UC Santa Barbara. Returning to the Bay Area in 2006, Toby worked for the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society in their Education Department for about 10 years before joining the EV team in 2016. Interspersing her love of nature with her love of music, Toby spends her free time hiking, kayaking, and singing with a local choir.
Tanya Heravian (she/her/s)
Sprout Up Special Projects | TanyaHeravian@sproutup.org
Tanya Heravian Co Founded Sprout Up in 2009 while attending the University of California, Santa Barbara. She developed and held the Director of Operations position for 6 years and spent 2 years as Executive Director before moving to England to pursue a Masters in Environmental Policy and Management. Her favorite Sprout Up lesson to teach is the Importance of Bees! Tanya loves traveling to new places, drinking cold brew, and trivia.
Emeritus Board Directors (partial list – please let us know if you served the Board of EV in our past 49 years!)
| John Armstrong | Kathy Jaunich | Octavio Rodriguez |
| Gwendolyn Barry | Julie Jerome | Nancy Rubin |
| Andrea Boehmer | Carmen Jung | Jennifer Saltzman |
| Carol Broadbent Fields | Irene Junga | Beth Scanlan |
| Nina Brooks | Chloe Kamprath | Linda Schild-Jones |
| Barbara Carlitz | Rosa King | Harvey Schloss |
| Liz Caulkins | Megan Koch | Paula Shea |
| Wanda Cavanaugh | Frosty Krieger | Andrea Shearn |
| Alex Chan | ||
| Marge Collins | Susan Lang | Nan Shostak |
| Diane Conradson | Leslie Larson | Ruth Sothern |
| Erin Craig | Noella Levy | Larry Spivak |
| Davy Davidson | Karen Li | Michelle Spring |
| Bob Dodge | Tom Lindsay | Alison Takata |
| Josh Eagle | Stanley Mantell | Giridhar Tatavarti |
| Ros Edmonds | Ann Marsh-Meigs | Barton Thompson |
| Jennifer Edwards | Sajjad Masud | Eric Tiegel |
| Jan Fenwick | Robert McIntyre | Sally Tomlinson |
| Janis Freestone | Janeen Tuitupou | |
| Joyce Friedrichs | ||
| Hillary Gans | Liz Meyerhoff | Ellen Turbow |
| Sandy Gant | Julie Mickelson | Victoria Von Schell |
| Joe Geist | Vicki Moore | Al Wilhelm |
| Kate Godfrey | Shari Mullen | Betty Wortel |
| Alayne Greenwald | Nancy Newman | Barb Zoellin-Malm |
| Jeanette Guthart | John Northway | Mary Zvirblis |
| Susan Hansen | Anne Page | |
| Mary Haslam | Mary Paine Jerry Patrick | |
| Jerry Hearn | Heather Perlitch | |
| Janet Hedley | Nancy Peterson | |
| Christy Holloway | Robert Phillips | |
| Stephanie Hughes | Lisa Positeri | |
| Louise Hunt | Margot Rawlins | |
| Jan Hustler | Marilyn Regan |