STAFF

A native Californian, Dave brought passion and 25 years of conservation work on the San Joaquin River to Sonoma Land Trust in 2015. He guided the development of our strategic plan and advances land protection while implementing new programs for community engagement and the Russian River. Dave is on the board of California Council of Land Trusts. In 2012, he received the Partner in Conservation Award from the Department of the Interior for his work restoring the San Joaquin as a National Waterway. Dave lives near Sebastopol. He likes hardware stores, anything outdoors, Bob Dylan and the San Francisco Giants.

Melissa Frediani

Executive Administrator

As the executive administrator for Sonoma Land Trust, Melissa is the liaison to the board of directors managing various board activities, as well as supporting the work of the management team. Melissa has called Santa Rosa home for over 20 years and her husband comes from multiple generations rooted in Sonoma County. Raising their two teenage children with a solid appreciation for the great outdoors has always been a priority. Prior to working at Sonoma Land Trust, Melissa had a 20-year career in the medical industry in sales, marketing and product development. She is excited to have made a career shift to follow her passion and be involved with an organization that makes a significant positive community impact.

Wendy Eliot

Conservation Director

Wendy has spent nearly two decades with Sonoma Land Trust, where she has led conservation planning and land acquisition projects and secured funds to carry out the Land Trust’s conservation agenda. Previously, Wendy worked in land conservation for over 20 years for several nonprofit and government agencies, including the California State Coastal Conservancy and Washington Department of Ecology. Wendy has a BS in botany from the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay and an MA in landscape architecture and environmental planning from UC Berkeley.

Sara Press

Land Acquisition Program Manager

Sara manages Sonoma Land Trust’s acquisition program in the Russian River watershed and coastal region. She has over 10 years of experience doing this type of conservation work, previously with the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. Prior to Ag + Open Space, Sara worked as an urban and regional planner throughout the Bay Area. She grew up in Mendocino County and currently lives in West County. Sara has a master’s degree in geography from the University of Oregon and professional certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners. Outside of work, Sara enjoys traveling, hiking and dancing.

Jeff Conti

Land Acquisition Project Coordinator

Jeff supports the acquisition team’s work in the Russian River watershed and Sonoma Coast. He grew up in New Jersey, but his passion for conservation was fueled by traversing and building trails in the mountains of Montana two years after college. Before moving to Sonoma County in 2019, Jeff worked in the glamour camping (glamping) industry and in public lands stewardship. Jeff has a master’s of environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and a bachelor of arts in economics from Brown University. In his spare time, he loves to climb, cook and roam both wild and urban settings.

Kendall Webster

Land Acquisition Program Manager

Kendall’s primary focus at the Land Trust is conservation and restoration in the Sonoma Baylands. Previously, Kendall worked in the Bay Area environmental planning world at Caltrans District 4 in Oakland and various consulting firms, providing environmental support to PG&E. Kendall has a master’s degree from Tufts University in environmental policy and planning, with a concentration in watershed management. She grew up on the peninsula and moved to Sonoma County in 2016. Outside of work, Kendall enjoys time with family and friends, doing yoga, hiking, swimming, and thinking about and making art.

Joseph Kinyon

GIS Manager

Joseph guides the use of maps and computer-based map information to support the many needs of staff and collaborators telling Sonoma Land Trust’s story of landscape or agricultural conservation. He stewards the main components of our geographic information system, which are people, computers, mapping software, methods of cartography and mapping science, and our spatial data library. He is a certified geographic information systems professional (GISP) holding an MS degree in geographic information systems (GIS) from the University of Redlands with over 15 years of GIS work experience.

John McCaull

Land Acquisition Program Manager

John has lived in Sonoma since 2005 and joined the Land Trust staff in 2013. His primary focus is on protecting and enhancing the invaluable lands and waters of the Sonoma Valley. John has been practicing law in California since 1990, providing legal, real estate and land use planning services, complemented by over 30 years of lobbying and advocacy in Sacramento for clients and environmental organizations. Joining Sonoma Land Trust has given John a chance to apply lessons learned from numerous conservation success stories and bring them home to benefit the community in Sonoma County.

Sheri Cardo

Communications Director

Sheri keeps Sonoma Land Trust visible in the community and engages people in the mission to “protect the land forever.” Originally from the Midwest, she attended Pomona College and then moved to San Francisco, beginning a PR career within the nonprofit sector. Before joining Sonoma Land Trust in 2008, she worked for the Marin Humane Society, KnowledgePoint Software, Queen of the Valley Hospital, and others. Moving to Sonoma County in 1991, she became active in environmental issues and dreamed of a job that would put her professional skills to use protecting wildlife and wild lands — and she’s doing just that!

Heather Ah San

Communications Project Manager

As communications project manager, Heather supports Sonoma Land Trust by informing and engaging the public about the organization’s mission. A Sonoma native, she has a special place in her heart for preserving the land that she calls home. Heather has a background in journalism and nonprofit communications, most recently working for the Santa Rosa Symphony and Burbank Housing. In her free time, Heather loves to rock out on her oboe, adore her two cats and explore new places.

Neal Ramus

Director of Community Programs

Neal leads organizational efforts to broaden audiences, serve community needs, and include a multitude of voices and interests in the work of Sonoma Land Trust. As a born-and-raised Petaluman, Neal has a deep connection with the lands, people and diversity of Sonoma County, which informs his approach and work engaging the community. Neal previously led community program development at the California Academy of Sciences, Petaluma Wildlife Museum and Sonoma State University’s Center for Environmental Inquiry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, with a minor in paleontology, and a master’s degree in business administration from Sonoma State University.

Karen Arrington

Volunteer Program Manager

As volunteer program manager, Karen supports all of the Sonoma Land Trust departments by recruiting volunteers through a process that matches individual interests and skills with opportunities. Prior to creating this new program, Karen was a part of the development team, responsible for fundraising, membership and database management. She and her family live in West County and frequently spend their weekends exploring the outdoors, enjoying youth sporting events and tending their garden.

Ingrid Stearns

Outings Manager

Ingrid designs and manages Sonoma Land Trust’s On the Land program, which connects people to our diversity of protected lands across a variety of ecosystems. You’ll often see her out on hikes exploring the wildflowers and identifying the native plants on the landscape. A dedicated mother of a young child, Ingrid brings her love of the natural world to her everyday interactions with others. She holds a BA in environmental studies and planning from Sonoma State University and an AS in business from Shasta College.

Corby Hines

Outings Guide

Corby creates lasting connections between people and nature by leading hikes and outings out on the land and assisting with our Bay Camp for kids. Originally from Buffalo, New York, he headed west for college to seek out high mountains and wild landscapes. After graduating with a degree in wildlife biology from the University of Montana, Corby continued on to California to build backcountry trails in Yosemite, restore salmon habitat in Humboldt and teach ecology to kids in Occidental. In addition to leading hikes, Corby shares his photography and videography skills to promote our land protection mission.

Shannon Nichols

Director of Philanthropy

As director of philanthropy, Shannon helps people further their values by contributing to the work of Sonoma Land Trust. She has more than 20 years of fundraising experience and has led annual and major gift campaigns benefiting land preservation and conservation, social change grant-making and higher education. Shannon moved to California in 2008 from her home state of Maine, where she first fell in love with wild and quiet places. She now lives in Windsor and enjoys spending time with her family and keeping up with the hummingbirds who visit her feeders.

Melissa Bennett

Development Program Manager

As development program manager, Melissa is responsible for growing and sustaining Sonoma Land Trust’s membership program. She brings almost a decade of experience working in development at environmental nonprofits in the Bay Area, including the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Melissa is a Sonoma County native, having grown up in Bodega Bay, and is thrilled to be back working to support this area and the community that she loves. In her spare time, you’ll find her exploring the outdoors — hiking and camping, gardening and visiting with friends and family.

Deirdre Holbrook

Donor Engagement Officer

As donor engagement officer, Deirdre enjoys working with others to achieve our shared mission of preserving Sonoma County’s beautiful landscape. Her family has lived in the Bay Area for four generations. Her heritage and witness to the Bay Area’s transformation led to her passion for local land conservation. Deirdre worked with Peninsula Open Space Trust and Marin Agricultural Land Trust before joining SLT in 2014. She earned her bachelor’s at UC Santa Cruz and master’s at Northwestern University. She loves spending time with her kids, and is a passionate cook, gardener, potter and outdoor athlete.

Emily Klein

Business Program Manager

Emily’s role at Sonoma Land Trust is to create lasting connections with like-minded organizations in our community. A Sonoma County native, she is proud to be raising her family in this beautiful place. Prior to joining the Land Trust, Emily worked in development for the Charles M. Schulz Museum and spent 10 years in the wine industry developing and managing events for trade hospitality. She enjoys exploring the great outdoors, drinking good wine and working in the garden with her husband and two kids.

Reta Lockert

Donor Relations Director

Now working half-time after 35 years at Sonoma Land Trust, Reta coordinates planned giving. As the Land Trust’s first staffperson, she recorded donations in ink and thanked 300-plus members by hand, taking board minutes, typing them on an IBM Selectric and distributing them by U.S. mail. Since then, Reta’s duties have evolved to reflect her interest in expanding long-term relationships with Land Trust supporters. She loves her ongoing connections with planned givers and learning which special talents they bring to the Land Trust’s mission. Now having more free time, she is eager to increase her singing and dancing.

Lisa Seagraves

Development Assistant

Lisa supports the development team through event planning and management, as well as member and donor stewardship. Lisa spent her childhood in Marin and Sonoma Counties, traipsing through creeks, redwood groves and apple orchards, which developed her love of the outdoors. Lisa’s work background includes project management, business development and events. After some time away, she moved back to gorgeous Sonoma County in 2003 where she’s been raising kids, volunteering and gardening ever since. She is excited to work at Sonoma Land Trust, an organization whose mission is to protect the area that she and her family love so much.

Christine Walker

Donor Engagement Officer

As donor engagement officer, Christine connects with donors, foundations, board, staff and community members to build a strong network of support for Sonoma Land Trust’s mission. She brings over 15 years of experience in arts and environmental organizations, most recently working for the Marin Agricultural Land Trust and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Christine was born and raised in the Bay Area and was drawn back here to raise her own son after graduating from the University of Washington and working in Japan. She feels incredibly lucky to live, work, play in and protect stunning Sonoma County.

Aja Walter

Development Associate

As the development associate, Aja is responsible for managing the membership database and preparing reports and analyses for the development team. Prior to joining Sonoma Land Trust in October 2018, she was a grant writer for a social services agency in San Diego County. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, sewing, obsessing over political news, and playing with her Barack Obama and Ruth Bader Ginsburg action figures.

Joe Rizzo

Director of Finance & Administration

Joe possesses over 25 years’ experience in financial leadership and human resources, including working in nonprofits for the last 10 years. After several years in for-profit businesses, he joined Judevine Center for Autism as chief operating officer in 2004. The organization grew by over 50 percent during his first four years to become the largest provider of Autism services in the Midwest, eventually merging with another organization to form Easter Seals Midwest. He comes to Sonoma Land Trust from Buckelew Programs, a behavioral health services nonprofit. Joe is a resident of Petaluma.

Frances Lum

Staff Accountant

Frances joined the Sonoma Land Trust staff in May 2016. As staff accountant, she supports the finance team by performing bookkeeping duties. Prior to joining the Land Trust, she worked in accounting and human resources for a local community bank. Raised in Santa Rosa, Frances is inspired by the beauty of Sonoma County; she feels fortunate to be involved in supporting the Land Trust’s work in preservation and conservation of land and nature for future generations to enjoy and treasure.

Corinne Neuman

Controller

Corinne maintains the Land Trust’s accounting information systems and ensures that financial data is collected in an accurate, complete and timely manner. She diligently serves the financial reporting needs of the organization and ensures grant compliance. Corinne has a BS degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting, and over 15 years of experience in nonprofit finance. Her love for even numbers is well reflected in her household with two kids, two horses and two Australian Shepard dogs. She was born and raised in Sonoma County and loves exploring our lands with her horses and friends.

Elizabeth Newton

Office Manager

As office manager, Elizabeth’s daily challenges include everything from desktop support to facilities management to staff celebrations, plus a wide variety of administrative tasks that support all departments across the organization. Elizabeth earned a bachelor’s degree in fine art from UCLA before moving to Northern California, where she worked for several conservation organizations in San Francisco and the East Bay before making Sonoma County her home. She and her husband live on a hobby farm in Sebastopol with a vegetable garden, orchard, beehives, chickens, a painting studio and woodshop, and a sweet rescue dog named Annie.

Linda Parker

Senior Accountant

Born in Seattle and raised on the Coquille River in Oregon, Linda arrived in Sonoma County in the early 1970s. As the owner and operator of a full-charge bookkeeping service, she contracted with the Land Trust for 15 years before joining the staff in 2016. Her love of the land led her long ago to volunteering at Sonoma Land Trust and other environmental organizations around Sonoma County. Trained as a scientific illustrator, her contributions to the Land Trust also included graphic design work for our newsletters dating back to the early 1980s!

Bob Neale

Stewardship Director

Bob has led the development and growth of Sonoma Land Trust’s stewardship program since 2004, a time during which the management of our natural lands has become a primary focus of the conservation community. He is fortunate to have great colleagues to work with and learn from, now and throughout his career. A California native, he graduated with a BA in creative writing from San Francisco State, then worked at Peninsula Open Space Trust and Sustainable Conservation. He may be found among serpentine wildflowers contemplating, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Shanti Edwards

Stewardship Senior Project Manager

Shanti Edwards manages Sonoma Land Trust’s coastal preserves. Current land management projects involve collaborations with partner groups, agricultural producers, private foundations, neighbors and volunteers to implement a variety of natural resource management, infrastructure maintenance, recreation planning and community engagement activities. Shanti graduated from Sonoma State University with a BA in environmental studies. Born and raised in Northern California, she has lived in Sonoma County for over 20 years. When she’s not busy stewarding our iconic coastal properties, she enjoys time with her lively preschool-age boy and the rich experiences that family life entails.

Taj Hittenberger

Stewardship Assistant Project Manager

Taj assists in stewarding the Land Trust’s properties in the Sonoma Valley region. As a fifth-generation Petaluman, he loves sprawling live oaks and thick summer fog, and dedicates much of his time to caring for this place he calls home. He has a bachelor’s degree in conservation & resource studies from UC Berkeley, where he studied coho salmon conservation and creative writing; he has also worked for several local conservation nonprofits, including LandPaths and Russian Riverkeeper. Taj loves propagating native plants, cooking, reading and wandering around this beautiful county.

Julian Meisler

Baylands Program Manager

Julian focuses on conservation of the Baylands region of southern Sonoma County. He is particularly interested in understanding and connecting tidal and upland landscapes to accommodate future sea level rise — work that enables him to work with many partners in conservation, transportation, agriculture and more. Julian lives in Santa Rosa with his family and, when not at work, he loves to ride, hike, ski and surf as much as possible. Julian holds a BS degree from Colorado State University and an MS degree from the University of Vermont.

Tony Nelson

Sonoma Valley Program Manager

Tony has been with Sonoma Land Trust since 2008, and cares for our properties and manages regional stewardship programs in Sonoma Valley and the Mayacamas Mountains — including work to protect wildlife habitats and movement corridors. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in wildlife and fisheries science. His 16 years in conservation prior to arriving at Sonoma Land Trust were spent as a project manager with The Nature Conservancy, where he used grazing and prescribed burning to reach ecological objectives, and as director of stewardship for Marin Agricultural Land Trust, where he became a California certified rangeland manager.

Kyle Pinjuv

Conservation Easement Program Manager

As conservation easement program manager, Kyle works closely with colleagues, landowners and partners to manage Sonoma Land Trust’s conservation easement properties. He was raised in Reno, Nevada and then moved to Washington State where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental studies at The Evergreen State College. His graduate studies led him to work in a variety of locations, including Washington, Alaska, New Mexico and Maine, before returning to the West Coast to work for the Land Trust in 2015. Kyle enjoys exploring and photographing the landscapes and wildlife of each area he’s called home.

Tom Tolliver

Fire Recovery Project Manager

Tom’s early interest in all things outdoors led him to start his college education in the natural sciences and then meander over to the social sciences to earn a sociology degree at Cal State Long Beach. His nonprofit administration work was in youth development, but, later, he found greater satisfaction in construction and project management. That, coupled with a deep interest in wildlife and their habitats, led him to work for many years as an independent contractor completing numerous projects for Sonoma Land Trust. Today, he’s helping to rebuild the infrastructure on Sonoma Land Trust’s burned preserves.

STAFF

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Dave Koehler

Executive Director

Melissa Frediani

Executive Administrator

Wendy Eliot

Conservation Director

Sara Press

Land Acquisition Program Manager

Jeff Conti

Land Acquisition Project Coordinator

Kendall Webster

Land Acquisition Program Manager

Joseph Kinyon

GIS Manager

John McCaull

Land Acquisition Program Manager

Sheri Cardo

Communications Director

Heather Ah San

Communications Project Manager

Neal Ramus

Director of Community Programs

Karen Arrington

Volunteer Program Manager

Ingrid Stearns

Outings Manager

Corby Hines

Outings Guide

Shannon Nichols

Director of Philanthropy

Melissa Bennett

Development Program Manager

Deirdre Holbrook

Donor Engagement Officer

Emily Klein

Business Program Manager

Reta Lockert

Donor Relations Director

Lisa Seagraves

Development Assistant

Christine Walker

Donor Engagement Officer

Aja Walter

Development Associate

Joe Rizzo

Director of Finance & Administration

Frances Lum

Staff Accountant

Corinne Neuman

Controller

Elizabeth Newton

Office Manager

Linda Parker

Senior Accountant

Bob Neale

Stewardship Director

Shanti Edwards

Stewardship Senior Project Manager

Taj Hittenberger

Stewardship Assistant Project Manager

Julian Meisler

Baylands Program Manager

Tony Nelson

Sonoma Valley Program Manager

Kyle Pinjuv

Conservation Easement Program Manager

Tom Tolliver

Fire Recovery Project Manager