Meet CNPS Elected Officials and Staff
| Chapter Council |
 Kevin Bryant, Chair, was introduced to birding and gardening at an early age, while growing up in the Chicago area. After obtaining a B.S. in Psychology from Northern Illinois University, he moved to the Bay Area in 1993, seeking less painful weather and more exciting topography. One hike through the chaparral was enough to awaken an insatiable curiosity about native plants, not only those in California, but throughout North America. A self-taught botanist, Kevin has also been propagating and gardening with native plants at his home in the Santa Cruz Mountains since 1995, eventually turning a hobby into a business. A member of the Santa Clara Valley Chapter since 2001, Kevin started his volunteer career as plant sale co-coordinator, then field trip chair and Vice President, and is currently serving in his third year as Chapter President. His interests in native plants and passion for exploration have been a pathway to his involvement in the conservation of native habitats, and he currently represents CNPS as a stakeholder for the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Communities Conservation Plan.
(mtngreen17 verizon.net) |
 Larry Levine, Vice Chair, has been a CNPS member since the 1980’s. He studied botany and subjects related to plant ecology at Humboldt State University. Larry worked on the habitat requirements of two rare plants, then shifted focus to web-related services, and developed an online, easy to update version of the CNPS Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants. Larry enjoys facilitating communication between people with opposing views so they find common ground. He wants to promote more dialogue among Chapter Council Delegates between Chapter Council meetings and intends to lead public plant walks again. When not involved with CNPS, Larry can often be found at Balkan music and dance events.
(levinelnorthcoast.com) |
 Marty Foltyn, Secretary, grew up in Washington DC, and did not think about native plants until she moved to California. She went to a CNPS meeting in the early 1990s with her husband Jim to figure out which natives would look good in a coastal garden, was asked to fill in for the refreshment chair, and never looked back. For a number of years she served as San Diego chapter treasurer, where she could best support those amazing individuals dedicated to education and conservation of the breathtaking San Diego native plant species, especially the Dudleya, her favorite native. Marty became a Chapter Council representative in 2008, and is now Chapter Council secretary due largely to the fact that she could type very fast in breakout sessions. In her other life, Marty is president of a consulting company that helps technology companies market their products, serves on several community boards, and is the parent of a busy teen who she hopes will continue their family’s love of native plants. |
| Board of Directors |
 Brett Hall, President, is a member of the Santa Cruz Chapter and works in the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum with living collections and native plant programs. His favorite project in the Arboretum is the development of the California Province gardens that will feature central coastal California and selected regions of northern California. He is currently working with CNPS Vegetation Program staff in developing the Rare Communities project. Brett is also actively involved in the Northern California Regional session of the upcoming CNPS 2009 Conservation Conference: Strategies and Solutions.
(brettucsc.edu) |
 Carol Witham, Vice President, is a self-employed environmental consultant specializing in vernal pool grassland species/ecology and management with a second area of specialty in east slope high desert. She is a lifetime member of CNPS and has served in various capacities on committees and the Board of Directors, including Board President from 2004-05. Carol also volunteers for VernalPools.org, Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, and California Rangeland Conservation Coalition, among others. She has also volunteered on several projects to catalog diversity in South America. A resident of Sacramento, Carol is slowly adding native plants to her yard.
(cwithamncal.net) |
 Sarah Jayne, Secretary -
A resident of southern California since 1966, Sarah joined the Orange County Chapter of the Society around 1985. She joined the chapter primarily due to her keen interest in native flora, and was immediately enlisted to serve on the Chapter board. Since then, Sarah has been deeply involved in CNPS activities – and has served as field trip co-chair, newsletter editor, webmaster, chapter president, and secretary. For many years, she led plant hikes in several local parks, which inspired her to bring nature to her own back yard by infusing it with California natives. She enjoys watching her bit of nature grow and flourish while organizing garden tours to introduce others to the joys of native plant gardening. Prior to being elected to the state board, Sarah served as Chapter Council delegate and secretary. |
 Brad Jenkins, Treasurer , has been a member and active volunteer of CNPS since 1997 when he joined the Orange County Chapter. Since then he has served as chapter treasurer as well as compiled the original “Why Plant Natives?” brochure, initiated the chapter’s first garden tour, and created a 3rd grade native plant education program with the Orange County Department of Education. Brad has extensive experience in information systems, project management, and investing. Brad previously served as President of CNPS from 2006-2008. Brad graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a double major in Ecosystems and Economics. Hiking in California’s natural landscapes is one of his favorite hobbies.
(bradcjenkinsyahoo.com) |
 Laura Camp, Director, grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has a B.S. degree in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University. After college, she and her husband moved to California, where she became a CPA and worked in public accounting and private companies for 30 years in several industries. In 1995, while doing tax and accounting in CPA practice she had the good fortune to by hired by owners Mike Evans and Jeff Bohn to become the accountant for Tree of Life Nursery, the largest native plant grower in California. Gradually the other clients dropped by the wayside, and now Laura works full-time as CFO for Tree of Life Nursery.
Laura is the president of the Orange County Chapter of CNPS, and has lived in San Juan Capistrano for 24 years. Her two children, Hanna and Noah, are all grown up. She enjoys knitting, birding and traveling with her husband, Bob, especially to natural beauty spots in California and all over the west.
(lauractreeoflifenursery.com) |
 Ellen Dean, Director - A member of CNPS since 1992, Ellen is a plant taxonomist and Curator of the Center for Plant Diversity herbarium at UC Davis where she identifies plants for a living. She tries to encourage young people to choose botany as a career and has mentored dozens of young botanists over the past decade. She is currently working on floras of natural areas in northern California with the help of volunteers connected with the Center for Plant Diversity and its support organization the Davis Botanical Society. She has experience with fundraising and grantwriting.
(eadeanomsoft.com) |
 Jane Hicks, Director,
has been a CNPS member since the 1980s. She has been interested in native plants for as long as she can remember, and her interests have a particular emphasis on the mixed conifer and vernal pool plant communities. She has a BS in Biological Sciences from UC Davis and MS in Natural Resources (Wildlife) from Humboldt State University. She is currently the Regulatory Division Chief of the San Francisco District, US Army Corps of Engineers. She is also a director for Solano Land Trust and is dedicated to conservation education and preserving open space and agricultural lands.
(hixholtzearthlink.net)
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 Arvind Kumar, Director and Membership Committee Co-Chair, is a Software Manager at KLA-Tencor in San Jose. His interest in native plants began with attending the local wildflower show and plant sale in 1998. In 2001, he landscaped his home garden with native plants. He has taught a class on “Growing California Native Plants” at San Jose State University’s Osher Institute. He has been a CNPS member since 2000 and has served as the Publicity Chair for the Santa Clara Valley Chapter, Gardening with Natives Steering Committee member, and as Co-chair of the Membership Committee. He has been involved with the Going Native Garden Tour since its inception in 2003. He is also a member of the Western Horticulture Society, the Sierra Club, and the Audubon Society.
(chhaprahiyayahoo.com) |
 Vince Scheidt, Director, has been an active member of the CNPS since 1980. He has assisted with listing petitions, litigation, rare plant studies, and the annual San Diego Chapter fall plant sale for many years. Vince graduated from SDSU and UCLA where he received an MA in Biology. He lives in San Diego, where he owns a small private environmental consulting firm specializing in biological studies and endangered species surveys. He enjoys propagating native plants, specializing in rare Dudleyas, and maintains a diverse native plant garden filled with dozens of uncommon species. He is passionate about endangered plants and unusual plant communities, and loves the outdoors.
(vince.scheidtgmail.com) |
 Alison Shilling, Director and Legislation Committee Chair, is a retired teacher and college instructor. Alison holds an M.A. in Education and a Ph.D. in Linguistics. She has been a CNPS member since 1988 and served for 10 years as Conservation Chair for the Riverside/San Bernardino Chapter. As a member of CNPS, Alison has focused her efforts on Conservation, Horticulture, and Litigation. She is a life member of Master Gardener and is a volunteer with Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic.
(abshillingmindspring.com) |
 Brian LeNeve, Chapter Council Representative, is the owner of LeNeve Painting Company, Inc. and a lifelong resident of Carmel. He fell in love with California native plants after discovering the genus Clarkia, which he has continued to study throughout California. His interest in plants and habitats has grown as has his commitment to protecting California’s wild places. Brian has been a CNPS member since the mid-90s and is past President and current Vice President of the Monterey Bay Chapter. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Carmel River Steelhead Association and the California Salmon and Steelhead Association.
(bjleneveatt.net) |
 Lauren Brown, Chapter Council Representative moved to California (from Massachusetts) in 1989 and was drawn to the climate and ecology of the Central Coast of California. She returned to school and earned a B.S. in Ecology and Systematic Botany from Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo in 1991. She has worked as a consultant since graduation and returned to the San Luis Obispo area in 2000, where she joined the SLO Chapter of CNPS and became Chair of Chapter’s Invasive Plants Committee. Lauren has been a very active member in CNPS serving as Chapter President (2006 and 2007) and Chapter Council Representative (2006 – current), and received the Chapter’s Hoover Award in 2007 in recognition of her service to the SLO Chapter of CNPS. Lauren also serves on the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Restoration Task Force and is a member of the Dunes Center and the California Invasive Plant Council. Lauren enjoys participating in CNPS field trips, beading and other crafts, and is working on a native plant garden in her yard.
(brownlasaic.com) |
| Staff |
 Jennifer Buck, Vegetation Ecologist, works in the Vegetation Program to survey, classify, and map vegetation in California. She co-teaches a vernal pool taxonomy workshop and is currently focused on the classification of grassland vegetation types. She earned both a B.S. and an M.S. degree from the University of California, Davis in Plant Biology. Her thesis focused on temporal dynamics of vernal pool grassland vegetation and she recently participated in a state-wide classification project looking at fine-scale vegetation in vernal pools. Prior to joining CNPS, Jennifer worked as an ecologist with The Nature Conservancy at the Cosumnes River Preserve. Botany is her first love, and she has extensive experience working in different plant communities across the western United States, ranging from grasslands to forests, alpine peaks to saline marshes. Her favorite plant is Centunculus minimus.
(jbuckcnps.org) |
 Josie Crawford, Education Program Director, coordinates the development and implementation of professional training workshops. She joined CNPS in February 2005. During her first two years, she coordinated and led workshops for the CNPS Vegetation Program primarily for the Sierra Foothills sampling and classification project. Josie has over 15 years of experience teaching people about plants as a naturalist and biologist. She has a B.A. and M.A. in Biology from Humboldt State University. Prior to this professional career, Josie owned and operated a neon-sign business in San Francisco.
(jcrawfordcnps.org) / (916) 447-2677 ext 205 |
 Julie Evens, Vegetation Program Director, manages the Vegetation Program and maintains standard methods for surveying, classifying, and mapping vegetation in California. She provides public workshops on vegetation surveying and mapping methods, archives and analyzes vegetation data from across the state. She works collaboratively with agencies and CNPS chapters on vegetation projects, including projects in Marin, Riverside, San Diego, San Benito, Santa Clara, Tuolumne, and Ventura counties. Julie also is working with John Sawyer and Todd Keeler-Wolf as a co-author of the second edition of A Manual of California Vegetation. Julie has a M.A. degree from Humboldt State University with a thesis on watercourse vegetation of the eastern Mojave Desert, and she holds two B.A. degrees from the University of California-Santa Cruz in Biology/Botany and Environmental Studies. She has worked as a vegetation ecologist and botanist for over 10 years with federal and state agencies including the National Park Service, US Geological Survey, University of California, and Department of Fish & Game. Her past work has included vegetation sampling and mapping projects in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks and the central Mojave Desert. She has worked for CNPS since April 2001.
(jevenscnps.org) |
 Stacey Flowerdew, Membership and Development Coordinator, coordinates membership and development activities and provides general administrative support. Stacey has a B.A. in International Relations from the University of California, Davis. Prior to joining CNPS she worked as an IT Data Analyst in the healthcare industry. Stacey is a California native plant enthusiast as well as an amateur wildflower photographer, genealogist. She also enjoys history and middle Eastern style dancing. She is equally comfortable in the mountains (preferably above 6000 feet) or at home in Sacramento, in air conditioning, reading a book.
(sflowerdewcnps.org) / (916) 447-2677 ext 204 |
 Vern Goehring, Legislative Advisor, has many years of experience in government management, legislative and regulatory advocacy, and policy making. Vern is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, in Economics and has completed graduate studies in Government at California State University, Sacramento. He worked for the State of California for 26 years in various administrative and management positions, including legislative advocate for the Departments of Transportation and Fish & Game. He started a private consulting practice in 1997 and assists clients on legislative and administrative advocacy, policy and strategy development, and organizational management. He is a registered lobbyist in California.
(verncal.net) |
 Tara Hansen, Executive Director is originally from the Northwest and moved to Sacramento in 1988. Tara’s appreciation of native flora grew from spending many hours riding her horse in the woods as a teenager, and evolved here in California through her volunteer work as a member of the nationally recognized Habitat Restoration Team at the Cosumnes River Preserve. A graduate of California State University, Sacramento with a B.A. in Government Studies, Tara became intensely interested in land use after joining the Board of a small non-profit organization that formed to address land use changes that could adversely impact the habitat of sandhill cranes in the Sacramento Valley. She has since become active in other state and local land use issues and has made suggestions for reforming legislation governing LAFCOs, the agencies that approve city and municipal boundary lines and annexations. Tara has worked with local volunteers on a number of conservation projects, and also serves as a board member of ECOS, Environmental Council of Sacramento. Prior to coming to CNPS, Tara worked as a senior analyst and project manager in the banking and financial services industry, and has developed and managed business operations and programs for both national and local financial institutions in executive and management roles. Tara is delighted to bring her enthusiasm, leadership, operations and financial management expertise to help further the vital mission of the California Native Plant Society.
(thansencnps.org) / (916) 447-2677 ext 201 |
 Bob Hass, Editor, Fremontia and CNPS Bulletin assumed the editorship of Fremontia in fall 2009, after serving as its copy editor since 2001. He has served as editor of the CNPS Bulletin since 2005. A past conservation co-chair for public policy and also public relations chair for the Milo Baker Chapter, he works as a freelance editor, writer, and publications consultant. From 2001-2008 he also worked part-time in the restoration program at the Sonoma Ecology Center on invasive plant management, and helped to prepare and track grant proposals. Prior to that he was a senior editor at UC Berkeley for many years. Bob is a past board member of the Northern California Earth Institute, which promotes self-directed group study courses on ways of creating a healthy and sustainable world. He is also an avid native plant gardener, a moderately accomplished cellist, and a chorus member. Bob has a B.A. in English from Earlham College, and a M.A. in Education from the University of Pennsylvania.
(bhasscnps.org) |
 Marcy Millett, Administration, joined the CNPS staff in November of 2009, and works with Cari Porter and Tara Hansen to support critical administrative membership and accounting responsibilities at the state office. Marcy has worked in various roles within the field of landscape architecture during the past few years. She attended Seattle Pacific University, and graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a BLA in Landscape Architecture. While at Cal Poly, Marcy had an opportunity to study abroad for a year at Leeds Metropolitan University in England. She is a registered landscape architect in the State of California, a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, and is studying to become LEED accredited. Marcy grew up in Washington State, and moved to California in 2000. She and her husband Mike moved to Sacramento in 2006. In addition to her work and interests in native plants and conservation, Marcy has many hobbies which include, skiing, scuba diving, cycling, camping, sewing, knitting, and beading. (mmillettcnps.org) |
 Mark Naftzger, Webmaster, is a website design professional. He creates and maintains websites for clients in a wide range of industries and professions.
(webteamcnps.org) |
 Lech Naumovich, East Bay Chapter Conservation Analyst, promotes community-driven conservation efforts in the East Bay Area. By writing articles, leading tours and providing technical comments, Lech provides reliable scientific information to the general public, public officials and decision makers on plant and natural habitat conservation related issues. Lech also serves as a steering committee member for the Upland Habitat Goals Project, a member of the Vegetation group for this project, and a member of the Bay Area Open Space Council’s stewardship committee. Lech has a degree in environmental science from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a well-balanced career of field research and conservation advocacy. In his spare time, Lech enjoys outdoor activities such as climbing, biking, backpacking, and photography.
(lechroygmail.com) |
 Cari Porter, Finance and Administration Manager, is an economist with experience in all areas of non-profit management, including accounting, budget development, personnel management, fundraising, public relations, and marketing. Prior to working for CNPS, Cari served as Vice President for San Mateo County Economic Development Association (Samceda), San Mateo, CA. She also worked as a Financial Analyst at Blackburne & Brown Mortgage Company, Sacramento, CA, and as Assistant Production Manager at Jo-Lynns, Elk Grove, CA. Cari has a degree in Economics from Golden Gate University.
(cportercnps.org) / (916) 447-2677 ext 203 |
 Kendra Sikes, Vegetation Ecologist, is coordinating field work for the Vegetation Program. She earned an M.S. in Botany (Ecology emphasis) from Oregon State University, where her research compared the community composition effects of two fuel treatments on chaparral in southwestern Oregon. She also has a B.A. in Biology from Brown University. Before joining CNPS, she worked for the National Park Service in the Santa Monica Mountains, for the Missouri Botanical Garden coordinating their Madagascar specimens and data, and in horticulture for Yerba Buena Nursery, one of the first nurseries to specialize in California natives.
(ksikescnps.org) |
Aaron Sims, Rare Plant Botanist, implements the CNPS Rare Plant Review Process in addition to maintaining and updating the CNPS Inventory. He also assists with rare plant conservation work and various other tasks pertaining to rare plant science as time allows. Prior to joining CNPS in June of 2010, Aaron worked in environmental consulting and as a biologist for California State Parks on the Central Coast, where he performed rare plant and vegetation surveys, aided in prescribed fire management, and produced a multitude of maps pertaining to sensitive resources, in addition to various other tasks. Aaron also monitored nesting seabirds for USFWS on a remote island off the coast of Alaska during the summer of 2008. Recent publications for California State Parks include the San Luis Obispo Coast District North Coast Acquisitions Natural Resource Inventory, 2008, and the Atlas of Sensitive Species of the Morro Bay Area, 2010, in collaboration with the Morro Bay National Estuary Program. Aaron holds a B.S. from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, in Ecology and Systematic Biology with an emphasis in Botany. In addition to his enthusiasm for field botany, Aaron enjoys hiking, backpacking, snowboarding, photography, travel, and ceramics in his free time.
(asimscnps.org)
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 Greg Suba, Conservation Program Director, coordinates the development of native plant conservation policies and initiatives for CNPS. Prior to joining CNPS, Greg worked to protect sensitive habitats at the urban / open space interface as watershed coordinator for the Laguna Creek Watershed Council in Sacramento County. His past work includes investigating reproductive strategies of seagrass populations along the west coast of North America, surveying forest inventory plots in California's National Forests, assessing riparian ecosystem health throughout Sacramento, El Dorado, and Placer Counties, and developing outdoor education and stewardship programs throughout northern California. Greg received his B.S. in Biology from Duke University, his M.S. in Marine Science from UNC-Chapel Hill, and continues to learn from those with whom he works, lives, and plays.
(gsubacnps.org) / 916-447-2677 Ext. 206 |
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