CNPS Staff

Nora works as part of the CNPS Vegetation Program on various projects across California. She spent her formative years wandering the oak woodlands of the Sierra Nevada foothills, and exploring the multitude of landscapes across the state with family and friends. She has a B.S. in Biology, with a concentration in ecology, and a minor in GIS from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Before working for CNPS, Nora was part of the vegetation crew at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park and worked in the Robert F. Hoover Herbarium at Cal Poly. In her free time she enjoys hiking, backpacking, knitting, and her cat Fat Max.

Christopher joined CNPS in April, 2016 as an Administrative Assistant. He graduated from UC Davis in 2012 with a degree in Political Science and Music. After graduating, he lived in Davis with graduate students studying Ecology, Soil Science, and Renewable Energy. He has worked in many aspects of the small business world from slow food, to a legal nonprofit in San Francisco helping people with HIV stay in their homes and in care in a rapidly gentrifying city, to a new landscaping company in Sacramento creating habitat for native pollinators using plants native to California. When not entering data, you can find him baking naturally leavened sourdough breads, brioche pecan sticky buns, or brewing some ginger carrot chai beer. He is delighted to join the team at CNPS.

Jennifer works in the Vegetation Program to survey, classify and map vegetation in California. She co-teaches workshops on sampling methods and taxonomy and focuses on the classification and monitoring of grassland and other vegetation. She earned both a B.S. and an M.S. degree from the University of California, Davis in Plant Biology where her thesis focused on temporal dynamics of vernal pool grassland vegetation. She continues to participate in a state-wide classification project looking at fine-scale vegetation in vernal pools including ranking the rarity of these unique habitats. 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 and saline marshes. Her favorite plant is one formerly known as Centunculus minimus.

Andre is responsible for accounting, human resources and administration functions. Andre brings 10 years of accounting experience having worked in the retail and manufacturing industries. Andre studied theater arts in the Philippines, where he grew up, but soon learned that his talents are better suited for analytical and logistical work. This is his first endeavor in the non-profit world and is thrilled to be contributing to the meaningful mission of CNPS. While not hard at work, Andre enjoys cuddling with his cats, dining out, watching films and traveling.

Kate works with the Development and Communications teams to maintain a seamless CNPS experience across digital channels. A Schwab-Rosenhouse Scholar, Kate is a graduate of the Integral Program at Saint Mary’s College, where she studied the great works of the western canon, developed an independent Performing Arts curriculum, and published her thesis, On the Unity of Multitude. Since earning her BA, Kate has advocated for public broadcasting and the arts, as one of the Voices of CapRadio, a volunteer for Ben Vereen’s Wellness Through the Arts, and a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Julie 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.

Raphaela works on various projects for the Vegetation Program across California. Her early years were spent in a bountiful Bay Area garden and on family backpacking trips around North America. She studied botany, ecology and forestry at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining CNPS, she led vegetation monitoring programs for the National Park Service in Point Reyes, Golden Gate and Pinnacles. She likes to spend her free time looking at plants, hiking, painting watercolors, laughing and eating snacks.

Stacey 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.

Daniel works with staff and chapters to protect, understand, and celebrate California’s native flora. Dan first fell in love with California plants (and CNPS) as a student at UC Santa Cruz, and he earned his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley studying the ecology of native and invasive thistles. He previously worked as Executive Director of The Calflora Database, where he led development of exciting new tools for conservation and research, and as Director of Habitat Protection and Restoration for Audubon Canyon Ranch’s 30 preserves. His history with California plant conservation and research includes on-the-ground experience restoring native habitat, and experimental research on invasive turkey impacts, nitrogen deposition, and sierra meadows. Dan is a founder and past president of the California Invasive Plant Council, co-founder of the Bay Area Early Detection Network (BAEDN), and in 2009 discovered a presumed-extinct Franciscan manzanita plant growing on a traffic island at the Golden Gate Bridge.

Kaitlyn develops status reviews for the Rare Plant Review Process and performs regular updates and maintenance for the CNPS Inventory. She also works part-time as the primary data sourcer for the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) botany program. Kaitlyn has a background in Biology and Geographic Information Systems from California State University, Sacramento and American River College. Her interests are gardening, wildlife watching, gaming (both tabletop and video), and origami.

Betsy is a vegetation ecologist for CNPS, managing field projects with the goal of classifying and mapping vegetation across California. Betsy has worked as a botanist for over 13 years within government, non-profit, and consulting organizations, working in a diversity of ecosystems across the West. She obtained her M.S. in Ecology from Colorado State University, Fort Collins where she studied peat-forming wetlands known as fens, investigating environmental drivers of plant communities found in fens as well as helping land managers to prioritize fens for restoration. She seeks work where thoughtful data collection and analysis can assist land managers in making decisions on conservation and restoration, especially if that also means an opportunity to visit native plants across the state.

Nick coordinates the activities of the Conservation Program in Southern California. Nick earned his BS degree in Environmental Horticulture at UC Davis, and recently completed his PhD in botany at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (RSABG)/Claremont Graduate University. As a graduate student Nick produced the first Flora of Tejon Ranch and studied evolutionary patterns in perennial Streptanthus (jewelflowers). From 2006-2010, he was employed by CNPS, first as a Vegetation Program Assistant, and later as the Rare Plant Program Director. Nick has also worked as a botanist for the U.S. Forest Service, Chicago Botanic Garden, and the private consulting industry. He has taught botany classes to professionals and interested members of the public for CNPS, RSABG, the Jepson Herbarium, and Theodore Payne Foundation. As a volunteer he has served on the Rare Plant Program Committee and the board of Southern California Botanists, serving as president in 2015-16. Nick is a fellow of the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, hiking, rock climbing, and photographing wildflowers, activities that are often not mutually exclusive.

Seth is working with the Rare Plant Program to generate species profiles for use in the management of public lands. He's also in the final throes of a Ph.D. dissertation at UC Berkeley, studying the ecology of plant-microbe symbiosis in Amazonian trees. Seth's first exposure to the charms of botany came as an undergraduate in Evolution and Ecology at UC Davis - and he remains smitten by anything with a chloroplast. But he lacks taxonomic commitment, and has worked on research projects addressing all kinds of stuff: the impact of game fish on salamander populations in the Sierra Nevada; the evolution of sex ratio-distorting Wolbachia bacteria in Argentine ants; mushroom phylogenetics in California; the chemical control of invasive ants on Maui; tropical seedling recruitment in Ecuador; rainforest gap dynamics in the Venezuelan Guayana; and fisheries monitoring in the Atlantic. Before heading to Berkeley, he spent three years at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, researching the evolution of obligate bacterial endosymbionts in carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.). Seth is interested teaching, writing, and staring at bizarre critters in exotic locations. But he's also in a state of perpetual panic over the hemorrhaging of the living world, and thinks about politics more than is healthy. Ultimately, he'd like to make a career uniting themes of biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic equity, with a focus on the Neotropics. But if that's too hard, he might opt for a life of itinerant misanthropy, sailing around the South Pacific till he's a leather-skinned dotard who lectures coconuts on the merits of democratic socialism. In the meantime, he's thrilled to be doing meaningful work here at CNPS!

Elizabeth joined CNPS in 2017 as a primary organizer of the CNPS 2018 Conservation Conference. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelor's in Society and Environment and a minor in Art Practice. Before CNPS, Elizabeth worked as an Outdoor Science Instructor in the Sierra Nevada, where she led interactive science lessons and environmental art exercises among native plants. A lifelong environmentalist from Davis, California, Elizabeth is passionate about the CNPS's mission to protect California's native plant heritage and preserve it for future generations. Elizabeth advances environmental causes through art and public programming.

David has been an active member of the CNPS since he first joined CNPS back in the late 1970s. Since 1986, he has served in a variety of statewide and local leadership and conservation roles, including serving on the CNPS Board of Directors (1986-1994, 2002-2007), President of the Board of Directors (1991-1994), Chairperson of the CNPS Chapter Council (2011-2014); President of Channel Islands Chapter (2004-2014), Conservation Committee Chairperson (1986-2016); and Conservation Committee Chairperson for the Redbud Chapter (2007-2016), among others. He was nominated as a CNPS Fellow in 2014. David has acquired a thorough knowledge of California's native flora and a substantial repertoire of knowledge and skills with over 30 years of field experience in biological studies as a biologist/botanist and a physical geographer. He has worked on, or managed, environmental issues surrounding a variety of development projects throughout the Pacific Southwest; has consulted on, or performed, biological resource inventories, vegetation mapping and classification projects; wetland delineations and restoration projects, and rare plant surveys; and has performed biological impact analysis and mitigation assessments and construction and mitigation monitoring. David was born in British Columbia, Canada, and grew up in Ventura County, settling in Ojai, CA in the 1970's. He earned a B.A. in Geography and Environmental Studies (emphasis in botany) from the University of California, Santa Barbara, holds an A.S. degree in Landscape Horticulture and a Certificate of Completion in Natural Resources from Ventura College, and is a Certified Arborist by the International Society for Arboriculture. He formed his own consulting firm, David Magney Environmental Consulting (DMEC) in 1997 after working at other consulting firms since 1986. He has taught classes and workshops on a variety of subjects including CEQA, Plant Families, Riparian and Wetland Plant Identification, Clean Water Act permitting, and wetlands delineation and monitoring. David has authored two floras in California and is currently working on the manuscript for the Flora of Ventura County, a project he has been researching since the late 1970's.

Liv oversees engagement and outreach for CNPS, where she and her team are working to inspire, grow, and activate our incredible base of supporters. Prior to joining CNPS, she served as the Director of Digital Marketing for Sutter Health, a large California healthcare network, where her work dramatically increased website engagement and new members via human-centered digital strategies. Liv has built her career around digital platforms, great content, and focused business strategy, the combination of which she uses to better align organizational goals with the needs and desires of real people. She holds two Bachelor's degrees from the University of Oregon, one in Journalism, another in Political Science. Outside of work, she's passionate about family, making the world more beautiful, slow living, and great storytelling of all forms.

Amy manages the Rare Plant Treasure Hunt project, a citizen science effort which provides valuable data on to the CNPS Rare Plant Program and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Amy earned a B.S. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from U.C. Santa Cruz in 2009, where she studied behavioral ecology and genetics in California lizards. Amy's career experience has focused on the conservation of rare and special status species, such as the Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog, California Tiger Salamander, Coho Salmon, and Santa Lucia Fir. She is passionate about science outreach and citizen science, and enjoys nature photography, birdwatching, and tidepooling in her free time.

Christine oversees fundraising from individuals, corporations, and foundations in support of CNPS.  She's held similar positions at environmental organizations such as Potomac Conservancy, NatureServe, and American Farmland Trust. Christine is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She received her Masters of Science in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from McDaniel College.  Christine grew up on a dairy farm in Maryland and moved to California in 2014. She enjoys sleeping under the stars, cooking Indian food, and scouting for wildflowers.

Becky drives community engagement with the CNPS mission through events, outreach, and chapter support. She earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Eckerd College and has since developed a professional background in marketing/communications and event planning. As an outdoor enthusiast passionate about science, conservation, and connecting people with nature, she is honored to help facilitate the incredible work done within the CNPS community by coordinating statewide workshops and conferences, supporting outreach and communications, and running a multitude of chapter and volunteer support initiatives. In her free time, Becky loves camping, rock climbing, paddle boarding, and exploring California from its beaches to its alpine lakes. She enjoys learning about California’s plants through CNPS, her favorite of which is Great Basin sagebrush, for its amazing scent and association with some of her favorite places.

Kendra 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.

Aaron 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.

Greg 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.

Kristen is a California native plant and horticulture enthusiast with a passion for teaching and engaging others in native plant gardening. She is a graduate of UCSB in Environmental Studies, has an A.S. in Landscape Design from Saddleback College, and most recently has been working with the Santa Margarita Water District as a Water Use Efficiency Specialist. In that role, Kristen worked with homeowners, homeowner associations, city governments, and more to increase adoption of native plants as a means to greater water efficiency. Kristen is excited to share her passion for CA native plant horticulture with others, and ultimately restore nature one garden at a time. When she isn't chatting up others about plants or perusing nurseries and plant books, Kristen enjoys catching up with friends and family, practicing Ashtanga yoga, and being active outdoors.

Brock is responsible for overseeing and monitoring financial practices, supporting budget processes, managing human resources, and providing oversight of facilities and IT infrastructure. He brings over 25 years of finance, accounting and administration leadership competence to CNPS. Brock has worked for the State of California in a variety of roles (cost accounting, budgeting, finance, auditing, and grant administration). Most recently, he served 5 years as the chief internal auditor for the California State Board of Equalization and 6 years as the CEO/CFO of the Placer County Fair Association (non-profit). Brock earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (Finance emphasis) from San Diego State University. Brock is comfortable in the California back country, but equally enjoys finance and operational process improvement. He possesses a passion for nature, travel, adventure, perpetual learning, and leaving the world better than he found it.

Sophie works as an Assistant Vegetation Ecologist for CNPS. She grew up in Los Angeles and began gardening and hiking at an early age. After studying Environmental Education at Warren Wilson College, Sophie returned to California and began studying the Great Basin and Sierra flora while interning with Inyo National Forest. She returned to school at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont, CA, and for her M.S. thesis compiled a floristic inventory of Adobe Valley in southeastern Mono County. Sophie spends a lot of her free time hiking, camping, weaving, and experimenting with natural dyes.

Sam is spearheading the development of the Important Plant Areas Program with the Conservation Program staff for statewide implementation. Following previous pilot workshops, Sam is now developing methods and strategies for delineating those areas which are most critical to the conservation of California’s flora. Sam holds a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management, specializing in Conservation Planning, from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His Master’s Project, Landscape Scale Planning for Solar Energy and Conservation provided a proof of concept for spatially modelling stakeholder values in the landscape which was incorporated into the San Joaquin Least Conflict Solar Analysis. Sam has spent his entire professional career working in natural resource management for the public, private, and non-profit sectors. His resume includes work on projects for the United States Forest Service, private environmental consulting, and international conservation organizations in Switzerland. He has a strong background in ecology with emphases in spatial modelling, floristic surveys, soil morphology, hydrology, wetland management, terrestrial vertebrate surveys, and conflict management/negotiation. When he is not working, Sam enjoys backpacking, surfing, craft beers, and volunteering at the California Academy of Sciences.

As the Erin Esepland Intern, Annie is very excited to learn from both the Rare Plant and Vegetation Programs at CNPS. She grew up on the foggy coast near Half Moon Bay, California, and went to UC Berkeley to study Genetics and Plant Biology. As an undergraduate, Annie discovered the powers of native plants after working in a pollinator research garden. After graduation, she moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains to work as a lab technician at Virginia Tech. During her time there she researched plants within the genus Physalis to study the evolutionary ecology of multi-species interactions. She recently returned to California and worked in the Sierra as a summer field technician for a UC Davis Pollination Ecology lab. Annie is interested in plant ecological interactions, plant life history, and floristics. In her free time, she likes to hike, read, snack, and attempt new hobbies.