Please give your vote and a round of applause to Geoff Smick

First, we’re asking you to re-elect Geoff Smick to both of his roles: Treasurer and Representative to the North Coast and High Deserts. Geoff continues to play an integral part in the successful operation of our organization — from Treasurer to Mentor to a strong regional presence — and we are grateful for his energy and enthusiasm!

Geoff is WRA’s Chief Executive Officer. He has served on WRA’s Board of Directors since 2010 during which time he contributed to numerous committees related to company strategy and governance. He has supported the Board’s transition to including external Directors which provides the company with additional breadth and expertise. In his day job, Geoff leads WRA’s Executive Team in implementing the company’s strategic plan while continuing to advise clients on ecological and regulatory matters. Geoff joined WRA in 2005 as a botanist and worked his way up through the company as a project manager and into company leadership. An ecologist and regulatory specialist by training, Geoff still works closely with clients to help them solve complex regulatory issues on their projects.

We’re pleased to introduced these “new” faces for 2025-2027

Each of these candidates has already made indelible and lasting impacts to the vitality of our organization in relatively short time we’ve known them. They might be new voting members of the Board, but they have already been working within the Leadership Team as dear, valued, and trusted colleagues.

Candidate — Chelsea Palisoc, Central Coast & Valley Regional Representative

As an Environmental Scientist with the California Department of Water Resources, Chelsea is Grant Manager for the Urban Streams Restoration Program and San Joaquin Fish Population Enhancement Program within the Riverine Stewardship Program. A stand-out volunteer from the beginning of our Diversity Taskforce in 2021, and joining the Leadership Team as an affiliate in 2022, Chelsea has been adding her perspective, enthusiasm, and dedication to ramping up SERCAL's support for the Next Generation of restoration heroes. This year, we greatly appreciate the serious efforts she is contributing as co-host of SERCAL 2025 in Sacramento.

Chelsea’s interests include riparian restoration, salmonids, native plants, and being an active volunteer within the community of Sacramento. She is also a very talented visual artist and has created beautiful and engaging displays welcoming EVERYONE to our community.

Candidate — Joanna Tang, Central Coast & Valley Regional Representative

I have loved the experience of being a board affiliate for the past few years, so now I am excited to continue my involvement in SERCAL by applying to be a board member. When I attended my first SERCAL conference in 2019, I was so excited to find a group of people who were passionate about restoration just like me, and I learned so much through the variety of presentations. I also remember being impressed by how smoothly everything was running, and then I was so surprised to find out that it had all been put together by one employee supported by a volunteer board! I have learned so much about all the intricacies of running an organization as a board affiliate, and I am still impressed by how much work gets done by the volunteer board and Julie St. John. Moreover, despite being top-notch experts and established professionals in the field, everyone on the board has been so welcoming to me, and I am honored to work alongside them. I have such an amazing network of friends and mentors at SERCAL, and I am also grateful for the support SERCAL gives to The Next Generation, which is why I have loved being a part of the mentorship program. I want to make sure that other students and emerging professionals find their home at SERCAL and benefit from the wonderful community. I think that continuing to expand the mentorship program so that folks can network throughout the year, not just at the conference, will improve equity, diversity, and accessibility in the restoration profession. Networking is an essential part to understanding what companies and jobs are out there, and providing opportunities for The Next Generation to connect with mentors can especially help folks who are the first in their family to pursue a career in restoration.

I just completed my PhD in ecological restoration at UC Santa Barbara. My dissertation research focused on urban vernal pool habitat restoration, where I assessed the long-term success of past restoration actions and developed new tools for improving long-term success. I believe that land management requires the restoration of the relationship between humans and nature, so some of my research involved developing long-term management strategies. This led me to consider the role of community engagement in land management (e.g., I was only able to complete a long 5-year thatch manipulation experiment with the help of several cohorts of interns!) as well as the role of climate change (e.g., How does climate change impact the long-term success of a restoration project?). I believe that the constantly-changing world we live in demands continual research and updates to best management practices and that the multifaceted problems and challenges require all hands on deck. Just as species diversity is valued in a restored ecosystem, human diversity can also improve the performance, productivity, and resilience of the field of ecological restoration.

Joanna is Senior Ecologist with Vollmar Natural Lands Consulting. We first met her at our virtual conference in 2020 and were immediately drawn to her enthusiastic curiosity and diverse intelligence.

Candidate — Mando valencia, At-large Representative

I am a graduate student in Rangeland and Wildlife Management at UC Berkeley and have been actively involved with SERCAL for two years. My professional experience in restoration and land management includes roles with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, WRA, and A-T-S. I also serve as a docent at Jepson Prairie Nature Preserve, sharing knowledge about vernal pools, endangered species, and native plants. These experiences have provided me with a comprehensive understanding of restoration efforts across academia, private industry, and public sectors. I am deeply committed to advocating for inclusivity and equity in restoration practices that align with community interests and perspectives, which is why I value SERCAL’s role in advancing this work. I look forward to contributing to the thoughtful curation of future conferences while preserving the meaningful themes established by our current leadership, connecting discussions from conference rooms to our hometowns.

We met Mando through the Mentorship Program and by the 2023 conference, he was already a valued member of the team. Mando is also a talented graphic designer, who developed the last two stunning conference logos! You WILL want this year’s conference tshirt… just sayin’!

Candidate — nina omomo, at-large Representative

Now Stewardship Manager at Literacy for Environmental Justice (LEJ), Nina has been a part of this vibrant non-profit since February 2020 — LEJ promotes ecological health, environmental stewardship, and community development in Southeast San Francisco by creating urban greening, eco-literacy, community stewardship and workforce development opportunities that directly engage and support local residents in securing a healthier future. She found LEJ through the Environmental Studies program at SFSU and decided to volunteer on Saturdays. During her last semester of school, she was hired as a part-time intern through the Eco-Apprentice program. She ended up really enjoying the work at LEJ and after graduating, decided to continue at LEJ full-time. One aspect that really drew her in was the intersectionality of goals within the work, specifically the connection between social justice and science-based practices. She loves being able to work with native plants and do land-based restoration, but also be involved in community events and advocacy in environmental injustice. One of the best parts of her job is going on botanical and seed collection hikes because it’s where she learns the most about native plants. “I ultimately get paid to go hiking. I’m extremely fortunate to have the chance to work outdoors every day alongside people who have inspired me and taught me so much just at the start of my career in the environmental field.”

Nina has played an active and inspiring role in SERCAL since her first presentation at our first virtual conference in 2020. Soon after, she joined our Diversity Taskforce and has been an essential voice in that committee and our conferences ever since. This year, we greatly appreciate the serious efforts she is contributing as co-host of SERCAL 2025 in Sacramento.