Meet Grace Cecil, Mentee

Pronouns: she/her

Best email: grace.cecil@ccc.ca.gov

Affiliation: Watershed Stewards Program

Current position: Early career professional

County: Humboldt

How will you participate as a mentee: In-person

Going to the 2023 Conference? Yes, in-person

How often can you meet? As needed

Specializations: Native habitat restoration, Collaboration, Mammal restoration, Bird restoration, Community outreach/community science  Environmental education/science outreach, Endangered / threatened / rare / sensitive species, Non-profit sector, Environmental monitoring

Bio/Interests: Hello, my name is Grace! I am from Knoxville,  Tennessee,  and have been traveling around taking on seasonal positions since graduating college. I love to explore,  learn, and share the wonders of the natural world with others!

Meet Alan Navarro, Mentee

Pronouns: he/him

Best email: al.navarro14@gmail.com

Affiliation: Watershed Stewards Program

Current position: Early career professional

County: San Luis Obispo

How will you participate as a mentee: In-person

Going to the 2023 Conference? Yes, in person

How often can you meet? Quarterly

Specializations: Terrestrial plant restoration, Bird restoration, Mammal restoration, GIS/mapping, Remote sensing/drones, Project management/program development, Habitat restoration planning / design / prioritization frameworks, Urban planning/ecology, CRAM, Native Seed, Nursery, Community outreach / community science, Endangered/threatened/rare/sensitive species, Plant ecology/botany, Ecology graduate school/research, Non-profit sector, Government sector, Geography, Land sovereignty/Indigenous land stewardship  

Bio/Interests: My name is Alan Navarro and my hobbies are hiking,  birding, traveling, watching sports, and learning about new things.

Meet Charlotte Grenier, Mentee

Pronouns: She/her

Best email: charlotte.grenier@ccc.ca.gov

Affiliation: Watershed Stewards Program

Current position: Early career professional

County: Humboldt

How will you participate as a mentee: In-person

Going to the 2023 Conference? Yes, in-person

How often can you meet? As needed

Specializations: Freshwater wetland restoration, Tidal/coastal restoration, Terrestrial plant restoration, Habitat restoration, planning/design/prioritization frameworks, Native Seed, Environmental justice, Land sovereignty/Indigenous land stewardship, Invasive species management, Fire ecology, Environmental education/science outreach, Bird restoration, River/riparian/fish restoration

Bio/Interests: I am a passionate generalist who has big dreams of working to center indigenous-lead land stewardship and outreach/education. I'm also an artist and tie creative energy into everything that I do. I love connecting with folks from different and diverse backgrounds.

Meet Andrew Correces, Mentee

Pronouns: He/him

Best email: supaflip87@gmail.com

Affiliation: US Navy

Current position: Early career professional

County: Orange

How will you participate as a mentee: Both in-person and virtually

Going to the 2023 Conference? No

How often can you meet? Monthly

Interests: Volunteer opportunities, special projects, ecological restoration in South Orange County.

Bio: I’m actually just a dentist and guerrilla gardener that can’t help but pull my car over on the side of the road and pull invasive plants that I recognize. I just want to get out to work and get my hands dirty and sweat while helping the native ecosystems. Most land managers tell me that I can’t help out which drives me crazy when I see invasive plants sitting around and multiplying.         

Meet Kira Burnett, Mentee

Pronouns: She/her

Best email: Skburnett1225@gmail.com

Affiliation: WSP & Yurok Tribe Environmental Department

Current position: Early career professional

County: Humboldt

How will you participate as a mentee: In-person

Going to the 2023 Conference? Yes

How often can you meet? As needed

Specializations: Hydrology/water quality monitoring, Watershed sciences, Aquatic habitat restoration, Rivers and wetlands, process based restoration

Meet Alexi Som, Mentee

Pronouns: he/him

Best email: alexi.som@student.junia.com

Affiliation: Junia ISA

Current position: Graduate student

County: Out of state

How will you participate as a mentee: Virtually

Going to the 2023 Conference? Maybe

How often can you meet? As needed

Specializations: Toxicology, Working lands restoration, Mitigation services, GIS/mapping, Environmental monitoring, Environmental consulting, Ecosystem health assessment, Carbon farming, Habitat restoration planning/design/prioritization frameworks, Restoration Ecology

Bio/Interests: Hello! I am currently enrolled in my masters program in France. I’m studying environmental science with a speciality in pollution management and I want to pursue a career in the eco restoration field once I graduate. I have many gaps in my knowledge that I wish to fill and would love to have some advice from someone in the field.

Meet Sam Medellin, Mentee

Pronouns: She/Her

Best email: Samantha@mesabio.com

Affiliation: Mesa Biological

Current position: Early career professional

County: Kern

How will you participate as a mentee: Virtually

Going to the 2023 Conference? Maybe

How often can you meet? Monthly

Specializations: Native habitat restoration, River/riparian/fish restoration, Endangered/threatened/rare/sensitive species, Ecology graduate school/research

Interests: Nonprofit,  Preserve Manager,  Preserve Ecologist

Meet Dmitrius Rodriguez, Mentee

Pronouns: they/them (he/him ok)

Best email: dmitrius@grassrootsecology.org

Affiliation: Watershed Stewards Corpsmember placed at Grassroots Ecology

Current position: Early career professional / Other

County: San Mateo

How will you participate as a mentee: Both in-person and virtually

Going to the 2023 Conference? Yes, in-person

How often can you meet? As needed

Interests: Community outreach/community science, Urban Ecology and Restoration, Wildlife, Birds, Water Management, Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Meet Ava Samuels, Mentee

Pronouns: She/her

Best email: avasamuels99@gmail.com

Affiliation: UC Davis

Current position: Undergraduate student / Early career professional

County: San Francisco

How will you participate as a mentee: Both in-person and virtually

Going to the 2023 Conference? Maybe

How often can you meet? As needed

Interests: Landscape architecture, River/riparian/fish restoration. I have some experience in ecological restoration and in stewardship of riparian habitat through the UC Davis Arboretum & Public Garden and am interested in learning more about professional land stewardship in either the private or public sector. I’m planning on going to grad school for landscape architecture and would love to connect with someone who has some knowledge about that career path. I’m particularly interested in wetland, coastal, or grassland habitat, but would be interested in learning more about anything.  

Meet Travis Kornegay, Mentee

Pronouns: He/him

Best email: travis.kornegay@waterboards.ca.gov

Affiliation: Watershed Stewards Program (AmeriCorps)

Current position: Graduate student / Early career professional

County: Sonoma

How will you participate as a mentee: In-person

Going to the 2023 Conference? Yes, in-person

How often can you meet? As needed

Interests: Hydrology/water quality monitoring, Conservation, Water resource management, Data management, Geoscience, Hydrology, Climatology, Geology

Meet Sophie Wong, Mentee

Pronouns: she/her

Best email: sophie.wong@wildlife.ca.gov

Affiliation: Watershed Stewards Program

Current position: Graduate student / Early career professional

County: Monterey

How will you participate as a mentee: Both in-person and virtually

Going to the 2023 Conference? Yes, in-person

How often can you meet? As needed

Specializations: Marine/ocean/coral reef restoration, River/riparian/fish restoration, Marine ecology, coral reefs, symbiosis, steelhead

Bio/Interests: Originally from Purcellville, VA, I attended the University of Virginia and graduated with a BA in biology and a BS in environmental science with highest distinction. In college, I researched the effects of bison and cattle grazing on tallgrass prairie plant communities in South Dakota, with the goal of increasing native biodiversity and abundance in rangeland pastures, while also teaching a summer science education course for local Native high schoolers. I also spent two summers researching coral biology and symbiosis at Mote Marine Laboratory in the Florida Keys and at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama as part of two REUs. This year, I am completing a term of service with the California Conservation Corps Watershed Stewards Program in partnership with AmeriCorps, and I am stationed at the Monterey CDFW office, studying populations of steelhead along the Big Sur coast. Next year, I will be attending the University of Alabama to begin a PhD in marine biology with Dr. Kenneth Hoadley.  My interests focus on coral reef ecology and restoration, with an emphasis on coral symbiosis and alternative host-symbiont combinations to increase resilience to environmental stress such as warming and acidification. My current career goals are to become a professor, so STEM education is a large interest of mine.

Meet Amanda Kelly, Mentee

Pronouns: She/her

Best email: kellyama@oregonstate.edu

Affiliation: Oregon State University

Current position: Undergraduate student / Graduate student

County: San Diego

How will you participate as a mentee: Virtually

Going to the 2023 Conference? Yes, virtually

How often can you meet? Quarterly

Interests: I’m interested in restoration research. I’ve been working on a dry forest restoration literature review. I’ll be working this spring on invasive species management in the context of restoration of sagebrush steppe ecosystems. EM fungi. Soil ecology. Forest restoration.

 
 
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