Advisory Committee

Najiha Alasmar is an Education Program Manager for Climate Resilient Communities, where she develops programming to educate and empower underserved communities to achieve climate adaptation and resilience by building capacity for nature-based climate adaption projects. Previously, she worked for Fresh Approach, where she focused on providing resources and skill-building for communities to grow their own organic foods. 

Lujain Al-Saleh is the East Oakland Clean Air Project Coordinator for Communities for a Better Environment, where she ensures that the East Oakland’s air quality processes and plans are co-led by community members. Lujain has an academic background in public health, including research on addressing issues of water pollution in conjunction with community health. 

Dr. Ana M. Alvarez is Deputy General Manager at the East Bay Regional Park District, an agency that owns and operates shoreline parcels in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. She oversees the stewardship and development of 40 miles of bay front.

Casey Ardnt is the Center Director for Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary, where she oversees restoration projects throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and the Audubon Youth Leaders program. She serves on multiple committees for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, including committees of Audubon California, National Audubon Society, and the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture. 

Sara Azat is a Fish Biologist at the National Marine Fisheries Service. She has extensive experience in fishery regulation and management and the evaluation of habitat restoration projects. She has served lead coordinator for interagency groups and work groups involving the public.

Chris Barr has more than 27 years of experience working on U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges, with wide-ranging experiences working to recover threatened and endangered species within refuges and in partnership with others across a larger landscape. Prior to 2015, Chris managed five national wildlife refuges within the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex. 

Erik Buehmann has more than a decade of coastal management experience. He currently oversees a team of planners working on projects aimed at protecting and enhancing San Francisco Bay. He previously served as BCDC’s Bay Resources Permit Program Manager, where he led the permitting for projects in and along the San Francisco Bay shoreline, including proposals for habitat restoration and enhancement, and served on the BRRIT Policy and Management Committee. 

Alison Carroll is the Natural Resources Manager for San Francisco Conservation Corps and Nature in the City, which provides academic, job training, work readiness, and life skills programming for over 100 adults each year. In her role, Alison focuses on habitat restoration and youth programming design. 

Erika Castillo is Regulatory & Public Affairs Director for the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District. She would like to contribute to the success of marsh restoration projects in the Bay Area by ensuring that public health and the perception of wetlands are not negatively impacted by an increase in mosquito populations.

Adrian Covert is Vice President for Public Policy at the Bay Area Council, the region’s largest multi-sector business advocacy association. He has led the Council’s water supply and climate resilience initiatives for over seven years, including co-chairing the Measure AA campaign, and he co-authored a 2015 report on the Bay Area’s economic vulnerability to extreme storm events.

Paul Detjens is a Senior Civil Engineer for the Contra Costa County Flood Control District, where he serves as the Capital Projects Manager and the point person for sea level rise issues. He has worked for the CCC Flood Control District for over 30 years and will be retiring in 2023. 

Letitia Grenier is Resilient Landscapes Program Director and Senior Scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute. She served as the overall science lead and coordinator for the 2015 Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals update for climate change.

Lil Milagro Henriquez is the founder and Executive Director for Mycelium Youth Network, which has been named as one of the only organizations preparing young people for climate change in the United States by the International Transformational Resilience Coalition. Lil Milagro has 20 years of experience in social justice organizing and was recently recognized by Marin Magazine as one of the top 15 Eco-Warriors of 2021. 

Lee Huo is a Senior Planner with the San Francisco Bay Trail Project and has over 20 years of experience in Bay resources, shoreline trails, open space, and public access planning including work with the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project. His interests focus on the successful melding of public access and restoration projects to ensure that generations of people will have the opportunity to experience and learn from the many Bay restoration projects.

Dulce Jimenez is a Planning Assistant with the Solano Transportation Authority and is involved in the Solano Electrical Vehicle (EV) Transition Program to expand EV infrastructure in the county. Dulce also serves on the Solano Land Trust’s Land and People Committee, representing her community to increase outdoor access for youth through events and partnerships. 

Maria Katticaran is an architect and urban designer with HDR Inc, where she works on urban projects that prioritize sustainable and resilient development, accessibility, and restoration. Maria participated in the Oakland Shoreline Leadership Academy, serves on the San Francisco Estuary Partnership’s People & Wetlands Workgroup, and has a background in grassroots community planning.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg is Vice Chair of the Board of the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture, the partnership of government agencies, NGOs, business, and landowners protecting and restoring wetlands in the region. The partners assist each other with habitat delivery, including seeking funding for and tracking project progress.

David Lewis is Executive Director of Save The Bay. He has 19 years of experience in advocacy for Bay marsh habitat acquisition and restoration and associated state and federal funding, as well as advocacy for regulatory policies and funding to reduce trash and marine debris.

Greg Martinelli is Environmental Program Manager for the Wildlife and Lands Programs in the Bay Delta Region of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. His programs are responsible for managing, enhancing, and restoring over 150,000 acres around the edge of the Bay.    

Jessica Martini-Lamb is an Environmental Resources Manager at the Sonoma County Water Agency. She oversees environmental regulatory permitting and compliance, and biological and water quality monitoring for her agency's restoration, water supply, flood control, and sanitation projects. She serves on the San Francisco Estuary Partnership Implementation Committee and manages her agency's Russian River Estuary Management Program.

Marquita "Keta" Price is a third generation East Oakland native serving as Principal Planner for the Hood Planning Group. She is the lead on several East Oakland neighborhood and transportation projects, holds the city of Oakland accountable to equitable zoning and land use in East Oakland, and participates in regional planning.

Ana María Ruiz is General Manager of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, whose mission is to preserve open space lands, restore native habitat and provide ecologically-sensitive public access. She brings a strong technical expertise that is rooted in science and a planner’s analytical mind, along with a personal understanding of a wide range of community needs.

Stuart Siegel is the Interim Director for the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and a Research Professor for the San Francisco State University Estuary & Ocean Science Center. He has over 30 years of experience working in wetland restoration, applied restoration science, and ecosystem planning in the region. 

Luisa Valiela is San Francisco Bay Program Manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she focuses on improving water quality in partnership with the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board. She also oversees the San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund, an EPA grant program that has provided over $44 million to protect and restore San Francisco Bay wetlands and water quality.

Eileen White is the Executive Officer for the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, which protects the quality of the region's water resources for public health and environmental uses. Prior to joining the Water Board, she held leadership positions in both wastewater and drinking water at the East Bay Municipal Utility District. She is a licensed Civil Engineer.

Diane M. Williams is a Health Educator at Planting Justice. She has 40 years of experience working in environmental justice. She translates important public health issues to low-income people of color and works to eliminate health disparities.

Beckie Zisser is a Supervising Program Administrator in the Office of Government Relations at the Santa Clara Valley Water District, where she works to promote the District’s federally-partnered flood protection and water supply projects. She previously served as the Climate Change Program Manager for Save The Bay, where she worked to secure state and federal funding for Bay restoration.