Animal Lovers

As the Volunteer Program Specialist for Ecology Action, Adriana oversees all the recruiting, training, retaining of existing volunteers and selection of individuals who demonstrate a commitment to the unique mission and values of Ecology Action.

Adriana graduated from CSUS with a BS in Environmental Studies. Adriana enjoys spending time outdoors and being adventurous.

As the lead for Ecology Action’s Planning team, Amelia works in partnership with public agencies to produce Active Transportation Plans and Safe Routes to Schools Plans, which include recommendations for new infrastructure and programs to make it easier and safer to walk and ride bicycles for daily trips. As of 2022 Amelia had completed five plans for jurisdictions in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. Amelia is a graduate of the University of Washington and holds a BA in Community, Environment, and Planning.

As a program coordinator for youth programs, Stassya schedules, coordinates, and implements the Bike and Walk Smart programs in schools across Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Santa Clara Counties. She loves to teach youth how to navigate their communities by bike and on foot safely. Stassya is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz with a BA in Environmental Studies and a BA in Anthropology.

As the Director of Strategic Sourcing and Products, Chrissy oversees the development of relationships with strategic contractor and utility partners across the West Coast. These partners support lighting, refrigeration and HVAC projects throughout California, Oregon and Washington. Chrissy is based in Seattle. She is a graduate of University of Nevada Reno and holds a BS in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, with a Biology focus.

As Landscape Installation Coordinator for Ecology Action’s Climate Victory Gardens Program, Cyndie evaluates sites for water savings and stormwater infiltration potential, designs ecological landscape projects, and converts water-thirsty lawns to beautiful, drought-tolerant gardens. Cyndie is a certified Green Gardener, Qualified Water Efficient Landscape (QWEL) professional, and Cabrillo College Horticulture alumni, with a passion for all things plants.

As the Grants and Development Specialist, Emily supports fundraising for the Community Programs teams which advance climate solutions for individuals and communities in sustainable transportation, water conservation and climate action. Emily focuses on securing grants and expanding the individual donor base to ensure Ecology Action’s initiatives have the long-term funds to continue making a positive impact. Emily is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a BA in Global Studies with an Economic Development emphasis.

As Community Programs Operations Director, Jamie supports the health and wellbeing of the Community Programs leadership and teams in our collective work to provide positive and impactful climate action pathways for our region’s communities while supporting the team’s strategic vision to expand program services and areas served. His portfolio includes planning, electric vehicles, water conservation, adult bike programming, youth programming, and the Community Action Campaign. Jamie holds a graduate degree in Marine, Estuarine & Environmental Sciences with an emphasis in ethology.

Jen Lape has dedicated her professional life to furthering the missions of non-profits through sharing her fundraising expertise, board governance experience, and passion for making our shared communities and planet thrive. She has served many roles in her 16 years within the philanthropic sector from Director of Philanthropy, Director of Board Engagement, and Deputy Director for environmentally focused organizations such as Island Conservation and Ecology Action. Jen’s expertise focuses on development planning, board engagement, individual major giving, institutional giving, and government grant-making.

Jen currently serves as Chair of the Big Sur Park School and PTO member of Pacific Valley School. She is a member of the Monterey Bay Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Jen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Master of Arts in Biology and Marine Science for the University of California, Santa Barbara.

As a transportation justice coordinator, Jordynn works with the Ecology Action’s Electric Vehicle Equity team to promote EV education and provide 1:1 on assistance for community members in EA’s purchase guidance program. In addition to working with the EV Equity team, Jordynn has also been lucky enough to work with other departments, including Ecology Action’s Development department, the Water Division, and the Adult Bike team.

Jordynn is a UC Santa Cruz alumni with a BA in Environmental Studies and Feminist Studies with a focus on representation and power.

As a Construction Project Manager, Julie manages a suite of projects within our Energy team. Those projects include automatic door closers, HVAC & ARC and lighting upgrades. Julie is a graduate of East Carolina University and she recently obtained her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

Karina Javier was born in Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico, and raised in Salinas, CA.  Karina is one of our Safe Routes to School Educators & Program Coordinators II in the Monterey County Team for our Community Programs. Additionally, Karina is an educator for both the Bike and Walk Smart programs where she teaches,  5th graders bike safety rules and skills, and 2nd graders learn how to walk safely on our streets. These programs focus on reducing emissions by preparing our youth to find transportation alternatives for a healthier future.

Karina enjoys dancing Mexican Folklorico Dances and learning about her Mexican Culture. She is currently completing her bachelor’s degree in Chicano Studies with a minor in Applied Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

As a Program Coordinator for Ecology Action’s youth programs team, McKenna conducts school outreach to bring pedestrian and bike safety education to schools throughout Santa Cruz, Monterey, and the Bay Area. She loves teaching kids how to ride a bike and explore their communities through active transportation. McKenna holds a BA in Urban and Environmental Policy with a minor in Public Health. 

As Director Delivery Services, Michelle helps develop and coordinate processes and procedures to promote quality assurance, and oversees regulatory compliance requirements applicable to the Energy Efficiency industry. In her previous role as Senior Program Manager, Michelle provided program and client management for an array of utility programs within Ecology Action’s Energy Division. Offering comprehensive management of all program design, marketing, sales, delivery, and closure, she supervised and prepared budgets and the implementation of energy efficiency upgrades for both commercial and residential customers ranging from small to medium businesses to large industrial.

As Senior Technical Support Specialist, Nicholas identifies, analyzes and develops solutions to meet information system requirements, and develops tools for support of desktop systems and users. He is our primary web developer and go-to person for anything technical. Nicholas troubleshoots and problem-solves to ensure that Ecology Actions IT infrastructure is running smoothly.