Staff Biographies

Operations Staff

ALLENE ZANGER
Executive Director  [  ]

Allene Zanger joined the Stewardship Council as executive director in February 2009. Allene directs staff operations, coordinates the work of the organization's board members, and oversees the organization's long-term strategy. With a staff of 21, the Stewardship Council is dedicated to ensuring that more than 140,000 acres of watershed lands located across the state of California are conserved and enhanced to provide a broad range of beneficial public values. Additionally, Ms. Zanger oversees the Stewardship Council's Youth Investment Program in its efforts to distribute more than $2 million in grants annually to connect northern and central California's underserved youth to the outdoors.

Prior to joining the Stewardship Council, Ms. Zanger served as regional director for the Inter-America and Pacific Region of the Peace Corps, overseeing Peace Corps' operations at 23 posts to support more than 2,300 volunteers serving in the 29 countries of the Inter-America and Pacific Region. Ms. Zanger was herself a Peace Corps volunteer, serving in Panama from 1993 to 1995 in the field of environmental education.
From 1996 to July 2002, Allene served as director of School-Community Partnerships in the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office in Bakersfield, California. She also founded and served as program director for the Central Valley Communities for Children AmeriCorps Program, which has provided tutoring and mentoring services to thousands of children from low-income families.

Allene spent several years in the Office of the California Attorney General as a deputy attorney general where she represented public agencies responsible for protection of the state's natural resources. She also carried out the duties of vice president of public affairs and general counsel for the Tejon Ranch Company, a publicly held corporation headquartered in California, which owns nearly 270,000 acres of farm and ranch lands in Kern and Los Angeles counties. She has been a board member or volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club of Bakersfield and other youth-serving organizations.

Allene was awarded a juris doctorate from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and received a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Pacific in Stockton, California. She is a native Californian, who was raised on her family farm outside of Hollister, California.

JOEL WAGNER
Director of Special Projects   [  ]

Joel Wagner joined the Stewardship Council in 2005 after working for Morgan Stanley in Atlanta as a finance manager in its commercial real estate division. He then worked for several years as the Stewardship Council’s director of finance. In his role as director of special projects, Joel works directly with the executive director, director of land conservation, and the Foundation for Youth Investment staff on a range of high-level projects affecting the strategic direction of the organization.

Joel holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a master of business administration in executive management from San Francisco State University.

Joel is an ardent supporter of the Bay Area nonprofit community. He serves on the Northern California Grantmakers Emergency Loan Fund steering committee. The fund makes emergency loans to nonprofit organizations experiencing cash-flow crises due to delays in state, federal, or foundation funding. He also serves as board treasurer for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of the San Francisco Bay Area.
As a child, Joel spent most summers exploring the wilderness of the west with his father, who worked for the National Park Service. He now feels passionately about the importance of protecting the environment and getting kids outdoors. When Joel isn't working for the Stewardship Council or on behalf of other nonprofits, he can be found outdoors enjoying nature or training for his next triathlon.

SCOTT BROBERG
Director of Finance   [  ]

Scott Broberg, director of finance, joined the Stewardship Council in 2012. Prior to joining the organization, he worked for more than a decade in Silicon Valley for a variety of high tech firms. Most recently, he served for six years as director of finance for DSP Group, Inc., a semiconductor company based in San Jose. As director of finance for the Stewardship Council, Scott oversees all the financial planning and management activities of the organization. He is also responsible for providing financial support and expertise to the youth investment program, land conservation program, and board of directors.

Scott holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Santa Clara University and is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants.

Looking for a career change and way to give back to the community, Scott transitioned from corporate finance to nonprofit work. A long time supporter of children’s athletics and outdoors enthusiast, Scott has a deep affinity for the Stewardship Council’s mission. As a Bay Area native, Scott spent many childhood summers in Yosemite and continued that tradition with his own children for many years. On any given weekend, Scott can be found biking in the Santa Cruz Mountains, coaching youth baseball, or volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. Calculator, bat, or hammer in hand, Scott gives back with enthusiasm – both at work and in his free time.

LAUREN KELLY
Operations and Human Resources Manager  [   ]

Lauren Kelly joined the Stewardship Council in April 2005. As the second person hired, she has worn many hats and knows the Stewardship Council inside and out. As the operations and human resources manager, Lauren provides overall organizational management and human resources support. She also oversees the Stewardship Council's IT systems, office operations, and facilities while continuing to support the executive director with board governance duties and special projects.

Lauren has always found her work at the Stewardship Council very rewarding because as the organization grows, she continues to be challenged. When Lauren first joined the organization more than six years ago, she had been working as the business manager for a management consulting firm and then as a program manager for a breast cancer treatment center. With these experiences under her belt, Lauren sought work that provided both an intellectual challenge and the opportunity to help create positive change in people's lives. The Stewardship Council fit the bill.

Originally from Colorado, Lauren spent her teen years living on the Peninsula. After high school, she attended Menlo College where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications. When Lauren isn't keeping the Stewardship Council running like a Swiss watch, she and her husband are busy rediscovering the world through the eyes of their young son and daughter.

ANN COULSON
Database Administrator [  ]

Ann Coulson is the Stewardship Council’s database administrator. Prior to joining the Stewardship Council, Ann worked for the Bar Association of San Francisco for 17 years, where she served as membership director and communications director. While at the Bar Association, Ann learned what were then burgeoning web-based communications technologies. In 2005, Ann brought her digital skills to the Stewardship Council. She manages our stakeholder communications, website development, and several databases of information essential to the operations of the organization.

Ann enjoys working for the Stewardship Council because the job consistently offers new challenges. She is also passionate about the organization’s mission. While she’s fond of saying that her “hiking boots” are really sling-back pumps, she does have a history as an outdoorswoman. Growing up on Cape Cod, she and her family participated in the annual Cape Walk – a nine-day walk in promotion of a greenbelt to benefit the Cape’s residents. These days during her free time, Ann can often be found strolling local beaches with her Golden Retrievers.

Ann holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts – visual design from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.

ROBIN FLYNN
Program Coordinator [  ]

Robin Flynn, executive assistant, joined the Stewardship Council in 2008, bringing more than 20 years of experience in office administration to the organization. Before joining the Stewardship Council, she worked in the City Manager’s Office for the City of Half Moon Bay and for Essex Environmental, as a client services coordinator and human resources coordinator. Robin studied humanities and sciences at Skyline College.

As an executive assistant, Robin supports both the executive director and director of land conservation. Her duties range from corporate recordkeeping and legal document preparation to committee meeting support and contracts management. Also acting as the Stewardship Council’s safety coordinator, Robin ensures that staff are prepared to respond to fires, earthquakes, and other dangerous events.
Robin is passionate about the outdoors and spent many years camping with her family in or near California’s beautiful watershed lands. Now that her children are grown, she enjoys exploring tide pools on the San Mateo coast with her husband and dog.

CAROL SCHWAB
Accounting Assistant [  ]

Carol Schwab joined the Stewardship Council as a part-time accounting assistant in May 2011. Carol assists the director of finance in performing accounting duties and financial statement preparation.

Prior to joining the Stewardship Council, Carol worked as the senior accountant for Jefferson County Department of Human Services in Colorado. She has extensive accounting experience spanning over 25 years, which includes serving as a controller for a non-profit education organization and an accountant in hospital settings. 

After retiring from her full-time job in accounting, Carol worked part time in the emergency room of a level-one trauma center and taught accounting and medical classes for the Colorado Community College System. Passionate about the outdoors, Carol also volunteered as a Jefferson County open space park patroller. As a patroller, Carol hiked the upper elevations of mountain parks to protect the parks and educate visitors. Now living in Florida, Carol currently volunteers at the Naval Hospital Pensacola.

Carol earned a bachelor’s degree in managerial accounting and sociology in Potsdam, New York. She also completed her nursing pre-requisites and emergency medical and phlebotomy technician certificates while living in Colorado.

PAMELA MAYERS
Administrative Coordinator [  ]

Pamela Mayers joined the Stewardship Council in 2011 and brings more than 15 years of administrative experience to the organization. She most recently worked for eco6design, a Half Moon Bay interior design firm specializing in eco friendly materials.

As administrative coordinator, Pam supports both the director of finance and operations and human resources manager. Her duties range from assisting with board communications to processing accounts payable.

An avid learner, Pam holds a degree from Canada College in interior design; a degree from Mission College in management, marketing and merchandise; and certificates in both early childhood education and green design.

In her free time, Pam loves to garden in and around the redwood forest, where she shares a log cabin with her partner, dog, and three cats. She also enjoys using her interior design skills to plan the future remodel of the cabin.

AMANDA PETTINGER
Operations and
Admistration Associate [  ]

Amanda Pettinger joined the Stewardship Council in 2012. As the operations and administrative associate, Amanda reports to the director of finance as well as the operations and human resources manager. Amanda performs a wide range of administrative duties from assisting with recruiting and new employee onboarding to maintaining finance document control and coordinating office technology support.

Before joining the Stewardship Council, Amanda worked as an office manager and human resources assistant for a health and wellness facility. Amanda also has experience working with nonprofits. As a volunteer for HOPE Services, she assisted developmentally disabled clients with daily activities and helped facilitate holiday functions and special events. As a program coordinator and dance instructor for Dance4Health, Amanda taught underserved youth ballroom dancing, nutrition, and fitness.

Amanda was drawn to the Stewardship Council because she shares the organization’s goal of connecting people to the outdoors. In her free time, she enjoys hiking in the redwoods and camping in the Sierra, especially Yosemite.

Land Conservation Program Staff

RIC NOTINI
Director of Land Conservation [  ]

Ric Notini joined the Stewardship Council in December 2007 to manage the development and implementation of our Land Conservation Plan which was created to ensure that more than 140,000 acres of watershed lands are conserved in perpetuity for the people of California.

Ric brings a wealth of public and private sector experience in land use and environmental management to the position. Just before joining us, he managed the planning stage of the Concord Naval Weapons Station's conversion from military to civilian uses. From 2001 to 2005, he managed the environmental planning and permitting of the new University of California, Merced campus, including the development and implementation of a major regional conservation plan. He has also served as environmental manager for Chiron Corporation, director of environmental services for Catellus Development Corporation, and chief of the site remediation program for the Northern California region of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.

Actively involved in his community, Ric served for three years on the board of the Orinda Youth Association and one year as president of the 1,800-swimmer Orinda-Moraga recreational swimming program.

Ric holds a masters of science degree in water science from the University of California, Davis, and a bachelor of science degree in environmental science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

TOBY PERRY
Land Conservation Project Manager  [  ]

Toby Perry joined the Stewardship Council in August 2007. He works directly with the Land Conservation Program team out of the San Mateo office as a project manager to oversee the work of the program. Since joining the Stewardship Council Toby has been intimately involved in designing the process by which the Stewardship Council will implement its Land Conservation Plan.

Prior to joining the Stewardship Council Toby worked in the non-profit, public and private sectors. Most recently he worked for an NGO looking for ways to finance biodiversity conservation through tourism. Additionally, in graduate school, Toby spent a year working on a thesis project with the Big Sur Land Trust and local ranchers to look at ways to conserve Monterey County's ranchland.

Toby graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara earning a master of science degree in environmental science and management, with a specialization in conservation planning. He also holds a bachelor of science degree in landscape architecture from the University of California, Davis.

Growing up in California, Toby has spent much of his life hiking, camping, and fishing on many of the lands that he is currently working to conserve. He enjoys working for an organization that seeks to enhance the diverse landscapes and lives of people in California.

HEIDI KROLICK
Regional Land Conservation Manager [  ]

Heidi Krolick is based in the Sacramento regional office. Heidi is responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of land conservation plans for the Bucks Lake pilot project and the other planning units within the Stewardship Council's central California watersheds. Prior to joining the Stewardship Council, Heidi acted as a restoration specialist and project manager for ECORP Consulting, Inc., a biological consulting firm based in Rocklin, California. Her experience includes drafting and implementing long-term management plans for open space areas, environmental permitting and compliance, and managing large-scale mitigation and restoration projects including grassland, woodland, wetland, and riparian habitats.

Heidi holds a master of arts degree in parks, recreation, and tourism management from Lincoln University in New Zealand, and bachelor of arts degrees in environmental studies and geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Heidi is currently a board member of the Sacramento River Watershed Program. In addition, she is an active member of Toastmasters, an international public speaking and leadership organization, and enjoys opportunities to explore the outdoors with her family. In her free time, Heidi enjoys hiking, backpacking or snowshoeing in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada with her husband and their two dogs.

CHANTZ JOYCE
Regional Land Conservation Manager [  ]

Chantz Joyce is based in the regional office in Shingletown, California. Chantz is responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of land conservation plans for the McArthur Swamp pilot project and the other planning units within the Stewardship Councils northern most watersheds.

Chantz is licensed with the State of California as a registered professional forester and holds a bachelor of science degree in Forestry from Humboldt State University. Before joining the Stewardship Council, Chantz was a staff forester with W.M. Beaty & Associates and was responsible for managing timber harvest plan preparation and implementation on certified forests, including fuels reduction projects, sustained yield plans, road management plans, and water quality monitoring projects.

Chantz is committed to professional involvement and continuing education. He has been actively involved with the Cow Creek Watershed Management Group, Bear Creek Watershed Management Group, the Western Shasta RCD, and in April 2008 completed a term as president of the California Licensed Foresters Association. Born in theCentral Valley town of Newman, Chantz grew up camping, hiking, and fishing on many of the lands the Stewardship Council is currently charged with conserving.

VANESSA PARKER-GEISMAN
Regional Land Conservation Manager [  ]

Vanessa Parker-Geisman joined the Land Conservation Program team in June, 2009. She's currently working with interested stakeholders in several watershed areas in the central and southern Sierra Nevada. Vanessa was drawn to the Stewardship Council by the opportunity to work with diverse organizations to achieve protection for watershed lands across the Sierra.

Vanessa holds a masters of science in conservation biology from the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment. Before joining the Stewardship Council, she worked with The Nature Conservancy to develop a conservation plan for the St. Mary's River located adjacent to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She has also worked on invasive plant species management through the Kohala Watershed Partnership on the Island of Hawaii.

Vanessa enjoys northern California for its many recreational opportunities. In her free time she can be found hiking, camping, surfing, or skiing.

ALLISON M. HENDERSON
Land Conservation Program Associate  [   ]

Allison Henderson joined the Land Conservation Program in October 2009 and works in the Sacramento office. Allison came to the Stewardship Council from a two-year assignment with the Peace Corps in West Africa. As part of her work there, she contributed to environmental projects including the planting of moringas, trees that provide the native population with shade and nutrition through their vitamin-rich leaves. Prior to her tenure with the Peace Corps, Allison spent time volunteering for several San Diego-based organizations, including the San Diego River Park Foundation, a nonprofit organization that sponsored river clean-ups and raised money to build riverside parks. Joining the Stewardship Council gave Allison the opportunity to pursue her commitment to working for the environment with a dedicated team of colleagues.

Allison grew up in Woodland, California., and attended the Universty of California, San Diego where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in International studies - political science. After traveling extensively in Europe and Africa, working in Sacramento  brought Allison back home to the Central Valley. In addition to traveling, and when bad weather keeps her off her horse, Allison enjoys cooking, reading, and knitting.

Youth Investment Program Staff

MIRIAM TRAORE
Senior Program Associate and
Grants Manager [   ]

Miriam Traore joined the Stewardship Council Youth Investment Program in July 2011.  She enjoys working with such a diverse group of people and organizations in order to help get urban youth outdoors.

Miriam has a bachelor of arts degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz in global literature with an emphasis on post-colonial literature. Before joining the Stewardship Council, she worked with Aspiranet, a child-welfare non-profit, in its Bay Area Regional office.

Born and raised in San Francisco’s Mission district, Miriam loves northern California and all its natural beauty. Her hobbies include dancing, hiking, knitting and cooking.