Eric Wesselman, Executive Director, joined the Tuolumne River Trust in January 2006. Raised in rural Oregon, Eric has been engaged in California water issues since 2001, with an emphasis on urban water conservation. Wesselman served as the Sierra Club's Regional Representative and as the Convener for the California Urban Water Conservation Council and a member of the Water Use Efficiency Public Advisory Subcommittee for CALFED. Wesselman holds a M.S. in Environmental Science from The Johns Hopkins University, a B.S. in Conservation and Natural Resource Studies from the University of California at Berkeley, and has specialized training in grassroots organizing from the GreenCorpFieldSchool for Environmental Organizing and the MidwestAcademy.
Patrick Koepele has been with the Trust since July of 2000. He served as our Central Valley Program Director from 2000 to early 2008 when he took on the new role of Deputy Executive Director. Prior to joining the Trust, Patrick worked as a Water Resources and Restoration Planner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he acquired deep knowledge of restoration issues and activities throughout the Central Valley. Patrick's experience includes surveying, groundwater, river and bank erosion studies. Patrick has a Masters of Science in Geology from the University of California at Davis and a Bachelor's in Geology from ColgateUniversity.
Karyn Carr moved into her new role as the Trust's first Advancement Associate in August 2008 after having served as Administrative Director since the beginning of the year. She comes to us with extensive experience in administrative work and small business management. She was raised in the suburbs of Chicago and graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison with a B.S. in Zoology. With her deep rooted interest in environmental and wildlife conservation she is a great addition to our team.
Peter Drekmeier, Bay Area Program Director, joined the Trust in August 2007. Raised in Palo Alto on Hetch Hetchy water, Peter knows the Bay Area well. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1987 with a Political Science degree, and has been an environmental organizer ever since. In 1990 he founded Bay Area Action (now Acterra), and has coordinated two international Earth Day campaigns. He has extensive experience working on land use initiatives, and water is his favorite natural resource. Peter is a whitewater rafting guide and a member of the Palo Alto City Council.
Meg Gonzalez Central Valley Director of Outreach Education meg@tuolumne.org
Before joining the Trust in January 2007, Meg was with the GreatValleyMuseum, in Modesto, where she managed the Traveling Teacher staff and worked on program development. While at the Museum, Meg co-authored a California science standards-based curriculum Trekking the Tuolumne River which serves as a model for the Trust’s Tuolumne River Outdoor Classroom program. Before moving to California, Meg worked for the Tierrenuestra Foundation in Paraguay, developing curriculum and workshops designed to help poor teachers use their natural surroundings to teach science. She has worked as an educator and field biologist in Paraguay, and Vermont. Meg received her B.A. in Biology from MountHolyokeCollege and a M.A. in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont.
Deanna Maurer began as the Trust's first Advancement Director in July 2008. She brings with her over 20 years of professional experience in outreach and resource development for nonprofits and universities around the Bay Area, including University of California, University of San Francisco, Berkeley Geochronology Center, and George Mark's Children's House. Since 2002 she has lived in Sonora where she has come to love the Tuolumne River for its beauty and the many types of birds, fish, and other wildlife that call it home. Deanna holds a Master's degree in public policy from Berkeley and a Bachelor's degree from Wellesley College.
As a youth growing up in TuolumneCounty, Galen spent many days escaping the summer heat swimming in the refreshing pools of the Tuolumne and Clavey rivers. Galen received a B.S. from StanfordUniversity in the Earth Systems program with an emphasis on ecology. After graduating, he spent several years working on farms in California and Oregon and currently runs a small market garden in Sonora. Galen is grateful for the opportunity to work on behalf of the TuolumneRiver.
Patrick Koepele
Meg Gonzalez
Deanna Maurer