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 helped create TRT's first advancement department in August 2008 after having served as Administrative Director since the beginning of that year. She came to us with experience in administrative and small business management and has gained extensive knowledge of non-profit fundraising and organizational development. Karyn was raised in the suburbs of Chicago and graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison with a B.S. in Zoology. She shares a deep rooted interest in environmental and wildlife conservation with our team and in her free time enjoys hiking, camping, and distance running.
Karlha Davies Nature and Neighborhood Project Director karlha@tuolumne.org Karlha Davies joined the Tuolumne River Trust as River Parkway Project Manager and now our Nature and Neighborhood Project Director after working as a land planner at Stanislaus County and a communications Specialist at the Yosemite Community College District. She holds an B.A. in Organizational Communications with an emphasis in Chicano Studies from CSU Stanislaus and is a lifelong resident of Stanislaus County. Mrs. Davies primary focus at the Tuolumne River Trust is to build resident community capacity in underserved riverside communities, engage them in civic decisions, and integrate their views and ideas in the long-term action plans for achieving healthy, economically viable neighborhoods and riverfront parks.
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 former mayor of Palo Alto.
A Modesto native, Analisa is excited to be working with the riverside residents in West Modesto. She joined the Trust in November 2011 after gaining experience mentoring and project organizing for various organizations in both New York and California. She earned her BA in Cultural Studies from Sarah Lawrence College and aspires to continue applying her personal and professional knowledge to build positive and productive community partnerships with the citizens of West Modesto.
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.
Paige Norberg Bay Area Education & Volunteer Coordinator paige@tuolumne.org
Paige joined the Trust in 2011 as the Bay Area Environmental Education Intern. Now as Bay Area Education & Volunteer Coordinator, she is excited to engage the community with the Tuolumne in a new way, through building a network of energetic volunteers working to protect and restore the Tuolumne. Before working with the Trust, Paige worked at UC Berkeley researching marine conservation issues in Madagascar. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning. During her studies she built her passion for environmental education at the UC Davis Arboretum. She is committed to connecting Californians of all backgrounds with their natural environment.
Jessie Raeder Paddle to the Sea Director, Relicensing Campaign Coordinator jessie@tuolumne.org
Jessie Raeder directs the Trust's Paddle to the Sea, our largest annual event and organizing program: www.paddletothesea.org. She also heads up the Trust's campaign to restore the salmon runs of the lower Tuolumne by getting more water released into the river for fish and wildlife. Jessie began her career as an activist working for the Feminist Majority Foundation, and she has worked on ballot initiative campaigns and voter registration drives in several states. She is President of the Board of the SalmonAid Foundation and is active in the movement to restore wild Pacific salmon to the rivers and streams of the West Coast. It was volunteering with the South Yuba River Citizens League on the Source to Sea project that inspired Jessie's unlimited enthusiasm for wild rivers and wild salmon. She also works to promote sustainable agriculture, serving as a board member on the Platform Committee of the San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance.
As an East Modesto native, Leticia was born and raised in the Airport Neighborhood. She joined the Trust in March of 2012 with 7 years of experience working with elementary school age kids. She was formerly a lead volunteer with Healthy Start in the Airport Neighborhood, and most recently has been working at Orville Wright Elementary School. She holds a Medical Assistant Degree from ITT Tech and is passionate about connecting youth with the outdoors. She hopes to continue the Trust's efforts to build personal and professional partnerships with families and the children of the Airport Neighborhood.
Dana joined TRT in March 2013 to manage the organization's finances. Environmental stewardship has been a consistent theme in her work with both non-profits and small businesses. She has worked for the California Climate Action Registry, Environmental Traveling Companions and Strategen Clean Energy Consulting. In addition to her professional experience, she has spent time getting to know California's waterways as a recreational boater and volunteer at ETC. A Bay Area transplant from the Midwest, Dana has always had a great love for rivers and sees sharing them with people of all abilities as a great way to ensure their protection.
A West Modesto native, Ramsses is excited to be working at the Trust as the Riverside Activities Coordinator. He joined the Trust's Nature and Neighborhood program in November 2011 with many years of experience working with at-risk youth and elementary school age children. His education began at Modesto Junior College and later continued at California State University - Stanislaus where he studied Liberal Studies with a concentration in Child Development. He is passionate about connecting youth to the outdoors and hopes to build personal and professional partnerships with families and children in the Airport Neighborhodd.
Patrick Koepele
Meg Gonzalez
Paige Norberg
