Eric Wesselman
Executive Director
eric@tuolumne.org

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 Green Corp Field School for Environmental Organizing and the Midwest Academy.

Patrick Koepele
Deputy Executive Director

patrick@tuolumne.org

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 Colgate University.

Karlha Arias

River Parkway Project Manager

karlha@tuolumne.org

Karlha is the newest addition to our staff with a multi-faceted background as a Planner for Stanislaus County, a Project Manager for Mid-Valley Engineering, and a Communications Specialist for the Yosemite Community College District. A native resident of Stanislaus County, she brings great enthusiasm for bringing the Lower Tuolumne River Parkway to life for her hometown.

Karyn Carr

Advancement Associate

karyn@tuolumne.org

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 and knack for event planning she is a great addition to our team.

Rebecca Cremeen

Sierra Nevada Program Director

rebecca@tuolumne.org

Rebecca stepped into the Sierra Nevada Program Director position in August 2008 following 5 years in land use and environment planning; first as a planner for Tuolumne County, then for PMC, a private consulting firm. Rebecca is a native of Santa Barbara where she graduated in 1995 with a B.A. in Geography. After spending some time in Latin America with the Peace Corps, she returned to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she earned a Masters in City and Regional Planning in 2002. In addition to a keen interest in land use issues, she has been involved in environmental education throughout her career and hopes to integrate this into the Sierra Nevada program. Working with TRT will be a great opportunity to combine her passion for environmental conservation with community building and outreach. She also enjoys spending as much time as possible in the outdoors, particularly in the high Sierra hiking, biking, climbing and camping.

Chris Daniels Chris Daniels

Director of Finance & Administration

chris@tuolumne.org

Chris joined TRT in late September '08. He recently made the move from Taos, New Mexico where he gaied extensive knowledge of finance and administration with the Hunuman Temple, Lama Foundation, and with Earth's Birthday in Santa Fe. Chris enjoys many outdoor activities, especially hiking, backpacking, rafting, and snowshoeing. He's looking forward to exploring all California has to offer!

Peter Drekmeier

Bay Area Program Director
peter@tuolumne.org

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 Great Valley Museum, 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 Mount Holyoke College and a M.A. in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont.

Carlos Leonzo

Recreational Outreach Coordinator

carlos@tuolumne.org

Over the past decade Carlos has run rivers as a commercial river guide and private boater in the U.S. and abroad. His passion and love for rivers, forest ecosystems, and and the natural world inspired him to pursue a career in environmental conservation. He holds a B.S. degree in Foresty with a minor in Environmental Ethics from Humboldt State University. Besides working as a river guide, he has worked as a research assistant at Humboldt State where he was involved in forest restoration projects and as a vegetation monitoring tech for The Nature Conservancy at the Cosumnes River Preserve where he monitored vegetation responses to conservation actions. If you want to find Carlos, look for him on the River!

Deanna Maurer

Advancement Director

deanna@tuolumne.org

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.

Jessie Raeder

Bay Area Organizer

jessie@tuolumne.org

Jessie joined the Trust in September '08 and brings a wealth of knowledge in organizing and event planning after having worked with both the Feminist Majority Foundation, and most recently, with the South Yuba Rivers Citizens League. She shares a love of rivers and fish with much of our membership and has already proven she will be a great asset to our Bay Area team.

Jesse Roseman

Central Valley Program Director

jesse.roseman@tuolumne.org

As a youth growing up in Tuolumne County, 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 Stanford University 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 Tuolumne River.