Staff

Jean-Paul “JP” Renaud (he/him)

Executive Director

Email JP Blog: Announcing Canopy’s New Executive Director – JP Renaud!

Jean-Paul “JP” Renaud (he/him) was appointed as Canopy’s Executive Director by the Board of Directors in August 2023. JP has more than 15 years of public and nonprofit leadership experience at the local and international level, mainly in the communications sector. Previously, he served as Chief Communications Officer for TreePeople in Los Angeles, where he led a team that told the stories of trees and communities in order to build support for southern California’s largest environmental nonprofit.

Prior to TreePeople, JP served in the United States Peace Corps as an Organizational Capacity Building Specialist in Ukraine. JP also served for five years as Executive Director of Communications for the UCLA College of Letters and Science, the largest academic unit in California. During some of his time at UCLA, he also served as Executive Speechwriter to the UCLA Chancellor and Executive Vice Chancellor.

Born in Cuba, JP and his family emigrated to Paris, France before settling in Miami, FL. He graduated from the University of Miami with a double major in journalism and political science and later received his Master’s in Public Administration from FIU. After graduating from college, he worked as a journalist for more than 5 years, including at the Miami Herald, the South Florida Sun Sentinel and the Los Angeles Times.

Noah Alagao (he/him)

AmeriCorps VISTA

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Noah Alagao (he/him) is a dedicated community organizer, climate adaptation researcher, and a proud plant dad. He is passionate about implementing sustainable design and building an equitable framework for environmental stewardship. His mission is to foster connection between community outreach and environmental design.

Noah is an alumnus of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Earth and Soil Science and minor in Sustainable Environments. As a student, he researched climate adaptation and mitigation practices. He also took on various leadership roles to support his community and stay true to his identity. Currently, Noah serves with Canopy and Stanford University as an AmeriCorps VISTA Fellow.

Ally Bell (she/her)

Education Director

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Ally Bell (she/her) joined Canopy as Education Director in September 2023. She holds a B.A. in History and English from Duke University and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia. After spending about ten years as a teacher and education leader in Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia public schools, Ally traded coasts and moved to the East Bay. For the past several years, she’s been working as a training manager, facilitator, and curriculum developer. She is also writing a middle grade novel about animals in the Everglades.

In her spare time, Ally enjoys hiking, camping, backpacking, reading, volunteering at the local animal shelter, and hanging out with her dog.

Natalie Brubaker (she/her)

Director of Strategic Initiatives

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Natalie (she/her) enjoys creating opportunities for people to explore their local ecosystem and learn from others in the community. Natalie’s love of trees developed in the Piedmont region of the southern states where she grew up in Atlanta, known as “The City in the Forest.” Before transitioning into the role of Director of Strategic Initiatives, she worked as Canopy’s Education Director and, later, Canopy’s Director of Special Projects.

After completing her BS degree in Environmental Studies at Emory University, Natalie served as Director of Afterschool Programs at The Advent School in Boston. Her interest in place-based education led her to pursue her master’s degree in Ecological Teaching and Learning at Lesley University. Prior to joining Canopy in the fall of 2016, Natalie was the Farm & Landscape Educator at Gore Place, a historic site in Waltham, MA.

Shadira Chester (she/her)

RAY Tree & Climate Fellow

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Shadira Chester (she/her) joined Canopy in August 2024 as the RAY Tree & Climate Fellow. She received her B.A. in Economics: International Politics and Policy from Berea College where she was the Communications Manager for the Campus Writing Center. As the RAY Tree & Climate Fellow, Shadira will focus on tree planting and tree care and help with volunteer recruitment and climate education. She’s excited to design and distribute educational materials that communicate the benefits of trees to our community.

Outside of Canopy, Shadira enjoys reading and sewing and hopes to get into pattern making and garment design!

Tania Cooley (she/her)

Environmental Educator

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Tania Cooley joined Canopy in March 2024 as the Environmental Educator. She received a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California Santa Cruz where she conducted field and lab work on plant ecology and worked as a gardener for a garden classroom. Before Canopy, Tania worked as a Naturalist for Exploring New Horizons Sempervirens Outdoor School and as a TK-5th Garden Instructor for Life Lab Science Program at an elementary school in Watsonville, CA. As the Environmental Educator, she is excited to provide K-12th grade students in the local school districts with nature-based learning.

In her spare time, she likes to paint, embroider, craft and go on hikes and watch reality TV.

Michael DeBroeck (he/him)

Community Forester

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Michael DeBroeck first joined Canopy as the Young Tree Care Survey Intern in 2016 and returned as the Tree Care Coordinator in November 2024. After receiving his B.A. in Environmental Science from Santa Clara University, Michael worked at the educational farm & garden at Sacred Heart School teaching youth about food sustainability. He also worked for Davey Resource Group as a utility forester & estimating arborist contracted to PG&E to do wildfire safety work.

When Michael isn’t caring for Canopy-planted trees, he likes to play Dungeons & Dragons and other TTRPGs (tabletop role-playing games)!

Maika Horjus (she/her)

Director of Impact

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Maika (she/her) first joined Canopy in fall of 2013. A native of the verdant Pacific Northwest, she brings a love of connecting people with nature and with one another. After first coordinating volunteers and events, then spearheading communications and individual giving, Maika now stewards Canopy’s data, impact metrics, and tracking systems. She works to ensure Canopy’s dedicated staff have effective digital tools to support their efforts and to grow Canopy’s community and impact.

Maika holds a BS in Conservation and Resource Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied community development and conservation biology. She enjoys hiking, writing, singing, and being goofy with her husband and two children.

Desiree Humphers (she/her)

Adult Education Coordinator

Email Desiree Blog: Meet Desiree Humphers, Canopy's New Adult Education Coordinator

Desiree Humphers joined Canopy as the Adult Education Coordinator in March 2024. She earned an A.A. in Behavioral Sciences from De Anza Community College and a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a minor in Climate Change Strategies from San Jose State University. Desiree is also a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation. Before Canopy, Desiree interned for Grassroots Ecology, the Climate Action Corp, and worked as a Park Interpreter for Santa Clara County Parks. As the Adult Education Coordinator, she is excited to develop new educational programs to connect more people with their local environment. 

Juanita Ibarra (she/her/ella)

Youth Programs Manager

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Juanita (she/her/ella), joined Canopy in September 2020 as the Youth Program Coordinator, responsible for coordinating Canopy’s Teen Urban Forestry Program. Prior to joining Canopy, she worked with youth for five years implementing curriculum and finding new ways to inspire the youth and families she engaged. She earned her B.A. in Chicano/a Studies from the University of California at Berkeley. As a native of East Palo Alto, she’s excited to find new ways to involve the community in our tree planting events, to question why certain cities or locations have a bigger or smaller urban forest, and to motivate the youth to learn about the importance of trees. Trees are important because, in addition to providing a healthy environment, they serve as a form of dialogue to explore the inequalities and disparities that continue to exist in the bay area.

In her spare time, Juanita enjoys hiking, traveling, experiencing new cultures and food.

Aubrey Knier (she/her)

Community Forestry Manager

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Aubrey Knier (she/her) joined the Canopy team in late November 2022 as Tree Care Coordinator, supporting Canopy’s fieldwork through tree planting, tracking, and reporting, as well as performing regular tree care activities throughout all of Canopy’s communities. Born and raised in North Carolina, Aubrey received her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with an honors thesis in paleobotany. Afterward, she earned a master’s in environmental management from Duke University, where she concentrated on ecosystem science and conservation and completed a thesis on forest responses to elevated CO2. Aubrey has also worked on human-wildlife conflicts with Defenders of Wildlife and had the honor of conducting field research in the tropical plant ecosystems of the Galápagos Islands and Gabon.

Adrian Maciel Castaneda

Teen Urban Forester Alumni Intern

Adrian Maciel Castaneda first joined Canopy as a Teen Urban Forester (TUF) in 2019. After four years of being in the TUF Program, Adrian left for college at San Francisco State University where he is studying Computer Science. In July 2024, Adrian returned to Canopy as the TUF Alumni Intern to enhance the TUF Alumni Network database and coordinate events for our TUF Alumni. With this internship, he is excited to reconnect with his TUF cohorts and improve his communication skills. Outside of Canopy, Adrian enjoys cooking, coding, and hiking!

Beth May (she/her)

Deputy Director

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Beth May (she/her) joined Canopy in October 2022 as Senior Director of Philanthropy and now works as Canopy’s Deputy Director. Before joining Canopy, she worked on community fundraising and education advocacy efforts in her hometown of Palo Alto. A graduate of Princeton University, Beth began her career in affordable housing advocacy in Chicago as a Princeton Public Interest Program fellow and later transitioned to relationship management at Northern Trust in Chicago and San Francisco.

Beth invests her free time volunteering with nonprofit organizations in the local community and often works with the National Charity League alongside her two teenage daughters. Beth lives in Palo Alto with her family and golden retriever, Grace. She enjoys hiking and running, listening to her husband play music, and spending time in groves of redwoods and aspen, her favorite trees.

Arlene Nuñez García (she/they/them)

Community Forester

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Arlene Nuñez García (she/they/them) joined Canopy in summer 2021 to lead the Branching Out program in East Palo Alto, North Fair Oaks, and Belle Haven. Prior to Canopy, Arlene attended San Jose State University where she received a B.S. in Environmental Studies with a minor in Restoration. She grew up in Orange County but moved to Santa Clara and has been involved with environmental nonprofits all around the south bay since. Arlene’s experience helping with bio blitzes, creek cleanups, teaching watershed health and garden education to elementary students, and helping work on native landscape conversions solidified her passion for cultivating environmentally sustainable practices within culture and community.

When she’s not busy working with our communities to protect our urban forests, Arlene enjoys hiking, camping, crocheting, family time, and laying under trees.

Bless Romo (she/her)

Communications & Marketing Coordinator

Email Bless Blog: Meet Bless Romo, Canopy's New Communications & Marketing Coordinator

Bless Romo joined Canopy as the Communications and Marketing Coordinator in March 2024. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Earth Systems from Stanford University where she worked as a teaching and research assistant. Before working with Canopy, she was a Climate Justice in the Bay Area Fellow with North Fair Oaks Community Alliance and a Small-Scale Fisheries Fellow with the Environmental Defense Fund. Bless is excited to elevate the stories and support the work of the Canopy community through creative environmental communication.

In her spare time, Bless enjoys dancing, crocheting, and hanging out with her cats. She’s been dancing since she was 5 years old and has trained in various styles including hip hop, tap, and contemporary.

Indira Selvakumaraswamy (she/her)

Volunteer Engagement Manager

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Indira (she/her) joined the team in August 2020 to oversee Canopy’s communications and volunteer engagement. She is a marketing and advertising professional with fifteen years of experience working with non-profits, social marketing firms, and with various clients from different industries, for their marketing communication needs. She also has extensive experience interacting, working with and managing people both in the non-profit and the for-profit sectors.

She holds an MBA from Bharathidasan Institute of Management (India) in Marketing & Personnel Management and a Certificate in Strategic Marketing from the University of California, Berkeley.

Karina Soria Mendoza (she/her/ella)

Senior Operations Manager

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Karina (she/her/ella) joined the Canopy team in January 2023 as Operations Manager overseeing office environment and systems, providing administrative support to Canopy’s Executive Director and Board, and providing program administrative support. Her professional career began in 2016 at College Track as a recruiter before being promoted to academic coach and later operations coordinator. Afterward, she interned as a policy and community intern with Elemental Excelerator before joining full-time as a Portfolio Fellow. Karina attended East Palo Alto Academy and College Track and studied some engineering and business classes at San Francisco State University. Karina is thrilled to bring her nonprofit administration experience to the Canopy team and to continue working in the environmental space.

Karina’s hobbies include hiking, camping, and traveling, and her favorite tree is the giant sequoia.

Evany Wang (she/her)

Community Forester

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Evany (she/her) joined the Canopy team in August 2022 to coordinate tree planting and surveying in Palo Alto and Mountain View. Before joining Canopy, Evany was a seasonal crew member with the Santa Lucia Conservancy, where she worked on invasive weeds management and fuel management.

She graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, with a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture, after which she became an AmeriCorps member, first assigned to Grassroots Ecology in Palo Alto, then Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust in Seattle, WA.

Evany enjoys scuba diving, rock climbing, playing video games and tabletop games, crocheting, camping, and amateur backpacking in her spare time.

Emma Adjei (she/her)

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Emmanuella Adjei, but you can call me Emma. I attend Eastside College Preparatory School. I joined the TUF program because I am trying to find where I belong in the world, and doing Canopy may lead me to finding my future career! Some personal interests I have are to draw, sing, dance and watch youtube videos.

Miguel Baez (he/him)

Teen Urban Forester Lead II

My name is Miguel Baz, and I attend East Palo Alto Academy. I joined the TUF program because I really wanted to expand my knowledge about what is happening in East Palo Alto and being able to change the green gap. A couple of my hobbies are working as a gardener and working on RC cars.

Sofia Barajas (she/her)

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Sofia, and I attend Eastside College Preparatory School. I joined Canopy to give back to nature and try something new. Some of my hobbies are playing with my dog and listening to music.

Joshua Bustos

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Joshua Bustos, and I attend Kipp Esperanza. I joined the TUF program to help make our community look and feel better because it looks better when there are so many trees surrounding every single neighborhood. In my free time, I like to play video games and play sports with my siblings.

Naomi Chapina (she/her)

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Naomi, and I attend Eastside College Preparatory School. I joined Canopy to help me get out of my comfort zone and learn about East Palo Alto and how I can help my community with issues such as the green gap. I enjoy listening to music, doing photography, and doing arts and crafts.

Kimberly Delgado

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Kimberly, and I attend East Palo Alto Academy. I joined Canopy because I personally really like nature and learning new things about the environment. Another reason I joined Canopy is that I wanted to become more independent and save money for my education. The hobbies that I like to do are singing, writing, going on walks, and painting.

Pedro Delgado (he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Pedro Delgado. I attend Eastside College Preparatory High School. I wanted to join the TUF Program because I wanted to try something new and see if I can see it in my future. I also wanted to be out in nature and appreciate trees for what they give us.

Briyana Edwards

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Briyana Edwards, and I attend Eastside College Preparatory School. I joined canopy because I thought it would be a good idea to give back to my community and try something different. In my free time I like to read, write, and listen to music.

Angel Estrada (he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Angel Estrada, and I attend East Palo Alto Academy. I joined the TUF Program because I wanted to learn and do more in my community. Some of my hobbies are biking and listening to music.

JoJo Flores

Teen Urban Forester Lead I

Hello! My name is JoJo, and I attend East Palo Alto Academy. I joined Canopy because I want to experience working outdoors and being hands-on with giving back to my community. A hobby of mine is skateboarding and listening to music.

Uilamila Fonua (she/her)

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Uilamila Fonua and I attend East Palo Alto Academy. I joined the TUF program because I wanted to gain work experience but also to build connections with those around me. A few hobbies that I enjoy doing are volleyball and reading.

Isaac Gonzalez (he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Isaac Gonzalez Ibarra, and I attend Palo Alto High School. I joined the TUF program because I wanted to learn more about the city I live in and I wanted to help make a difference. I also thought it would be fun to meet new people and make new friends. A couple hobbies of mine are wrestling and occasional reading.

Julian Gutierrez (he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

My name Is Julian, and I attend East Palo Alto Academy. I joined the TUF program because I wanted to start helping out the community and meet new people. Hobbies that I enjoy are playing video games, walking, and listening to music.

Cristian Jimenez (he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Cristian Jimenez and I attend East Palo Alto Academy. I joined the TUF Program because I saw an opportunity to help my community out by planting trees and shortening the green gap. Some of my hobbies are riding my bike, playing video games and spending time with my dear ones.

Heseti "Seti" Kivalu (she/her)

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Seti, and I attend East Palo Alto Academy. I joined Canopy because I like being connected with nature and meeting new people to learn how to care for the nature around us. Something I do in my free time is play pickleball, play with my cat or hangout with my homegirls.

Guillermo “Memo” Lopez (he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Guillermo Lopez Aguilar (but I prefer to be called Memo), and I attend Palo Alto High School . I joined the TUF program because I wanted to learn about the environment I live in and help the environment. I also want to help my community as much as possible. A few hobbies that I enjoy doing are skating and listening to music.

Alexa Mariela Pano Pérez (she/her/ella)

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Alexa, and I attend Oxford Day Academy. I joined Canopy because I wanted to help my community and be outdoors. Some of my hobbies include spending time with family and hanging out with friends.

Ricky Recinos (he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Ricky Recinos, and I attend Eastside College Preparatory School. I joined Canopy because I wanted to help out my community look more alive by helping the trees in the area. A hobby I have is playing soccer and hanging out with my friends.

Feliciano Trujillo (he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Feliciano Trujillo (but I prefer to be called Felix), and I attend Kipp Esperanza. I joined the TUF program because I wanted to help out my parents and also helping myself in financial plannings in the future as well as helping the community. Hobbies that I enjoy is playing video game, programming, listening to music and enjoying food.

Yael Yopihua (he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

My name is Yael Yopihua, and I attend Eastside College Preparatory School. I joined the program because I think it’s important for our community to have an environment where life can grow. Hobbies of mine include listening to music and playing soccer.