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Catherine Martineau (she/her)
Executive Director
Bria Blitch (she/her)
Tree Programs Manager
Maya Briones (she/her)
Advocacy Associate
Natalie Brubaker (she/her)
Director of Special Projects
Christie Galitsky (she/her)
Senior Director of Programs
Laura Gronek (she/her)
Communications Manager
Lily Heidger (she/her)
AmeriCorps VISTA Member
Maika Horjus (she/her)
Senior Development Specialist
Juanita Ibarra (she/her/ella)
Youth Programs Coordinator
Aubrey Knier (she/her)
Tree Care Coordinator
Paul LaVallee (he/him)
Environmental Educator
Beth May (she/her)
Director of Philanthropy
Shannon McDonald (she/her)
Operations Director
Arlene Nuñez García (she/they/them)
Community Forestry Coordinator
Indira Selvakumaraswamy (she/her)
Volunteer Engagement Manager
Karina Soria Mendoza (she/her/ella)
Operations Manager
Gabrielle Trudeau (she/her)
Community Forestry Coordinator
Evany Wang (she/her)
Community Forestry Coordinator
Vanessa Wyns (she/her)
Education Director
Paco Arreola
Teen Urban Forester
Miguel Baez
Teen Urban Forester
Edgar Bustos (he/him)
Teen Urban Forester
Joshua Bustos
Teen Urban Forester
Mia Contreras
Teen Urban Forester
Tommy Delgado
Teen Urban Forester
Briyana Edwards
Teen Urban Forester
Angel Fernandez
Teen Urban Forester
JoJo Flores
Teen Urban Forester
Bethzy Garcia
Teen Urban Forester
Martin Gomez Lopez
Teen Urban Forester
Christopher Kaage
Teen Urban Forester
Keiki Leni
Teen Urban Forester
Jeremy Lopez (he/him)
Teen Urban Forester
Adrian Maciel
Teen Urban Forester
Jose Yopihua
Teen Urban Forester
Catherine (she/her) has been a leader in the nonprofit urban forestry field for over a decade. She serves on the board of California Releaf, a statewide urban forestry organization. She brings to her role extensive professional experience in both the financial and management consulting sectors. Leading Canopy, she draws on her professional experience as well as her personal interest in community service, education and the environment.
A native of France, Catherine started her career in Paris with the BNP Group and moved to the United States in 1986, joining BNP Venture Capital. In 1991, she and her husband created Martineau & Associates, a management consulting practice specializing in new initiatives. Catherine holds a post-graduate degree (ABD) in economic theory, a master’s degree in mathematical economics, and a bachelor’s degree in international economics from the University of Paris. Catherine became Executive Director in 2004.
Bria Blitch (she/her) joined Canopy in August 2022 to manage the trees program and staff. Before joining Canopy, Bria worked as a consulting utility forester in the Bay Area and managed Leaf and Vine Urban Plant Shop in Santa Cruz. She has always loved the outdoors and is thrilled to combine forestry and conservation work with education and community involvement in her work at Canopy.
Bria majored in Forest Resources and Conservation at the University of Florida. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and ceramics.
Maya (she/her) joined Canopy in May 2019 to coordinate tree planting and stewardship programs in East Palo Alto. Prior to Canopy, Maya researched the efficacy of the County of San Mateo’s Tree Replacement Program as a Planning Intern. She has co-authored published research on access to green space and in the future hopes to continue researching environmental justice issues in graduate school.
She is a graduate of San José State University’s Environmental Studies program where she focused on habitat restoration and resource management, with a minor in Mexican American Studies. Maya is currently a graduate student at San José State University’s School of Environment Studies focusing on wildlife conservation and environmental justice.
Email Natalie Blog: Meet Natalie
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.” She formerly worked as Canopy’s Education Director where she oversaw the youth and adult education programs at Canopy.
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.
Email Christie Blog: Meet Christie
Christie (she/her) joined Canopy in September 2021. Before joining Canopy, Christie worked as Conservation Director for Blue Ventures in Madagascar, doing community based marine conservation with local fishing communities. She holds a BSE in Chemical Engineering with Mathematics minor from the University of Pennsylvania, MS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and MS in Ecology from the University of Washington.
Laura (she/her) joined the team in September 2020 to support Canopy’s Operations, Development, Board of Directors, and Advocacy Committee. Newly relocated to the Bay Area from Atlanta, GA, Laura has 8 years of nonprofit professional experience – particularly in arts & culture, education, and community building – and most recently worked as Marketing & Communications Manager at JumpSpark. Although Canopy is Laura’s first experience at an environmental nonprofit, she’s excited to join the team and work to expand tree cover in the Midpeninsula and its impact on the health and equity for community members.
Laura holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Georgia. She enjoys musical theater, hiking, and trying new recipes in the kitchen.
Lily Heiger (she/her) joined the Canopy team in August 2022 to serve as an AmeriCorp VISTA representative through summer 2023. Lily graduated from the College of Coastal Georgia in May 2022 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a minor in Geology. Her degree concentrated on sustainability, policy, and management. Before joining Canopy, Lily completed a remote internship with NASA helping make earth data more equitable for environmental justice communities.
Lily loves to do anything outdoors, including hiking, biking, caving, camping, and climbing.
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 coordinating volunteers and events, then spearheading communications, Maika now manages Canopy’s individual giving program. She is consistently inspired by the passion, creativity, and generosity of the Canopy community.
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 good conversation over a tasty beverage.
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.
Email Aubrey Blog: Meet Aubrey
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.
Paul (he/him) joined Canopy in May 2022 as an Environmental Educator working with K-12 students. He holds a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and prior to joining Canopy, he worked at Claire Lilienthal Elementary School as their Environmental Educator for grades 3-5. There he ran a garden class composed of environmental education curriculum, garden skills lessons, and connecting students to the natural world. Before Claire Lilienthal, Paul worked with an outdoor environmental education camp in Palo Alto and a coastal restoration nonprofit in Santa Barbara.
Beth May (she/her) joined Canopy in October 2022 as Senior Director of Philanthropy. 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.
Shannon (she/her) joined Canopy in fall 2015 and currently oversees grants and operations. She enjoys raising grant funds to connect young people with nature-based leadership and education experiences. Prior to joining Canopy, she was immersed in the affordable housing field where she conducted policy research and contributed to an assessment report for the City of San José’s East Santa Clara Street urban village master plan. Her goal to work towards building sustainable communities is what brought her to the field of urban forestry and Canopy.
Shannon holds a Master of Urban & Regional Planning with a focus on community development from San José State University. She grew up in San José and currently lives amongst the redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
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.
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 (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.
ISA Certified Arborist® 12146-A
Gabby (she/her) joined the Canopy team in September 2020 as a Community Forestry Coordinator for Palo Alto and Mountain View. A certified arborist, she’ll be working to coordinate planting events and community volunteers, to help Canopy meet tree planting goals. Before joining Canopy, she was working in Cochabamba, Bolivia for International Honors Program (IHP): Climate Change as a cultural liaison/translator/field assistant for the students.
In her spare time, Gabby propagates plants (reproduce plants through various methods), rides her bike, and enjoys listening to music.
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.
Vanessa (she/her) joined Canopy in the autumn of 2019 after completing an internship with the National Park Service as a bilingual environmental educator in southern Arizona. She has an MS in Ethnobotany from the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, where she conducted research at a community garden on the benefits of social and therapeutic horticulture for disadvantaged populations for her thesis. She also holds a dual BA in Spanish Language and Studio Art from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Previously, she has combined her varied academic training by working as a rural eco-camp instructor in northern Spain, a bilingual educator at an urban farm in Arizona, and a science and art teacher in Granada, Spain.
She is deeply interested in equalizing nature access and education and strives to find creative ways to engage all audiences. She enjoys hiking, exploring new places, perusing thrift stores, and petting dogs.
My name is Francisco Arreola Aguilar (but I prefer to be called Paco), and I’m a rising junior at Eastside College Preparatory School. I joined the TUF program because I wanted to do something that I find a liking to and have experienced before as well as being able to help out as much as possible with my community. A few hobbies that I enjoy doing are making music and writing poetry.
Hey, my name is Edgar my pronouns are he/him and I attend Eastside college prep high school. I joined Canopy because before I applied I volunteered to help and at the end of the session I found it very fun and a great experience and a great way to be outside. And one thing I like to do besides Canopy is soccer. I have loved playing the sport since I was 7years old.
My name is Joshua Bustos, and I am a freshman at 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.
My name is Mia Contreras, and I am a junior at Kipp Esperanza. I joined Canopy because I thought that this would be a good place to work on leadership and communication skills. Some of my hobbies include playing soccer and attending college track. One fun fact about myself is that I was born in Mexico and came to the US when I was 4.
My name is Tommy Delgado and I am a 11th grader at Eastside College Preparatory School. I joined Canopy because it’s a good way to hangout and learn with others while helping the community of EPA.
My name is Briyana Edwards and I’m a 9th grader at 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.
Hello, My name is Angel Fernandez, I am a freshman at Eastside college prep. I joined canopy to help my community in any way possible and to meet other people so I can learn to work better with them. I like to run in the mornings as the sun rises and I like to go for morning/night walks while listening to music.
Hello! My name is JoJo, and I’m a rising sophomore at 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 working out, and a fun fact about myself is that I live in the dorms at Eastside.
Bethzy is a sophomore at Kipp Esperanza. She joined Canopy this summer to help plant more trees in her community. Her hobbies include walking and playing with her dog and hanging out with friends and cousins.
More information about Martin coming soon!
My name is Christopher Kaage and I am a 10th grader at Eastside College Preparatory School. I joined Canopy to help and learn more about the East Palo Alto community and to have more of an experience working outdoors.Things I like other than Canopy is playing soccer, since I joined the team it was a really fun experience.
My name is Keiki Leni and I am a 10th grader at Eastside College Preparatory School. I joined Canopy because I wanted to learn about environmental justice and help plant trees to battle global warming and desertification. I like to play bass guitar and drums. I also do Muay Thai.
My name is Jeremy Lopez, and I’m a junior at Eastside College Preparatory School. I joined the TUF program to see what positive changes I can possibly make in my community. A few hobbies I have is doing art and playing soccer from time to time.
Adrian is a student at Oxford Day Academy and joined the Teen Urban Forester team in fall 2019. He joined Canopy because it looks like a fun program to join and he would like to learn how to plant trees. In his free time Adrian likes to play with his dog, cook, and ride his bike.
Hello, My name is Jose Yopihua, I’m a Sophomore at Eastside College Prep. I joined the program because I believe planting trees will help my community and thought it’d be fun. My favorite color is red and I enjoy reading in my free time.
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