More Trees Please Webinars

More Trees Please is Canopy’s adult education series of tree talks and webinars for residents, tree industry experts, community leaders, and decision-makers on the benefits of urban trees, with resources and practical tips to advocate and care for trees in their community to ensure the health and longevity of the urban forest.

Schools: The Lungs of Our Community

Thursday, June 12, 2025

10:00-11:30 a.m. | Zoom webinar

Schools and greenspaces are the heart of our communities and cities. Greening schoolyards can benefit students, their families, and the rest of the community. A well-forested campus improves the mental health of those who engage with those spaces and fights climate change, pollution, and heat islands. Transforming schools from asphalt to greenspace is a critical strategy for increasing our urban forest, cooling our neighborhoods, and improving access to open spaces — especially in dense urban communities like those in the Bay Area. But schools face complex challenges and competing priorities that can create barriers to this transformation.

Canopy invites you to Schools: The Lungs of Our Community to join the conversation about how we can work together to transform our schools into community greenspaces. Register for the 2025 webinar here.

Certified Arborists will earn 1.5 ISA CEUs upon attending the live webinar.

This program is made possible by a generous grant from the Santa Clara County Office of Sustainability.

Speakers

Elektra Fike-Data

Executive Director | Tree San Diego

Elektra Fike-Data is the Executive Director of Tree San Diego, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to increasing the density and sustainability of San Diego’s urban forest. Overseeing an expert field team, she leads the organization in implementing projects that bring sustainable natural solutions to the urban environment. Prior to joining the nonprofit sector, Fike-Data worked as a sustainability associate in the environmental consulting industry, supporting projects in urban planning and design, sustainable business management, and climate adaptation strategy development. Elektra is an EcoDistricts Accredited Professional and holds a Masters in Sustainable Tourism.

Julia Gowin

Urban Forestry Supervisor – Northern California | CAL FIRE

Julia Gowin is the Urban Forestry Supervisor for Northern California for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and leads CAL FIRE’s Green Schoolyards Grant Program. Prior to working with CAL FIRE, she was an Urban Forestry Consultant. She is an ISA Certified Arborist and on the Executive Board for the Western Chapter ISA, holds her California Registered Professional Forester license, as well as a PhD and MS focusing on Urban Forestry. Julia is inspired by the way the natural environment impacts every part of our lives, and how our everyday actions impact our natural environment.

Milan Ninkovic

Facility & Construction Executive | Bridge Way

As an independent consultant with his firm Bridge Way, Milan provides facility & construction leadership and support to different clients throughout Northern CA. He specializes in successful delivery of client service needs within Facilities and Construction. Prior to starting his own firm, Milan was a Director of
Facilities & Construction for KIPP Public Schools Northern CA. He was responsible for delivery of Construction and Facilities Management across 21 schools in the Bay Area. Also in this role, Milan led critical project delivery including planning, design, and execution of new construction. Milan had oversight into budget development, public procurement, and implementing a CMMS system, and publishing statements of procedures.

Kira Maritano

Senior Program Manager | Trust for Public Land

Kira Maritano (she/her) is the Senior Program Manager for Bay Area Park Development at The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national non-profit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. With the belief that everyone should have access to the outdoors, TPL partners with schools across the country to transform schoolyards into vibrant green spaces for students and local communities. In addition to her work with TPL, Kira has extensive experience in landscape design and environmental education.

Facilitator

Jean-Paul Renaud

Executive Director | Canopy

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.

JP 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.

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