We help define environmental problems, advance public debate about them through sound science, and support consensus-based solutions that improve environmental planning, management, and policy development.
We provide impartial scientific interpretations and neither take sides on environmental issues nor have any political or financial interest in the outcomes of research and monitoring data.
Our History
A precursor to SFEI, known as the Aquatic Habitat Institute, was formed in 1986, after several years of discussion among organizations interested in pollutants and pollutant effects in the Estuary. Substantial contention existed at that time among water quality regulatory agencies, dischargers, and environmental advocates over the condition of the Estuary and the importance of contamination in the decline of aquatic resources. Representatives of these interests believed that management of the Estuary would be enhanced if all sides in debates over water quality policy had access to sound, objective scientific information about pollutants and pollutant effects in the Estuary. AHI was created with a broadly representative board of directors, and charged with developing scientific information valuable to water quality managers, but was prohibited from recommending water quality policies. AHI was instrumental in synthesizing existing information about pollution and pollution effects for the State Water Resources Control Board D.1485 Bay Delta Hearings and for the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, (SFEP) established through the Clean Water Act.
AHI was transformed into the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) in 1993, responding, in part, to the call in the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) developed by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership for a comprehensive, coordinated Regional Monitoring and Research Strategy to assess the chemical, physical and biological health of the Estuary. The other motivating force was a realization by AHI’s staff and Board of Directors of changes needed in order for the Institute to recognize its potential. These changes included adopting a more holistic approach to “health of the Estuary” beyond pollutant stressors on aquatic resources and creating a different organizational structure to enable the Institute to actually conduct monitoring and research programs, rather than deal entirely with compiling and synthesizing existing information. A new governance structure was formed, and the new name of the organization, San Francisco Estuary Institute, signified an anticipation of a close working relationship with the San Francisco Estuary Partnership.
While dedicated funding for implementing a comprehensive monitoring and research strategy for the Estuary has not yet materialized, over time, the Institute has strengthened its ties to the Estuary Partnership. SFEI has continued to develop programs that fit within the framework of a comprehensive monitoring and research program as envisioned by the CCMP, but has done so through obtaining grants and contracts from a broad array of federal, state, local and private sources.
Board of Directors
Officers
Members
James Fiedler
James Fiedler is the Chief Operating Officer for the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s Water Utility Enterprise. He has served in this capacity since 2007. A member of the district staff since 1982, he has over 29 years of leadership and engineering experience in the area of water supply, flood control and watershed stewardship. His management and technical experience includes regional water resources, flood and environmental planning, design, construction, operations and maintenance of water supply and flood protection infrastructure.
Mr. Fiedler is a registered civil engineer in California. He is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering, and graduate of Stanford University with a Master's degree in Civil Engineering.
Barbara Salzman
Barbara Salzman has lived in California since 1968 with her periodontist husband, Jay. One son, Noah, is a Veterinarian in San Jose. She received her BA from Rosemont College and Master of Social Work from University of Pennsylvania. Prior to moving to California, Barbara was employed as a Psychiatric Social Worker in a state psychiatric hospital in Pennsylvania and at a private Child Guidance Clinic and school for disturbed children, Devereaux. She began conservation work in 1974 with Marin Audubon’s Conservation Committee which advocates for the protection of birds, wetlands and other habitats. For more than 20 years, Marin Audubon Society has been a sponsor of habitat restoration and habitat acquisition projects, and Ms. Salzman has managed most of these projects. Marin Audubon has purchased and perman
David Tucker
David W. Tucker is a Program Manager with the City of San Jose’s Environmental Services Department, leading the department’s Legislative, Policy and Grant Affairs programs. Mr. Tucker possesses over 20 years of environmental experience developing environmental policy and programs; implementing water quality attainment strategies; managing environmental research initiatives; and leading legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts.
Phil Stevens
Phil Stevens has had over two decades of experience in nonprofit organization management, program development and fundraising. Since joining the Urban Creeks Council in 1997, he has overseen the completion of three significant restoration projects as well as an innovative, multidisciplinary restoration plan and prioritization for Wildcat Creek. Prior to joining UCC, Phil spent seven years with The Nature Conservancy’s California and Alaska chapters, initiated the development of the Conservancy’s range-wide salmon program, and secured over $13 million from private sources. He is a member of the advisory committee of the Center for Urban Environmental Law at Golden Gate University.
Adam Olivieri, Ph.D.
Adam Olivieri has over 30 years of experience in the technical and regulatory aspects of water
recycling, groundwater contamination by hazardous materials, water quality and public health
risk assessments, water quality planning, wastewater facility planning, urban runoff management,
and on-site waste treatment systems. He acts as project manager, principal engineer, and technical advisor on a wide variety of environmental projects. He is a Registered Civil Engineer and a Registered Environmental Assessor with the State of California. He gained this experience
working as a staff engineer with the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (San
Francisco Bay Region), as a post doc and staff specialist with the School of Public Health at the
University of California, Berkeley, and as a consulting engineer.
He is currently the Vice president of EOA, Inc., where he manages a variety of projects, including
serving as Santa Clara County Urban Runoff Program’s Manager. Adam formed EOA, Inc. in
1985 with his business partner Don Eisenberg and has successfully managed the company for the past 25 years. Adam’s educational background is in civil/sanitary engineering and public health. He received his B.S. in Civil Engineering and his M.S. in Civil/Environmental engineering from the University of Connecticut. In addition, he received his M.P.H. and Doctor of Public Health (Dr.PH) in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of California at Berkeley as well as a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the School of Public Health.
Alan Ramo
Alan Ramo is a Professor of Law at Golden Gate University. He received his BA from Stanford University; JD from Boalt Hall School of Law; and MJ from University California, Berkeley. Areas of interest include Environmental Law, clinical legal education, and toxics in the urban environment.
Bruce Wolfe, ex officio (non-voting)
Bruce Wolfe has been the Executive Officer of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board since 2003. He oversees the 120 staff of the Water Board in carrying out the Board’s mission of understanding, protecting, enhancing, and restoring the Bay and the Region’s waters. Prior to his appointment, Bruce had been the Board’s division chief for implementing watershed management programs, including control and restoration of impacts to wetlands and streams, stormwater pollution control, nonpoint source control, implementation of wastewater reuse, and control of discharges of waste to land.
Bruce started with the Water Board in 1977, and, in addition to his watershed management oversight, has overseen the Board’s drinking water well investigation program and its Superfund and fuel leak cleanup programs, has had direct responsibility for permitting wastewater treatment plants and landfills, and developed the Board’s initial program to oversee wastewater treatment plant operations and maintenance. Bruce is a registered professional engineer in California, and holds a B.S in Civil Engineering and an M.S. in Civil/Environmental Engineering from Stanford University.
Dyan Whyte
Dyan is the Assistant Executive Officer, California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region. Dyan has a M.S. in Environmental Geology from UC Berkeley where she focused her course work in the areas of geomorphology and geochemistry and her thesis on evaluating episodic mercury fluxes from a small abandoned mine and implications for water quality trend analysis. She studied geology as an undergraduate at McGill University and has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Sonoma State. Dyan began her state service career at the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board in 1986 and transferred to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board in 1988 where she currently serves as the Assistant Executive Officer and lead prosecutor for water quality enforcement matters.
Jeff Haltiner, Ph.D.
Dr. Haltiner has an extensive background in hydrology and water resources. During the past 25 years, he has worked on numerous projects ranging from water supply and urban runoff treatment design to impact analysis on multi-basin water transfer schemes. His recent focus has been on multiobjective watershed management and the design of environmentally sensitive flood control and river management techniques. In conjunction with this, he has managed a variety of projects and authored a series of papers on urban stream restoration by integrating physical, biological, and land-use planning elements. To protect existing riparian corridors, he has worked on a series of master plans in urbanizing areas which include creek preservation and enhancement as central design features. This is accomplished within the framework of an integrated watershed management plan that incorporates the natural processes of flood flows, sediment transport, and channel dynamics into the planning process.
His doctorate in statistical hydrology focused on riverflow and rainfall/snowmelt forecasting. He has managed numerous flood hazard analyses for FEMA as well as local, state, and private clients. In coastal flood analyses, he has pioneered techniques to address the joint probability of stormwater runoff and tidal events. Dr. Haltiner has completed a variety of flood management, urban development and coastal/fluvial wetland restoration projects providing assistance in project design, environmental review and permit acquisition, bidding, construction inspection, mitigation compliance, and monitoring. Many of these projects are technically complex and politically controversial; project success results from a combination of knowledge, experience, and trust by both the client and the regulatory agencies.
John Callaway, Ph.D.
Dr. Callaway is a Professor at the University of San Francisco in the Department of Environmental Science. Dr. Callaway's research focuses on wetland plant and soil ecology, restoration ecology, exotic species invasions, sediment processes, and potential impacts of sea-level rise. His recent work has focused on wetland restoration in San Francisco Bay and the Tijuana Estuary on the border of Mexico and California.
Karen Schwinn, ex officio (non-voting)
Karen Schwinn is the Associate Director for the Water Division of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Region 9 office in San Francisco. Since 1995, she has worked on various water quality and wetlands issues in Northern California and the Central Valley, including managing the Agency’s efforts for the Bay-Delta and Klamath watersheds. Most recently, she helped develop the Agency's water-related climate change strategy and oversaw the Region’s water program expenditures under the Recovery Act. From 1980 through 1994, she served in EPA's Waste Programs, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and Superfund. Karen grew up in New York and received a BS from Cook College of Rutgers University in 1978. Now living in San Rafael with her husband and 12-year old daughter, Karen enjoys coaching youth soccer and softball and serving on the Board of Directors for the San Rafael Youth Soccer Club.
Mitch Avalon
Mitch Avalon is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. He joined Contra Costa County Public Works Department in 1979. Mr. Avalon has worked in many areas of Public Works, including transportation engineering, development engineering, design, and construction.
Currently Mr. Avalon is Deputy Public Works Director and Deputy Chief Engineer for the Flood Control and Water Conservation District, where he oversees the development of regional management plans for flood protection and enhancement of the environmental resource in the District’s 72 miles of creeks. He is also responsible for overseeing the County's Clean Water Program. Mr. Avalon spent one year as Acting Deputy Director at the Community Development Department, managing their current planning program. Mitch has been chair of the Alhambra Watershed Council since 1997. The Council produced a Watershed Management Plan in 2004 through a community based planning process and is now working on implementation projects. Mitch is also on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the San Francisco Estuary, first Chair of the Bay Area Flood Protection Agencies Association, and Chair of the Flood Control and Water Resources Policy Committee for the County Engineers Association of California.
Trish Mulvey
Trish Mulvey, a community volunteer, joined the SFEI Board in 2000 as an at-large member after serving as a convening member and chair of the SFEI Policy Advisory Committee. She specializes in “connecting-the-dots,” and is a member of the SFEI Fiscal & Admin Committee. Currently Trish is Co-Chair of the Santa Clara Basin Watershed Management Initiative, and previously served in leadership positions on the boards of Save San Francisco Bay Association, Friends of the Estuary, Greenbelt Alliance, the Silicon Valley Pollution Prevention Center, and the San Francisquito Watershed Council. She lives in Palo Alto with her husband, Jim. Her volunteer service was recognized by the San Francisco Estuary Project with the inaugural Jean Auer award and by other Santa Clara Valley organizations including the Peninsula Conservation Center and the Santa Clara County Creeks Coalition. Trish graduated from the University of California, Riverside, and has an MBA from Pepperdine University.
Jobs
About Employment at SFEI
SFEI is an Equal Opportunity Employer, offering a relaxed semi-academic work setting with a diverse group of environmental scientists, designers, and administrative support staff. The Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created in 1994, with the mission to foster development of the scientific understanding needed to protect and enhance the San Francisco Estuary through research, monitoring, and communication.
SFEI conducts major programs in Conservation Biology, Contaminants, Historical Ecology, Informatics, Information Technology, Wetlands, Watersheds, and Biological Invasions. As a component of the Contaminants program, the RMP is SFEI's largest program. SFEI is currently located in the Oakland Airport/Coliseum area. Benefits include health insurance for the employee and dependents, life insurance, 403(b) plan with employer match, section 125 plan, paid vacation and paid sick leave.
Benefits
SFEI offers a benefits package including:
- Health insurance including medical, dental, and vision
- A 403(b) deferred compensation plan (SFEI matches up to 5% of your contribution)
- A term life insurance policy equal to one year's salary
- Twelve paid holidays per year
- Sick leave accrual at the rate of 4 hours per pay period.
Job Openings
SFEI is looking for an Environmental Analyst for the Regional Monitoring Program. See job RMP 002 for more information.
Environmental Analyst with the Regional Monitoring Program
Requisition No: RMP 002
Title: Environmental Analyst (EA)
SFEI is seeking an Environmental Analyst (EA) to assist with the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in the San Francisco Bay (RMP). The RMP evaluates the health of the San Francisco Bay through the monitoring of water, sediment, biological samples, and other environmental media. This is a full-time position for a candidate with a Bachelor’s degree in environmental chemistry or environmental sciences. Work experience in environmental chemistry or environmental science a plus.
Definition:
The EA will support monitoring, research and data management activities undertaken by the RMP. In general, the EA must be able to:
- collect, process, analyze, review, and synthesize data and information from various sources,
- work independently in the field with general direction from senior scientific staff, and
- communicate findings effectively in reports, memorandum, scientific journals, and public presentations.
Advancement Opportunity:
The EA will be encouraged to acquire the education, supervisory skills and increased capacity for independent research and project development required to advance along the Science track at SFEI. Opportunities for advancing from EA to associate environmental scientist (AES) to environmental scientist (ES) will be available, and successful execution of the types of work listed below will contribute to advancement potential.
Specific requirements:
The work to be performed by the EA for the RMP requires a Bachelor’s degree with work experience in environmental chemistry or environmental science, excellent writing and data management skills. An understanding of environmental fate and transport processes is a requirement and ideally the candidate will be most familiar with trace organic substances such as PAHs, PBDEs, and PCBs. The candidate will have familiarity and/or experience with standard environmental laboratory methods (e.g., AAS, GC-MS, ICP-MS, etc.); however, the position includes minimal laboratory work, as nearly all RMP analyses are conducted by outside subcontractors. Excellent writing skills and ability to synthesize information is required for this position. Candidates should be willing to contribute to or lead aspects of the field work that may periodically involve working unusual hours (e.g., late nights, early mornings, and weekends). Candidates must have a valid California Driver’s License and must be capable of carrying 40 pound field equipment for short durations.
Duties under the RMP are likely to be diverse and require an enthusiastic team-oriented employee. Typical duties will include:
- Sampling streams and storm drains of the Bay area using standard techniques for hydrological and chemical assessments to estimate contaminant loads into the Bay.
- Collecting water, sediment, fish, and other media for chemical analyses by outside laboratories.
- Identifying, compiling, and organizing field and laboratory data and information from studies within and outside of SFEI. Experience with Access, Excel, and statistical software packages is a plus.
- Assisting in the maintenance of the RMP data base and web data access.
- Conducting verification/validation (QA/QC) of RMP data and working with laboratories to trouble-shoot analyses and reporting issues as needed.
- Participating in writing technical reports, journal articles, memorandum, and internal reports.
- Coordinating meetings among stakeholders, regulators, and permittees. Assisting in the development of posters and presentations for public meetings and conferences.
Contact:
Please send a cover letter and resume, referencing the requisition number, to resumes at sfei.org or via US mail (SFEI, 4911 Central Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804). No phone calls please.
