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Staff

Executive Director

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Mike Connor, Ph.D., Executive Director
Dr. Connor's career has been devoted to making the link between environmental science and policy. He has worked for federal and regional agencies, as well as for the non-profit sector. Before joining SFEI, Dr. Connor was Vice President of Programs and Exhibits at the New England Aquarium where he oversaw Aquarium programs in research and education, as well as exhibit design, visitor services, and animal husbandry. Before joining the Aquarium, Dr. Connor was Director of Environmental Quality at the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). He led the development of the harbor and bay monitoring program for MWRA to address public regulatory concerns and the translation of those detailed technical studies into policy options for MWRA's Board of Directors. In the mid-1980s, Dr. Connor worked on the start-up of the National Estuary Program in New England, initiating programs in Buzzards Bay, Narragansett Bay, and Long Island Sound. Dr. Connor completed his undergraduate degree at Stanford University, his doctorate at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/Massachusetts Institute of Technology Joint Program in Biological Oceanography, and his post-doctoral work at the Harvard School of Public Health's Interdisciplinary Programs in Health.

Curriculum Vitae and Publications List | mikecsfei.org | 510-746-7359 | SFEI documents

Program Managers

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Andrew N. Cohen, Ph.D., Environmental Scientist
Dr. Cohen received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Cohen directs SFEI's Biological Invasions research program, which he founded in 1997. His research topics have included: invasions in San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound and southern California; invasion vectors including ships' ballast water and the baitworm trade; the spread and potential distribution of exotic species; species and environmental characteristics that affect invasion success; the treatment of ballast water; and the impacts of introduced plants in Pacific Coast salt marshes. In 1998 he was awarded a Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation to investigate biological invasions in tropical marine waters, and in 1999 he received the San Francisco BayKeeper's Environmental Achievement Award in recognition of the his research and its contribution to policy development. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Western Regional Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species, and on the Advisory Board of the National Aquatic Nuisance Species Clearinghouse. He also also authored several general-interest publications on the environment, including a guide to the natural history of San Francisco Bay.

Curriculum Vitae and Publications List | acohensfei.org | 510-746-7367 | SFEI documents

Joshua N. Collins, Ph.D., Environmental Scientist
Dr. Collins received his Ph.D. in Entomological Sciences at the University of California at Berkeley and has done post-doctoral studies in Geography and Ecology at the University of California at Berkeley and Davis. Dr. Collins is a landscape ecologist and regional ecological planner with special expertise in the evolution and natural maintenance of streams and wetlands. Dr. Collins has been a professional ecologist in the Public Utilities Industry and a consulting ecologist in private practice for design and review of stream and wetland restoration projects. Since Dr. Collins joined the staff of SFEI in 1993, he has been the principal author and lead scientist for the Bay Area Wetlands Monitoring Plan, the Bay Area Watersheds Science Plan, the Bay Area EcoAtlas, and the Bay Area Regional Wetlands Ecosystem Goals Project. Dr. Collins oversees the SFEI Wetlands Science Program and GIS laboratory.

Curriculum Vitae | Publications List | joshsfei.org | 510-746-7365 | SFEI documents

Jay A. Davis, Ph.D., Environmental Scientist
Dr. Davis grew up near the PCB-contaminated aquatic food web of Lake Michigan. He has worked on contaminant issues in the San Francisco Estuary since 1986. He received his Ph.D. in Ecology at the University of California, Davis in 1997. Dr. Davis is manager of the Regional Monitoring Program for the San Francisco Estuary, and the principal investigator of the Fish Mercury Project, a $4.5 million project to examine mercury in fish in the Bay-Delta watershed, to increase public awareness of fish contamination issues, and to monitor changes in mercury concentrations from CALFED restoration and remediation projects. His primary research interests are monitoring the accumulation of persistent contaminants in aquatic food webs of the Bay-Delta watershed, and the work of John Lillison, England's greatest one-armed poet.

Curriculum Vitae | Publications List | jaysfei.org | 510-746-7368 | SFEI documents

Robin M. Grossinger, Environmental Scientist
Robin Grossinger is an environmental scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute, where he leads interdisciplinary investigations into the transformation of California landscapes since European contact. Mr. Grossinger received his M.S. in Marine Sciences at the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1995, with research on the accuracy of early maps of the Bay and their use to determine the natural structure and function of tidal marsh systems. Mr. Grossinger directs SFEI's Historical Ecology Program and is author or co-author of a range of technical publications, including the chapter “Documenting Local Landscape Change,” in the Historical Ecology Handbook. He directs or advises regional historical ecology projects to support environmental planning throughout the Bay Area and coastal California. Robin has also developed popular presentations of ecological history for museum exhibits and public art, including the recent BayBoards, an art/science campaign using billboards to reveal the hidden history and persistence of local landscapes. The work of Robin and his colleagues to visualize landscape history has received awards in the realms of map design and local education and has been featured in New Scientist, Landscape Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, ESRI Map Book, and The Living Landscape: An Ecological Approach to Landscape Planning (Steiner, McGraw-Hill, 2000).

Curriculum Vitae & Publications List | robinsfei.org | 510-746-7380 | SFEI documents

Rainer Hoenicke, Ph.D., Environmental Scientist
Dr. Hoenicke is a systems ecologist and has spent a good part of his career on making science relevant to decision-makers. He received his B.S. in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Bonn, Germany, and his Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California at Davis. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, he coordinated field logistics for EPA’s National Acid Precipitation Program and subsequently helped expand the National Estuary Program to Southern California at the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. He served as lead scientist for the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project until he first joined the San Francisco Estuary Institute in 1994. After a two-year stint in the Office of the California Resources Secretary, where he spearheaded the development of a comprehensive landscape assessment program and the use of scientific criteria in making conservation investment decisions, he returned to the Institute in 2004.

Curriculum Vitae & Publications List | rainersfei.org | 510-746-7381 | SFEI documents

Sarah Lowe, Environmental Scientist
Ms. Lowe received her M.S. in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco and B.A. in Biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Since joining the Institute in 1994, Ms. Lowe works primarily on the Regional Monitoring Program for Trace Substances (RMP) and other Contaminant Monitoring and Research studies with Dr. Bruce Thompson. Her Master's research focused on developing benthic community assessments for major San Francisco Estuary communities (part of a 5-year RMP pilot study). Ms. Lowe started in the RMP by doing data management, developing the quality assurance/quality control program, data compilation and graphics for special studies, and Annual Report production. She has worked on the Benthic Pilot Study since it's inception and continues to be interested in ways to evaluate contaminant exposure and effects in the Estuary. Ms. Lowe became the Associate RMP Manager (in November of 2001) managing the internal coordination of the RMP data management and QA/QC, contract and financial issues, the Status and Trends program, and the Exposure and Effects Pilot Study. Ms. Lowe recently helped SFEI to implement a new accounting and project management system (in 2002).

sarahsfei.org | 510-746-7384 | SFEI documents

Michael May, IT Manager
Mr. May received his M.A. in Geography and B.A. in Environmental Science from the University of California at Berkeley. Since joining the Institute in 1991, he has analyzed data from a variety of monitoring projects and developed new ways to depict and communicate monitoring results. He served as editor of the first three editions of the annual Pulse of the Estuary report, a readable summary of contaminant monitoring results presented in an environmental management context. Mr. May currently oversees the well-being of the Institute's computer systems and coordinates initiatives to apply computer technology to the compilation and dissemination of environmental information.

Curriculum Vitae | mikemsfei.org | 510-746-7370 | SFEI documents

Lester McKee, Ph.D., Environmental Scientist
Dr. McKee graduated with a BSc. in Geology from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand in 1993. He conducted his Ph.D. research at Southern Cross University, northern New South Wales, Australia, in the fields of hydrology and nutrient biogeochemistry. In 1997, Dr. McKee began work as a consultant in the Center for Coastal Management in Australia where he carried out management related field, laboratory, and desktop research for clients including local councils, Environment Protection Authority, Department of Land and Water Conservation, and the Brisbane River Management Group. In 2000, he joined the staff of SFEI as Director of the Watershed Program. In that role he manages a diverse group of highly motivated staff that conduct applied science projects and develop scientific information relevant to policy development and environmental management of the Bay and its local watersheds. Topics of study include hydrology, water quality, geomorphic processes, the distribution and quality of endangered species habitat, macroinvertebrate studies, resource mapping using geographic information systems (GIS), and historic stream, floodplain, and landscape form and function and change through time. Although Dr. McKee and his team get to look at watershed processes through a variety of scientific methodologies, he himself specializes in the design and implementation of scientific studies on the sources, transport, transformation, and loadings of sediments, nutrients and trace contaminants in Bay Area watersheds. For further information, interested parties should view Dr. McKee’s C.V. available on SFEI’s Web site or contact him directly for discussion.

Curriculum Vitae and Publications List | lestersfei.org | 510-746-7363 | SFEI documents

Meg Sedlak, Senior Project Manager
Meg Sedlak received a B.A. degree in Geology from Carleton, College in Northfield, MN and a M.S. degree in Water Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her master’s thesis was a study of the dehalogenation of polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments. Prior to joining SFEI in 2004, Meg Sedlak worked for an engineering consulting firm providing assistance to industrial clients on regulatory compliance issues and fate and transport modeling. Ms. Sedlak also has held positions at: the Swiss Federal Institute of Environmental Science and Technology where she conducted laboratory research on the fate of tributyltins; Resources for the Future where she evaluated environmental policies on hazardous waste; and the US Forest Service where she served as a trail ranger in the Chugach National Forest (Alaska). At SFEI, Ms. Sedlak assists with the management of the Regional Monitoring Program.

megsfei.org | 510-746-7345 | SFEI documents

Bruce Thompson, Ph.D., Senior Scientist
Dr. Thompson was born in Chico California, is a graduate of California State University, Fresno, received his M.A. from the Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, and his Ph.D. in biological sciences from the University of Southern California in 1982. Dr. Thompson is a Senior Scientist in the San Francisco Estuary Institute's Contaminant Monitoring and Research Program. He was the founding Program Manager for the Regional Monitoring Program in 1993. His research has included field and laboratory studies of the ecology of benthic communities and species off southern California and in the San Francisco Bay-Delta, and how they are affected by contamination. He has also worked on development of monitoring programs and ecological indicators. He is currently participating on Science Team for developing sediment quality objectives for California. He is the principle investigator for a study investigating causes of benthic impacts in the Estuary, and for another study developing contamination indicators for use in the Estuary. He has served on many advisory committees and review panels in the region, and as acting Director for SFEI between 2000-2002. Dr. Thompson has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, a book chapter, and technical reports on his research.

Curriculum Vitae | Publications List | brucesfei.org | SFEI documents

Staff

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Ruth Askevold, GIS Analyst
Ruth Askevold is a GIS Analyst at the San Francisco Estuary Institute, where she works with the Historical Ecology and Wetlands Programs. She has over ten years experience in geographic information systems, remote sensing, and cartography. At Pacific Meridian Resources, her experience included project management, spatial analysis, and data compilation for a variety of clients. Ruth is also trained in graphic and cartographic design and worked at Lonely Planet Publications as a senior designer. She received her master's degree from San Francisco State University in Geography and Human Environmental Studies, where she specialized in geographic information systems and historical geography. Ruth is skilled in library and archival research, and provides technical support to the Richmond Historical Museum. She attended a two-week Western Archives Institute in 2003 and is a member of the California Society of Archivists and the Western Association of Map Librarians.

ruthsfei.org | 510-746-7341 | SFEI documents

Erin Beller, Environmental Analyst
Erin Beller received her B.S. in Geological and Environmental Sciences from Stanford University. Her studies emphasized landscape evolution and land use history in the Western U.S. Prior to joining SFEI, Erin worked with a statewide environmental nonprofit on water and land use issues and conducted architectural history fieldwork for the History, Architecture, and Landscapes branch of Yosemite National Park. She joined SFEI's Historical Ecology team in 2006.

erinsfei.org| 510-746-7301

Shira Bezalel, Environmental Analyst
Shira Bezalel joined SFEI in October 2005, bringing to the organization expertise in database management and geographic information systems. At SFEI, Shira is the data manager and GIS analyst for the South Baylands Mercury Project. She has been involved in the compilation of the Surface Waters Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) historical bioaccumulation database and report, and is currently standardizing this data to be comparable with the California SWAMP database. Shira also provides data management support, GIS analysis and map production for a number of other SFEI projects including the CBDA Fish Mercury Project and CBDA Petaluma River Mercury Project. Prior to joining SFEI, Shira worked for over eight years in the Bay Area software industry where she was responsible for supporting administrators of large-scale database management systems. Shira received a B.A. in Economics from State University of New York at Binghamton in 1993 and completed a certificate in Geographic Information Systems at San Francisco State University in 2005.

shirasfei.org | 510-746-7304

Joanne Cabling, Graphic Designer
Joanne received her BA in Art from California State University, Hayward. Her studies emphasized in Graphic Design, Digital Art and Multimedia. At SFEI, Joanne assists the Senior Designer with the production and design of many projects such as the Pulse of the Estuary annual report for the Regional Monitoring program. Joanne also maintains and updates the SFEI website. She joined the SFEI staff in 2007.

joannecsfei.org | 510-746-7358

Kristen Cayce, GIS Analyst
Kristen received her BA in Geography and Human Environmental Studies from San Francisco State University. Her studies emphasized GIS, Remote Sensing and Cartography. Kristen worked at the Romberg Tiburon Center mapping Egeria densa in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. She also worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service on the National Wetland Inventory where she mapped and classified wetlands in the South San Francisco, South San Jose, and Santa Cruz areas. At SFEI, Kristen continues to work on the National Wetland Inventory with Josh Collins and Ruth Askevold where she maps and catalogs wetlands in the San Francisco Estuary. Kristen has also worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Stewardship Team and the San Francisco Botanical Gardens.

kristensfei.org | 510-746-7342 | SFEI documents

Nicole David, Associate Environmental Scientist
Ms. David received her M.S. in Biology from the University of Berlin, Germany in 1996. Prior to joining SFEI in 1998, she accompanied marine ecology students as a counselor, teaching marine invertebrate science and habitats of the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean. She also worked on specific projects regarding marine and freshwater ecology that focused on intensive human use of coastal waters and monitoring programs for threatened ecosystems. As a scientific diver, Ms. David participated in oceanic and freshwater projects for several universities in Germany. At SFEI, she is primarily working on tasks associated with the watershed program.

nicolesfei.org | 510.746.7386 | SFEI documents

Todd Featherston, Systems Developer/Administrator
Todd has over 20 years experience with computer systems, including work on the information systems of the U.S. Congress. His broad programming and system administration expertise makes him the technical force behind most of SFEI's information projects.

| toddsfei.org | 510-746-7379

Amy Franz, Environmental Analyst
Amy Franz earned her B.S. in Environmental Science with an emphasis in Geology from California State University at Hayward. She joined SFEI in 2003 as an Environmental Analyst. Ms. Franz works primarily with the Regional Monitoring Program, conducting field sampling and assisting with data analysis and reporting.

amysfei.org | 510-746-7394 | SFEI documents

Ben Greenfield, Environmental Scientist
Ben Greenfield received a B.A. in Biology from Brown University in 1993 and an M.S. in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin in 2000. Since joining SFEI in 2000, most of Ben’s work has focused on monitoring and modeling of bioaccumulation of legacy pollutants. In 2004, he joined the science team for the State of California Sediment Quality Objectives program, as the technical lead for evaluating effects of contaminated sediments to wildlife and humans. Prior to working at SFEI, he has worked in aquatic ecology research projects in Oregon, Utah, Arizona, Washington D.C., Wisconsin, and California.

Curriculum Vitae | Publications List | bensfei.org | 510-746-7385 | SFEI documents

J. Letitia Grenier, Ph.D., Scientist
Dr. Grenier was born and raised in coastal California and maintains a lifelong interest in conservation of our native ecosystems. Dr. Grenier has been working in the tidal marshes of the San Francisco Bay estuary since 1999. She received her Ph.D. from the Environmental Science, Policy and Management Department at UC Berkeley, focusing on conservation biology and specializing in tidal marsh animal ecology. Her previous research has included tidal marsh food web structure and the relationship of song sparrow fitness and behavior to tidal marsh sub-habitats. Currently, she continues to study wetlands ecology and the bioaccumulation of contaminants in estuarine food webs, particularly mercury in tidal marsh animals. Dr. Grenier is in charge of monitoring biota in the South Bay Salt Ponds for the South Baylands Mercury Project.

letitiasfei.org | 510-746-7388 | SFEI documents

Cristina S. Grosso, Data Manager/Assistant Environmental Scientist
Ms. Grosso received a B.S. in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University and a M.A. in Geography with a concentration in Resource Management and Environmental Planning from San Francisco State University. For her Master's research, she evaluated the potential of an urban open space area to provide recreational opportunities while remaining a viable habitat for native flora and fauna species. She joined SFEI in 1998 and is the Institute's Data Manager, primarily responsible for managing data generated by the Regional Monitoring Program for Trace Substances and the Aquatic Pesticides Monitoring Program. She is also a Project Assistant for the Wetlands Program and assists with several projects including the Montezuma Wetlands Technical Review Team, the California Rapid Assessment Method for Wetlands, and the Wetlands Environmental Monitoring Assessment Program.

cristinasfei.org | 510-746-7371 | SFEI documents

Katie Harrold, Environmental Analyst
Katie Harrold earned her B.A., with a joint major in Environmental Studies and Chemistry, from Middlebury College. Her research focused on the fate and transport of contaminants, as well as carbon cycling. She joined SFEI in 2007 as an Environmental Analyst. Ms. Harrold works primarily with the Regional Monitoring Program.

katiesfei.org | 510-746-7312

Jennifer Hunt, Environmental Analyst
Jennifer Hunt received a B.A. in Sociology from Emmanuel College in Boston and a B.S. in Biology from San Francisco State University. Jennifer has worked at SFEI since May 2002 as an Environmental Analyst and Project Manager. Currently, Jennifer is managing three major projects: CALFED Fish Mercury Project, CALFED Petaluma Mercury Project, and the South Baylands Mercury Project. All three projects focus on mercury cycling and bioaccumulation in ecological systems of the Bay/Delta. In addition to project management, Jennifer is also the editor of the RMP newsletter, manages the RMP sport fish contaminant monitoring project, and manages the cormorant contaminant monitoring program. Prior to joining SFEI, Jennifer worked at the Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies in a nutrient cycling lab, and also has experience in non-profit administration.

jhuntsfei.org | 510-746-7347 | SFEI documents

Thomas Jabusch, Ph.D., Environmental Scientist
Thomas Jabusch received his Ph.D. in Water Resources Science with an Environmental Chemistry emphasis from the University of Minnesota in 2002, where he examined the processes controlling the bioaccumulation of PCBs in phytoplankton. He was a Sea Grant Fellow at the Great Lakes Commission in Ann Arbor, MI, where he drafted the Corps of Engineers’ John Glenn Great Lakes Program Strategic Plan and an annotated bibliography for testing and evaluation of dredged material for upland beneficial uses. Prior to joining SFEI, Dr. Jabusch conducted postdoctoral studies at UC Davis on the environmental fate and persistence of a new rice herbicide. Prior to his doctorate, Dr. Jabusch completed an MS degree in Biology with a Limnology emphasis at the University of Freiburg. His MS project led him to EAWAG in Zurich, Switzerland, to study trace metal interactions with freshwater phytoplankton. Dr. Jabusch’s current work combines his interests in water quality and public policy.

Curriculum Vitae and Publications List | thomasjsfei.org | 510-746-7340

Susan Klosterhaus, Ph.D., Environmental Scientist
Susan received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland’s Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences Program with an emphasis in environmental chemistry in 2007. Her dissertation research focused on the bioavailability of sediment-associated organic chemical contaminants, particularly the brominated diphenyl ether flame retardants, from a heavily contaminated urban estuary and the processes that control their accumulation in aquatic food webs. Prior to moving to the Chesapeake Bay area, Susan was manager and research associate in the sediment toxicology laboratory at the University of South Carolina School of Public Health where she studied the toxicity and bioaccumulation of several classes of organic contaminants in benthic meiofauna. She received her M.S. in Public Health in 2001 and B.S. in Marine Science in 1995, both from the University of South Carolina.

susansfei.org | 510-746-7383

Jon Leatherbarrow, Assistant Environmental Scientist
Mr. Leatherbarrow received his B.A. in Environmental Earth Sciences from Johns Hopkins University and his M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. He is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Environmental Engineering at the University of California at Davis. Mr. Leatherbarrow joined the staff of SFEI in 1999 and works primarily on the Regional Monitoring and Watershed Programs. His research is directed towards studying transport processes of sediment and persistent contaminants in Bay Area watersheds and numerical modeling of their long-term fate within the Estuary to inform local regulatory and management agencies of potential strategies for attaining water quality standards.

jonsfei.org | 510-746-7387 | SFEI documents

Michelle Lent, Environmental Scientist
Michelle Lent received her B.A. in Physics from U.C. Berkeley in 2002 and her M.S. in Biophysics from U.C. San Francisco in 2006. While participating in the UCSF environmental sustainability committee and studying campuswide natural resource consumption, Michelle realized her true path lay in environmental work. She joined SFEI as an environmental analyst in 2007. Her background in computational modeling provide her with experience to support and further develop modeling projects at SFEI. Current projects include modeling of water, sediment, and pollutants in local watersheds, bioenergetic modeling of mercury concentrations in fish, and GIS analysis.

michellesfei.org | 510-746-7306

Frank S. Leung, Accountant
Mr. Leung received his B.A. in Business Administration with emphasis in Accounting and Finance from the University of Texas, Austin in 1974. Prior to joining the staff of SFEI in 1997, Mr. Leung was the chief financial officer at Charles A. Bell Securities Corporation for six years and an accountant at the California Regional Urban Development Corporation for ten years. He is responsible for the financial activities of the Institute.

franksfei.org | 510-746-7360

 

Lawrence Leung, Contracts Manager
Lawrence Leung is a Contracts Manager at SFEI where he manages its grants and contracts. He came to SFEI immediately after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley in May 2005. He received a BA in Sociology, with honors, and also emphasized accounting and economics in his studies. He completed the Contract Management Certificate Program at the College of Continuing Education from California State University, Sacramento in September 2006. Lawrence’s responsibilities at SFEI include the handling of requests for proposals, budgeting, invoicing, project tracking & reporting, contract development & management, accounts payables, accounts receivables, and coordination amongst program/project managers.

lawrencesfei.org | 510-746-7356

 

Aroon Melwani, Environmental Analyst
Aroon Melwani received his B.S. in Oceanography with Marine Biology from the University of Southampton, England in 1998 and his M.S. in Marine Science from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in 2004. Aroon has held research positions at Moss Landing Marine Labs and at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Aroon joined SFEI in 2004, bringing a strong background in statistics and ecology that he has applied to numerous monitoring projects at the Institute. Aroon’s primary research interests are food-web contamination in the Bay-Delta watershed and ecological health of marine and estuarine benthos.

Curriculum Vitae | Publications List |aroonsfei.org | 510-746-7350

John J. Oram, Ph.D., Environmental Scientist
John Oram recieved his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. His dissertation focused on the application of the Regional Ocean Modeling System to estimate residence times and flushing rates of Santa Monica Bay, CA. His research interests include investigating how water movement in natural water bodies affects the fate and transport of pollutants and natural substances. By combining shipboard, satellite, and fixed mooring measurements with numerical models, John is able to improve understanding of water circulation patterns as they relate to water quality. John joined SFEI in 2004 as the principal modeler for the organization. His current modeling effort is aimed at developing a numerical fate model for PCBs in San Francisco Estuary.

joramsfei.org | 510.746.7366

Sarah Pearce, Geomorphologist
Ms. Pearce received her B.S. in Geosciences in 1999 from Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas and her M.S. in Geomorphology from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA in 2001. Her master's research focused on the hydraulic geometry of ephemeral streams as they interacted with blind thrust faults and fault-propagation-folds associated with the continued uplift of the San Bernardino Mountains, Southern California. Ms. Pearce joined SFEI in 2001 and is currently working with the Watershed Science Program. In the past 18 months she has carried out a number of projects focusing on fluvial geomorphic process in Bay Area streams and making interpretations of the data toward an understanding of the way beneficial uses such a salmonid habitat, bank stability, riparian function, flood control, water supply, and aesthetic value are influenced by land and water management in adjacent and upstream areas. Communication mechanisms for this policy and environmental management related scientific information have included direct interaction with environmental stewardship groups, development of high quality, peer-reviewed technical reports, and presentations at conferences and directly to local environmental managers.

Curriculum Vitae | sarahpsfei.org | 510-746-7354 | SFEI documents

Irene Poche, Human Resources Manager
Prior to joining SFEI Mrs. Poche was the Office Manager for Friends Research Associates in Berkeley (a neurobehavioral and psychopharmacological research organization and subdivision of FRI Baltimore, MD). Mrs. Poche worked in various HR, Administrative and Accounting capacities since 1976. Of those years, 12 were spent at Summit Medical Center in Oakland. Mrs. Poche was self employed and operated her administrative business from the now dormant Poche Associates. As a hobby and with an entrepreneurial spirit she worked in several of her son’s independent film productions.

irenesfei.org | 510-746-7356

Kat Ridolfi, Environmental Analyst

Kat couldn't get enough of the outdoors growing up, and so it was a natural fit to follow her passion of protecting freshwater resources. She received a B.S. in Environmental Economics and Policy with a minor in Geography from UC Berkeley and spent a year in the Geography department at the University of Sydney, Australia. She received her M.S. in Aquatic Resource Ecology and Management from the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and the Environment. Her Masters research focused on watershed protection strategies including water quality, prioritization of conservation areas, and policy tools to improve urban water managmenet as a part of a watershed management plan for the River Raisin in southern Michigan. Prior to joining SFEI, Kat worked for the Natural Heritage Institute as a paralegal representing national and local environmental organizations hydropower, water rights, and flood control project negotiations. She also researched water management strategies for agricultural watersheds in Michigan and California for the River Raisin Watershed Council and the Nature Conservancy. At SFEI, Kat is a part of the watersheds program, working on tools to help local stakeholders assess and reduce non-point source pollution in coastal California.

katsfei.org | 510-746-7392

John R. Ross, Environmental Analyst
Mr. Ross received his B. S. in Biology: Concentration in Marine Biology and Limnology from San Francisco State University in 1996 and his M. A. in Biology: Concentration in Marine Biology from San Francisco State University in 2001. He performed his Master’s research on the factors influencing the depth distributions of pelagic juvenile fishes off central California. While working towards his degree, he held the positions of systems coordinator and computer operator in the clinical laboratory computer department at Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley, California. Mr. Ross joined the staff of SFEI in 2000 and works primarily on the Regional Monitoring Program.

johnsfei.org | 510-746-7382 | SFEI documents

Linda Russio, Office Manager
Ms. Russio's background began in law enforcement with 10 years in the U.S. Air Force where she enjoyed several overseas tours and received an Honorable Discharge. After raising her family and settling in the Bay Area, she continued her law enforcement career as a 911 Dispatcher for the cities of San Pablo and Fairfield. Ms. Russio was also a successful Project Manager in the residential and commercial flooring industry. Her interest and involvement with the health and well being of the Estuary led her to join SFEI in 2001. She is responsible for contract management and program assistance for the Regional Monitoring Program, as well as general administrative assistance to the staff and public.

lindasfei.org | 510-746-7355

Micha Salomon, GIS Technician
Micha joined the Historical Ecology team in 2006. He is currently pursuing an M.A. in Geography at San Francisco State University. In the course of his studies, he has focused on cartography, geographic information systems (GIS), environmental and historical geography. At SFEI, he has been geo-rectifying historical maps and aerial photography as well as assisting in research. Before joining SFEI, Micha managed the computer lab and taught computer classes at an elementary/middle school. He received his B.A. in Chemistry at UC Berkeley in 1996.

michasfei.org | 510-746-7353

Stephanie Seto, Human Resources Assistant
Stephanie received her B.S. in Business Administration from California State University, Hayward. She comes to SFEI with experience in Retail and Property Management. Stephanie has exceptional communication and interpersonal skills and a special interest in pursuing a career in Human Resources. Ms. Seto joined SFEI in 2007 as a Human Resources Assistant.

stephaniesfei.org | 510-746-7349

Predrag Stevanovic, Environmental Analyst
Predrag Stevanovic received his B.S. in Engineering Geology from the University Of Belgrade, Former Yugoslavia in 1984 and his M.S. in Environmental Geology from California State University Hayward in 2006. Predrag performed his Master’s research on sediment size and mercury distribution in the vicinity of Dow Wetlands, San Francisco Bay-Delta. He joined the staff of SFEI in 2005 and works primarily on the Regional Monitoring Program.

predragsfei.org | 510-746-7344 | SFEI documents

Chuck Striplen, Research Associate
Mr. Striplen received a double B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1992, and is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at the University of California at Berkeley. An avid student of landscape history and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), Mr. Striplen adds another layer of complexity to the Historical Ecology Program's analysis of the physical and ecological characteristics of the region's wetlands, creeks, and terrestrial habitats prior to major Euro-American colonization. Through the use of early historical documents, oral histories, and other ethno-ecological sources, Mr. Striplen contributes analyses of Native Californian resource management that shaped the landscape first encountered by European explorers. Mr. Striplen joined SFEI's Historical Ecology Team in March of 2002.

chucksfei.org | 510-746-7352 | SFEI documents

Linda Wanczyk, Senior Designer
As the Senior Designer for SFEI, Linda is responsible for establishing and maintaining the overall creative vision of the organization and its nine programs. Working closely with Program Managers and the staff, she oversees every aspect of the creative process for the web and print materials and science publications. Linda most recently designed the Pulse of the Estuary annual report for the Regional Monitoring Program and is currently establishing a new identity system for SFEI and a redesign of the main website. Linda has over 16 years of design experience and a BFA in Painting and Photography. Her design work and art has been created for many different formats, including magazines, book and album covers, video games, webzines, user interface designs, print collateral, software packages, murals and scenic props. Prior to joining SFEI in 2005, she worked for a variety of clients, advertising agencies, publishing houses and internet start-ups around the East Bay, South Bay and Los Angeles areas.

lindawsfei.org | 510-746-7372

Meredith Williams, Project Manager
Meredith Williams is a project manager at SFEI where she works on a range of wetlands and watershed projects. She comes to SFEI with more than fifteen years of experience at such companies as Applied Materials and 3M in semiconductor research, product development,and product management. She helped develop products ranging from photovoltaic solar cell materials to advanced transistor processing methods. She holds a Ph.D. in physics from North Carolina State University and a bachelor’s degree from Yale University. Her physics and technology background is particularly relevant to the in situ monitoring and remote sensing work needed to validate SFEI’s models of the physical processes in the Estuary.

meredithsfei.org | 510-746-7396

Donald Yee, Ph.D., Environmental Scientist
Dr. Yee received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering and his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from M.I.T. His dissertation research focused on competitive interactions of trace metals on phytoplankton. Prior to joining SFEI in 1999, he has had experience in post-doctoral research on geochemistry and consulting in the private sector on environmental regulatory policy. Since joining SFEI, Dr. Yee has worked on various projects for the Regional Monitoring Program, such as studies on atmospheric deposition of trace metals, and organic contaminants to the estuary, and a survey in SF Estuary waters of VOCs, dioxins, and other priority pollutants not yet regularly monitored by RMP. His other work for SFEI has included investigations of loads of PCBs from point source dischargers, monitoring in the Grasslands Bypass Project with the US Bureau of Reclamation, and the Aquatic Pesticide Monitoring Program. Dr. Yee is also currently the SFEI QA Officer.

Curriculum Vitae | Publications List | donaldsfei.org | 510-746-7369 | SFEI documents

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Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles by SFEI Scientists | Other Reports by SFEI Scientists

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