Board of Directors

I have a BS degree in Agricultural Biology. I began my career as an Agricultural Biologist/Agricultural Inspector for the Orange County Department of the Agricultural Commissioner. I retired from the Madera County Department of the Agricultural Commissioner as an Assistant Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer of Weights & Measures. My wife Sharon and I live on 22 acres in Raymond with our horses, donkeys, sheep and dogs.

Currently works for Yosemite Sequoia Resource Conservation and Development Council as their Program Manager. Retired with 29 years of public administration experience and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from San Jose State University, San Jose, Ca. Volunteered for four tours as a VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America), two tours in Iowa and two in California. Busted trail, planted trees, built check dams, restored meadows in our national forests and grew up on an avocado orchard in southern California.

I was raised in Fresno, but spent my summers with my grandparents at Bass Lake. Their house was adjacent to the National Forest, and I spent the best days of my childhood investigating the forest floor. I graduated from CSUF with a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential, as well as one in  Supplemental Visual Arts. At that time, I was a single mom with decisions to make. I wanted my daughter to grow up with the experiences I had. We moved into my family’s cabin at Bass Lake, and eventually I was hired as a teacher at North Fork School, where I would teach for the next 28+ years. I realized early on that the most important lessons I would teach would be those concerned with taking care of our planet. (During that time I met a man who also loved science and to play in the dirt, and I married him. ) When I retired, I was fortunate to join the CRCD Board, and to continue serving the District with others…as stewards of Earth’s resources through community work…to assure the flora and fauna, water and air, are kept alive and well, for this and the next generations to enjoy and maintain.

Growing up on a nursery, and hiking the land where I was born and raised in the Sierra Nevada mountains created an inner sense of stewardship at an early age. Now I am able to educate the lives of the youth at North Fork School, where I have taught a variety of grade levels. I enjoy focusing on conservation within multiple disciplines. I have utilized my Masters of Science in School Administration to promote community collaboration through the lenses of outdoor education and outreach. I am grateful for the opportunity in serving my community as a CRCD board member and wish to continue capacity building, community partnerships, and preservation of our natural resources.

I’ve lived in our mountain community for almost 30 years.  I have a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from California State University, Fresno. Until my recent move into working in Natural Resources, I had carpenter by trade for almost 20 years. I share a small homestead in North Fork with my amazing wife and  two beautiful small children, where we live amongst our dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, goats, and a variety of organic fruits and vegetables. I look forward to participating in the effort to conserve the natural resources of eastern Madera County.

Growing up in the mountains sparked my curiosity about nature including our forest health and wildlife preservation and safety.  I like to spend as much time as possible outdoors hiking, paddleboarding or practicing yoga in the fresh mountain air. I currently live in North Fork with my family and our many animals, and I look forward to participating in the conservation effort in the mountain area and beyond!

I happily joined CRCD in December, 2017. I have been a resident of North Fork for 9 years after living in the Santa Cruz Mountains for 31 years. I have a small homestead with critters both domesticated and wild and I’m constantly experimenting with growing organic food and decorative plants. My Mother’s family have lived in the Central Sierra Foothills since 1860 and my Father’s family has been involved in Lumber and Forestry for generations. Conservation and sustainable use of our resources is something I began learning as a child and I hope to help my community with new and exciting programs as they develop.