Ernesto Arevalo is a senior program advisor for Earth Island Institute. Born and raised in Oakland, California, they experienced the impacts of disinvestment and pollution by growing up in the environmental justice community of East Oakland. Inspired by their family’s love of nature and long-time engagement on climate change, they received a B.S. in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning from the University of California, Davis.

Prior to joining Earth Island, they worked with local grassroots partners to organize a community on planning and pollution prevention efforts, including the East Oakland Neighborhoods Initiative and the East Oakland Community Emission Reduction Plan; collaborated with Black and Spanish-monolingual immigrant leaders in a community to push back on the status quo of agency permitting and planning for industrial land uses and demanded changes to address the long-standing impacts of redlining; and, through their organizing with Communities for a Better Environment, they built relationships with local community leaders to challenge the impacts from refineries, discriminatory urban planning practices, local polluting industries, and climate change.

Bridget Hughes is a senior program advisor at Earth Island Institute. She has worked for more than 30 years with social, environmental, economic, and racial justice organizations and public agencies in the areas of mental health, housing, unlearning oppression, anti-racism, women’s health, HIV, labor, community/school gardening, and education. The thread that weaves throughout all of her endeavors is a dedication to transforming cultures and supporting capacity building within and among people through education, training, and organizational development.

Bridget has a Masters in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the California Institute of Integral Studies and often utilizes participatory and action-based research methods as tools for community-based change. She is also a certified professional coach with a focus on healing-centered, trauma-informed, somatic-based coaching. She sources herself and all of her work through a deep relationship with the natural world.

Emily Rosenberg has broad experience in the nonprofit, philanthropic, and academic sectors, focused on social and environmental justice, peacebuilding, human rights, health equity, and capacity building. Some of her work has included land conservation projects with the Trust for Public Land, and being a peace educator with the American Friends Service Committee, a peacekeeper in Sri Lanka with Nonviolent Peaceforce, a grantmaker with the San Francisco Foundation, and a global health researcher with the University of California, San Francisco.

Emily holds an MS in global health sciences from the University of California, San Francisco, and a BA in anthropology, as well as an MA in social sciences from the University of Chicago.

Brian Calvert is a writer and editor with more than twenty years in journalism. He is the former editor-in-chief of High Country News, a nonprofit magazine for the Western United States, and a former Ted Scripps Fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Center for Environmental Journalism. His journalism, poetry, and essays examine the challenges of twenty-first-century environmentalism, including, most recently, a contribution to the Kinship anthology at the Center for Humans and Nature.

After completing her BA in geography and global studies, Farheen worked for several years as a geographic information systems (GIS) analyst at a tech company. Although she still loves mapping, she transitioned her career into the nonprofit sector to do work that is in deeper alignment with her values and explores the intersections between environmental protection and social justice. Outside of work, she loves cooking, baking, travel, and writing.

Nadia Bouaraba is an administrative assistant to the chief executive officer at Earth Island Institute.

Nadia was born and raised in Algeria. She attended the University of California, Davis, where she studied Law and Society, and International Relations. She has a background in various legal projects and programs, mainly around criminal defense. She speaks six languages, which she feels helps her communicate with and get a better understanding of more people from different backgrounds. Her passion is traveling the world and experiencing different cultures.

Tiauna George is the senior director of grants management at the Energy Foundation, where she leads grantmaking and contracting operations, systems, and data. She is responsible for creating and executing the policies and procedures to ensure the efficient processing of grants and contracts, ensuring timeliness, quality, and compliance.

Prior to joining the Energy Foundation, Tiauna served as Philanthropic Operations/Grants Manager for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, managing grantmaking for the Justice and Opportunity initiative, and before that the Education grantmaking program. Previous positions include Programs and Partnerships/Grants Manager for the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health; Corporate and Donor Relations/Grants Manager for the Women’s Foundation of California; and Grants Management/Grants Assistant for the James Irvine Foundation.

Wendy Loven is an administrative assistant in the Finance and Human Resources departments at Earth Island. Originally from Texas, she moved to California in 2020. She previously worked for a development company that specialized in sustainable real estate and solar energy systems.

As a yoga instructor and meditation coach, Wendy has worked with several organizations to bring yoga and meditation to at-risk youth, women in recovery from addictions, and people suffering from severe trauma. Wendy made the switch from working in the for-profit sector to working for Earth Island out of a strong desire to use her skills in areas that support her values and make a difference in the world.

Ariana Katovich is the executive director of the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. She holds a J.D. and has a diverse background in nonprofit management, strategy, fundraising, outreach, and advocacy. Prior to the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, Ariana was the director of operations for Cutting Edge Capital and director of the Restoration Initiative and the Streets Alive! Initiative at Earth Island Institute. In 2000, Ariana received a Brower Youth Award from Earth Island for starting the University of California, Santa Barbara, Coastal Fund, which to date has generated millions of dollars for shoreline preservation at UCSB. She was formerly field staff to the Sierra Club’s Coastal Campaign, elected director of the Isla Vista Park District, and a leader of UCSB’s Environmental Affairs Board. Ariana graduated from UCSB with a degree in History and the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Community Service.

Gina Muñoz is an accounting associate for Earth Island. Originally from Los Angeles, she expanded her administrative skill set working for small for-profit businesses in her hometown. She collaborated closely with business owners not only as an accounting associate, but also as a financial advisor, and experienced small businesses growing successfully in a competitive and dynamic arena.

After years of working in the for-profit sector, Gina moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with a drive to work for an organization aligned with her environmental and eco-spiritual passions. With more than 20 years experience in accounting and bookkeeping, she is now an integral part of the accounting team here.

Rachel brings a commitment to environmental justice through a systems perspective, with special interests in equity, community control, and public health as they pertain to environmental issues and solutions. Her projects at Earth Island tend to focus on food justice, Indigenous sovereignty, and habitat restoration. Rachel is the public funding specialist for the Earth Island project support program.

Prior to joining Earth Island, Rachel worked for the Karuna Foundation in Portland, Oregon, managing operations and overseeing grant projects that included climate mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable development programs in Bhutan. She also previously worked in holistic health, studying and practicing Thai Bodywork, a branch of Traditional Thai Buddhist Medicine, in private practice. Rachel holds a BA in Biology from Reed College and a graduate certificate in Sustainable Management from the Presidio Graduate School Masters in Public Administration program in San Francisco.

Dixie is a human resources support associate at Earth Island Institute. She has worked in a variety of administrative roles and has more than three years of experience working in HR support. Prior to joining Earth Island Institute, she was responsible for work involving benefits administration, onboarding, new-hire orientations, and workplace safety.

Dixie earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and the Urban Environment from San Francisco State University. She is delighted to work at Earth Island because the organization combines her interests in HR and environmental awareness.

Sharon has extensive experience working in the areas of communications strategy, content development, and media relations. She graduated with a degree in Journalism from the University of New Hampshire. She began her career as a publicist in the books program at the Sierra Club and went on to manage the publishing program at Tompkins Conservation, raising awareness on topics such as industrial agriculture, confined animal feeding operations, public lands policy, and land conservation. She has also served as a publicist for the Yosemite Conservancy publications program and as communications manager for Tandem Stills + Motion’s nature and environmental film and photo projects.

Matthew studied conservation at the University of California, Berkeley.

For the past thirty-five years, Susan has been working with grassroots and community-based nonprofit organizations ranging from a student housing cooperative and a local YMCA to an urban conservation corps and wildlife rehabilitation center. During this time, Susan has been responsible for operations, program and administrative management; fundraising; and event planning.

In 1997, Susan joined Earth Island as development associate to both Earth Island Institute and its many sponsored projects. In 1999, Susan shifted into the project support director position, in which she coordinated all Earth Island project support functions, and in 2017 Susan became Earth Island’s director of operations. Susan serves on the steering committee for the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors and is an advisor to the Global Greengrants Fund. Susan has a bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies from University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in Organization Development from Sonoma State University.

Terry has more than fifteen years of experience designing and implementing urban- and social-policy programs focused on community development, environmental conservation, and global health initiatives.

Before joining Earth Island, he worked for TransForm, an NGO with a powerful voice for world-class transit and walkable communities in northern California, where he managed the Safe Routes to Schools program. In 2014, he founded Disarm Now, a nonprofit organization that promoted gun buybacks in the U.S., and launched the YMCA San Miguel de Allende initiative to bring a YMCA branch to his hometown in Mexico.

Prior to his graduate studies, Terry served as a representative for leading U.S. Congressman George Miller, managing Department of State, immigration, and international casework assignments. In the early 2000s, he collaborated with Jorge Castañeda Gutman’s independent presidential campaign in Mexico as a national campaign manager.

Terry is originally from San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. He has resided in Berkeley for more than two decades where he currently lives with his wife and daughter. He received a Master of International Affairs Degree from Columbia University and a B.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

John serves as Earth Island’s executive director emeritus, working part time after more than thirty years of sharing full-time executive director responsibilities with Dave Phillips.

He is engaged in creative conversation with the committed individuals whom Earth Island serves under Earth Island’s Theory of Change. John believes that committed individuals are key to confronting the multiple environmental crises before us, whether as project directors, as emerging youth leaders, or as active members in their own communities. Earth Island uses unique organizational resources to help empower everyone to take their own next steps toward a world that we all can share.

At home, John enjoys city life with his wife Carole Roberts. He engages in creative reuse wherever he can and is an enthusiastic gardener, with ongoing attempts to produce tomatoes and blueberries. He tries to keep alive his remnant skills at basketball and tennis, but not competitively.

John also serves on the David Brower Center board of directors and is actively involved with the rebuilding of Antioch College.

Susannah Lee graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Environmental Biology and a minor in Geospatial Information Science and Technology. Before joining Earth Island, she spent time in Iceland working on a project exploring the potential of hydropower and geothermal renewable energy production for a small town near Reykjavík.

As a student, Susannah conducted a research project investigating the potential for bioremediation of a wetland site contaminated by hydrocarbon pollution. She also contributed to a study of urban agro-biodiversity in San Francisco Bay Area community gardens and the connection between food security and food traditions in the surrounding areas. She hopes to continue developing her passion for environmental justice by becoming more involved in the local issues facing her community.

Zoe Loftus-Farren reports on all things environment, including the intersection between the environment and equity. In addition to the Journal, her work has appeared in a variety of other publications, including Civil Eats, Salon.com, Alternet, and Truthout. Zoe also holds a law degree from Berkeley Law, where she studied environmental law and policy, and an undergraduate degree from UCLA.

Sumona Majumdar is the chief executive officer of Earth Island Institute. Prior to this role, Sumona served as the organization’s general counsel for more than five years. During that time, she led groundbreaking lawsuits against plastic producers, corporate greenwashing, and regulatory agencies. At Earth Island, she has handled internal legal, policy, and governance matters. Majumdar is a sought-after speaker on environmental litigation and using legal strategy to protect human health, the environment, and natural resources. Before joining Earth Island, she spent seven years enforcing federal environmental laws as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice. Sumona holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, obtained a B.S. from the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan, and served as an Environment Sector Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco.

Alfonso Martinez-Torres moved to the San Francisco East Bay from “La Gran Tenochtitlan” (Mexico City). He graduated from the Accounting and Business Administration Department at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and holds a Licentiate in Accounting degree (Licenciado en Contaduria).

For several years, Alfonso worked for different for-profit businesses until he found his calling at EcoVillage Farm, one of Earth Island Institute’s projects. Passionate about people and nature, supporting environmental and grassroots projects was a perfect fit.

Alfonso’s move to the U.S. was a big challenge. He had to learn the language and get accustomed to cultural differences, but his passion for what he does made everything worth it.

He worked for nine years at EcoVillage, where he wore many hats ranging from office manager to CSA/farmstand coordinator. In 2016, he became the accounting/HR associate at Earth Island. Currently he is in charge of all accounts receivable and workplace giving, and supports HR with new hires, employee documentation, and state tax accounts management.

Alfonso is thrilled to be able to support Earth Island initiatives and the incredible groundbreaking activist projects working to protect Mother Earth and all its species. He loves skiing and camping, and tries to bring the whole family to the outdoors as much as possible.

Maureen Nandini Mitra has more than two decades of experience as an international journalist. In addition to her work at the Journal, she occasionally writes for other magazines and online publications in the U.S. and India, and co-hosts Terra Verde, an environmental issues talk show on KPFA public radio. Her work has appeared in the San Francisco Public Press, Grist, Truthout, The New Internationalist, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, The Caravan, and Down to Earth.

Biologist David Phillips served as executive director of Earth Island Institute since Earth Island’s founding in 1982. He played a leading role in helping build Earth Island’s diverse and effective network of grassroots projects involved in conservation action, legal advocacy, and youth leadership development. David has a scientific specialization in marine wildlife conservation, and directs Earth Island’s International Marine Mammal Project.

David has represented marine mammal conservation issues at numerous international marine conventions, including the International Whaling Commission, and has testified before the United States Congress on marine mammal protection, endangered species conservation, and the impacts of trade on the environment. His direction of Earth Island Institute was acknowledged by the United Nations Environment Programme, which granted David its Leadership Award in honor of his efforts to protect dolphins from indiscriminate fishing techniques. Earth Island Institute’s success in negotiating an agreement with the world’s largest tuna companies to adopt dolphin-safe policies in 1990 was recognized by Time magazine as one of the most significant environmental victories of that decade.

In 1994, David founded the Free Willy–Keiko Foundation, successfully overseeing a five-nation, $10 million international campaign accomplishing the historic rescue, rehabilitation, and first-ever release of a captive orca whale to its native habitat in Iceland. David was featured in the book Freeing Keiko: The Journey of a Killer Whale from Free Willy to the Wild. In 1995, David was awarded the Joseph Wood Krutch Medal by the Humane Society of the United States for his efforts to protect marine mammals.

In 2009, David helped open the David Brower Center, a LEED Platinum-rated green building that serves as a hub for the environmental movement as well as a conference center and gallery in downtown Berkeley, California. He serves on the center’s board of directors.

In 2014, David received the President Louis T. Benezet Award from Colorado College for extraordinary contributions and achievements that have impacted people’s lives.

Since 2016, David has served as a founding director of the board for the nonprofit Whale Sanctuary Project, the first organization focused solely on creating seaside sanctuaries in North America for the rescue and retirement of whales and dolphins from captive facilities.

David has been involved in the development and implementation of numerous pieces of legislation pertaining to marine conservation. These include the Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act of 1990, the International Dolphin Conservation Act of 1992, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

In her role at Earth Island, Kimberly works with and supports donors, manages memberships and subscriptions, maintains the database, and helps oversee key office functions. Prior to working at Earth Island, Kimberly worked with local San Francisco Bay Area nonprofits, with a focus on education and literacy, animal welfare, and youth development. Kimberly graduated from Richard Stockton College with a BS in Speech Pathology and Audiology.

Mona Shomali has been working at the intersection of environmental policy and social justice for more than 20 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University. As an adjunct faculty member, she taught international environmental policy and environmental justice courses at The New School, Pace University, and New York University. She also taught an ecology course at the New York Botanical Garden.

In addition to her academic work, Mona was a case researcher for the case Sarayaku vs. Ecuador in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, was a policy analyst for an NGO that lobbied the United Nations on behalf of small island states that face sea level rise, and served as an assistant contributor for a World Bank report on climate change and water distribution in Africa. When it comes to environmental and social justice youth leadership, Mona believes it is vital to include, understand, and represent voices from all different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.

Mike has been with Earth Island since October 2013. Prior to working at Earth Island, Mike held finance positions with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Rockwood Leadership Institute, and Youth ALIVE! He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of San Francisco.

Michelle Thompson joined Earth Island Institute in 2012. She has more than 15 years of human resources and management experience that spans start-ups and established organizations. She has extensive hands-on experience leading HR initiatives, including policy design, compensation, performance management, recruiting, compliance reporting, HRIS implementations, HR workflow development, training and development, and benefits administration.

Michelle earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Development, Adult Development, and Gerontology from California State University, East Bay, and holds a certificate in Human Resources Management from San Francisco State University.

Josh Floum is president of Earth Island’s Board of Directors. He began his association with Earth Island as lead trial lawyer in the two-decade tuna/dolphin lawsuits, which ended the practice of setting tuna nets on dolphins in the United States. He was also lead counsel in the San Onofre nuclear plant discharge case (which helped to fund Earth Island’s wetlands restoration work in Southern California), the sea turtle/shrimp trawler cases, and the navy sonar/whale litigation. More recently he helped establish Earth Island Advocates to further expand Earth Island’s courtroom presence.

In addition to his environmental work, Josh was a law firm partner specializing in antitrust, and Visa Inc.’s general counsel for a 10-year period that included its global merger and IPO.

Ken Alex is the director of Project Climate at the University of California, Berkeley, Center for Law, Energy and Environment, focusing on the most promising climate solutions and moving them more quickly to policy and scale. From 2011 to 2018, Ken was a senior policy advisor to Governor Jerry Brown, the director of the governor’s Office of Planning and Research, and the chair of the Strategic Growth Council, focusing on climate, energy, environment, and land-use issues. Before joining the governor’s office, Ken was the senior assistant attorney general heading the environment section of the California attorney general’s office, and the co-head of the office’s global warming unit. From 2000 to 2006, Ken led the California attorney general’s energy task force, investigating price and supply issues related to California’s energy crisis. Ken is a graduate of Harvard Law School and holds a B.A. in political theory from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Jessian Choy is a writer for Sierra magazine’s “Ask Ms. Green” column and videos, and she has been a guest on the magazine’s podcasts. Her campaign to hold the Thinx menstrual underwear company accountable to their sustainability claims resulted in the first class-action lawsuit on deceptive marketing practices around the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS in consumer products. Thinx settled the case for $5 million in 2022.

Jessian works to helps others become happy, equitable, green, and vegan through public speaking, writing, advocacy, policymaking, fundraising, marketing, trauma-informed leadership, evidence-based hypnotherapy, and reiki energy work.

In 2007, she helped create a green-products database for the City of San Francisco that became a model for municipalities elsewhere. And in 2002 she was awarded an Earth Island Brower Youth Award for developing climate-change initiatives, organizing a green strategic planning summit, and securing funding for student-led sustainability projects at her university. In addition to serving on the board at Earth Island, she also serves on the board of the Food Empowerment Project.

Photo of Jessian Choy by Sam Murphy.

Francisco Martinez is an impact investing and philanthropic strategy specialist with extensive experience helping corporations, foundations, nonprofit organizations, families, and individuals structure their giving and maximize their impact.

Francisco currently serves as director of Giving Operations at Genentech in the Corporate Relations division. Prior to that, Francisco spent six years at BNP Paribas as vice president of Impact Solutions in the Wealth Management division, leading the sustainable investing and charitable giving line of products for the bank’s U.S. subsidiary. His previous roles have included operations, compliance, strategy, relationship management, and business development at various philanthropic consulting firms, foundations, and fiscal sponsors. He has also served as associate director of managed organizations at Arabella Advisors, lead for business operations at Amplifier Strategies, and an advisor at Tides.

Francisco grew up in San Salvador, El Salvador, and has a dual bachelor’s degree in economics and East Asian studies from Harvard University. He is also a trained vocalist. In addition to his native Spanish, he is fluent in English and Japanese. He lives in San Francisco and his hobbies include fitness, singing, and wine tasting.

Deborah A. Sivas has been practicing environmental law for nearly three decades and is the Luke W. Cole Professor of Environmental Law and Director of the Stanford Environmental Law Clinic at Stanford Law School. She holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Stanford Law School, with Distinction (1987), a Master of Science in Ecology from the University of California at Davis (1984), and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Philosophy from Occidental College, Magna Cum Laude (1982). Before returning to Stanford to start the Environmental Law Clinic in 1997, Deborah served as a law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Judith Keep in the Southern District of California, practiced as an environmental attorney in the San Francisco office of Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe and in the Seattle office of Earthjustice, served as the founding legal director of The Lands Council, and started a small non-profit law practice in San Francisco.

Deborah has written about and practiced extensively under the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the National Forest Management Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Conservation and Liability Act, and various California state law analogues. With her clinic students, she currently conducts primary research and represents non-governmental organizations in administrative proceedings and litigation in the areas of coastal and marine resource protection, climate change policy, freshwater and terrestrial habitat conservation, and public land management.

Some of Deborah’s recent publications include California Water Governance for the 21stf Century, Stanford Law School Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program (Mar. 2017), An Environmental Call to Action, 3 Stanford Journal of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties 14 (Feb. 2017), and California Coastal Democracy at Forty: Time for a Tune-up, 36 Stanford Environmental Law Journal 109 (Jan. 2016). She also contributes regularly op-ed pieces for Axios and other publications: https://law.stanford.edu/directory/deborah-a-sivas/

Deborah was recognized as a California Lawyer Magazine Attorney of the Year in 2008 for her work successfully challenging the Bush administration’s gas mileage standards for SUVs and light trucks. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Turtle Island Restoration Network, the Otter Project, and Earth Island Institute, and sits on the advisory board of the Climate Law Institute.

Ariela St. Pierre currently serves as the senior vice president, deputy corporate secretary, and governance counsel for Bank of the West, part of BNP Paribas S.A. She is responsible for advising the Board of Directors and executive management on corporate governance matters, and manages the bank’s Office of the Corporate Secretary. From 2010 to 2015 she was the senior vice president, chief governance counsel, and corporate secretary of Visa Inc., having previously served as associate general counsel and assistant corporate secretary of the company since 2005.

Ariela has significant experience handling a broad variety of complex corporate governance matters, including in the areas of board composition and structure, board and CEO succession, executive compensation, shareholder engagement, and legal and regulatory compliance. She also has expertise in the design and implementation of global policies and controls, Human Resources, and commercial law. Her work has been recognized by Corporate Secretary magazine, which named her team “Corporate Governance Team of the Year (Large Cap)” in 2011.

Before joining Visa in 2005, Ariela was a litigator for over eight years, representing companies and NGOs in commercial, antitrust, and environmental litigation and appeals. This included the successful, multi-year litigation with Josh Floum on behalf of Earth Island Institute against the Department of Commerce and National Marine Fisheries Service (Brower v. Daley), regarding their failure to follow laws to protect dolphins. She also sought to protect endangered sea turtles harmed during shrimp harvesting, on behalf of the Turtle Island Restoration Network, ASPCA, the Humane Society, and Sierra Club (Turtle Island Restoration Network v. Evans).