The Foundation

Staff

Executive Director

David Bannister joined the Board of Directors of the Foundation in 2004 and by August of 2009 had served as Board President, Vice President and Secretary.  At that time the Board requested that David take the open position of Executive Director and he agreed. David has a long history of business management and consulting as well as a long history of serving as a volunteer on environmental organizations.  As Chair of the Sonoma Group of the Sierra Club he led the successful collaborative campaign with the grape growing industry and environmental community that resulted in the Vineyard Erosion Control Ordinance. David has an MBA from the University of Kansas. 

Research associate

Hattie Brown joined the Foundation staff in October 2008. She first came to Sonoma County to apprentice as a farmer at Summerfield Waldorf School and Farm. Hattie's interests include soil-water-plant interactions as well as community gardening projects and has experience in agricultural and rangeland research.  Hattie holds a Master’s degree in Soil Science from UC Davis and a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Reed College.

Restoration Project supervisor

Catherine Cumberland joined the Foundation staff in March 2006. She has been the Land Steward at Fairfield Osborn Preserve and has worked at Sonoma State University's Native Plant Garden since 2003. She also worked as SSU’s Volunteer Liaison to the STRAW program, an environmental education program for K-12 schoolchildren. Catherine graduated from SSU in December 2005 with bachelor's degrees in Environmental Studies and Biology.

Administrative Director

Maggie Hart joined the Foundation staff in July 2005. Her background in nonprofit administration includes working for the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, San Francisco's Friends of the Urban Forest and Giant Steps Therapeutic Equestrian Center. Maggie holds an undergraduate degree in Ecology from Evergreen State University.

Director of Education Programs

Christine Fontaine joined the Foundation staff in August 2007. She earned a BA from Sonoma State and an elementary teaching credential from Dominican Uni­versity. In addition to a background in business, she has been a docent at Bouverie Preserve since 1996 and for the last 8 years she has worked for Point Reyes National Seashore Association, for the first year as Education Programs Coor­dinator, then as Field Seminars Director.

Research Director

Dr. Christina Sloop joined the Foundation staff in June 2006. Using science to address the critical problems facing biodiversity Dr. Sloop’s research program evaluates and constructs workable solutions to issues of invasive species, habitat loss, degradation & connectivity, endangered species recovery, water quality impairment, and sedimentation within the Laguna de Santa Rosa watershed. Dr. Sloop holds a Ph.D. in Ecology from UC Davis, and a M.A. degree in Conservation Biology from San Francisco State University. Her extensive  experience spans across multiple disciplines and includes research on the conservation ecology of rare and endangered species, the population dynamics of invasive species, conservation ecology and population genetics of vernal pool plant species, public-access impacts on bird diversity, restoration efficacy of riparian plantings, water quality modeling and monitoring, invasive species control, endangered species recovery, and conservation planning.

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