Sierra Streams Institute

SIERRA STREAMS

Watershed Monitoring, Research, and Restoration

Our Staff

Sierra Streams Institute’s strength lies in its ability to attract and retain highly skilled staff members.

Since 2007, Sierra Streams Institute has also employed AmeriCorps service members through the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership (SNAP), a highly competitive program that places AmeriCorps members at different conservation agencies and organizations throughout the Sierra Nevada to conduct watershed restoration and monitoring, watershed education, and volunteer recruitment and support.

Current staff members are listed below. Click a name below to see a biographical sketch of that person.

Carrie Ammerman

Finance And Operations Director
Carrie grew up in northern California romping around the mountains, coasts, and everything in betwee...

Jeff Lauder

Executive Director
Jeff is a lifelong Californian, having spent most of his early years exploring and recreating in the...

Helen Fitanides

Science Director
Helen grew up on the Central Coast of California and received a BS in marine biology from Cal P...

Sol Henson

Education Program Director
Sol Henson works as a coordinator for the education program. He has several years of experience moni...

Monica Nova

Restoration Ecologist
Originally from the east coast, Monica was raised in Virginia and upstate New York. Growing up she e...

Melissa Grim

Chemistry Lab Manager
Melissa grew up between the southern Rockies and the foothills of Mt. Diablo, and has always had a t...

Mali Valerio

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Lab Manager
Mali was born and raised in the South of England in the South Downs National Park surrounded by wood...

Christian Noack

Forest Ecologist
Christian grew up along the American River. He was born close to where it merges with the Sacramento...

Alex Lerch

Lead Restoration Technician
Raised in Grass Valley, Alex grew up fishing frisbees and footballs out of blackberry brambles acros...

Jessica Herrmann

Lead River Scientist
Jess works as a biologist for the BMI and water quality labs at Sierra Streams. She holds a B.A. in ...

Sam Bell

Community Engagement Coordinator
Sam grew up in the Bay Area and has a background in science communication and museum exhibit design....

Kale Riley

Restoration Technician
After thirteen years spent working in organic agriculture, Kale took a seasonal job with a locally b...

Bebo Ruiz

Our Forestry Technician, Bebo, is enthusiastically dedicated to being an attentive steward of our Si...

Laney Smith

BMI Lab Technician
Laney grew up traveling to various locations throughout northern and southern California while livin...

Grace Favro

BMI Lab Technician
Grace is a recent graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She spent her time there studying Biology a...

THANKS TO OUR COMMUNITY SPONSORS

Imagine... a Healthy Vibrant Watershed