Helen Fitanides

Helen grew up on the Central Coast of California and received a BS in marine biology from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She went on to manage a research lab at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she worked with the Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology to investigate the impacts of nanomaterials on freshwater food webs. While the work was fascinating, she missed being outdoors and interacting with people and communities, and in 2013 she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to follow that goal. Over the next 8 years she built a robust community-based creek monitoring program using some of Sierra Streams Institute’s own resources, including the incredible Bug Book. She’s now very happy to be at the “source” and managing SSI’s long-term monitoring program! In her free time she loves baking, reading and pursuing a side career in aerial dance.