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Maria Catoline

maria.catoline@climateeducation.org

Maria brings 12 years of non-profit experience in development and program management to ACE. More importantly, she brings a deep interest in people, their stories, and the innovation of social entrepreneurs that will create a more just and sustainable world.

Prior to joining ACE, Maria worked as a Development Director at the San Francisco Girls Chorus, connecting individual donors to the amazing music of young artists and managing fundraising events. She also launched the first San Francisco Great Gorilla Run--400+ people running 7K in gorilla suits!--which raised funds for the Gorilla Organization to invest in central African communities through microfinance, environmental education and habitat conservation. She has also worked with the Harvard University for Ethics and the Women's Institute for Leadership Development for Human Rights. She served as U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer (Romania 1998-2000), teaching English to the cutest middle school students on the planet and advancing youth programs with Outward Bound Romania.

Maria proudly hails from Cape Cod, Massachusetts which explains her obsession with swimming, marine life and protecting our oceans. When she's not cheerleading for ACE, you can find her in the mountains and great outdoors, far away from cell phone reception.

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AshEl Eldridge, Educator

ashel.eldridge@climateeducation.org

AshEl Eldridge, a native of Chicago, is currently an Oakland, California based artist, educator, organizer and spiritualist. He was Outreach Associate and a Cultural Director of Green For All's Public launch called Dream Reborn and Spotlight Events Coordinator for Green Jobs Now: A National Campaign to Build the New Green Economy.

 He performs spoken word, rap and sings nationally with conscious Hip Hop, Dub, Reggae and Electronica bands including Wisdom and Bassnectar. He has shared stages with Steel Pulse, KRS-One, STS9, Michael Franti, Midnite, Ozomatli and more. In addition to being a music, poetry, and meditation facilitator with Art in Action, where he works to empower low-income youth from urban communities, AshEL also combines the world of art, music and community healing with ecological sustainability within the CommuniTree Movement. 

Stacey Heras, Office Manager

stacey.heras@climateeducation.org

Stacey Heras joined ACE shortly after relocating to San Francisco from Chicago. Stacey earned her B.A. in Applied Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she was an active member of several dance groups and Alpha Phi Omega, a naional co-ed service fraternity. She was also an avid volunteer at P.A.D.S. (Public Aide to Deliver Shelter), R.E.S.T. (Residents for Effective Shelter Transition), and numerous American Cancer Society Relay For Life events. After working as the Operations Manager for Careers in Nonprofits, Stacey decided to pursue her career goals in the nonprofit sector going forward, with a desire to continue expanding her skill set in office management while working for an organization that is dedicated to a great cause. After her move, Stacey became a member of the One Brick San Francisco Chapter and is excited about volunteering with and learning more about the nonprofit organizations in the Bay Aea. Stacey is a musician by heart and loves the saxophone. The one food she absolutely loves and will never deny is chocolate.

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Kevin Kailath, Program Manager

kevin.kailath@climateeducation.org

Kevin brings to ACE a rich understanding in environmental science, a passion for entrepreneurship, and years of experience in the field of education. Originally from Sacramento, CA he has also lived in Berkeley, Santa Barbara, and Torrance. Comprehending the drivers of positive and negative environmental change has been a fundamental part of Kevin’s professional and academic experience. He earned an M.S. of Environmental Science and Management from U.C. Santa Barbara and a B.S. of Environmental Economics and Policy and Minor in Education from U.C. Berkeley. Just prior to coming to ACE he worked on a variety of sustainability initiatives for Toyota in their Environmental Communications and Corporate Contributions departments.

In his free time Kevin pursues a life of personal enrichment and exploration. Amongst his top interests are playing guitar, seeing live music, dancing, hiking, and good eats. Contemplating new venture ideas, enhancing his entrepreneurial skills, and expanding his network of friends are also of key importance to him. Thus you’ll definitely find him at social gatherings and networking events of all types. As an avid musician for over a decade he’s always looking for people to learn from, teach, and celebrate the joy of music with. 

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Carmen Lansdowne, Senior Manager, Finance, HR & Administration

carmen.lansdown@climateeducation.org

Carmen is a Canadian transplant to the Bay Area, and is a doctoral candidate at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. While running the office at ACE, she is also writing her dissertation on racism and Native American ministry in North American churches. She enjoys working at ACE because it's her personal carbon offsetting program to make up for the fact that she travels to Canada and Switzerland a lot for board meetings of other organizations. She loves hiking and cooking with her partner and their son in her spare time.

Wen Lee, Presenter

wen.lee@climateeducation.org

Wen is an environmental educator and loves to teach. She has taught students from ages 5 to 25, and has also produced a number of educational web videos. She holds a B.A. in Biology from Occidental College and an M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon.  In addition to being a Presenter at ACE, Wen is the Director of Online Media and Engagement at the Center for a New American Dream. She's extremely interested in where stuff comes from and where things go when we throw them away. Wen is a biker, a vegan, and her favorite animal is the elephant. She eats a triple decker peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day for lunch. Follow her on Twitter at @WenTV.

Christine Kennelly Nesbit, Director of Community Engagement

christine.nesbit@climateeducation.org

Christine Kennelly Nesbit has over ten years experience in the environmental sector, combining a scientific and educational background with collaborative planning and communications, particularly in the fields of water, natural resources and the environment. She has most recently designed, managed and facilitated complex collaborative processes, public participation programs and stakeholder outreach efforts in the Klamath River Basin and Lake Tahoe. Christine has worked as an environmental consultant for surface water quality and compliance issues in the San Francisco Bay and Delta region. In addition, she has worked with government and non-governmental organizations as a stakeholder facilitator and project manager on natural resource issues throughout North and Central America.

Christine holds a Master's Degree in environmental sciences from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and a B.A. in biology and environmental studies from Middlebury College. 

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Ashley Paramore, Development Manager of Individual Giving 

ashley.paramore@climateeducation.org

Ashley is a Columbus, Ohio transplant with a BA in Psychology from The Ohio State University and 5 years of individual giving experience. Prior to joining ACE she worked in development at the Secular Student Alliance. She has a strong passion for working with students, and believes that if one is going to make a social change in our culture to positively affect climate one must start with young people.

She also lives on the internet, where she does a variety of podcasts, videos, and other online ventures. When not glued to the screen she bikes, runs, plays video games, competes in Dance Dance Revolution, rock climbs, cooks amazing vegan food, and spends time with her only son, Doctor Bird.

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Sarah Shanley Hope, Executive Director

sarah@climateeducation.org

Sarah comes to us most recently from Green For All, where she served as the Chief Development Officer, raising funds for the $5M+ national organization and positioning it as a new leader in the environmental movement. Sarah draws on more than a decade of nonprofit, leadership and strategy experience.

At Green For All, she grew the organization’s funding base and evolved its positioning. Prior to Green For All, she served as a Corporate Brand Manager at Cargill, as a consultant to a range of non-profit, corporate and public sector clients and as an Individual Gifts Coordinator for the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights.

Sarah received a Masters of Business Administration in marketing and social entrepreneurship from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Vassar College.

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