Climate Leadership > CEC’s Climate Stewards Certification Program > Current Participants and Alumni

CEC’s Climate Stewards Current Participants and Alumni

To date, the Community Environmental Council has trained 150+ Climate Stewards – and many graduates are already taking bold climate action in their communities. Read on for individual stories and testimonials and consider joining our corps of grassroots climate leaders.  

Christina Hernandez

Community Roles: member of the Guadalupe City Council, member of the Santa Barbara County Equity Advisory and Outreach Committee, board member at Los Amigos de Guadalupe, and Community Outreach Coordinator at the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center.

Cohort: Spring 2022

Course Value: The Climate Stewards program gave me a deeper understanding of what climate change is and how it affects us all. I learned new communication tools that are allowing me to speak confidently about climate change with my family, my colleagues, and community members of all ages.

Capstone Project: I chose to focus on providing bilingual educational resources about climate change and about spending time outdoors to local youth and families. It was a natural fit because I am the Community Outreach Coordinator at the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, which allows me to connect people to the outdoors and learn about our unique ecosystem. My community, Guadalupe, needs equitable educational opportunities to really understand nature and climate change.

As a mother, community member, and nature advocate, I feel that I have a responsibility to teach others how to care for our Mother Earth.

Christina Hernandez, Spring '22

CEC helped me understand the basics and the complexities of climate change, and how to take steps in my life to make positive changes. I also gained a deeper understanding of how to strategically bring environmental sustainability into my work to help clients be successful.

Lisa Murphy Rivas, Pilot '21

Lisa Murphy Rivas

Cohort: Pilot 2021

Why Climate Stewards: A busy mother of two, Lisa’s career was centered on community outreach and government relations for the natural resources industry. As messages about climate change became increasingly alarming, she wanted to do something, even if it meant jeopardizing her career. The answer came when she received a CEC email announcing the new climate stewards program – an opportunity to expand her knowledge and practical skills around climate action without interfering with her hectic personal and professional schedule.

Next Steps: Lisa continues to immerse herself in climate-related topics to continue her education and works with local businesses that prioritize climate issues to help them focus on how they can evolve to be more responsible and sustainable in relation to the climate, the environment, and people -- especially those people most impacted by climate change. Lisa also joined CEC's anniversary campaign steering committee as an advocate for climate solutions helping to raise money for our work to complete a comprehensive and impressive strategic plan.

Alumni

  • Sasha Albitt, Albitt’s Fine Cleaners & Launderers (Winter 2023)

  • Veronica Arciga, Vision y Compromiso (Winter 2024)

  • Johnny Alonzo, UC Santa Barbara (Winter 2021)

  • Melody Alvarez, LAWCOPY,LLC (Summer 2021)

  • Celeste Andersen, Mission Home Health (Fall 2022)

  • Heather Bailey, Patagonia Great Pacific Child Development Center (Winter 2022)

  • Jeff Baker, UA Local 114 Plumber & Pipefitters Union (Winter 2024)

  • Noah Banez (Spring 2022)

  • Olivia Banez, Guam Coral Reef Initiative (Spring 2022)

  • Bette Bardeen, Retired Attorney (Winter 2021)

  • Stephen Barley, Retired from UCSB (Fall 2023)

  • Halee Bernard, Producer & Advocate (Winter 2023)

  • Jannett Bidwell (Winter 2021)

  • Elizabeth Blair, Teacher (Winter 2022)

  • Cole Brandr, Teacher (Spring 2022)

  • Randy Brantley (Winter 2023)

  • Catherine Brozowski, Audacious Foundation (Fall 2023)

  • Michelle Bruner, Psychologist (Winter 2022)

  • Anne Burdette, Santa Barbara Urban Creeks Council (Winter 2024)

  • Nicole Bury (Fall 2023)

  • Emiliano Campobello, Santa Barbara Standing Rock Coalition (Winter 2022)

  • Katherine Carmichael, Environmental Staffer, Office of State Senator Monique Limón (Spring 2023)

  • Baljot Chahal, UC Santa Barbara Environmental Studies Graduate (Fall 2022)

  • Kate Christensen, Activist (Fall 2022)

  • Elsa Cisneros (Winter 2023)

  • Geraldine (Gerri) Clemens (Spring 2023)

  • Jamie Collins, Girls Inc. of Carpinteria (Fall 2023)

  • Irene Cooke, Society of Fearless Grandmothers (Fall 2022)

  • Caitlyn Corrao (Winter 2023)

  • Anne Crowe, Santa Barbara Garden Club (Winter 2021)

  • John Cunningham, Marin Benefits (Fall 2022)

  • Dr. Maria Felice Cunningham, Ecopsychologist Blue Island Consulting (Winter 2023)

  • Torrie Cutbirth, El Gato Channel Foundation (Winter 2022)

  • Jenna Davis, Santa Barbara Musuem of Natural History (Fall 2023)

  • Jennifer Dass Richardson, Retired Teacher (Spring 2022)

  • Patrick Daugherty (Spring 2023)

  • Sandy Diaz, Retired Teacher (Fall 2022)

  • Alhan Diaz-Correa, Community Environmental Council (Winter 2021)

  • Xinyi Duan (Fall 2023)

  • Camille Dupuis, Seminalia Truffles (Summer 2021)

  • Sandra Eacret (Winter 2023)

  • Maureen Ellenberger, Society of Fearless Grandmothers (Winter 2022)

  • Debra Eve (Spring 2023)

  • Claire Fackler, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Summer 2021)

  • Elizabeth Farnum, Get Oil Out!, Attorney (Fall 2022)

  • Callie Fausey, Santa Barbara Independent (Winter 2024)

  • Sareen Fiaz, UC Santa Barbara Morrissey Lab (Winter 2021)

  • Erin Finnegan, Santa Barbara Middle School (Winter 2024)

  • Kelly Fisher, SLO Climate Coalition (Winter 2022)

  • Tisha Ford, Community Volunteer (Winter 2021)

  • Erik Fruth, Food Blogger (Summer 2021)

  • Freida Galindo, (Winter 2022)

  • Gabriela Gamez, Good Farms / Buenaventura Ranch (Fall 2023)

  • Rosalia Garcia, California State University Northridge (Fall 2023)

  • Brett Garrett, Community Volunteer (Winter 2022)

  • Gray Gautereaux, Program Manager, County of San Luis Obispo Planning & Building Department (Energy Section) and Tri-County Regional Energy Network (3C-REN) (Spring 2022)

  • Vincent Gentile, Seminalia Truffles (Summer 2021)

  • Laura Gonzalez (Spring 2023)

  • Mary Graham, CivicSpark Fellow (Winter 2022)

  • Sandra Grasso-Boyd, League of Women Voters (Summer 2021)

  • Thomas Gratz, Hitachi Zosen Inova (Fall 2022)

  • Sarah Grewe (Winter 2024)

  • Serena Gu, CivicSpark Fellow, Tri-County Regional Energy Network (3C-REN) (Spring 2022)

  • Ali Hanson (Winter 2024)

  • Heidi Harmon, Let's Green CA! (Winter 2022)

  • Farani Haynes, Comscore (Fall 2022)

  • Daren Hillebrandt, Entrepreneur / Curamus Co (Winter 2023)

  • Lee Heller, Independent Philanthropy Professional (Spring 2022)

  • Ilan Henzler, UC Santa Barbara Student (Fall 2022)

  • Christina Hernandez, Guadalupe City Council (Spring 2022)

  • Nohemi Hernandez, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County (Fall 2023)

  • Olivia Hernandez Harnish, Community Volunteer (Winter 2022)

  • Sarah Hibble, Caterer (Fall 2022)

  • Stephanie Holmes, CivicSpark Fellow, City of Goleta (Spring 2022)

  • Terence Honikman, CEC Member (Winter 2024)

  • Angela Hsu, (Spring 2022)

  • Duncan Jepson (Fall 2023)

  • Nova Jesswein, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (Spring 2023)

  • Gabrielle Johnson, NOAA - International Marine Protected Area Capacity Building Team (Winter 2024)

  • Lauri Kamiel (Spring 2023)

  • Deepti Kannapan (Spring 2023)

  • Iris Kelly, Community Volunteer (Summer 2021)

  • Patty Kelly, Community Volunteer (Winter 2023)

  • Aaron Kriesberg, Staff Ecologist, Channel Islands Restoration (Winter 2023)

  • Laurie Ladd, Retired Teacher (Spring 2022)

  • Gunnar Langenhuizen (Fall 2023)

  • Denis Letourneau, Raistone, Inc. (Summer 2021)

  • Mel Liu, (Spring 2022)

  • Ilan MacAdam-Somer, Environmental Consultant (Winter 2023)

  • Ed Marples, Locanabio (Fall 2022)

  • Tais Martins (Winter 2023)

  • Monica Matthews, Ventura County Resource Conservation District (Winter 2024)

  • Bella McGowan, Retired School Psychologist, Master Gardener (Fall 2022)

  • Gary Mendez, Meditation Teacher (Spring 2022)

  • Alissa Millar, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County (Fall 2023)

  • Lindsay Miller, UC Santa Barbara (Fall 2023)

  • Laurie Mohning, Human Resources Administrator (Fall 2022)

  • Megan “Moe” Morelock, Local Orange County Volunteer (Spring 2023)

  • Shara Morris, Neon Hum Media (Winter 2022)

  • Lisa Murphy Rivas, LMR Consulting (Winter 2021)

  • Arya Natarajan, California Academy of Sciences (Fall 2023)

  • George Naugles, Founder of Balance2thrive, VCC, CRP, CAC (Winter 2024)

  • Naomi Newman, (Fall 2022)

  • Dylan Otte, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (Winter 2024)

  • Angela Ouellette, Explore Ecology (Winter 2021)

  • Calleen Pardinas, Ventura County Community Foundation (Winter 2021)

  • Heidi Parker, Arts & Healing Initiative (Winter 2024)

  • Vicky Phan, (Winter 2023)

  • Geerte Piening, Producer / Horticulturalist (Winter 2023)

  • Jessica Prichard, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (Winter 2023)

  • Jan Quilantang, Oxnard High School (Fall 2023)

  • Rosheil Ramirez, Community Environmental Council, Climate Education & Leadership Associate (Winter 2023)

  • Ana Rico, Community Environmental Council (Winter 2022)

  • Alexis Rizo, Clean Power Alliance (Summer 2021)

  • Angie Rose, Santa Barbara Middle School (Winter 2023)

  • Stephanie Roberson, Surfrider, Santa Barbara Foundation (Fall 2022)

  • Katherine Robinson (Fall 2022)

  • Maureen Russell, MKR Communications (Winter 2021)

  • Jill Santos (Fall 2023)

  • Julie Schneiderman, EcoStiks (Fall 2023)

  • Michael Seabaugh, Clinical Psychologist (Fall 2022)

  • Sarah Siedschlag, UC Santa Barbara (Winter 2021)

  • Mark Silbernagel, Ojai Land Conservancy (Spring 2023)

  • Tracey Singh (Fall 2023)

  • Lonnie Smith, The Balay Ko Foundation, Veggie Rescue (Winter 2024)

  • Peter Smith, Retired Engineer (Fall 2022)

  • Velia Soto, Pacifica High School, Oxnard (Winter 2023)

  • Jessica Spaw (Winter 2023)

  • Lauren Stoops, Community Volunteer (Winter 2022)

  • Logan Strait, BarrierEnergy, Inc. (Fall 2023)

  • Allinta Tadesse, UCSB Sustainability (Winter 2023)

  • David Telleen-Lawton, UC Santa Barbara (Fall 2022)

  • Sabina Thomas, (Spring 2022)

  • Jamie Throgmorton, Retired Attorney (Winter 2021)

  • Jenna Tosh, Planned Parenthood California Central Coast (Winter 2022)

  • Lian Mae Tualla, CivicSpark Fellow (Winter 2022)

  • Maureen Tunney, Film Professional (Fall 2022)

  • Jasmin Tupy, Heal the Ocean (Spring 2023)

  • Ash Valenti, Isla Vista Food Forest (Summer 2021)

  • Vivian Valentin (Fall 2023)

  • Staci Valentine, Clear Communication Academy (Fall 2022)

  • Niki Weber, SunMonsters (Spring 2023)

  • Caroline Webster, CivicSpark Fellow (Spring 2022)

  • Michelle Weinman, Fauver, Large, Archbald & Spray, LLP (Winter 2022)

  • Patricia Winans, UC Santa Barbara Bren School (Spring 2022)

  • Meghan Woodbury, Photographer (Spring 2022)

  • Tracy York, HG Insights (Fall 2023)

  • Erika Zollett, UC Santa Barbara Environmental Leadership Incubator (Winter 2021)