The CivicWell Team

Haley Ausserer-Zelaya is a communications strategist with over 15 years of experience in the field. She has managed marketing and communications for nonprofits, arts organizations, ecommerce companies, social changemakers, and higher education.

Haley is passionate about community engagement and volunteering. As a commissioner with the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Establishment of a Sacramento County Women’s Commission, and the communications co-chair of Sacramento for Women and Girls, she successfully advocated for a permanent Sacramento County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. She has served on the Board of Slow Food Sacramento, the local chapter of an international organization committed to good, clean, and fair food for all, and volunteers for End of Life Choices California.

Haley holds an MBA from Mills College, and a BA from Hampshire College. She lives in the Sacramento area with her wife Emily and their diminutive shih tzu.

As Chief Executive Officer of CivicWell, Bernadette Austin supports leaders responding to the climate crisis and its impact on their communities. She leads a nonprofit organization with a 40-year track record of inspiring, equipping, connecting, and cultivating leaders working toward a more sustainable and resilient future.

Prior to her work at CivicWell, Bernadette co-led a university research center and managed the financing and development of affordable housing and infill development. Her portfolio of community-engaged research has supported affordable housing development, social equity in transportation policy, and carbon neutrality in state policy-making. Her community development projects include Sacramento’s first true transit-oriented development and the first project in the country to implement a program combining housing vouchers and health services for disabled adults.

Bernadette has served on city and county commissions for 15 years. She has served on Advisory Committees for the California Department of Housing and Community Development and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Advisory Committee to the Office of Health Equity at the California Department of Public Health.  She is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and American Planning Association and serves on the Board of Directors for SAFE Credit Union, one of the top 100 credit unions in the country.

Bernadette holds a Master of Science in Community Development from UC Davis. She is a woman of color and second-generation descendant of immigrants. She grew up in a rural community in Silicon Valley and lives near California’s capital with her partner and two children.

Justin Brosseau is based in the Sacramento region and brings 15+ years of experience working in public and non-profit environments with a focus in building teams and designing programs that lead to lasting change.  His career in collegiate and youth athletics was predicated on instilling positive life lessons and skills within the organization’s membership, preparing individuals to give back to their communities in the spirit of service leadership. Justin was involved in multiple regional and national boards/committees during his career as a NCAA Division 1 swimming coach and USA Swimming Club CEO.  In 2018 he was chosen to participate in USA Swimming’s inaugural National Leadership Conference followed by being selected as Leadership Camp Director for Sierra Nevada Swimming in 2019.

He is excited to bring this energy and experience to CivicSpark, contributing to the mission of developing future leaders to confront the social and climate challenges our upcoming generations will face. Justin earned a Masters in Business Administration degree, a Masters of Administration (Sport and Rec) degree, and a bachelor’s in English all from Missouri State University (Go Bears!).  He is the dad to two boys (Atticus and Emile), with whom he enjoys taking on adventures throughout Northern California.

Tiela resides in Bellingham, Washington, and has lived in Washington her entire life. She has a BA in Business Management and Business & Sustainability from Western Washington University.
Tiela is currently working as a Climate Change & Energy Program Coordinator at CivicWell.

Tiela comes from a racial and social justice background, and is passionate about bringing this perspective into the environemtnal justice framework. She looks to continue her work in utilitizing data gathering and analysis to inform on improving projects, and telling a story of our impact through the numbers.

When she’s not working, you can find her reading horror novels, crocheting, or renovating her sailboat.

Sheila DeBlonk is a political consultant and community engagement expert who has been working with candidates, committees, and governmental agencies for over 25 years.

Raised in Sacramento, politics was a part of her educational backdrop. After earning her BA in Communications at the University of California, Santa Barbara, she returned to her hometown, where she married her college sweetheart, Bryan. Together, they opened a political consulting and event management firm, providing almost any campaign service needed by a client, including local advocacy, direct mail, grassroots organizing, polling, fundraising, and event and festival management.

After two decades, winning over 120 local campaigns and passing $3 billion in local General Obligation School Bonds, Sheila went on to work with statewide education and transportation issues. She is a youth mentor with a lifelong focus on community and promotes enthusiastic consent and sex-positivity through education and awareness. Sheila and Bryan live in Natomas with their two children, Sierra, a student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Nick, who attends the local High School.

Julianna DeNike is a Project Manager for CivicWell’s Climate & Energy team. She has worked in program evaluation and auditing as well as facilitation and communication. Julianna was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California and currently resides there. Her passion encompasses her California community as she strives to use her education and experience to support local communities in their efforts to make more equitable and resilient decisions.

In her spare time, Julianna is known to be hiking in a local redwood forest, enjoying live music, and spending time with family.

Julianna holds a Masters in Public Administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.

Roger Dickinson serves as the Policy Director for CivicWell, providing direction and advocacy at the state and local levels for the policies, programs, and priorities of the organization. In addition, he works with the Housing Concepts Coalition which brings together diverse stakeholders to advocate for legislative and administrative steps to increase housing. 

Previously, Roger served as the Executive Director of Transportation California, a non-profit construction industry coalition which provides public education and advocacy to increase state funding for surface transportation infrastructure. During Roger’s tenure, the legislature passed and the governor signed SB 1, The Road Repair and Accountability Act, the largest transportation funding legislation in California history, and the voters passed Proposition 69 and defeated Proposition 6 in 2018. As a result, California now enjoys an additional more than $5 billion per year in funding for roads, bridges, public transportation, and active transportation.

Roger was elected to the State Assembly in November 2010, and reelected in November 2012, representing the 7th Assembly District including the Cities of Sacramento and West Sacramento. In his first year, he achieved a 100% bill signing success rate – seven bills were approved by the legislature and all seven were signed into law. In the second year of his term, nine more bills were signed by the Governor. In 2013, 11 Dickinson bills were signed into law by Governor Brown. In 2014, his most successful year, 15 bills were sent to the Governor and all 15 were signed in law – another 100% success rate. As a legislator, Dickinson focused on issues related to environmental quality, education, health and human services for children and families, economic development, and consumer protection.

Prior to his election to the Assembly, Dickinson served on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors from February 1994 through 2010. As a member of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, Dickinson played key roles on issues such as health care, welfare reform, economic development, clean air, improved transportation, and smart growth. 

Roger currently serves on the boards of the MS Society of Northern California, the Aerospace Museum of California, and the Sacramento Tree Foundation, and is a co-founder of SMART, Sacramento Metro Advocates for Rail and Transit. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley where he lettered in varsity basketball and afterward earned a law degree at UCLA in 1976. Dickinson lives with his wife, Marj, in the Woodlake neighborhood where they have owned a home for more than 40 years.

Shuniqua Guss serves as CivicSpark Fellow Support Specialist. Following two AmeriCorps service years with City Year Boston, and a third service year with the American Red Cross in Baton Rouge as a National Preparedness and Response Corps member, she has focused on building on her Human Resources profile.

As a first-year Corps Member with CYB, she served as part of the inaugural Bain Capital City Heroes office-based team, supporting the overall development and servant-leadership of Boston-based high schoolers. As a Senior Corps Member, she was part of the Timberland Team. Members in this position support Program Managers and staff, organization-wide, with overall Corps Member development, and first point of contact for community partners and serve on-site with their respective teams. Shuniqua served in the Training and Development department – which is where her love for HR began, and supported all functions of HR. When she worked in Louisiana, and with the New Orleans-based team, Shuniqua supported local and national disasters such as Hurricane Isaac and Hurricane and “Super Storm” Sandy. She also spent 9 months in the Dominican Republic serving with the Peace Corps as Youth Development Promoter. Shuniqua’s “Boots on the Ground” approach is modeled after her great-grandparents, who lived lives of service.

Shuniqua has a Master of Science degree in Leadership from Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies, with an emphasis in Adult and Organizational Learning. She has plans to finish her doctoral candidacy studies in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, with an emphasis in Human Resource Management. In her downtime she enjoys watching and playing sports, dancing, sports, being in the kitchen – hoping the miraculous happens, and sports!

Ariadna is the Operations and Compliance Manager for the CivicSpark program. Prior to joining CivicWell as a staff member in 2016, she served as a CivicSpark Fellow herself for the 2014-2015 service year, supporting the Sacramento region on two projects; one with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD) and the Sacramento Tree Foundation (STF) on urban forestry and urban heat islands, and another assisting Yolo County in updating their Climate Action Plan.

Ariadna is a first-generation graduate and earned her BS in Environmental Science from the University of the Pacific. Ariadna enjoys the outdoors, having spent time in college as an intern with the US Forest Service for 2 months in Colorado, as well as the Garden Coordinator for Sustaining Pacific and supporting garden work at the Ted and Chris Robb Garden.

Ariadna resides in Monterey County, and enjoys exploring local and unique restaurants, travelling, and spending time with her husband and array of pets.

Skylar joined CivicWell as CivicSpark Regional Coordinator for the Central California region in 2021. She previously worked as Sustainability Specialist for UC Davis Student Housing and Dining Services where she managed the Sustainability Education and Outreach Program, annual large waste diversion programs, and supported the integration of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice into sustainability programs and policies across the University of California system.

Skylar has a long-standing history with the CivicSpark program. She previously served as a 2016-17 fellow at the Sacramento Air Quality Management District where she worked on implementing organics recycling programs across Sacramento County, supported a low-income weatherization program, and conducted research on Climate Action Plan policies. She also served for a year on the CivicSpark Alumni Board. She is particularly passionate about creating space for community connections, sustainable food systems, and waste reduction and diversion. Skylar holds a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology from the University of California, Davis. In her free time, she enjoys taking her dog to the beach, tending to her garden, and horseback riding.

Daniel Keim is the Regional Coordinator for the Greater Sacramento Region in the CivicSpark program. He is based in Los Angeles and previously served a year-long term as an Americorps VISTA member with a nonprofit organization called LA Works. He moved to Los Angeles from Indianapolis, Indiana in September of 2019, where he previously had worked with youth and after-school programs.

In his free time, Daniel enjoys playing board games, hanging out with his wife and dog, and watching the latest Marvel or Star Wars film or TV show. He also loves exploring local and national parks!

Heather Killion is the Operations Coordinator at CivicWell. She has been in the administrative field for over 15 years, and prides herself on not only keeping the office running smoothly, but doing it with a smile. In her role she handles administrative tasks, and also provides support for the organization’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer.

Heather is a Northern California native and lives in the Sacramento area. She grew up with an interest in design and architecture, and currently has the awesome privilege of living in a monolithic dome.

Beatrix Koev joined CivicWell as Chief Financial Officer in April 2024. With a decade of experience in financial executive roles, Ms. Koev brings substantial expertise in business consultancy, accounting, and financial controls.

Beatrix most recently served in an executive consulting role, servicing a diverse selection of clients who were interested in a root cause analytical approach to solve financial and other organizational challenges with a systems thinking holistic overview. Prior to this, Beatrix served as CFO for Sierra Health Foundation, a private philanthropy that forges new paths to promote health, racial equity, and racial justice in partnership with communities, organizations, and leaders. In that role, she was a catalyst for the foundation’s end-to-end operations, including accounting, technology, administrative, compliance, contracting, and financial reporting.

Previously, Ms. Koev was CFO for El Hogar Community Services—a nonprofit organization that provides mental health services to the diverse Sacramento community—where she streamlined the agency’s financial operations and created its strategic fiscal plan. She also served as CEO/CFO for Salt Lake City commercial construction company BEKO, growing the company to multimillion-dollar annual revenue and securing government commercial construction contracts as a certified WBE (Woman-owned and controlled Business Enterprise), and as Interim CFO for Big Texan, providing strategic leadership for its East Gateway construction development project and management of financial activities and departments.

Beatrix holds a Master in Business Administration from Louisiana Tech University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management and Architecture from Prescott College of Arizona. In addition to English, she speaks Hungarian, Bulgarian, and Russian. 

Tony Leonard has worked at CivicWell since 1996 and currently serves as Project Manager in the Community Planning Program. During his time at CivicWell, Tony has worked on projects focusing on land use, transportation, waste management, and resource conservation issues. His experience includes the production and promotion of workshops and conferences and management of community planning projects.

Tony continues to manage public design charrettes and community image surveys—working in communities throughout California. His recent work focuses on developing community plans to address transportation, pedestrian safety, community design, bicycling and Safe Routes to School issues with outreach to lower income and minority communities. He has also managed various community design projects with tribal communities such as the Smith River Rancheria, Trinidad Rancheria, Pit River Tribe, Spokane Tribe of Indians, and Forest County Potawatomi Tribe.

Over the years, Tony has produced many successful workshops and conferences. From 2007-2016, Tony produced the annual Yosemite Conference for Local Elected Officials, which brought together local leaders from throughout California together with dynamic speakers to discuss cutting edge issues for building more livable communities.

In addition, Tony manages CivicWell’s information technology, developing various technical skills that have been employed in his other projects. These include website development, contact relationship management, and the use of online surveying, data gathering and engagement tools.

Mr. Leonard has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning from the University of California, Davis.

Cayla McDonell-Encina joined CivicWell in August 2017 as the Community Design Project Manager. Before joining the organization, Cayla was a CEQA/NEPA practitioner in Orange County, CA, and worked primarily on transportation projects. Cayla also has project management, campaign management, grassroots activism, and institutional experience as a former City, State, and Federal Government employee.

Cayla has a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from University of California, Irvine. During her time at UC Irvine, she studied user and provider reactions in response to new rideshare, bus, and rail transit regulations as a Network for European and U.S. Urban and Regional Studies Fellow in Berlin, Germany, worked with the Community and Economic Development Clinic at the UC Irvine Law School on neighborhood revitalization and social justice projects, was employed with the City of Fountain Valley in the City Manager’s Office, and was a Transportation Planning Consultant for a private firm in Los Angeles. Cayla completed her B.A. at Sacramento State University in Government with a concentration in International Relations in 2011.

Lindsey started out in academia studying ancient Mediterranean history and archaeology. (Yes, she can read hieroglyphs; no, aliens did not build the pyramids.) But while on excavations she became more interested in foodways in modern Middle Eastern communities and spent her free time learning how to ethically grow, distribute, and consume food in arid climates. After graduate school she turned her attention to food equity in the United States and began working on farms across the West to better understand food systems from the (literal) ground on up.

When she wasn’t digging irrigation trenches or weeding arugula beds, Lindsey also consulted for a startup focused on increasing electric mobility in the United States and for a nonprofit running international climate-education campaigns. She enjoys tackling big problems from a process perspective and is always thinking about how to improve workflows and information sharing.

Lindsey grew up on the East Coast but she is proud to call the California mountains her home. She loves to backpack in the Eastern Sierras and travel the world in her free time, and she has also been teaching herself Turkish.

Amanda McSwine serves as the CivicSpark AmeriCorps Grant Administrator. She was born and raised in Indianapolis, IN and began her professional journey as an AmeriCorps VISTA member in Newberry, South Carolina. As an AmeriCorps VISTA member, Amanda worked to build the capacity of local organizations to fight poverty. Falling in love with the work, Amanda served three years as a VISTA member which led her to obtain a Master of Social Work degree with a focus on Social, Community, and Economic Development from the University of South Carolina. Before joining CivicSpark, Amanda was the operations manager for the South Carolina Service Commission (AmeriCorps SC). As a social worker and systems thinker, Amanda is driven by her passion for social justice, efficiency, and process.

In her free time, Amanda loves all things nerdy (especially anime) and spending time with her feline companion, Chadwick.

Josh Meyer is Director of Community Design Programs at CivicWell. He joined the organization in 1997, following service as Yolo County Watershed Education Coordinator with AmeriCorps. Over the last decade he has directed numerous transportation corridor, downtown and rural community public design charrettes in California that included walkability assessments, focus meetings and collaborative workshops. He authored or co-authored many of the resulting plans. Josh has presented at national and state conferences, workshops and public hearings, taught at the UC Davis Extension program, and developed educational materials on form-based codes, pedestrian-friendly street design, compact development, green streets and infrastructure, and energy-efficient neighborhood design. He wrote a statewide guide for general plan energy policy, ran a program that worked with local governments and developers to redesign subdivision plans for increased energy, livability and land efficiency, and helped establish one of the first regional joint powers agencies in the state to spearhead energy efficiency, renewable resource development, and other sustainable energy efforts in the Ventura County region.

Mr. Meyer has a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology from California State University, Long Beach. He received his Masters degree in American History from the University of California, Irvine, with a focus on politics and the history of urban development in California.

Tim Mok is the CivicSpark Program Implementation Manager and initially served as the Southern California Regional Coordinator.

Tim has 8+ years of experience in the resiliency field, where he has worked on philanthropic collaboration, advocated for environmental justice policies, led environmental education and service learning workshops, and served as an AmeriCorps member. He’s also an interim board member of the Los Angeles Chinatown Community Land Trust working to preserve affordable housing in his community.

Tim has a M.S. in Regenerative Studies from California State Polytechnic University Pomona and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from University of California Riverside.

His hobbies include listening to jazz music and gravel biking.

Mamie Murry serves as CivicSpark’s Recruitment Manager overseeing the program’s recruitment and marketing activities. As a two-time AmeriCorps member and nonprofit professional, Mamie knows the everlasting impact AmeriCorps has on its members and the community served. Upon completing her terms of service, Mamie held various roles within the nonprofit sector managing operations, coordinating volunteers, and recruiting. Those who know and work with Mamie would say she always has a smile on her face and a positive attitude. She enjoys exploring Dallas, where she lives with her partner and son. Mamie holds a BA in Markets and Culture from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Nonprofit Leadership and Management degree from Arizona State University.

Brendan Norton is a Northern California Regional Coordinator for the CivicSpark program. Brendan was previously a 2020-2021 CivicSpark fellow with the city of Cupertino. His work included the support of an update to the city’s Climate Action Plan and researching what SB 1000 & SB 1383 compliance would look like for the city.

Brendan also has experience in non-profit outreach, marketing, solar, and land-use planning. He is excited to join the team at CivicSpark and become a thought partner for fellows and entry-career professionals. Brendan holds a B.S. in City & Regional Planning from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

In his spare time, he enjoys going to concerts and learning guitar.

Grace Person joined the CivicWell in February 2019, and is now the Water Senior Project Manager. At CivicWell, she provides technical assistance to communities to pursue funding opportunities around water issues, and coordinate engagement and collaboration on community water infrastructure projects. For the past nine years, her work has included public engagement process design, small and large group facilitation, and public outreach on a range of public policy issues. Prior to joining CivicWell, Grace worked with federal, state, and local government agencies and nonprofit clients to engage a range of stakeholders around issues such as water policy, emergency response planning, disabilities communities’ access and functional needs, and organizational strategic planning. Her interest in social and environmental issues began when she was a Colorado College Public Interest Fellow assisting the Pikes Peak Community Foundation to provide grants to local community organizations to address a variety of community needs and challenges. Since then, she has worked for the Vermont State Legislature and Sacramento State’s Consensus and Collaboration Program.

Grace has a Master’s in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School in Vermont where she studied federal environmental laws and policies, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Colorado College in Colorado where she studied systemic causes and impacts of racial, economic, and environmental inequalities. Grace grew up in Northern California and currently lives near Modesto.

Evan Pierce joins the CivicWell team with a wealth of experience in conservation projects and community engagement. Since his time as a member of the 2014-15 CivicSpark cohort in the Sierra Nevada region, Evan has spent much of his career engaging young people in hands-on conservation programs on public lands and promoting recreation access for underserved communities in South Seattle. He recently earned his master’s degree in public administration, where he had the opportunity to spearhead research investigating compensation equity for state and federal wildland firefighters. Evan is passionate about green workforce development, and excited to support new teams of fellows as they tackle pressing climate issues at the local
and regional levels.

Currently residing in West Seattle, Evan spends much of his free time hunting for snow in the Cascade mountains, exploring his local parks, and napping with his cat, Beau.

John works as a Project Coordinator on the Climate Change and Energy team at CivicWell, where he is able to put his passion for protecting the environment and combating climate change to good use. Prior to that, John was a CivicSpark fellow with the California Energy Commission, where he focused on issues related to energy equity and technical assistance. A Southern California native, John made the switch to Northern California after attending the University of California, Davis for both his undergraduate and graduate studies in Linguistics.

In his spare time, John enjoys playing sports and frequenting local pub quizzes and karaoke nights.

As a dedicated and detail-oriented accounting professional, Tonya has been meeting the needs of corporations for over 25 years in various levels of the field. After attending college, Tonya got her start in accounting as an Office Assistant and has held titles such as Office Manager, Cash Receipts Clerk, Accounts Payable Specialist, as well as, Accounts Payable Supervisor.

Tonya was born and raised in Northern California and relocated to Oregon in early 2019 to be closer to her family. She is the mother of 3 grown sons, 2 rescue dogs and 3 laying hens (that came with the home she purchased in the outskirts of Portland). She enjoys country life and spending time with her animals and family. Prior to leaving California, Tonya sat on the board for Feed Sacramento Homeless and hopes to find a non-profit in her new community to volunteer and give her support to.

Bill Sadler joined the CivicWell team as the CivicSpark Program Director in September 2022. Bill has more than 15 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and coalitions in California and across the country on equitable public health, climate change, and transportation policies and strategies. He previously worked at the Public Health Alliance of Southern California, where led the operations, project management and policy for a coalition of 10 local health departments representing 60% of the State of California’s population. In this role, Bill helped oversee the launch of the Healthy Places Index mapping tool, expand health equity and racial justice efforts and provide technical assistance and critical support to local health departments during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. He has assembled and supported many teams and multi-sector coalitions in his career, and has a passion for working to improve policies and transform systems in ways that create healthier, more equitable and sustainable communities.

Bill holds a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School, a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Colorado Denver, and a bachelor’s degree in economics and communication from Boston College.

Bill lives in Los Angeles with his husband and dog Pico. In his spare time, Bill enjoys running and taking Pico for long walks and trips to the beach.

Aisha Salahuddin is the Human Resource Manager for CivicWell. She has over 15 years of experience in HR and Management, and has a strong passion for people and processes. Aisha is a San Francisco State University Graduate with a B.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and is also a SHRM Certified Professional. She is a Northern California native who enjoys spending time with her family.

Leila Shiblak is the Northern California Regional Coordinator for the CivicSpark program. She began as a 2020-2021 CivicSpark fellow serving with the City of Rancho Cucamonga. Her project work involved developing the City’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Readiness Plan, a document which serves to provide policy and strategy recommendations to support the future of EVs.

Leila graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a B.S. in Sustainability Studies. During her time at UC Riverside, she served as the Administrative Assistant to the Gender and Sexuality Studies Department. She is attentive to applying an intersectional lens to best develop a more nuanced understanding of issues around sustainability.

Lily Swanbrow Becker is based in Tallahassee, Florida and brings over a decade of experience centered on the environmental and psychosocial dimensions of climate change adaptation in both public and non-profit settings. She previously worked at the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission, where she developed an agency-wide climate change adaptation program with a focus on leadership development and training. Lily also served as Network Manager at the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP), where she built partnerships, managed collaborative projects, and facilitated member-led groups and initiatives. Most recently, Lily has held positions and consultancies across non-profit, public, and academic institutions focusing on supporting people and organizations in building resources to respond to life in a changing climate. She is thrilled to bring her multi-faceted experience and passions for supporting developing leaders and building local capacity for a resilient Southeast to her role as CivicSpark Senior Program Manager.

Lily holds a master’s degree in conservation biology from Texas State University and a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Michigan. Lily is a mom to two kids and enjoys exploring North Florida’s forests, swamplands, and Gulf Coast beaches with
her family and two dogs. In her spare time, Lily is typically running, cooking, or curled up with a good book and a cat or two on her lap.

Mariah is the Washington Regional Coordinator for the CivicSpark program. Mariah joins CivicWell with a background in salmon habitat restoration and ecological forest management. Previously, she worked at a conservation district where she provided technical assistance to landowners, led workshops in habitat creation, and coordinated stream restoration projects. She’s served as an AmeriCorps member leading crews in urban habitat restoration and trail building. Most recently she was managing an environmental job training program for high school youth.

Mariah has a B.A. in Environmental Policy & Sociology from the University of Puget Sound. She is passionate about community centric approaches to land management and climate mitigation. She is excited to support emerging leaders in their career development and growth.

Mariah grew up in the foothills of the Sierras in an area called Apple Hill, CA. She now resides in Seattle where she enjoys the Cascade mountains to the east and the Olympics to the west. When not on the trails, she can be found playing soccer, biking, reading suspense novels, or testing new recipes.

John grew up in Ukiah, California and has lived in Northern California his entire life. He received a BA in Politics with a concentration in Global and International Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz in the Fall of 2020. John is currently working as a Project Manager for the Climate Change and Energy Team at CivicWell. In the future he plans to continue his education and study Environmental Law. 

In his spare time John enjoys hiking, camping, and cooking for friends. 

Diana Voss-Gonzalez serves as a Project Manager for CivicWell’s Community Design program and Water program. Before joining CivicWell, Diana worked with nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles, mainly focusing on building stronger and more resilient local communities through the creation of community gardens in L.A. County. Diana graduated from Universidad Marista de Yucatán, Mexico in 2016 with a B.S. on Management of Natural Resources, and later received an M.S. in Agricultural Production with a concentration in Sustainable Business from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Michele Warren is the Chief Operating Officer and has been with CivicWell, formerly the Local Government Commission, since 1990. CivicWell is a nationally recognized nonprofit connecting local leaders, implementing innovative solutions, and advancing smart-growth policies.

In her tenure at CivicWell, Michele has been responsible for the management, planning,  and production of all major conferences, as well as the management of statewide and national projects that include conferences, workshops, seminars, and special events. Michele has been directly involved in the planning and production of over 140 regional, statewide and national conferences, workshops and trade shows, ranging in size from 25 to over 1,700 participants.

Michele has extensive experience in managing multi-year projects with substantial budgets, that include multiple funding sources, that have included the supervision of multiple staff, subcontractors, and vendors. Additionally, she has developed and implemented large-scale statewide and national outreach and promotional campaigns to support CivicWell projects and programs.

Michele is responsible for overseeing all organizational functions for a staff of over 45 and supports both the Executive Director and the Chief Financial Officer in overall organizational management.

Brittany is a Project Manager on the Community Design team. Through her work, she helps to create vibrant, livable communities by partnering with community leaders, stakeholders, and public agencies to advance outcomes related to sustainability, equity, and public health. Brittany has a background in urban planning and design with a focus on community engagement and capacity building. She has supported communities in conducting meaningful community engagement, developing long range planning documents, writing competitive and successful grant applications, and submitting compliance reporting to the State.

Brittany is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio and relocated to California for graduate school in 2017. She has a master’s degree in Community Development from University of California, Davis. Since relocating to California, she has gotten to work with communities from all over the State, from the most urban, to the most remote locations. Brittany is also a member of the San Diego Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) and has served on the Awards Jury for the Sacramento and San Diego Chapters.

When she’s not working, she enjoys hiking with her dog, visiting the beach, rock climbing, traveling, and visiting family back home.

Kelsey serves as a Project Manager for CivicWell’s Climate and Energy Team. In this role she manages the California Climate and Energy Collaborative (CCEC) as well as other climate and energy-related projects such as the California Adaptation Forum. Kelsey began work at
CivicWell as a Project Assistant in 2009 helping with the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference. She has a BA in Latin American Studies from CSU Chico. In her free time, Kelsey enjoys rafting, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her family.

Paul Zykofsky works as a Community Design Specialist for CivicWell. Mr. Zykofsky provides technical assistance to communities throughout the nation on issues related to Complete Streets, active transportation, pedestrian safety, Safe Routes to School, infill development, transit-oriented development, and public participation in the planning process.

Mr. Zykofsky is co-author of Building Livable Communities: A Policymaker’s Guide to Transit Oriented Development and Emergency Response: Traffic Calming and Traditional Neighborhood Streets. He has prepared over 20 Community Image Surveys that have been used to involve residents in visioning and planning efforts. In 2006, Mr. Zykofsky co-wrote (with Dan Burden of Walkable Communities) the section on “walkability” in the American Planning Association’s Planning and Urban Design Standards. He has also edited documents on infill development, street design, traffic calming, traffic safety, smart growth, form-based codes, smart economic develop­ment and community engagement in the planning process.

Mr. Zykofsky has extensive experience giving educational presentations to local elected officials, staff and community leaders. He was born and raised in Mexico, is fluent in Spanish and often gives presentations or facilitates workshops for Spanish-speaking residents. 

Mr. Zykofsky studied at Swarthmore College and obtained the degrees of Bachelor of Architecture, summa cum laude, and Master of Urban Planning (Urban Design) from the City College of New York.