About Us

AltadenaWILD was founded by a group of passionate and concerned citizens who value the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains for their natural beauty, native flora and fauna, and their abundant hiking, cycling and equestrian trails. AltadenaWILD is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN#92-3371692) and public benefit corporation in California, created to provide a voice for protecting the treasures of our local wildlands in a sustainable manner for future generations.

Incorporated in 2023, AltadenaWILD seeks to promote the virtues of living in the semi-rural environment that symbolizes the Altadena foothills. Nestled against the Angeles National Forest/San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, these native wildlands remind many residents of why they moved to Altadena in the first place. With a rich biodiversity and numerous recreational trails, the foothills offer abundant opportunities to enjoy nature – or to embrace it from afar.

Meet Our Directors & Officers

The Board of Directors serves as the strategic and decision-making body for AltadenaWILD, Inc.

We have recently expanded Board membership to capture more of the local talent that will provide a diversity of functional, experiential, demographic and geographic traits.

Michael D. Bicay — President

A 22-year resident of Altadena, Michael is an astrophysicist with extensive experience in science and government management. His Ph.D. was conferred by Stanford University in the 1980s. He was a research scientist at Caltech for eleven years over two periods sandwiching his six years as a program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Michael served 15 years as Science Director at a NASA research center in the heart of Silicon Valley (commuting from Altadena), before retiring from the Senior Executive Service on Leap Day 2020. He has been awarded the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and the prestigious White House Presidential Rank Award. He is humbled by the incredible talents and passion of Altadena residents he has met in his time as President of AltadenaWILD.

Fernanda (Nena) Davis — Secretary

Nena had a varied professional experience in the corporate, academic, and nonprofit sectors. Born in Spain, her first language was Spanish; her English fluency was acquired by being educated in the U.K. Now semi-retired from her previous role at the AltaMed Institute for Health Equity, Nena was responsible for winning $450 million in grant awards with an average of $45 million in new grant revenues annually. Since the early-2000s, Nena has lived in Altadena with her wife and partner, Dr. Peggy Gallaher, a professor and statistician. With their cat Powder, Peggy and Nena are lifelong conservationists and nature enthusiasts, choosing to live in Altadena for the peace and tranquility and the warm and eclectic community of this very special place.

Camille Dudley

Camille is the Business Administrator/Human Resources Manager of Outward Bound Adventures (OBA), an environmental, educational youth organization based on the John Muir High School campus. A resident of Altadena since 1976, she joined OBA in 1995 as a volunteer Program Coordinator/Assistant Director. Camille was Project Manager for a local non-profit housing developer, managing real estate development projects, City and County construction, development permits process and real estate appraising. She is one of the founding directors of Altadena Heritage. Camille served on the Altadena Town Council for ten years and was Chair of the Land Use Committee for four years. She has extensive experience in effecting community relations via City, County, citizen and government organizations and private enterprise, and is especially skilled in working with people from all demographic groups. Camille is passionate about preserving the quality of life in Altadena and surrounding communities.

Jordan Gaskins

A native Southern Californian, Jordan was a litigator with a private defense firm for nearly 10 years before deciding to pursue a career representing the people of California. Since 2020, he has served as Senior Counsel for the State of California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), a California Environmental Protection agency. DTSC’s mission to restore, protect and enhance the environment, public health, and environmental quality, is one that deeply resonates with Jordan. Since moving to Altadena in 2018, he and his wife Lauren and their two children have enjoyed experiencing all that the diverse and expanding community has to offer. You can find Jordan and his family (including their two dogs) hiking nearby trails, playing at an Altadena park, or eating out at a local spot.

Crist Khachikian

Crist is an accomplished academic leader with a broad background in environmental engineering, environmental justice, and higher education leadership. Since 2013, he has been a Professor of Civil Engineering and Construction Management at CSU-Northridge. He served as Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate Dean for six of those years. Prior to his recruitment by CSUN, he was a Professor of Civil Engineering at Cal State LA for 13 years, including a stint as Director of Research for the College of Engineering. Crist has driven institutional change initiatives, promoted academic excellence, secured significant federal, state, and foundation grants, and championed diversity and inclusion efforts nationally. His work includes impactful projects with nonprofits in disadvantaged communities. The most recent projects focus on reducing barriers to EV car adoption and mitigating climate change effects through native tree planting.

Steven Taber

Dating back to his time as an Eagle Scout and continuing in College where his Senior Thesis was title “Whether Natural Objects Have Rights,” Steve has long been passionate about the environment. He has been an environmental law attorney for almost 40 years. He was an Assistant Attorney General in the Illinois Attorney General’s Environmental Enforcement division and an environmental attorney with the Federal Aviation Administration. He served on the Wheaton (Illinois) Environmental Commission, helping the City make environmentally sustainable decisions. He also participated in the American Bar Association’s Central and East European Law Initiative drafting environmental laws for several former Soviet republics. Steve is now in private practice. Outside of work, he is an avid nature and landscape photographer and can frequently be seen walking/running with his dog Kenai on Chaney Trail.

Sarah Wolf

Sarah has a background in marketing and communications at nonprofits, government, and in consulting. She spent more than a decade in Washington DC working for the British and Australian Embassies on higher education policy and marketing education abroad. Since moving to California in 2021 she has been involved with the Altadena Town Council advocating for sustainable transportation and Complete Streets infrastructure improvements. Sarah teaches an after-school environmental science program at Oak Knoll Montessori School and is a member of the US Green Building Council – Los Angeles Green Building Corps. Originally from Toronto, Sarah holds a BA (Hons) from the University of Ottawa, an MA in Communications from University of Westminster (UK), and a Certificate in Sustainable Business Practices from UC-San Diego. An avid hiker, she loves living near the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains with her husband Jason, two young children, and two cats.

Leslie L. Lowes — Treasurer (Non-Board)

Bio forthcoming.

Statement of Values

AltadenaWILD (AW) is a public benefit, nonprofit organization dedicated to advocacy on behalf of our precious Altadena foothills. Our organization emphasizes fact-based analysis and rational decision-making in support of its cause.

We ask that community members who support AW harness their passion and energy in furtherance of productive measures and outcomes, while maintaining credibility with all stakeholders. In doing so, AW advises supportive community members to refrain from propagating false claims, hysteric rhetoric, or personal defamation.

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