Jenna is a civil defense attorney by day and a passionate steward of nature at heart.  An Altadena resident since 2023, she has quickly fallen in love with the magic and resilience of the foothill community.  Jenna began her career as a Teach For America Corps Member in Chicago, where she taught first grade.  She later worked with nonprofits across the country on large-scale fundraising campaigns, including efforts supporting the construction of a satellite children’s hospital.  Prior to law school, she spearheaded the launch of a new regional philanthropy office for a national disaster relief organization.  Today, when she’s not practicing law, you can find her chasing her son down a grassy knoll or stopping to smell the wildflowers with her daughter — husband and dog in tow.

A 23-year resident of Altadena, Michael is an astrophysicist with extensive experience in science and government management. He grew up in suburban Minneapolis and earned his Ph.D. from Stanford University. 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. Michael was named 2024 Citizen of the Year by the Altadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association.

As a civil engineer and proud public servant, Evelyn Cortez-Davis, P.E., BCEE has been delivering critical water infrastructure and supply projects in the Los Angeles region for over 34 years. Her experience includes design and construction of water infrastructure, project management, water resources, and wildfire mitigation. A Board-Certified Environmental Engineer, she has served on the Boards of Directors of the Colorado River Board of California, WateReuse California, and National Water Research Institute. Evelyn is a first-generation immigrant from El Salvador, STEM education advocate, and an avid hiker with a passion for watershed protection. You can find her connecting with nature on trails around the world at every possible opportunity. Most of all, she enjoys exploring the local foothills and parks with her daughter, family, and friends. Evelyn resided in her beloved West Altadena community for almost 3 decades and now lives in Pasadena. 

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.

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 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.

Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Jessica has lived in Altadena since 2007.  She holds a Bachelor’s degree from The Evergreen State College and a Multi-Subject Teaching Credential and Master’s degree in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College.  After several years teaching elementary school in Altadena, Jessica joined the UC Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener Program in 2019.  She has extensive experience coordinating volunteers and community projects, developing educational resources, and currently serves as a lead on the UC Master Gardener Program’s Fire Resilient Gardens Team.  Jessica is deeply committed to community engagement, including having led the Seed Library of Los Angeles’s Altadena Branch, teaching Grow LA Gardens classes, and serving on the board of an international sister city organization.  In her free time, she enjoys local trails, long neighborhood walks, and concerts with her two teenage children.

Raised in Altadena, K.C.’s connection to nature was shaped by the surrounding foothills. She is an environmental educator and naturalist, with a passion for ecological conservation, and outreach. With experience in habitat restoration, community science with the Chaney Trail Corridors Project, and leadership roles with the City of Pasadena, K.C. brings a unique blend of environmental knowledge and public service. As a California Native Plant Landscaper, UC Environmental Steward, and horticulturist, K.C. is dedicated to connecting people to nature through hands-on engagement and storytelling. Through her Instagram page, @KCplantsAltadena, she shares local ecological updates and has collaborated with organizations such as the California Native Plant Society San Gabriel Mountains Chapter, the Sierra Club, and the National Wildlife Federation. K.C. aims to inspire a sense of environmental stewardship in future generations, encouraging them to care for the natural world. Previously, K.C. was also an AltadenaWILD Student Ambassador.

Leslie's love of nature extends from growing up near an urban-wildlife interface in Texas, and summers filled with camping, hiking, and backpacking. In Altadena, she gets to access that just outside of her front door, which sometimes includes a hike in the snow!

A management professional in software and space science education at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 43 years, in retirement she is committed to supporting the community and environment she loves. On behalf of NASA, she ran a competitive grant program for museums, planetariums, libraries, and other informal institutions for 15 years, and managed a design school on robotic space missions for graduate students. Earlier in her career, Leslie travelled and wrote software in support of Arctic and Antarctic atmospheric observation missions, contributing to the knowledge needed to solve polar ozone depletion.