Our Team
CWH employs professionals with expertise and experience in watershed resource planning using GIS, green infrastructure, environmental assessment and community engagement.
Eileen Alduenda
Executive Director
Eileen Alduenda is Executive Director of the Council for Watershed Health. Eileen directs the collaborative efforts of the Council for Watershed Health (CWH) to advance the health and sustainability of local watersheds, rivers, and habitats in natural areas and urban neighborhoods. She guides CWH’s talented staff in implementing watershed health monitoring and performance monitoring of green infrastructure projects, education and engagement via convenings and publications, and technical assistance resources and capacity building of small municipalities, school districts, and community-based organizations interested in implementing multi-benefit green infrastructure projects.
She has over 20 years of experience collaborating with public agencies and nonprofit organizations in research, project design and implementation, and community education and engagement. In previous roles at CWH, she managed the Elmer Paseo green alley final design and implementation processes; implemented pre- and post-construction performance monitoring; co-developed professional seminars and field workshops focused on sustainable landscapes and maintenance; and co-developed and managed technical assistance efforts regionally and throughout California.
Eileen has a Masters of Landscape Architecture with a focus on urban ecological systems from the University of Washington where she also completed research for Seattle Public Utilities on Natural Drainage Systems – SPU’s approach to Low Impact Development. Eileen graduated from Boston University with an MA in Energy and Environmental Studies, and from California State University at Fullerton with a BA in Political Science. Prior to joining the Council, she was the Watershed Coordinator for the Arroyo Seco Foundation where she facilitated restoration education programs and projects.
Contact: eileen at watershedhealth dot org
Rumi Yanakiev
Director, Finance & Operations
Rumi was the first employee of the Council. She has taken on various responsibilities throughout the years of the organization’s existence, contributing tremendously to the organization’s growth. She is currently managing the business and financial affairs of the Council, including nonprofit auditing, and providing technical assistance to projects. Prior to joining the Council she was an Assistant Researcher at USC where she completed her Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering. Rumi also received a M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of
Sophia, Bulgaria.
Contact: rumi at watershedhealth dot org
Drew Ready
Senior Project Manager
Mr. Ready is a Certified Arborist, Water Conservation Specialist, and Watershed Coordinator with over twenty years of experience in the fields of arboriculture, urban forestry, horticulture, ecological restoration and landscape design. He served as the Department of Conservation funded Watershed Coordinator (Los Angeles/San Gabriel Watersheds) at CWH for 11 years where he led innovative initiatives including the Sustainable Landscape Seminars, the Landscaping Lightly calendar series, the Weed Watch invasive plant education program, and the PlantProfiler
native/water-efficient plant app. Mr. Ready helped co-develop LAUSD’s Drought Response Outreach Program for Schools (DROPS) that was successfully awarded five million dollars for stormwater improvements at six elementary schools. Most recently, Drew was the Conservation Programs Manager
at Chino Basin Water Conservation District in Montclair before returning to CWH in July 2019.
Contact: drew at watershedhealth dot org
Carlos Moran
Sr. Program Manager | SCWP Watershed Coordinator
With advanced degrees in social work, Carlos Moran’s experience includes designing and implementing high impact strategies that intersect mental health, public health and environmental justice. He regularly engages diverse stakeholders to advance placed based solutions that drive large scale, multi-benefit investments in LA’s most economically, environmentally and health stressed communities.
His macro social work experience includes environmental justice planning, environmental justice, community organizing, mental health, public health, program and budget design, needs assessments & evaluation, social and environmental policy, management, project development and financing.
He regularly engages local Cities, County, and State agencies and elected officials to address global climate change at the local level through policy change, policy implementation, and placed based solutions that drive large scale infrastructure investments in urban areas.
Carlos has played a role in advancing large scale multi-benefit projects throughout the LA Region. In addition to environmental justice planning he has also led teams that engaged tens of thousands of Angelenos and especially those from the most environmentally and economically stressed communities to plant thousands of trees, capture stormwater, and become stewards of their environment. Previously he led a partnership of community-based organizations that empowered children, youth and families to transform an abandoned bread factory in South Los Angeles into a multi-service social service center serving over 3,000 beneficiaries per year.
Carlos also serves as adjunct faculty in the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. He teaches graduate courses on policy, research and program evaluation, and human behavior. He integrates real-world knowledge into the classroom environment through his depth of skills in environmental justice planning, public policy, management, research and evaluation, children & youth, leadership, and mental health.
To balance life he enjoys anything outdoors especially hiking, backpacking and snowboarding.
Contact: carlos at watershedhealth dot org
Kristina Kreter
Project Manager |
SCWP Watershed Coordinator
Kristina Kreter brings to the CWH Watershed Coordination team her work experience in an international multi-stakeholder environment: She researched and worked on Water Governance and rural sanitation projects and programs for governmental and non-profit organizations in the Horn of Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Kristina holds an MBA, a Master of Science (Environmental Resources Management), a Master of Arts (International Cultural and Business Studies), and a B.A. in Philosophy from universities in Germany, Mexico, and the US.
Before joining the CWH, Kristina was Programs Manager with the Tribal Historic and Cultural Preservation Department with the Fernande[n]o Tataviam Band of Mission Indians helping build the Tribal Government’s capacity to engage in environmental advocacy and climate work.
She also volunteered with The Nature Conservancy’s External Affairs and Urban Conservation teams in Los Angeles, researching on international best practices for nature-based solutions to help promote their use in Southern California.
In her free time, Kristina enjoys traveling, beach running, yoga, rock climbing, hiking, and skiing.
Contact: kkreter at watershedhealth dot org
Alonso Garcia
Community Communications Coordinator
Alonso supports online and in-person education, engagement and outreach. He graduated from UCSB with a BA in Film and Media studies. He has a background in environmental education, wildland restoration, community engagement, marketing & communications, and providing technical support to small businesses within his community.
Alonso has been able to bridge his passion of photography and video to support grassroots efforts, community based organizations and nonprofits in his home town located in LA’s North East San Fernando Valley. He has worked alongside parent leaders to plant trees and native plants in schools and provide culturally relevant E-STEAM focused programming to third graders and their families. He also helped guide restoration efforts in fire scarred areas of the Angeles National Forest.
Alonso enjoys listening to music (anything from cumbias to hip hop), eating ice cream and watching Angels baseball.
Contact: agarcia at watershedhealth dot org
Isabelle Russell
ReDesignLA Project Coordinator
Isabelle is the Project Coordinator for ReDesignLA where she provides support on grant application efforts, coordinating meetings, and CBO project development resources. She will be graduating with a B.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy and Spanish Studies from Occidental College in May 2023!
During her undergraduate studies, her academic coursework and research have focused on environmental justice, community organizing, and localized food and waste systems. For her UEP undergraduate thesis, Isabelle is currently conducting mixed-method research on proposition 84-funded green schoolyard projects in Los Angeles County where she is analyzing existing procedural barriers in the grant application and implementation process. In the future, Isabelle hopes to pursue a master's degree in Urban Planning and become a certified master gardener.
In her free time, Isabelle loves to volunteer at community gardens and compost hubs, walk dogs, and explore Los Angeles’ food scene and hiking trails.
Contact: russelli at watershedhealth dot org
Jason Casanova
Director, Planning &
Information Design
As the Director of Planning and Informational Design at the Council, Cas currently oversees the Council's habitat restoration, green infrastructure, and technical assistance programs. Cas's work has focused on Arundo eradication implementation locally and across the State for the past 15 years. Lastly, his core work continues around expanding ReDesign LA, a large-scale technical assistance and capacity building program that empowers community-based organizations in under-resourced communities to partner on and develop multi-benefit green infrastructure projects.
Jason has a background in physical geography with an emphasis in cartography and visualization. He received his B.A. in Geography at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1999. Previous to working at the Council, he was a Research Associate at the Geographic Modeling Systems Lab where he was involved in various GIS related projects tied to quality assurance/ quality control measures, historic aerial photo restoration, urban growth series mapping, watershed management, and 3D hydrologic modeling. In his spare time, Jason served on the California Invasive Plant Council (a statewide 501(c)3 non-profit) for 11 years and he is a long-standing member of NACIS, SCGIS, and AAG. He has an interest in Polynesian art, mid-century design, and loud music. Aloha!
Contact: cas at watershedhealth dot org
Yareli Sanchez
Senior Scientist
Yareli Sanchez is the technical lead on CWH's applied research projects. She provides technical expertise on stream monitoring and on measuring the performance of green infrastructure projects. She has a well-rounded and multidisciplinary understanding of environmental issues and has honed her expertise in science communication and community engagement while at CWH. Yareli manages the Los Angeles River Watershed Monitoring Program and the monitoring, outreach, and educational components of the Drought Response Outreach Program for Schools (DROPS). She also played a critical role in materializing CWH's 2018 State of the Watershed symposia.
Yareli's academic research has focused on nutrient cycling, urban ecology, riparian ecology, and plant ecophysiology. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Environmental Science and Engineering Program at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her dissertation is focused on: the use of citizen science data to understand habitat requirements for riparian bird species, quantifying the habitat value of green infrastructure projects in the urban core, and understanding recreational uses along the Los Angeles River using social media data. Yareli's previous research has focused on trace gas fluxes in mangrove forest, sediment augmentation as a sea level rise mitigation strategy, and the ecophysiological stress response of salt marsh plants to inundation.
Yareli was previously a NOAA Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in the U.S. Senate where she had the opportunity to gain hands on experience crafting policy solutions to water resource challenges, engaging constituents and federal agencies on environmental issues, and in elevating state priorities through the federal appropriations process.
She received her M.S. in ecology from San Diego State University and a B.S. in Biology from California State University, Fullerton. Yareli is looking forward to completing her dissertation.
Contact: yareli at watershedhealth dot org
Debbie Enos
Project Manager
As Project Manager for Council's Green Infrastructure and Green Street program, Debbie is assisting the City of South El Monte realize their first livable green street on Merced Avenue.
Debbie's interest in connecting communities with nature was born during her time at Cal Poly Pomona where she earned her Master of Landscape Architecture. Her love of nature and appreciation of its resilience leads her desire to transform our urban landscapes to work with nature and improve the quality of life for both people and wildlife.
Prior to joining the Council, Debbie served as the Deputy Excutive Officer of the Watershed Conservation Authority where she participated in transformative watershed planning initiatives to enhance access to and the environmental benefits of our public lands, open spaces, parks, and river ways. Her creativity in problem solving, team building and keen eye toward quality of results was formed during her decade of project management at Walt Disney Imagineering.
Debbie is active in her community as a member of its Community Coordinating Council, Women's Club, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Conservation Corps of Long Beach supporting young people in realizing their potential through work, service, conservation and educational opportunities. Her interests include photography, travel, skiing, boating and simply being in nature. She especially enjoys spending her quiet time with her horses, dog, family and friends.
Contact: denos at watershedhealth dot org
Clarasophia Gust
Project Manager
Clarasophia Gust provides support towards the Council for Watershed Health’s monitoring projects, community events, and technical assistance for green infrastructure. She recently graduated from Occidental College with a B.A. in Biology with an Environmental Science emphasis and a minor in Philosophy.
During her undergraduate studies, she conducted ecological ethics research driven by her interest in how ecologists can cultivate meaningful connections between nature and communities, and how scientific research can be better communicated to implicated communities. She also studied mangrove crabs in Tanzania, lichen communities in Joshua Tree National Park, and native bees in Southern California. Clarasophia interned with the Society for Ecological Restoration where she expanded their database of global restoration projects, compiled resources for practitioners, and provided support to their practitioner certification program. In the future, she hopes to pursue a Ph.D in Urban Ecology.
In her free time, Clarasophia enjoys camping and playing Ultimate Frisbee.
Contact: cgust at watershedhealth dot org
Amanda Zeidner
Project Manager for Community Planning
Amanda is the project manager for community planning. She supports CWH’s community based organization capacity building program, ReDesignLA. Amanda supports community based organizations, schools, and small municipalitiies across Los Angeles County in developing multi-benefit, community-centered green infrastructure projects. Additionally, she supports the watershed coordination team to implement engagement and outreach activities for the Safe, Clean Water Program, and has assisted with the Disadvantaged Community Involvement Program (DACIP). She graduated from UCLA with a Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) and Occidental College with a B.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy and Education. With a background in community organizing, popular education, and design, she is often thinking about creating and leveraging community power for environmental, economic, and racial justice.
Amanda completed her Master’s thesis on popular education tools used for street vendor education in New York, Los Angeles, and Santa Monica. At Occidental, she completed a Senior thesis with honors on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and displacement. Previous to CWH Amanda has worked on several community campaigns and issues including but not limited to the legalization of street vending in Los Angeles and California, Measure WW in Long Beach, and the cost of eviction in Los Angeles.
She enjoys working on art and knitting projects, exploring the food scene in Los Angeles, and hiking her way through state and national parks.
Contact: azeidner at watershedhealth dot org
Belle Zheng
Staff Scientist
Belle Zheng provides technical support towards CWH’s applied research, watershed monitoring projects, data analysis, and scientific study design. She received her M.S. In Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology and B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California Santa Cruz. Go Banana Slugs!
Her academic research has focused on the chemistry and environmental toxicology of heavy metals with an emphasis on environmental mercury cycling. She completed her Master’s thesis on analyzing lichen as a low-cost bioindicator for atmospheric mercury deposition at abandoned mercury mines in the San Jose, CA. The project used an interdisciplinary approach that combined historical records, large environmental chemistry data sets, GIS models, and analytical chemistry methods. Her undergraduate research examined the contribution of marine fog on methylmercury (MMHg) bioaccumulation on a coastal terrestrial food web where she focused on using lichen as a bioindicator of atmospheric MMHg.
Outside the office she enjoys travelling, painting, sewing, and learning new craft skills.
Contact: bzheng at watershedhealth dot org
Kristina Leyva
Business Administration and Operations Assistant
Kristina serves as the Business Administration and Operations Assistant, supporting the Council’s Director of Finance and Executive Director in a wide range of operational functions related to human resources, finances, staffing, Board communication, and coordinating the Council’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Justice work.
Prior to working at the Council, Kristina held administrative positions at several universities and private businesses. During her undergraduate and graduate education, she participated on research teams exploring decision-making in dilemma situations and front-line human service workers. She is deeply committed to the Council’s mission to promote community health, equitable access, and education related to water and watersheds in historically disadvantaged communities.
Kristina received her Master of Social Work with an emphasis in Social Change and Innovation from USC in May 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys maintaining her numerous fruit trees, cooking, and finding new parks with her kids!
Contact: kleyva at watershedhealth dot org
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