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The Environment Working Group, made up of community leaders with a high level of expertise in regional environmental issues, oversees grantmaking and donor engagement strategies to meet the most critical needs of San Diego’s environmental nonprofits and creates partnerships and initiatives to support those strategies.
Diane L. Rosenberg, Chair
Social Venture Partner, Brand Strategy Advisor
Diane Rosenberg has brand management, strategy and marketing expertise with leading consumer products and electronics companies. In this capacity, she has developed and executed results-driven Branding, Marketing and New Product programs for Procter & Gamble, Dell Computer, Del Monte Foods, and Foodways (Weight Watchers Frozen Foods).Diane earned her Master Naturalist certification in Texas, learning how to mitigate the effects of development and restore native habitats. She participated in San Diego Social Venture Partners Environmental 2004-05 Investment Cycle.
Within the nonprofit sector, Diane served as Executive Director of San Diego Social Venture Partners, President of the Cleveland Ballet Council, and counselor for Silicon Valley Score, a resource partner of the Small Business Administration.Diane Coombs, Vice Chair
In addition to her varied volunteer work, Diane spent 15 years in the San Diego County Board of Supervisors office, serving 5 different Supervisors in various capacities including land use, environmental, park, public works, housing advisor as well as chief of staff. She has also served as Executive Director to the San Dieguito River Park Joint Powers Authority for more than 8 years. Diane joined the Environment Working Group in 2004.
She has worked with the League of Women Voters and Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 on various projects, focusing on land use and environmental planning. Diane currently devotes her time as a volunteer with Citizens Coordinate for Century 3, as well as the County 2020 General Plan Update Interest Group, Port Roundtable for the Downtown Historic Waterfront Design Competition, the Port and Chula Vista’s Waterfront Planning Citizens Advisory Committee, and the Volcan Mountain Preserve Foundation Advisory Committee.
Back to the topAllison Alberts, Ph.D.
Dr. Allison Alberts currently serves the Zoological Society of San Diego as Director of Conservation and Research. She is responsible for the ongoing conservation science activities of the Zoological Society, including work at the Beckman Center for Conservation Research (CRES) and in field projects around the world. Previously, Dr. Alberts served as head of the CRES Applied Conservation Division, working to conserve plants and animals in their natural habitats and develop innovative solutions for restoring endangered species to their native environments.
During her career, Dr. Alberts has received numerous grants and awards, and has participated in many conservation studies throughout the world. Her work has been recognized by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the National Science Foundation, the American Association of Museums, and the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). With a special interest in reptiles, she has served the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as co-founder and co-chair of the Iguana Specialist Group since 1997, and is currently president of the International Iguana Foundation. Dr. Alberts holds bachelor's and doctorate degrees in biology from UC Berkeley and UC San Diego, respectively, and completed the tropical ecology course of study at the Universidad de Costa Rica, Organization for Tropical Studies.
Back to the topCarolyn Colwell
Carolyn taught pediatric nursing at San Diego State University for thirty years. She and her husband are advised fund donors at The San Diego Foundation. She is committed to the dual promotion of population control and environmental preservation, and has been an active member and supporter of The Wilderness Society, The Higgins Lake Foundation, The Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters, Environmental Defense Fund, Planned Parenthood, and Zero Population Growth. Carolyn currently serves as Vice Chair of the Environment Working Group. She studied nursing at the University of Michigan, and later went on to earn her Masters Degree in Maternal Child Health.
Back to the topJanie DeCelles
Janie has a diverse background in business, philanthropy and nonprofits. She has worked as a commercial real estate developer for Trammell Crow Company, started her own wine exporting company, and was a Regional Manager in long term care insurance for GE Capital. She currently works with LTC Financial Partners as a specialist in long term care planning for both individuals and businesses.One of her goals is to make more San Diegans aware of the many opportunities for making a difference in their communities through philanthropy. She has an ongoing opportunity to do so in her role as an advisor to her late aunt's fund at The San Diego Foundation. In addition to serving on The Foundation’s Environment Working Group, she is currently on the Board for the San Diego Foundation's Regional Disaster Fund, the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy, the San Diego River Park Foundation, and the Chula Vista Nature Center. Janie has extensive finance and marketing experience and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Back to the topPaul Eichen
Paul Eichen is Chairman of the Orca Fund, an environmentally-focused fund housed at the San Diego Foundation. Created in 2001, the Orca Fund’s mission is to increase the capacity of environmental stewardship in San Diego. Mr. Eichen’s has an entrepreneurial background having founded divergent start-ups Proxima Corporation and the Rokenbok Toy Company. Proxima was a pioneer in the emerging market for data projection, and Mr. Eichen served as Proxima's President and Director from 1982-1995, during which time Proxima became a public company. Mr. Eichen started the Rokenbok Toy Company in 1995 to create a "legacy quality" toy system focused on creativity, imagination and learning, and continues to serve as Rokenbok’s Chairman. Paul Eichen grew up in Solana Beach and attended Occidental College, where he studied Mathematics; he holds a certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of San Diego; and is currently enrolled in the USD’s Nonprofit Management and Leadership masters program.
Back to the topJim Fletcher
Jim Fletcher is currently the Superintendent of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Southern California Region. A native to the area, Jim Fletcher is also an active tribal member of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians in Temecula. Jim received a degree from Cal State Fullerton in Business Administration and later went on to serve as the U.S./Mexico border tribal liaison for the Environmental Protection Agencies Southern California Region. Jim was also appointed to co-chair the National Tribal Operations Commission to assist in tribal environmental program development. He was also appointed by the Secretary of the Interior to serve on the Advisory Council for working with tribes on California and Indian policy.
Back to the topConny Jamison
Former City Treasurer
Having served 20 years as City Treasurer, managing collection and investment of over $1 billion annually and trustee of a $3 billion pension fund, Conny is past chair of The Foundation's Investment Committee and serves on the Executive Committee and Environment Working Group. She was president of the California Municipal Treasurers Association and was elected to the board of the Government Finance Officers Association of the US & Canada. Her financial management and board leadership skills currently support various community businesses and organizations, including Neighborhood National Bank, the San Diego Kiwanis Club and its foundation, and the San Diego Hospice Planned Giving Committee. Conny is also a director of EdFund, a State of California nonprofit subsidiary of the California Student Aid Commission. With all coursework completed toward a doctorate in economics from the University of California at San Diego, Conny also holds a master's degree from San Diego State University and a bachelor's from Occidental College.
Back to the topH. William Kuni (Outreach Subcommittee(only))
Bill Kuni is a former corporate CEO, entrepreneur, and management consultant who has also had an association with environmental issues and organizations both as a donor and in various strategic planning and organizational roles. As a longtime volunteer and donor of The San Diego Foundation, Bill saw his chance to make a difference, by working with The Foundation to spearhead a new Environment Program that would protect San Diego's environment and quality of life. He is currently a member of The Foundation’s Environment Working Group’s Outreach Subcommittee.
Bill spent a year surveying San Diego's environmental community and its needs, as well as the environment programs of other community and private foundations. His recent civic board memberships include the San Diego Natural History Museum, the AVID Center for Education, and the San Diego Ecology Center. Mr. Kuni is a graduate of Purdue and Southern Methodist Universities and holds a BS in Engineering and a MS in Management.
Back to the topPeggy Lauer
Peggy Lauer is currently the Executive Directorof the WELL Network--women working to reinforce environmental and human-health links in California’s policies. She is also a founder and advisor to the Public Trust Alliance, which introduces the Public Trust Doctrine as a tool for citizen activism. In the 1980s, she was the assistant editor of Mother Jones Magazine, and was a freelance journalist and book editor. Later, Peggy was Vice President of the Resource Renewal Institute, which promotes effective international environmental management strategies to local and state governments. She oversaw operations in the Bay Area and New York, and led green-plan policy tours to the Netherlands and New Zealand. She was also the first Executive Director of the Fred Gellert Family Foundation, in San Rafael, California.
Back to the topAndrew Lissner, PhD
Dr. Lissner is a Senior Scientist for the SAIC Environmental Sciences Division, with over twenty-five years experience specializing in marine, estuarine, and wetlands biology and ecology, water quality, watershed management, stormwater, and marine chemistry, particularly related to preparation of Environmental Impact Statements, Environmental Impact Reports, and Environmental Assessments; impact and risk assessment; sampling design; data analysis; and program management. He was previously a Division Manager for the Narragansett Support Division associated with SAIC's technical support contract for the EPA Narragansett (Rhode Island) Environmental Research Laboratory. Many of his projects have involved technical support and project management for the U.S. Navy, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of the Interior, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Energy, port districts, public sanitation districts, telecommunications industry, and other commercial clients such as the development/building community. He has volunteered with the San Diego Foundation for 3 years .
Back to the topAndrew Malk
Andrew Malk is Director of Acquisitions for The Midtown Niki Group, a real estate investment fund. Andrew has over 10 years of experience promoting regional habitat conservation programs and building entrepreneurial ventures. He has recently explored ways to use private investment to bridge funding gaps for acquisition of preserve lands in San Diego County. Andrew worked with Conservation Land Group (CLG), a broker of conservation acquisitions, to bring parties together that resulted in a large acquisition for the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge. Andrew has worked at the World Resources Institute (WRI), The Wilderness Society (TWS), and the Natural Resources Defense Council. While at WRI, he helped found Global Forest Watch, the first consortium of public agencies, timber companies, and citizen groups to jointly monitor national forests. Andrew holds a B.S. and M.S. in Conservation Biology and an MBA from Stanford University.
Back to the topTom Oberbauer
Thomas Oberbauer is the Chief Multiple Species Conservation Planning for the San Diego County Department of Planning and Land Use. Mr. Oberbauer worked on the preparation of the Multiple Species Conservation Program Plan for the southwestern portion of San Diego County and its adoption and implementation in October 1997 and March of 1998. His current project is the preparation of a Multiple Species Plan for the unincorporated portion of northwestern San Diego County. He has worked for the County for nearly 30 years, to review potential environmental impacts from general plan changes and identify sensitive resources. His interests are San Diego County biological resources and biodiversity, as well as the botanical resources of the California Channel Islands and Baja California. Tom received a BS and MS in Biology from San Diego State University.
Back to the topSue Randerson
Sue Randerson's love of nature led her to later become a docent at Scripps (now Birch) Aquarium, which led to teaching ocean science, first for the Aquarium and now for city and county schools' GATE programs. Sue also teaches an outreach program, bringing live invertebrates and preserved fish into elementary school classrooms and occasionally teaches another program on global climate change. Two years ago she became a docent at Torrey Pines State Reserve, where she leads children's' walks and teaches about the Kumeyaay. Some of the other environmental groups she supports are Friends of Famosa Slough, the National Resources Development Council, the Environmental Defense Fund, Planned Parenthood, the Environmental Health Coalition and the Sierra Club.Sue Randerson studied Spanish at Stanford University, then spent a year at the University of Tubingen, Germany on a Fulbright grant. She later earned her general secondary credential here in San Diego and taught Spanish, German, and English at Mann Junior High School.
Back to the topMike Thometz
President, MERIT
After working in banking and transportation and the last 15 years in the recycling industry, Mike has devoted his time since retiring to volunteer work focused on environmental concerns. Mike is the Habitat Coordinator for San Diego Quail Unlimited developing water supplies and improved habitat for wildlife throughout the Back Country. He was honored by the Forest Service as the National Volunteer of the Year in 1997.
Mike is President of MERIT (Mountain Empire Resources Information Taskforce) which is a land use and land planning advocacy group working to preserve and protect the Back Country environment and maintain it rural community character. He volunteers two days a week as manager of the MERIT Recycling Center which provides complete recycling services for a large area in East County. The Center donates its earnings to support activities of community organizations.
Mike has a BS in Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA in Finance from Harvard Business School.
Back to the topDavid Welborn, PhD
David, a retired psychologist, joined the Environment Working Group in order to be able to participate in a project that has enhanced the scope and caliber of the environmental efforts in San Diego County. David and his wife have an donor advised fund at The San Diego Foundation. He is an avid outdoors enthusiast, kayaker and traveler, and he has done much to support private land conservation in Mexico and South America through his help to organizations that work through markets to pressure corporations to be green.David also serves on the boards of San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy, San Diego Center for Children, and Nature and Culture, Inc. He received his BA from California State University, Fullerton and his PhD from Cal Poly Pomona.
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