Staff

Ladi Asgill

Director of Science & Regenerative Agriculture

415-663-1158 Ext. 302 | Email

Ladi joined MALT in 2021 as the director of science and regenerative agriculture. A professional agronomist and environmental scientist with over 20 years of experience, Ladi has pioneered innovative solutions to address California’s air, water quality and water supply issues, with a focus on the dairy forage and high value specialty crops. Prior to working with MALT, he was a senior agronomist with Sustainable Conservation, an environmental organization based in San Francisco and Modesto. Ladi earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Sierra Leone, master’s degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in business administration from Santa Clara University. Ladi enjoys gardening, camping, cycling and swimming, along with being a certified kayak instructor and UAV pilot.

Tristan Brenner

Stewardship Associate

(415) 663-1158 ext. 317 | Email

Tristan joined MALT’s stewardship team as the stewardship associate in 2021. He was born and raised in Marin County and is proud to be from a family of long-time MALT supporters. Tristan spent three years working as the herd manager at Toluma Farms, tending to over 200 sheep and goats and supervising several staff. He also has interned in the Point Reyes National Seashore monitoring, mapping and doing various plant surveys. Tristan has worked in natural resource and land management for close to 10 years and received a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Prescott College. Tristan, his wife and two daughters currently live in San Rafael.

Marcella Brawley

Associate Director, Major and Planned Gifts

(415) 663-1158 ext. 318 | Email

Marcella joined MALT in 2017 to help grow and develop the organization’s major gift program. She is focused on building and maintaining strong relationships with our supporters. Prior to joining MALT, Marcella was a major gift officer at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. She has spent the last ten years of her career as a development professional and fundraiser for various non-profit organizations around the Bay Area. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Hawaii Pacific University and a master’s degree in Asia Pacific studies from the University of San Francisco.

Jennifer Maude Carlin

Director of Advancement

(415) 663-1158 ext. 315 | Email

Jennifer joined MALT in 2019 to lead its strategic fundraising, communications and outreach programs. Prior to joining MALT, Jennifer served as the director of development at Ten Strands, an environmental education organization committed to bringing environmental literacy to all of California’s K–12 students. Jennifer has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 20 years with a focus on development, engagement, philanthropic partnerships and organizational capacity building. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from DePauw University.

Jeff Clare

Acquisition Project Manager

(415) 663-1158 ext. 322 | Email

Jeff joined MALT in 2021 as a member of the acquisitions team. Prior to MALT, Jeff worked as a transactional real estate attorney. Jeff holds a law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law where he specialized in environmental law, and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and international affairs from the George Washington University. Jeff spends his free time hiking throughout the Bay Area and cooking for his family.

Scott Dunbar

Stewardship Program Manager — Sustainable Agriculture

(415) 663-1158 ext. 313 | Email

Scott joined MALT in 2021 to manage MALT’s Stewardship Assistance Program and Drought Resilience & Water Security initiative. A Marin County native, Scott completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Davis in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. Following a stint managing livestock in Sacramento, Scott completed a stewardship training program through Holistic Management International, inspiring him to complete his masters degree in rangeland ecology at Colorado State University. In his free time, Scott enjoys hanging out with his dog Penny and is an active, avid musician having performed for over 13 years.

Peter Fugazzotto

Senior Manager, Donor Experience

(415) 663-1158 ext. 323 | Email

Peter joined the MALT team in 2018 and currently manages online and direct mail fundraising for MALT’s core donors. Before coming to MALT, Peter led online and offline individual donor efforts and coordinated online advocacy programs at Turtle Island Restoration Network, a marine conservation organization. Prior to that, he provided fundraising and communications consulting for a range of environmentally-focused nonprofits. Peter holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University.

Colleen Hogan

Operations Manager

(415) 663-1158 ext. 300 | Email

Colleen joined the MALT team in 2014. Her responsibilities include maintaining and improving the MALT office and technologies, assisting with recruiting and training, providing support to the executive director and board of directors and general operational management. Colleen has more than 25 years of operations experience, including 16 years as director of administration and coaching operations for E-Myth Worldwide, a small business training organization. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Whittier College.

Llyr Johansen

Director of Marketing and Communications

(415) 663-1158 | Email

Llyr joined MALT in 2021 as the Director of Marketing and Communications. He is focused on developing and implementing MALT’s marketing, communications, and public relations activities to support MALT’s long-term strategic direction. Prior to MALT, Llyr worked as Director of Communications for Boston’s leading public policy think-tank, MassINC, where he developed and implemented communication and marketing strategies to advance the organization’s mission. A passionate storyteller, Llyr made his mark in Hollywood as a production professional, working on the sets of numerous big-budget films. He has also served as a volunteer, working on one Congressional and two Presidential races, engaging the community, canvassing, and managing Get Out the Vote operations. Llyr holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He lives in Santa Rosa with his wife, son, and cat, Maxwell. 

Thane Kreiner, PhD

Chief Executive Officer

(415) 663-1158 | Email

Thane joined MALT in 2021 as CEO, where he leads strategy, innovation and the team to build regenerative, inclusive, local agriculture systems. Prior to joining MALT, Thane served for a decade as executive director of Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University, which accelerated more than 1,000 ventures serving the poor and protecting the planet. He built and was CEO of multiple life sciences ventures during his 17 years in the private sector. Thane earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Neurosciences and Master of Business Administration from Stanford University; he holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Texas, Austin. 

Zach Mendes

Associate Director of Conservation — Stewardship

(415) 663-1158 ext. 304 | Email

Zach works closely with the director of conservation, supervising stewardship staff, monitoring MALT’s easement interests through annual visits, providing stewardship assistance to farmers and ranchers, reviewing new prospective easement projects and representing MALT at local and regional levels on collaborative conservation and stewardship efforts. Zach joined MALT in 2014, having previously worked with the Northern California Regional Land Trust. He comes from a dairy farming family in Glenn County and holds a bachelor’s degree in urban studies and planning from the University of California, San Diego.

Seren Pendleton-Knoll

Director of Strategic Partnerships and Sustainability

(415) 663-1158 | Email

Seren joined MALT in 2021 as the director of strategic partnerships and sustainability. A seasoned non-profit leader, Seren has spearheaded innovative, multi-stakeholder partnerships across sectors, centering on systems-wide impact. Prior to working with MALT, she was Associate Director at the UC Berkeley Haas Center for Responsible Business, launching initiatives and corporate partnerships around sustainable and responsible investing, supply chain innovation, and food. This built on a background in program and partnership management for county government and social services. Seren earned her bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology and Applied Theater from Whitman College, and her MS in Development Practice from UC Berkeley. When she’s not working, you can find her raising her two children, dancing professionally around the Bay Area, brainstorming how to have chickens and bees in her backyard, and deeply involved with community policies in the city of Richmond.

Lana Richards

Development Associate

(415) 663-1158 ext. 309 | Email

Lana joined MALT in 2020 as a member of the development team. She has previously worked with the Avalonia Land Trust in New England and with the Big Sur Land Trust in Monterey, and has been a member of fundraising and customer service teams at various theater companies. Lana holds a Bachelor of Arts in theater with a certificate in environmental studies from the Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment at Connecticut College.

Eric Rubenstahl

Stewardship Program Manager — Easements

(415) 663-1158 ext. 319 | Email

Eric joined MALT in 2016 to assist in monitoring existing conservation easements, help evaluate future agriculture conservation easements and facilitate best management practices on MALT’s working landscapes. Prior to joining the MALT team, Eric worked with the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Department and with the South Yuba River Citizens League in Nevada City, California. Eric holds a master’s degree in conservation leadership from Colorado State University, where his thesis research consisted of creating a management plan for a 22,000-acre protected area in southern Belize.

Nancy Turner

Accounting Manager

(415) 663-1158 ext. 316 | Email

Nancy joined MALT in 2018 to handle the organization’s day-to-day accounting functions and support the director of operations with finance, reporting and human relations. Nancy has spent 30 years in both public and private accounting and a lifetime wandering local hills and trails, where she honed her deep love of nature and the bucolic open spaces of West Marin. Nancy holds a C.P.A. license (inactive), a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in taxation.

Sydney Weisbach

Major Gifts Coordinator

(415) 663-1158 ext. 305 | Email

Sydney came to MALT in 2019 to support the major gifts team in achieving fundraising objectives. Sydney grew up in Marin County where she developed a passion for cooking and sustainability. Her two passions combined into a degree in agriculture and environmental science at McGill University. Prior to joining the MALT team, Sydney worked in a variety of farm and food businesses around the West and East coasts.