Staff

The Team

Tristan Brenner

Stewardship Program Manager – Easements

(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.

X

Marcella Brawley - MALT

Marcella Brawley

Director of Development

(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.

X

Jennifer Maude Carlin - MALT

Jennifer Maude Carlin

Interim Executive Director

(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 25 years with a focus on development, engagement, philanthropic partnerships and organizational capacity building. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from DePauw University.

X

Lori Conrow

Director of Finance and Operations

(415) 663-1158 #307 | Email

Having grown up in the ranching industry and worked in the livestock production business for most of her life, Lori is excited to join the MALT team to maintain close ties to agriculture. She most recently managed finance and operations at SunFed, a grass-fed beef business, for 5 years and before that was a finance director at Hormel in live production for 17 years. In her spare time Lori rides and shows horses, including cow horses and cutting horses and is nationally ranked in the NRCHA. Lori holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Northern Arizona University and recently completed a two-year executive program at the University of Illinois. 

X

Matt Dolkas - MALT

Matt Dolkas

Senior Manager, Marketing and Communications

(415) 663-1158 ext. 308 | Email

Matt has spent the past ten years helping communicate messages of conservation and garnering support for the protection of the planet. Prior to joining MALT, Matt coordinated marketing efforts for the Peninsula Open Space Trust, a similar organization working to protect open spaces on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the South Bay. When not at work, he’s tending to his kids, goats and chickens. He holds a Masters of Science in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho.

X

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.

X

Kelli Finely - MALT

Kelli Finley

Senior Manager, Community Engagement

415-663-1158 ext 321 | Email

As a long-time nonprofit professional, it’s exciting to be part of such an enthusiastic and dedicated team with a wide range of experience.  It’s an honor to join a community with such a rich history and important mission.  I look forward to learning from the entire MALT community as we seek to build community together.

X

Peter Fugazzotto

Director of Communications

(415) 663-1158 ext. 323 | Email

Peter joined the MALT team in 2018 and currently leads communications and marketing efforts. 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.

X

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.

X

Harriet Lehmann

Data Services Manager

(415) 663-1158 ext. 309 | Email

Harriet joined MALT in 2022 as Development Coordinator. Prior to joining MALT, she ran her own fundraising database and auction consultancy company with clients such as The American Red Cross, Meals on Wheels, and The Marine Mammal Center. Harriet grew up in Petaluma and spent the last 20 years living in Marin County. She is proud to join MALT and help them protect the land in the community she was raised.

X

Zach Mendes

Acting Director of Conservation

(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.

X

Eric Rubenstahl

Associate Director, Stewardship

(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.

X

Angelina Soldatos - MALT Staff

Angelina Soldatos

Annual Giving Manager

(415) 663-1158 ext. 311 | Email

Angelina joined the MALT team in 2022 to support the fundraising and development team. Prior to joining MALT, Angelina was a part of organized grassroots and political campaigning in Marin, the Peninsula and East Bay. When she’s not at work, she continues her passion for advocacy and can be found kayaking in Richardson Bay. Angelina grew up in Marin County which has fueled her passion for joining the MALT team. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in Politics, Economics, Public Policy and Law from Mills College.

X

Sydney Weisbach - MALT

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.

X

Becky Wiegand - MALT

Becky Wiegand

Manager, Digital Communications & Community Engagement

(415) 663-1158 ext. 312 | Email

Becky joined MALT in 2022 to grow its digital communications strategy. She grew up on a family farm in Michigan and has deep respect for agriculture and land stewardship. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Political Science from Northern Michigan University before moving to Washington, DC to study International Peace and Conflict Resolution at American University. Becky brings 20 years’ experience working with the nonprofit sector in both Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA – most recently for TechSoup Global, a tech-for-good nonprofit. Becky spends her time outside of MALT in Sacramento, with her three children.

X

Partners

Dena Grunt - MALT

Dena Grunt

Human Resources Consultant

| Email

Dena Grunt, founder of Destination HR Consulting, brings over 25 years’ experience in human resources, organization development, coaching and conflict resolution. With clients from West Marin to Lake Tahoe, her background in banking, legal and hospitality allows her to bring big business strategy to small businesses. Living in Petaluma and having a deep connection to West Marin, she is excited to work with MALT as their HR Consultant. 

X

Denise Rocco Zilber - MALT

Denise Rocco-Zilber

Community Engagement Specialist

415-233-0998 | Email

Denise has created and produced award-winning programs that engage, enrich, document, and inspire as a photographer, content producer, and event specialist. Her work has taken her around the globe, from the dairy farms of Pt Reyes Station to the peaks of the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia, working for print and digital magazines and book publishers. She has the keen ability to move audiences from engagement and inspiration to knowledge and action.

X