Staff

Kirsten Arnett

Development Associate

(415) 663-1158 ext. 306 | Email

Kirsten joined MALT’s Development Team as a development associate in 2022. She was born in the Midwest, but grew up in Alaska hiking, fishing, and camping. After over a decade of working in the wine industry, Kirsten attended Sonoma State University and earned her bachelor’s degree in geography, environment, and planning. It was through this academic program and an internship with The Wildlands Conservancy at the Jenner Headlands Preserve that she learned about MALT. In her spare time, Kirsten can be found trail running, spending time with her son, Milo, and enjoying local wineries. Kirsten and her son currently live in Healdsburg.

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.

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.

Jennifer Maude Carlin

Deputy 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.

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. 

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.

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.

Bronte Edwards

Land Stewardship Associate

(415) 663-1158 ext: 320 | Email

Bronte joined the MALT team in 2023 as a stewardship associate. She was born and raised in Sonoma County and at the age of 15 began her career in food as a young chef studying farm to table cuisine under some of the best chefs from Sonoma to Seattle, WA. In 2017, Bronte returned to Sonoma County to study Animal Science at SRJC Shone Farm eventually becoming their livestock technician expert helping manage their commercial sheep, cattle, and goat programs. In 2019, Bronte and her wife started their own ranching company grazing sheep in vineyards and cattle on grasslands for fire protection. She was the winner of the James Beard Foundation Culinary Education Grant for her passion in combating food insecurity and was awarded a Herd Fellow at the International Grass Fed Exchange Conference for her community work around agriculture and climate activism. Bronte and her wife live in Sebastopol on their farm with their beloved flock of commercial Dorset sheep.

Lauren Faccinto

Acquisitions Program Manager

(415) 663-1158 ext. 302 | Email

Lauren Faccinto joined MALT in 2022 to support the management and closing of MALT’s acquisition transactions, and act as liaison between MALT’s acquisition team, property owners, and funding partners. Lauren grew up in Marin County and attended Kenyon College in Gambier, OH where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and environmental studies. She then worked as a fellow at the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, a project manager at the Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council in Northern California, and as Land Resources Specialist for Cargill’s real estate and land conservation projects in the South San Francisco Bay Area.

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.

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.

Kathie Kearley-Green

Accounting Manager

415-663-1158 ext.316 | Email

Kathie joined MALT in 2022 as the accounting manager. Prior to joining MALT, she spent seventeen yearsin nonprofit organizations, including the Finance & Treasury Department at the University of SanFrancisco, the director of administration & finance at Canal Alliance, and the business &finance manager at Ritter Center. In addition, she has many years of experience in for-profitorganizations that provides additional perspective. Kathie grew up in California’s San Joaquin Valley ina family with agricultural roots going back to southern Idaho. She holds a bachelor of science degree inaccounting from the University of San Francisco and a master of business administration in financefrom Golden Gate University.

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.

Liam McNally

Acquisitions Project Manager

(415) 663-1158 ext. 303 | Email

Liam joined the Conservation Team as Acquisitions Project Manager in 2022. Prior to MALT, he spent three years managing acquisitions, entitlements, and land trust partnerships at Better Place Forests, a Bay Area based company that creates memorial forests nationwide. Liam grew up in Utah and moved to California to attend Stanford University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 2012. He currently lives in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood with his wife and dog. Outside of work, you will usually find Liam surfing Ocean Beach, biking through Golden Gate Park, and trying his best to learn to play the pedal steel guitar. 

Zach Mendes

Director of Land Protection

(415) 663-1158 ext. 304 | Email

Zach joined MALT in 2014 and has over a decade of land trust experience, previously working with the Northern California Regional Land Trust. In his current role as Director of Land Protection, he is responsible for all aspects of ongoing and new land protection efforts, including compliance of MALT’s agricultural conservation easements. 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. 

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.

Lily Verdone

Executive Director

(415) 663-1158 Ext: 301 | Email

Lily joined MALT in August of 2022, the first woman to officially lead the organization since its founding. Prior to joining MALT, Lily was senior director of Coastal Quest, an Oakland-based nonprofit building climate resilience for vulnerable coastal communities. In her more than 20-year career, she has led many initiatives to protect agricultural land, open space and fresh water — working within global organizations such as The Nature Conservancy as well as small, community-based land trusts. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and a masters of science in biology from Sonoma State University.

Sydney Weisbach

Individual Giving Manager

(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.

Becky Wiegand

Manager, Digital Communications

(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.

Dena Grunt

Human Resources Specialist

| 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. 

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.