Michael joined Acterra in May of 2003 as the Executive Director.  Prior to Acterra his work history included serving as Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Stanford University (1972-1976); Co-Director of New Ways to Work in Palo Alto, CA (1976-1982); Executive Director of the Center for Economic Conversion in Mountain View, CA (1983-1998); Programs Director for the Earth Day Network in Seattle, WA (1998-2000); and Executive Director of Biodiversity Northwest in Seattle, WA (2000-2003). His work has featured a long-term commitment to promoting environmental conservation, sustainable development and ecological economics. At Acterra, in addition to his various administrative responsibilities, he places special emphasis on environmental programs that provide hands-on learning opportunities and inspire people to take action for positive change in their communities and beyond. . Michael has a B.A. from Middlebury College and an M.A. and Ph.D.  (Sociology) from Cornell University.  In his free time, Michael particularly enjoys hiking and backpacking in the beautiful California wilderness

Debbie has been called "an environmental entrepreneur" for her skills in working with start-up projects and involving community volunteers. Her current role is to develop new programs for Acterra. Before working at Acterra, Debbie served five years as Outreach Director at the Foundation for Global Community. Debbie has also served leadership positions in several other organizations, including the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, Canopy: Trees for Palo Alto, the San Francisquito Creek Watershed Council, and Leadership Midpeninsula. She served for six years as Executive Director of the Peninsula Conservation Center, one of the forebears of today's Acterra. During that time she created the Business Environmental Awards and worked with commercial property owners to establish the first recycling program for businesses in downtown Palo Alto.

Before working in environmental groups, Debbie worked seven years for the Palo Alto Unified School District as coordinator of parent/community involvement and as a volunteer leader of the city-wide PTA Council. A Palo Alto resident for over 30 years, Debbie has been an active leader in many local organizations, including the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club, Midpeninsula Access Corporation, the Center for Economic Conversion, Collective Roots Garden Project, and the Midtown Residents' Association, of which she was a co-founder. Educated at UC Berkeley and Stanford, Debbie has three grown children and five young grandchildren.

Pat Martin joined Acterra in September 2008 as the Public Information Coordinator. For the previous decade she was employed in the workforce information field, and is very experienced in locating, interpreting, and sharing information. Pat's environmental interests are diverse, ranging from native plant gardening to poultry raising.

Susi Merhar joined Acterra in the beginning of 2008 as the Communications and Creative Director. Prior to Acterra Susi worked as an independent graphic artist serving a variety of clients including educational organizations and nonprofits.

Susi also has a PhD in Psychology and looks back on a rewarding career in counseling and assessment. She lives in Sunnyvale with her husband and her two children. She enjoys volunteering at her son's school and is excited to replace her front lawn with drought tolerant landscaping!

Amila Nezirovich became Acterra's new business manager in June 2008. An experienced accountant and business manager, Amila has demonstrated excellent accounting aptitude by rapidly coming up to speed while handling Acterra's complex finances. Born in Bosnia, she and her family emigrated first to Germany and then the U.S. Now happily ensconced in the Santa Clara Valley, Amila, her husband and two young sons spend their weekends enjoying outdoor activities and making music.

Laura Stec joined Acterra 1996 and is currently the Director of Membership. She is also a chef who enjoys teaching about the artistry, health and energetics of cooking. She runs her own personal chef/catering business - Laura Stec - Innovative Cuisine, is Culinary Health Educator for Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, and a culinary school consulting chef at The Art Institute of California. Since founding one of the first U.S. food and environment organizations in 1989, Stec has been feeding us with the idea that one the most positive effects we can have on the environment begins on our dinner plate.

With over 37 years combined experience in the food and environmental nonprofit sectors, Stec now partners with EcoSpeakers.com to lecture and consult with corporations and institutions on ways to bring regionally responsible cuisine into their food systems. She is the coauthor of Cool Cuisine:  Taking the Bite out of Global Warming, which examines connections between food and energy use and offers solutions for reducing our carbon footprint through consumer education and food choices.