Claire has 25 years experience working as an environmental scientist and educator for non-profit organizations, government agencies, and industry. Her teaching has included public outreach related to watershed protection, and three years as an environmental educator at Hidden Villa, a non-profit wilderness preserve and organic farm. Her educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in biology, graduate studies in limnology, and a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering and Science from Stanford University.

Joan Dudney joined Acterra in 2010 as the Education Coordinator. She gained experience in environmental education working for the Peace Corps, Paraguay, and the YMCA in Massachusetts. During her service in Paraguay, Joan developed curriculum for local schools, conducted teacher's trainings and directed organic gardening and reforestation workshops. She collaborated with volunteers and organized national environmental camps for rural youth who typically lacked opportunities to travel or participate in educational events. Joan also supervised a youth group that worked to reduce local deforestation and improve the watershed. Through the YMCA at Camp Becket, she co-led a group of students who participated in local park restoration projects and building construction for impoverished families in Lima, Peru. Joan has a degree in Biology from Occidental College, Los Angeles and has found her niche in ecological restoration.

Junko joined Acterra in fall 2009 to launch Acterra’s new restoration program at the Redwood Grove Nature Preserve in Los Altos. She has 10 years of experience bringing community members together around resource management issues. As a watershed coordinator at the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District, Junko launched a community-based watershed planning and education program for the Kirker Creek Watershed and started a countywide watershed signage program. She also worked with the Urban Creeks Council on numerous watershed management and stream restoration projects throughout the East Bay. Junko holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Systems from Stanford University and a Master of Regional Planning from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Deanna joined Acterra in 2006 as the native plant nursery manager. Prior to Acterra Deanna worked for 3 years at the UCSC Arboretums native garden doing propagation, wild seed collecting, curator duties, plant surveys along with a map using GPS and GIS technology, and garden maintenance. Deanna also worked for Central Coast Wilds for three years as their seed collections curator and assistant manager. She managed rare plant surveys on Fort Ord. and worked for the San Francisquito Watershed Council for 2 years as a restoration specialist and seed curator. Deanna has an AS in Horticulture from Cabrillo College and a BA in Environmental Studies combined with Biology from the University of California Santa Cruz.

Nikki Hanson has worked at Acterra’s Native Plant Nursery as a nursery assistant since 2005. At the nursery she enjoys helping with plant propagation, seed collection, record keeping, and working with volunteers. As well as her work at the nursery, Nikki participated in Acterra’s year long “Be the Change Program” where she learned skills for effective environmental leadership with the community. In addition to her passion for horticulture and restoration, Nikki loves teaching children. She has taught in Peninsula School’s summer school program for the past seven years. Nikki has also taught modern dance at Judith Komoroske’s School of Modern Dance for eight years. She worked as an assistant environmental education instructor with the Riekes Center’s Nature Studies Youth Program for two years. Currently Nikki is attending Foothill College getting her General Education degree and Associates Arts degree with the goal of transferring to University of California at Santa Cruz to complete her degree in Environmental Studies.

Paul Heiple is a naturalist, interested in all aspects of science in the natural world. His interest in plants goes back as far as he can remember, watching pumpkins and other plants grow in a family garden and houseplants such as his mother collection of African violets. He currently has a collection of succulent plants, carnivorous plants and a hillside restored to native plants. His interest in weeds started early as well, anyone working in a garden quickly learns they need to be removed. The task of weeding was one that he actually enjoys and continues to weed today as a volunteer, active gardener and now a member of Acterra' staff. He is currently the California Native Plant Society Santa Clara Valley Chapter treasurer, Co-chair of the San Mateo County Weed Management Area, chair of the Portola Valley Conservation Committee, head Friday weeder at Edgewood County Park and an associate at Jasper Ridge were he works in the herbarium. Outside the world of plants, Paul is a geologist by training. He worked for Getty Oil Company exploring for oil in the Williston Basin of North Dakota. The connection between the locations plants grow and the rocks underneath was an early observation that was very useful when mapping the geology in the east were most of the rocks are covered by soil.

Verna Kirkendall joined Acterra in the January 2008 as an intern. Her project was a photography project with the Stewardship program that she was completing as part of her degree. In May, Verna graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in photojournalism and women's studies and joined Acterra’s staff as an Educator with Acterra's Young Earth Stewards (YES) program. Although not professionally trained as an environmentalist Verna has always tried to make her little area of the world a better place through stewardship, education, and just being a good person.

William joined Acterra in December of 2008, sharing a stewardship position with Paul Heiple. William's background includes permaculture design and consultation and environmental education. He has formal education in environmental biology, transpersonal psychology, and permaculture design. William is currently living in an independent co-op in Palo Alto, where he manages the gardens, building the soils, designing self-supporting ecosystems, dreaming of forest gardens, and teaching people to how to feed themselves. He is excited to bring together permaculture and restoration ecology, using the combination of both to help slow climate change, while teaching people how they can apply these techniques in their own lives.

Arnie joined Acterra in September of 2008 as the Director of the San Francisquito Watershed Project. Arnie has been active in restoration since 2000. He has worked on numerous projects in the city of San Francisco, Marin County, San Mateo County, Alameda County, the Presidio of San Francisco and in the San Francisquito watershed. Arnie gained stream channel surveying, experience through his work in the Mattole River watershed, the San Pedro Creek watershed, on the San Mateo coast, and in the Sierra Nevada. He monitored water quality in a number of Marin, Alameda, Sonoma and San Francisco watersheds during an 18-month internship with the Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) of the Bay Area Regional Water Quality Control Board. Arnie holds a Bachelor of Science degree from UC Berkeley in Political Economy of Natural Resources and a Masters of Arts degree in Geography (physical) from San Francisco State University. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter.