“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
CalTrout has grown tremendously over these last few years, helping us become a trusted organization in Californian freshwater conservation. To achieve our goals, we rely on a dedicated team of staff.
We’re pleased to announce that four new staff members recently joined our organization. Please welcome the following people to California Trout:
Derek Berlin─ South Coast Public Engagement Specialist
Christine Davis─ North Coast Project Manager
Lucy Fellner─ Events and Administrative Coordinator
& Gien Gip─ Development Associate
We invite you to get to know our new employees through their bios and answers to the question “What are you most looking forward to working at CalTrout?”
Derek Berlin, South Coast Public Engagement Specialist
Derek will be providing a needed ongoing presence for our organization in Los Angeles. Beyond his experience in conservation, Derek brings to his work a background in multilateral engagement, having spent nearly a decade managing relationships with foreign governments at global financial services firm JPMorgan Chase, and previously working for the US Departments of State at the United Nations, the Department of Defense, as well as at the Council on Foreign Relations.
From Derek: “Beyond supporting the concrete outcomes and innovative work of CalTrout in general, I am most excited by the opportunity to learn from my new colleagues and to build meaningful relationships with our great partners and supporters in the South Coast region and across the state.”
Christine Davis, North Coast Project Manager
Christine began her research career helping a marine mammal NGO monitor killer whale predation on Chinook salmon in Washington State. She has since worked a combined 12 years as a research and restoration science technician and for The Forest Service in Washington and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park and Point Reyes National Seashore in California, and as a Project Manager and Science Advisor for an international NGO in Borneo, Indonesia.
With her new role at CalTrout, Christine is most interested in supporting climate resilient riparian landscape planning where TEK and biodiversity are prioritized.
Lucy Fellner, Events and Administrative Coordinator
Lucy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara. Outside of work, she enjoys swimming and spending time in nature.
From Lucy: “I am looking forward to being a part of an organization that is doing such impactful work.”
Gien Gip
Gien had a career in medical malpractice and risk management before she fell in love with philanthropy and fundraising. She comes to CalTrout with a deep development and fundraising background, having worked at Tides Foundation, UCSF, SF LBGT Center, San Francisco State University, and most recently, Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco.
She is excited to work at CalTrout and do her part, in the words of her family, “to save the world.”
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Peter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.