Our Team

Nature in the City works with partners and volunteers to care for local nature. Together, we're committed to building a community to advocate, restore, and protect nature in San Francisco.

Staff & Interns

Garden & Habitat Restoration Programs Technician, Ella was born and raised in San Francisco and graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Welfare and minors in Education and Food Systems. While at Cal, Ella focused on environmental and food justice through her internship at Malcolm X Elementary School, where she taught kids how to garden and grow food for their community.

Ella Bhat (she/her)

Garden Design & Services Director, Ken aims to bring more nature and beauty to San Francisco. He loves designing, building, and maintaining gardens, focusing on local native landscapes. He is a community leader and has experience as a creative director and brand strategist. Ken is a graduate of Georgetown University and Oxford with a degree in business.

Ken Fisher (he/him)

Garden Maintenance Program Lead, Jaden is passionate about placemaking, land stewardship, and agroecology. She studied Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University and is pursuing Landscape Architecture at UC Berkeley. A perennial volunteer with Sutro Stewards and Alemany Farm, Jaden can be spotted biking around town with her basket of colored pencils and gardening tools!

Jaden Lüscher (she/her)

Executive Director, Amber began her Nature in the City adventure as an Advisory Council member in 2006 and became Executive Director in 2013. She has supported innovative, creative projects and partnerships including: Green Hairstreak Corridor, Green Connections Plan, SF Crosstown Trails, Tigers on Market Street, Nature in the City Gardening, Climate Career Corps, and Reimagining San Francisco.

Amber Mahlberg (she/her)

Garden & Habitats Technician, Rachel is passionate about accessible, green urban spaces! They studied Ecology & Society at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and are thrilled to merge their interests in environmental justice, community organizing, and ecology. Rachel worked as an elementary school garden educator at Bayshore Elementary, and they study solitary bees with a UC Davis research team. 

Rachel Maunus (they/them)

Garden Installations Program Lead, Seth is plant nerd who studied Environmental Science at the University of Washington in Seattle. No matter where he lives, he creatively finds ways to grow native plants, share them with the community, and connect with those who also share a deep passion for increasing biodiversity in urban spaces.

Seth Thomas (he/him)

Advisory Council

Aatna Ashok Kumar

  • Aatna is a Sustainability Leader with over 20 years of experience in Program Management and Data Analytics, committed to steering organizations towards a better future. Expertise in ESG Data Management, Carbon Calculations, Net Positive strategy and ESG Reporting frameworks.

    She is passionate about collaborating with communities and NGOs to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable community development in an effort to drive impactful environmental and social transformations.

Laura Castellini

  • Laura is the Sustainability Coordinator at the National Park Service, Golden Gate National Recreation Area. She has been involved with Nature in the City since its beginning in 2005. She has a background in aquatic and wetland ecology and is slowly learning her dune plants by participating in the Backyard Natives Nursery Network. Laura also plans our nature walks that explore natural areas around the city.

Tiffany Do

  • Tiffany is passionate about connecting people to the more-than-human world. She worked as a Senior Research Associate for a global advisory firm and has a background in digital experience design, project management, and research.

Helen Doyle

Emil Fogarino

  • Emil is a former science teacher at George Washington High School and lifetime educator. His focus and interest on marine biology and population studies helps him to understand the Bay Area on an intimate level, which is pivotal in his role with Nature in the City. He's been leading fun & engaging NTC nature walks for the past couple of years. He also spends his time volunteering at the California Academy of Sciences Rocky Shore Naturalist Program and partners with the National Marine Sanctuary Educational Programs and the Aquarium of the Bay to create and implement relevant curricula surrounding climate change.

    Falling Achovies, Dancing Butterflies: Emil's insights as told to Helen Doyle

Tom Scharffenberger

  • Tom is a landscape architect who assists landowners and non-profit organizations with conservation planning and transactions. His training includes regional planning, land management, land-use regulation and real estate finance. He assists family landowners, conservation organizations and municipalities with conservation easement and fee acquisition projects, as well as strategic plans for entire regions.

Kirstin Weeks

  • A leader in regenerative design and urban ecology, Kirstin works with interdisciplinary teams to create regenerative, resilient built environments where people and ecosystems thrive together. 

    After 12 years as an energy and building ecology specialist at Arup, Kirstin started Bio Studio in 2021. She provides innovative, collaborative, climate-positive consulting, all driven by her dedication to living systems and enhancement of well-being and environmental justice through a connection to nature for all. Kirstin joined Nature in the City’s Council in 2015 and acts as design community liaison, helping to raise awareness of the opportunities for biophilic design and integration of ecological function in the built environment.

Interested in joining us?

We are seeking new members of our team and strive to reflect San Francisco's culturally and economically diverse communities. Our goal is to sustain a skilled and passionate group of people that serve on our staff, Advisory Council, Youth Council, and as volunteers.

Contact us