Sequoia Riverlands Trust Staff
SOPAC MCCARTHY MULHOLLAND, Executive Director
Soapy joined Sequoia Riverlands Trust as the first paid Executive Director in March 2002. She brings to SRT a unique history with experience in ranch management, land development and agriculture that guides her conservation vision. Since 1989, she has served as the general manager of River Valley Ranch in Springville, CA which her family has owned for more than 40 years. She has owned and operated the McCarthy Creek Ranch in Porterville for 15 years. Through her sole proprietorship, Sopac and Associates, she actively engaged in the field of real estate entitlements and government and agency land use. Soapy currently sits on the Board of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, the PG&E Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council, the Statewide Blue Print Committee, the California Ag Visioning Committee, the Aldo Leopold Award selection committee, and the Tejon Ranch Conservancy Board of Directors. She is a member of the California Cattlemen’s Association and the Farm Bureau. She previously served as interim President of the Tulare County Economic Development Corporation and as Director of Development for the California Agricultural Education Foundation, and later became a member of their Board of Directors. Soapy lives in Springville, California.
LAURA CHILDERS, Education and Volunteer Director
Laura joined the land trust in 2009 after being inspired to investigate practical methods for conserving land by her studies in Environmental History at The University of Texas at Austin. After a season in Yellowstone National Park, Laura noticed that the state of privately owned land surrounding the park was hugely influential on the health of the park's natural resources, namely its wildlife. It became clear to her that she needed to help conserve private land in order to ensure that important natural resources continue to exist. Laura brings her experience as a naturalist ranger at Yellowstone National Park and Sequoia National Forest to SRT's education program. She also offers her enthusiasm for insects, reptiles, and amphibians that she cultivated during a season of trapping insects and exploring caves in the backcountry of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Laura lives in Springville.
HILARY DUSTIN, Conservation Director
Hilary has a lifelong interest in practical, sustainable relationships between people and their natural habitats. She has enjoyed exploring this in academia, government, private business and for the last seven years with Sequoia Riverlands Trust in the non-profit sector. Prior to joining SRT as the Lead Land Steward in December 2003, Hilary received a B.A. in Biology from Cornell University and an M.S. in Range Management from the University of California at Davis; spent 15 years with the U.S. Forest Service as a range conservationist, timber sale planner, district ranger and public affairs officer; and co-owned a medium sized architecture and planning firm. Hilary's major projects at SRT have included reclaiming a 152-acre retired gravel mine, crafting conservation easements for properties ranging in size from 10 to 450 acres, collaborating with grazing lessees on a variety of range improvements at SRT preserves; and serving on an interdisciplinary team to develop a climate-adapted conservation plan for the southern Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains. In her current role as Conservation Director she oversees SRT’s land acquisition and stewardship programs. Hilary’s work has allowed her to live in rural communities in central California, New York and Montana, giving her a great appreciation for the diversity and productivity of the landscapes she is privileged to care for through SRT.
ANDREW GLAZIER, Stewardship Technician/Nursery Manager
Andrew Glazier is a landscaper, writer and artist whose work has appeared in Time magazine, Sunset magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle. He has worked many years in the nursery business and collects drought tolerant plants. He is looking forward to his role expanding the SRT nursery and its sale of native plants. He lives in Exeter, CA with his wife Amy and daughter Lily.
MAY STEVENS, Director of Finance & Administration
May joined SRT in October of 2010. For the 15 years previous to joining SRT, May was co-owner of a small business that automates water delivery. As a business owner, she was responsible for finance and business management. Before that, she was the Operations Manager for Bank of America. She holds a degree in Natural Resources from UC Berkeley. May lives in Visalia with her family.
FRANCES TWEED, Executive Assistant
Frances brings a wealth of administrative experience to SRT. Over a long and varied career she has worked in the garment, travel, transportation, and food-products industries. Now, she says, “It’s good to be working for an organization with a mission that goes far beyond just making money.” Frances resides in Three Rivers with her husband, Bill, and in her time off she enjoys traveling, birding, x-country skiing and keeping in touch with her far-flung family and friends. She also watches over several well-fed coveys of wild quail when at home.
CHRIS MOI, Conservation Project Manager
Chris joined Sequoia Riverlands Trust as an intern in June 2011. Working on environmental restoration crews early in his career focused his passion for environmental conservation. Most recently, he worked as a Planner for an environmental consulting firm in the Bay Area, developing land acquisition plans for the Armed Services through the Department of Defense's conservation buffering program. He has a Master's degree in Environmental Planning from UC Berkeley. Chris lives in Fresno with his wife.
KELLY RYAN, Communications Director
Kelly joins SRT as Communications Director with a wealth of experience within the Television Broadcast Industry. She spent the last twenty years as a television news reporter and anchor in Sacramento, Denver, Charlotte, San Francisco and San Diego. She also worked in Chicago as a producer for Food Network, HGTV and did a stint in London for Style Network. She began her career at NBC in Bakersfield covering a variety of stories involving farming, ranching, agri-business and other Valley issues. She has covered Presidential visits, economic summits, fires, flooding, riots and did a series of special reports on the artist Christo’s “Umbrellas” Project through the Tejon Pass. She graduated from UC Berkeley and studied journalism at Stanford University.
SCOTT ARTIS, Development Director
Scott Artis has more than a decade's worth of experience spanning for-profit and nonprofit sectors in research, public education, management and development. In addition to a strong track record in business growth and development, he has executed community-based programs for the protection of native plants, animals, and their natural communities, which includes conservation and education outreach projects. Scott holds degrees in Biology and Environmental Sciences and has complemented his studies with a Masters certificate in Environmental Resource Management. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development and Policy. Scott lives with his wife Heather and three dogs in Visalia.