Board & Staff

Chanin has several years of business administration and office management expertise. She has worked in healthcare, hospitality, real estate, and construction,  all preparing her for the diversity of RCD programming. Chanin was born and raised in Modesto and is so happy to be helping the RCD serve the community.

(209) 996-3213
chanin.esrcd@gmail.com

Joanna Szeremeta recently received her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from Loyola University Chicago. She was born in Poland and grew up in Chicago. Joanna grew up in a family that gardens and forages – which helped her realize the importance of management and conservation of natural resources. She is currently a GrizzlyCorps fellow serving the East Stanislaus RCD and their groundwater sustainability programs.

joanna.esrcd@gmail.com

Brittney is our Community Programs Assistant who works with Jr. Chef and Farm-to-pantry. She is a passionate and driven citizen looking to help bring real change to local communities. She leads a program at Turlock Community Gardens that allows local moms to garden collectively, learn valuable skills, develop new relationships and gain access to fresh produce. She is also a member of the Turlock Garden Club and created her own group where members of the community get together to share plants, seeds and knowledge. She is in the process of becoming a UCCE Master Gardener.

esrcd.brittney@gmail.com

Victor joined the RCD team in July 2022. He graduated with a B.S. in Plant Science and Crop Production Management in 2016 from CSU Fresno. Since then he has had various careers in many aspects of Central Valley agriculture and a career in commercial beekeeping and pollination.

(209) 985-4942
vjacbos@eaststanrcd.org

Isabella Cardenas is a recent graduate from Stanislaus State University with a major in Geography. She has spent most of her teenage years and early adulthood in the agricultural field working with goats and vegetables. She currently works on Ag programs, watershed projects and Jr. Chef.

(209) 287-3664
watershed@eaststanrcd.org

Trina Walley is the 3^rd generation of her family in the Central Valley with agricultural roots including seasonal harvesting, family farm with 400 acres of almonds and custom harvesting business.  She graduated from college with a BS in Animal Science & Management from UC Davis and has since worked with non-profits for over 17 years, combining her love of agriculture and her experience in community development.  She started as the Programs Coordinator with the ESRCD, and led efforts to develop Stanislaus Grown, a locally grown campaign to bring fresh, local agricultural products to low-income communities and beyond. She became the Executive Director in 2021 and now leads the RCD in several community programs and brought national grants to our community.

(209) 287-3662
programs@eaststanrcd.org

Emily is the current senior NRCS conservation planner for the RCD. Since she joined the RCD in the Fall of 2017, Emily has assisted in nearly all the RCD programs and outreach events, currently her primary focus is becoming a certified NRCS Conservation planner. Emily graduated from CSU Stanislaus with a B.A. in Agricultural Studies with an emphasis in Biology and a minor in Geography. Emily also attended Modesto Junior College where she spent time taking classes with the focus becoming a Pest Control Advisor.

(209) 287-3666
emily.piersma@eaststanrcd.org

Jeff Borum was born in Ventura County, but went to school and worked in several regions of the U.S. He then returned to California and obtained a B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Physics from Humboldt State University, and now his work as a Soil Health Coordinator for East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District takes him across the diverse lands of California. As Jeff travels in his pop-up camper, he engages interested communities desiring assistance with conservation-based practices; he also designs, implements, and coordinates statewide field trials focusing on specific practices, as well as comprehensive trials involving entire management systems.

(951) 790-8639
soilhealth@eaststanrcd.org

Gavin joined the RCD team in August of 2021 as Community Programs Manager. In this position, he oversees and helps implement the Farm to School and Farm to Pantry initiatives including Jr. Chef as well as the Student and Landowner Education for Watershed Stewardship (SLEWS) program. He graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor’s Degree in American Indian Studies from San Francisco State University and moved back to Modesto in 2014 after some time traveling and volunteering. He has over 7 years of experience in non-profit community work in Stanislaus County and enjoys working with the RCD Community Programs Team to help improve our local food systems and overall quality of life in our communities.

(209) 484-5933
gavin@eaststanrcd.org

Meriam is the current Education Coordinator at the East Stanislaus RCD. She joined the ESRCD in May of 2021. She is a part of the community programs team here at the RCD and works on the Jr Chef Program, the Farm to School Initiative and the Farm to Pantry Initiative. She graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies with a minor in Educational Studies.

(209) 380-2989
education@eaststanrcd.org

Andrea has over 10 years of experience in the field of natural resource management, with an emphasis on youth and community education as well as communications and marketing design. As the manager of communication and outreach, she works on multiple subprograms for the RCD including pollinator habitat and restoration. She graduated from Chico State University with a B.S. in Parks and Natural Resource Management, concentrating in Environmental Education.

(925) 408-2047
andrea@eaststanrcd.org