Staff
Mary Lee Knecht
SRWP Executive Director
marylee@sacriver.org
Mary Lee serves as SRWP’s Executive Director and key spokesperson. In this role, Mary Lee provides leadership, creates vision for the organization, and conducts strategic planning with SRWP’s 21-member Board and dedicated team of staff. She is also responsible for the development of an annual work plan and budget, which incorporates the goals and objectives that work toward the strategic direction of the organization. Mary Lee always seeks to establish good working relationships and collaborative arrangements with community groups, funders, elected officials, and other stakeholders to help achieve the goals and elevate the visibility of the organization. Additionally, Mary Lee is involved in project management and implementation of several of SRWP’s exciting grant projects.
Mary Lee comes to SRWP with over 11 years of experience in watershed management and water policy work. Prior to joining the SRWP team, Mary Lee worked for Jones & Stokes, where she served as lead consultant to the CALFED Watershed Program and other important watershed planning efforts throughout Northern California. She serves on the Board of Directors of the California Watershed Network, is an alumni of the Water Education Foundation’s Water Leaders Class, and participates on a number of water policy advisory committees and task forces. Mary Lee has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from UC Berkeley.
Sara Martin
Watershed Resource Specialist
sara@sacriver.org
Sara serves as SRWP’s Watershed Resource Specialist, providing assistance to the Executive Director and the SRWP Board of Trustees. Sara is also heavily involved in the management and implementation of SRWP’s grant projects and outreach and policy efforts, fulfilling project management, liaison, and technical roles.
Sara has over 7 years of experience in environmental, watershed, and water resources planning and management. Sara has additional expertise in stakeholder and collaborative processes, public outreach, interdisciplinary project coordination, and environmental compliance and permitting. Previously, Sara worked at Jones & Stokes, where she assisted Mary Lee and the CALFED Watershed Program, served as coordinator of the Sacramento River Corridor Planning Forum and managed large-scale flood control and ecosystem restoration efforts in Northern California and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Immediately prior to joining the SRWP team, Sara worked for MBK Engineers, where she served as a liaison between landowners, engineers, and environmental permitting agencies, facilitating compromises between the groups. Sara is also a graduate of the Water Education Foundation’s Water Leaders program, as well as a graduate of CALFED’s intensive Watershed Partnership Seminar. Sara has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Anthropology from UCLA.
Natalie LaVan
Intern
natalie@sacriver.org
Natalie LaVan has been working hard for the Environment for over five years since her graduation from U.C. Davis in 2003. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Wildlife and Fish Conservation Biology and has worked in the private, public and non-profit sectors. Her field work has taken her to the backwater country of the south, the amazing vistas of the Sierra Nevada's, the bountiful San Francisco Bay, and even remote islands off the coast of Africa. Her travel destinations include Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, Central America and North America. But no matter where she travels, the golden state of California and all her beauty keeps Natalie returning time and again.
