The San Diego Chapter Board of Directors is made up of dedicated officers and directors who guide the chapter’s programs and activities. The board provides leadership, ensures sound stewardship of resources, and upholds the chapter’s mission to support native landscaping within the community.
Elena Banks is an Elementary Science Teacher and Garden Coordinator with a masters degree in Conservation Biology and has over 25 years of teaching experience. A published author and Vice President of WildOnes San Diego, I am knowledgeable and enthusiastic about educating the community about California’s native flora and fauna. Protecting our local biodiversity and helping facilitating meaningful connections to nature in urban environments allows us all to become stewards of our Earth.
Chelsea Gastelum is a consummate native plant enthusiast and passionately believes that native plant gardening should be attainable for everyone. She dedicates her time to running Busy Bee Garden Co-op installing and maintaining native plant gardens in Lemon Grove in addition to her other volunteer conservation work.
Felicia Hill is a proud resident of Julian, CA and the Iipay community that stewards the lands in her community. She is the Seed Collection Chair for Wild Ones San Diego, and is also responsible for propagation of seedlings like Western Dogwood in the foothills that best suit them. Check out the Garden Plots tab for photos of her wildflower plots, planted to sustainably harvest seeds for give-away events.
Hayley Salazar: My mission is to support pollinator diversity through mindful gardening practices. I love to hear the sounds of birds splashing in my gurgling fountain and I get so much delight looking out my window and seeing children in my front yard mesmerized by all the caterpillars and butterflies! Giving back to my community is vital to my well being, so teaching AP Environmental Science at my neighborhood school and sitting on the Sustainability Commission for the City of Chula Vista allow me to share my passions with young and old.
Jeanine Sharkey is our beloved secretary from across the pond, and the landscape designer for our very successful San Altos Elementary School pollinator garden. A passion for horticulture, sustainable landscape, and the native plants of southern California led her to become a landscape architect, and we look forward to tapping her expertise in future Wild One projects.
Kenneth Abernathy, Founder of Caterpillar Chow Habitat Farms, is a California Naturalist and local field guide who studies local pollinator habitats and has a production plant nursery that supplies native host plants including milkweeds for projects and restorations. Ken’s focus is on the urban-wild interface and hopes to increase biodiversity in human settlements.
Kimberly Leonard is a plant, bug, & reptile enthusiast with a soft spot for all things wild and wiggly. Nothing makes me happier than finding a plant or beetle that I’ve never seen before or watching lizards scurry into the chaparral! I believe it is important to create sanctuaries for local wildlife everywhere we can, giving nature a chance to thrive in a world that’s constantly changing.
Lorien Silverleaf is a self-described plant nerd and has specimen notebooks going back 30 years. Though the flora and fauna of Southern California are fairly new to her, she is excited to be constantly learning and loves to share her enthusiasm for ecosystems and how they can be maintained and evolved to adapt to changes in climate.
Nhu-Y Tran is a passionate wildlife conservationist and community advocate. After earning their Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Miami University in 2021, they worked in biotechnology supporting analytic research and development. In 2024, they received their Master of Arts in Biology through Miami University’s Project Dragonfly and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, concentrating on marine conservation and community education. They now use their conservation knowledge to support and advocate for the communities they live in.
