An environmental attorney, Ashley is a Marin County native and brings with her 18 years of combined experience in environmental policy, organizational management, advocacy, and litigation. While at EAC, she has grown our program capacity and launched and expanded our legal and policy internship program with a focus on climate, coastal, and freshwater issues. Ashley joined EAC in 2016 as our Conservation Director before being promoted to Legal and Policy Director in 2021, and Executive Director in 2024, after serving as the Interim Executive Director. 

Her love for the outdoors and her desire to preserve the environment prompted her to obtain a law degree. Before joining EAC, she worked as an Associate Attorney at a public interest Plaintiff’s side water quality firm, Lawyers for Clean Water, Inc., where she fought for clean water and represented nonprofits like California Coastkeeper Alliance. While she was in night law school, she juggled working at the firm during the day and various internships. Some of her additional professional experience includes working as a certified student clinician at Golden Gate’s Environmental Law and Justice Clinic and interning at the Center for Biological Diversity, as well as volunteering at the Natural Resources Defense Council, where she worked on the India Initiative, a project designed to increase United States and India’s cooperation on energy efficiency and climate change.

A graduate of Golden Gate University School of Law, she has Certificates of Specialization in both Public Interest and Environmental Law with Distinction. She also holds a B.A. in Comparative Sociology from the University of Puget Sound, with minors in French and Environmental Studies. 

A natural at building coalitions and partners, as part of her program work, she represents EAC in a number of different internal and external working and advisory groups and coalitions including spearheading and leading our Advisory Committee, a statewide aquaculture non-governmental organization coalition, and serving on the Tomales Bay Foundation Advisory Committee, the Protect the Pacific (offshore oil opposition coalition), a national Endangered Species Coalition, the Wetlands Restoration Principles Coalition, the California Blue Carbon Collaborative, and two 30x30 working groups, focused on coastal issues including involvement with Power in Nature. 

Her past participation has also included participating in the Sonoma-Marin Coastal Regional Sediment Management Working Group and acting as the vice-chair of the Marin State Parks Association from 2019 to 2023.

Passionate about climate issues, in 2019, Ashley was invited to participate in Drawdown: Marin (now MarinCAN)’s stakeholder collaborative on carbon sequestration, and she served on the Drawdown: Marin Equity Task Force from 2020 to March 2021. Her cross-sectional work helps EAC’s work be more collaborative and expanded in scope.

Besides managing the organization, Ashley's program and policy work includes: Ensuring Resilient Watersheds; Safeguarding Our Coast and Ocean by advocating for Healthy Tomales Bay, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and Opposing Offshore Oil; Protecting Public Lands; and Advocating for Environmentally Sustainable Communities addressing the threats of the Climate Crisis; and Safeguarding Coastal Biodiversity. She is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the organization.

Grace Milstein, communications associate & Marin County Liaison for Cleaner California Coast

December 2022 - Present

Grace is our Communications Associate, shaping EAC’s outreach efforts, creating impactful marketing strategies, dynamic social media campaigns, and captivating educational content. Born and raised in Marin County, Grace has a passion for coastal conservation stemming from her love of being in nature and spending time immersed in the ocean SCUBA diving.

Grace graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Environmental Studies and Philosophy, a testament to her holistic approach to addressing complex environmental challenges. Grace originally joined the EAC team in April 2020 as a Coastal Advocate Intern, taking a leadership role in the design of the Marin Monarch Movement Report. She continued as EAC’s first Communications Intern and spearheaded the development of an official Communication internship program as well as EAC’s Online Community Resources and Stewardship Guide: Discover, Connect, Respect, Marin County Coast.

Grace’s current focus is implementing and overseeing EAC’s communications and social media calendar, and our strategic effort aims to boost the visibility of EAC's campaigns, events, and fundraising initiatives. Her main goal is to connect with new and diverse audiences, engage with community stakeholders and partners, and advance EAC's advocacy goals. Additionally, she is an essential member of the Cleaner California Coast Initiative (CCC), ensuring CCC is a leading, popular voice for promoting responsible visitation to California’s coastal areas through co-developing outreach strategy, graphic design, and building community relationships.

Madeline Nieto Hope is a California native who has lived, worked, and raised her family in Marin County for the past 27 years. Madeline has taught at all levels of education including university, community college, high school, middle school, grade school, and preschool. As an interdisciplinary practitioner, Madeline has consistently focused on zero waste, climate action, and art practice while promoting civic engagement, meaningful collaboration, and inclusive interaction between sector partners to increase meaning in a complex environment.

Over time in West Marin, Madeline was a founding Director of the Tomales Bay Youth Center, a Program Director for Gallery Route One’s Artists in the Schools Program who co-produced the Outdoor Ed in the Watershed with the EAC and the Waste Education-Public Information Coordinator in West Marin for over 17 years. Through this position, she co-produced the annual Recycle Circus, the Zero Waste-Events Library, host for Trash to Treasure, a call-in program on KWMR community radio, and was a partner for EAC on their Green Guides. Currently, Madeline is the Program Coordinator for the Cleaner California Coast Initiative which is in partnership with the Leave No Trace Organization. Through this position, Madeline coordinates between Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino Counties so the initiative supports and informs existing place-based pollution prevention strategies across the North Bay. In addition to working with EAC, Madeline co-leads the West Marin Food Systems group that produces several place-based projects that are coordinated with West Marin Climate Action and regional partners across West Marin and the County of Marin. 

Madeline has an Executive Masters in Public Administration from Golden Gate University; a Masters in Art Practice, Sculpture from the UC Berkeley, and Undergraduate Degrees from UC Santa Barbara in Art History and Art Studio as well as over 38 years of work as a professional sculptor and installation artist. Lastly, Madeline is a Water Safety Instructor and a retired Lifeguard who will forever advocate for water literacy and humans being safe around water. 

Through public programs and strategic, place-based partnerships Madeline applies her creative capacities and practices to coalition building, collaboratives, and facilitation of innovative social practices that bridge formal and informal relationships, public and private partnerships that exist within the vast rural landscape of unincorporated West Marin. Madeline has enthusiasm for the implementation of climate solutions that empower youth, young adults, individuals, and community stakeholders to work in partnership and learn in community. Madeline has launched and promoted initiatives, developed, and sustained novel practices, and strengthened resiliency in coastal Marin County.  

Madeline is the Program Coordinator for the Cleaner California Coast Initiative. Madeline coordinates between Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino Counties, so the initiative supports and informs existing place-based pollution prevention strategies across the North Bay.

May 2016 - Present

Jessica has nearly two decades of development experience and brings a deep sense of connection to the park, people, and places that make up our West Marin community as a full-time resident. She is on the Advisory Committee, heads our Development and Bird Festival Committees, and represents EAC at the West Marin Collaborative, a community group that meets to illuminate community needs, coordinate local service providers, empower organizations to work together, enhance services that participants can provide their clients, under the shared vision of reducing health disparities and increasing well-being.

Jessica’s professional career has included working at Yosemite National Park, Point Reyes National Seashore, and Point Reyes National Seashore Association. Her first love of the outdoors came as a young child in Illinois where she spent whole days playing outside, collecting fireflies, riding bikes, and tilling the soil in her grandmother’s backyard. Later, family camping trips fueled her desire to find a career in the outdoors.

Jessica holds a B.A. in Communications with a minor in Public Relations from Sonoma State University, and an A.S. in Forestry with a minor in Interpretation from Reedley College. 

Jessica's work is primarily focused on our development work, including fundraising, member, volunteer, and community relations, and communications including marketing and outreach. She currently manages our donor appreciation events, the Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival, Piper on the Ridge, and the Winter Gathering.

patTY wimpfheimer, bookkeeper

April 2018 - Present

Patty is a retired technology educator, her career has taken her to England, Brazil, and Japan before finally settling in Marin 24 years ago. In addition she has provided bookkeeping services to several Marin small businesses. She has a passion for the natural world and protecting it for generations to come. Patty volunteers her time to our Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival Committee, and for many of our our year-around events.

Patty holds a B.A. and M.A. in Education from State University of New York at Brockport. When she is not working, she is traveling with her husband David or doting over her son Jonah.  

Patty’s work focuses on business and office management as well as assistance with outreach and events.