An attorney, Ashley is a Marin County native and brings with her 17 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 to Interim Executive Director in 2023. 

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. 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 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 May of 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.

Jessica Taylor, Development Director

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.

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 on as a Communications Intern and helped spearhead the development of EAC’s Online Community Resources and Stewardship Guide: Discover, Connect, Respect, Marin County Coast.

Grace’s current focus is implementing and oversight of EAC’s communications and social media calendar. 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

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.

Morgan Patton, Former Executive Director

February 2016 - September 2023

After over 7 years of leading EAC, our former executive director is currently working as an Aide to District 4 Supervisor Rodoni. Under Morgan's leadership, EAC established new partnerships in the community, created pathways for innovative environmental education and student internship programs, developed an organizational strategic plan, upgraded administrative and technical systems, and launched a number of new land, water, and biodiversity programs.

In addition to her responsibilities at EAC, Morgan currently serves as a co-chair of the Golden Gate Marine Protected Area Collaborative, a conservation representative on the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, a committee member of the West Marin Climate Action, a trustee for the Marin/Sonoma Vector Control District, and participated in Drawdown: Marin stakeholder collaborative on climate resilient communities.

In addition to managing the organization, Morgan led specific program and policy campaign portfolios including: Safeguarding Our Coast and Ocean by advocating for Marine Protected Areas (MPA); Reducing Single-Use Plastics in our local community; Protecting Public Lands; Advocating for Environmentally Sustainable Communities; and Safeguarding Coastal Biodiversity.

Read Morgan’s August 27, 2023 resignation letter to the EAC membership here.