Jess Espinoza (she/her/hers) is Heal the Bay’s new Associate Director of Special Events. With almost a decade of environmental nonprofit fundraising experience, she joins us from NRDC where she served as their Assistant Director of Events for 7 years. Jess has worked and volunteered at various local enviro groups including; Sierra Club, Nature for All, SEED Consulting and more. When she is not working, Jess enjoys hiking with her dog, finding cool new restaurants/experiences around the city and struggling to make her patio vegetable garden grow.

Alex is a fundraising professional with experience crafting effective strategies that drive sustained revenue growth and donor loyalty. With roots deeply entwined in a love for nature, you’ll likely find Alex knee-deep in the earth in her free time, caring for her garden or playing with her beloved rescue animals. With a lifelong fascination for marine life, and a penchant for whale watching, Alex is fueled by the calming force of the ocean and driven to protect our coastal systems. Alex channels this passion into forging and nurturing corporate partnerships, ensuring synergy between business objectives and Heal the Bay’s clean water mission and other priorities.

Garen serves as the Senior Development Specialist in the Development Department where he is responsible for sustaining the Heal the Bay membership program and assuring that all donors questions and concerns are addressed. Garen was born in Iran and immigrated to the United States early on. Having the opportunity to live in various countries helped Garen understand how the environment, including water quality and availability, can affect public health. This was the leading reason he decided to attend CSULA and get his B.S in Public Health. That, however, was not enough for Garen, who previously worked for LGBTQ advocacy groups, HIV/AIDS organizations and nonprofits which assist with refugee relocation. As a result, Garen attended graduate school in Rome, Italy to study Economic Governance and Policy and gained more in-depth knowledge of environmental science and the importance of maintaining the environment. When he is not working, Garen is traveling around the world.

John Seiber brings more than 25 years of non-profit experience to his role as VP, Development.  He began his career at Caring for Babies with AIDS and since has raised nearly $150,000,000 for causes including the environment, children with critical illnesses, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, international children’s well-being, muscular dystrophy, homelessness, and food insecurity.  Heal the Bay is coming home for John who started as a beach cleanup volunteer and led the Development team from 2007 to 2011.

Antonio was born in Los Angeles and grew up along the California coastline. From a young age, he enjoyed visiting beaches and aquariums where he would explore his passion for marine life and the ocean. He enjoys working with people and sharing this passion with others. Drawing from a background in psychology, he works to connect people with Heal the Bay. As the Senior Development Coordinator, Antonio collaborates with corporate partners and supporters to further the organization’s mission, engaging people in exploring marine pollution through the Suits on the Sand program. In his free time, he enjoys surfing, diving, hiking, and eating ramen.

Sheila provides guidance on Heal the Bay’s overall fundraising strategy, including leveraging corporate partnerships and stewarding the organization’s foundation relationships. Before joining Heal the Bay in 2005, she raised money for a public health non-profit in Los Angeles. She is a South Bay native, graduated from U.C. Santa Cruz, and is also a musician. Her favorite beach destination is somewhere along Costa Rica.