PhD, UC Berkeley (Energy and Resources)
MS, UC Berkeley (Civil Engineering, Environmental Water Resources)
MPhil, Cambridge University, King’s College (History and Philosophy of Science)
AB, Harvard College (History and Science)

Dr. Micheli joined Sonoma County’s Pepperwood Foundation in October of 2009 as its inaugural Executive Director and now serves as the organization’s President and CEO. She brings more than 30 years of experience applying her technical, policy, and fundraising expertise to the design and implementation of ecological restoration, research, and education programs. She started her career at the US Environmental Protection Agency and then completed her graduate studies at UC Berkeley as a NASA Earth Systems Research Fellow in 2000.  She now focuses her research on relationships between climate, watershed health, wildfire, and biodiversity, and has published numerous peer-reviewed studies.

Dr. Micheli specializes in facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations focused on using relevant research to craft collective solutions to today’s most pressing landscape conservation challenges. She serves as the co-chair of Pepperwood’s Terrestrial Biodiversity Climate Change Collaborative (TBC3) with Dr. David Ackerly, Dean of UC Berkeley’s Rausser College of Natural Resources. She has been recognized as a Phi Beta Kappa scholar, a Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation Environmental Leader, a Bay Nature Local Hero, a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, and a 2020 Global Fulbright Fellow. She is a member of the American Geophysical Union and the Society for Conservation Biology. Dr. Micheli serves on the Board of After The Fire, and as a Science Advisor to the Golden Gate Biosphere Network, and the California Biodiversity Network supporting statewide implementation of 30×30.

Publications

Chornesky, E. A., D. D. Ackerly, P. Beier, F. W. Davis, L. E. Flint, J. J. Lawler, P. B. Moyle, M. A. Moritz, M. Scoonover, K. Byrd, P. Alvarez, N. E. Heller, E. R. Micheli, and S. B. Weiss. 2015. Adapting California’s ecosystems to a changing climate. BioScience 65:247–262.

Cornwall, C., S. Moore, D. DiPietro, S. Veloz, L. Micheli, L. Casey, and M. Mersich. 2015. Climate Ready Sonoma County: Climate Hazards and Vulnerabilities. Prepared as part of Climate Action 2020 by North Bay Climate Adaptation Initiative for Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection Authority, Santa Rosa, CA.

Halbur, M., E. R. Micheli, and S. Funke. 2015. Combining people, place and science: lessons learned from citizen science at Pepperwood. Poster presentation at Citizen Science Association, San Jose, CA.

Heller, N., J. Kreitler, D. D. Ackerly, S. B. Weiss, A. Recinos, R. Branciforte, L. E. Flint, A. L. Flint, and E. Micheli. 2015. Targeting climate diversity in conservation planning to build resilience to climate change. Ecosphere 6:65.

Micheli, L., L. E. Flint, S. Veloz, and N. Heller. 2015. PA13B-05: Generating relevant climate adaptation science tools in concert with local natural resource agencies. Oral presentation at American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, CA.

Funke, S., M. Halbur, N. Barden, C. Dodge, J. Robinson, and L. Micheli. 2014. Pepperwood’s TeenNat Diverse Youth Contributing to Conservation Science. Poster presentation at Toyota TogetherGreen Fellowship Conference, Washington, DC.

Gillogly, M., M. Halbur, C. Dodge, and L. Micheli. 2014. The Pepperwood Conservation Grazing Pilot Project: Managing for complexity in our coastal California grasslands. Poster presentation at California Invasive Plant Council, Chico, CA.

Ackerly, D., M. Oldfather, M. Britton, M. Halbur, and L. Micheli. 2013. Establishment of woodland vegetation research plots at Pepperwood Preserve. Terrestrial Biodiversity Climate Change Collaborative. Dwight Center for Conservation Science at Pepperwood, Santa Rosa, CA.

Halbur, M., M. Kennedy, D. Ackerly, L. Micheli, and J. Thorne. 2013. Creating a detailed vegetation map for Pepperwood Preserve. Terrestrial Biodiversity Climate Change Collaborative. Dwight Center for Conservation Science at Pepperwood, Santa Rosa, CA.

Heller, N., J. Kreitler, S. Weiss, D. Ackerly, and L. Micheli. 2013. Targeting climate diversity to increase the resilience of the Conservation Lands Network to climate change. Terrestrial Biodiversity Climate Change Collaborative. Dwight Center for Conservation Science at Pepperwood, Santa Rosa, CA.

Micheli, L., and D. Ackerly. 2013. The Terrestrial Biodiversity Climate Change Collaborative (TBC3): An interdisciplinary strategy for advancing science-based conservation. Terrestrial Biodiversity Climate Change Collaborative. Dwight Center for Conservation Science at Pepperwood, Santa Rosa, CA.

Micheli, L., and D. DiPietro. 2013. North Bay vital signs: An integrated ecosystem-climate monitoring framework for Sonoma County. North Bay Climate Adaptation Initiative, Santa Rosa, CA.

Weiss, S. B., A. Flint, L. Flint, H. Hamilton, M. Fernandez, and L. Micheli. 2013. Climate scenarios for San Francisco Bay Area. Terrestrial Biodiversity Climate Change Collaborative. Dwight Center for Conservation Science at Pepperwood, Santa Rosa, CA.

Micheli, E., L. Flint, A. Flint, S. Weiss, and M. Kennedy. 2012. Downscaling future climate projections to the watershed scale: A North San Francisco Bay case study. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science 4.

Townsend, S. E., L. Micheli, and M. Halbur. 2012. Using the Wildlife Picture Index to measure ecosystem health and connectivity. Poster presentation at The Wildlife Society, Reno, NV.

Jensen, M., M. Gillogly, M. Kennedy, and L. Micheli. 2011. Monitoring long-term vegetation response to climate change: Setting a baseline. Poster presentation at Organization of Biological Field Stations, Bodega, CA.

Micheli, E. R., and E. W. Larsen. 2011. River channel cutoff dynamics, Sacrament River, California, USA. River Research Applications 27:328–344.

Flint, L. E., A. L. Flint, S. B. Weiss, and E. R. Micheli. 2010. Hope for the forests? Habitat resiliency illustrated in the face of climate change using fine-scale modeling. Page 0834 American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA.

Micheli, L., L. Flint, A. Flint, M. Kennedy, S. Weiss, and R. Branciforte. 2010. Adapting to climate change: state of the science for North Bay watersheds a guide for managers. Dwight Center for Conservation Science at Pepperwood, Santa Rosa, CA.

Ridolfi, K., P. Vorster, and L. Micheli. 2010. Indicators and performance measures for North Bay watersheds. North Bay Watershed Association.

Hayes, G., and E. Micheli. 2009. Monitoring plan for the Rutherfor Reach of the Napa River. State Water Resources Control Board, Sacramento, CA.

Micheli, E. 2004. Limiting factors analysis (salmonid abundance and distribution), Sonoma Creek watershed. San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, Oakland, CA.

Micheli, E. R., J. W. Kirchner, and E. W. Larsen. 2004. Quantifying the effect of riparian forest versus agricultural vegetation on river meander migration rates, central Sacramento River, California, USA. River Research and Applications 20:537–548.

Avery, E. R., E. R. Micheli, and E. W. Larsen. 2003. River channel cut-off dynamics, Sacramento River, California, USA. Page 84 (46) American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting.

Micheli, E. R., and J. W. Kirchner. 2002. Effects of wet meadow riparian vegetation on streambank erosion. 1. Remote sensing measurements of streambank migration and erodibility. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 27:627–639.

Micheli, E. R., and J. W. Kirchner. 2002. Effects of wet meadow riparian vegetation on streambank erosion. 2. Measurements of vegetated bank strength and consequences for failure mechanics. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 27:687–697.

Larsen, E., and E. Micheli. 1997. Controls on bank erosion and migration of the upper Sacramento River. American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting. Baltimore, MD.

Micheli, E., and J. W. Kirchner. 1997. Quantifying how herbaceous vegetation stabilizes stream banks: Monache Meadow, South Fork of the Kern River, Southern Sierra Nevada. American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting. Baltimore, MD.

Kondolf, G. M., and E. R. Micheli. 1995. Evaluating stream restoration projects. Environmental Management 19:1–15.

Micheli, E. 1994. River and watershed planning: The San Luis Rey River case study EPA/600/R-94/213. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR.

Leidy, R. A., P. L. Fiedler, and E. R. Micheli. 1992. Is wetter better? BioScience 42:58–65.

Publication list last updated April 2016.

Julie Kawahara has dedicated her life to the public sector, focusing on government, educational institutions and nonprofit service organizations that support individuals and communities to thrive.  She has over 25 years of experience in organizational development, strategic planning, program and evaluation design.  She is the lead consultant in her own business, Kawahara & Associates, focused on healthcare, education, human services, workforce development and climate justice.  Throughout her career, Ms. Kawahara has always been at the forefront of progressive initiatives designed to improve community and system outcomes.  Working with larger institutions such as Santa Rosa Junior College, Sonoma State University, California Department of Health Services, Sonoma County Department of Health and Human Services Department, and Sonoma County Indian Health Project, Ms. Kawahara has conducted evaluations, designed and implemented programs, developed policies and procedures and facilitated diverse groups in strategic action planning.  One significant project with the Santa Rosa Junior College was to establish a health career center for Latinx students fulfilling the vision of increasing the Spanish-speaking workforce in healthcare for the local hospitals and clinics.

Smaller organizations have also benefitted from Board development and training, strategic planning, fund development planning and improvements to their human resources processes.  These include local grassroots organizations such as Los Cien, Positive Images (LGBTQ+), Latino Service Providers, Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of the North Bay, and the Community Baptist Collaborative.

In 2020, Kawahara & Associates broadened their client base to include organizations focused on climate solutions and environmental justice.  The inter-relationship and inter-dependencies of humans and earth’s ability to thrive has become more critical and apparent to even those who are not working in health and environment.  Applying her knowledge and experience in the healthcare sector, Ms. Kawahara has easily translated how the human ecosystem is a smaller model of the earth’s ecosystem. Furthermore, natural and man-made disasters have exacerbated the inequities and disparities experience by the poor and communities of color.  Ms. Kawahara has been appointed to the Climate Action Advisory Council for the Regional Climate Protection Authority and has recently been appointed to the Board of Directors for Pepperwood Preserve in Sonoma County.

Born and raised in Los Altos, California, Mark Dwight is the founder and owner of Rickshaw Bagworks (rickshawbags.com), a San Francisco-based manufacturer of custom messenger bags, backpacks, briefcases, tote bags, and related everyday carry accessories. Prior to founding Rickshaw, Mark was the CEO of Timbuk2Designs (2002 – 2006), another San Francisco-based bag manufacturer. Before he started designing and making bags, Mark spent 20 years working in various Silicon Valley technology companies including, Spectra-Physics, KLA Instruments, Digital Microwave, Kensington, and Cisco Systems (1997 – 2001). Mark is also the founder of SFMade.org, an organization supporting San Francisco-based manufacturers. Mark has served on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and the San Francisco Small Business Commission. Mark has a BS in Mechanical Engineering (1982) and an MBA (1989), both from Stanford University.