Board Members
-
Neil Havlik
President
Neil has served on the RCD Board since 1998, and he has worked in natural resources all of his professional life. He received his B.S. in Biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, M.S in Botany from UC Santa Barbara, and Ph.D. in the interdisciplinary Wildland Resource Science program from UC Berkeley. His working career has included land-use planning, environmental impact analysis and mitigation, natural resource management, property management and land acquisition. He held a variety of positions in the Bay Area and was the Natural Resource Manager for the City of San Luis Obispo upon retirement.
-
Jean-Pierre Wolff
Vice President
Jean-Pierre joined the Board in 2004 and brings a unique combination of sustainable vineyard management, science and engineering experience to the group. He is the owner and vintner of Wolff Vineyards, a family owned, ecologically friendly vineyard and winery in San Luis Obispo. He earned an Electrical Power Engineering degree, an M.B.A and a Ph.D. in Science and Technology Management. Jean-Pierre also obtained Teaching Credentials and an Electrical and General Engineering Contractor’s license, holds U.S. Patents and has published numerous International technical papers. He often is a speaker on sustainability issues.
-
Dave Alford
Board Member
Dave joined the RCD Board in 2008. With his background in agricultural business, he manages his own diversified farm/ranch operation. He received his B.S. degree in Ag Business from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Upon graduating, he worked for a fully integrated dried fruit operation where he helped design and fabricate fruit processing lines and participated in stone fruit orchard layout and management. Dave returned to the Central Coast to work on the family ranch. Then he and his partner purchased the business from family members and developed a diversified farm and ranch operation, implementing many conservation practices.
-
Jessica Crutchfield
Board Member
Jessica joined the Board in 2017. She is a shareholder in a small environmental law firm. Her practice includes assisting stakeholders with environmental due diligence, risk management and compliance. She brings general legal experience as well as a broad understanding of environmental law to the RCD. Her J.D. includes a certificate in Environmental Law and Urban Planning. She is the mother of young twins, so she does not have much free time. When possible, however, she enjoys yard work, hiking and camping. She and her husband, children and dog reside in Los Osos.
-
Ron Munds
Board Member
Ron joined the Board in 2016 as an Associate Director and as a Director in 2019. He brings to the RCD his expertise in water conservation and water policy development. Ron graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a B.S. in Natural Resource Management. He worked for the City of San Luis Obispo as the Utilities Services Manager, which included stormwater, solid waste, energy and recycled water. He also worked for the County of San Luis Obispo as the Utilities Division Manager. Recently Ron took the position as General Manager of the Los Osos Community Services District. He enjoys surfing and music.
-
Linda Chipping
Board Member
Linda received her B.S. from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and M.S. from Penn State University. She has had overseas experiences that include working three years in a community development program in India to set up community vegetable gardens and poultry demonstration projects; and working two years in Nepal at a technical training institute. Linda also managed a public health program in two southern Arizona counties for several years. She believes the best place to spend time in San Luis Obispo county is outdoors. She and her husband love to explore the varied, beautiful landscapes of the West by camper van.
-
Cheryl Lenhardt
Associate Board Member
Cheryl joined the RCD Board in 2004 and has a background in construction and civil engineering with an emphasis on drainage and erosion control. Cheryl is a licensed civil engineer who received her B.S. in Environmental Resource Engineering from Humboldt State University. Her background helps the RCD focus its resources on projects that will garner the biggest environmental good for the money spent. She currently is the CEO of Lenhardt Engineering, a Civil Engineering and Construction Management firm based in San Luis Obispo. She is active in the cycling community.
-
Chris Bersbach
Associate Director
Chris joined the Board as an Associate Director in 2021. He holds a Masters in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California Santa Barbara, and his professional career is focused on environmental review of complex and controversial projects on the Central Coast. In his free time Chris enjoys exploring the Southern Sierra as a rock climber, and he particularly loves adventuring in the Sierra and Sequoia National Forests and Yosemite National Park. Chris lives in Arroyo Grande with his wife and two extremely spoiled cats.
-
Jeana Cadby
Associate Director
Jeana joined the Board as an Associate Director in 2021. She manages scientific alliances for an agricultural biotech startup. She received her B.S. and M.S. in Plant and Soil Sciences from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and her Ph.D. in Agricultural Development Studies from the University of Tokyo. Her research has taken her around the world to study sustainable agroforestry systems as well as recycling local waste products for agricultural subsistence and commercial operations. She is a former conservation planner and has always been an advocate for sustainable agriculture and natural resources conservation.
Staff Members
-
Jackie Crabb
Executive Director
Jackie joined the RCD in 2014 as the Executive Director. Prior to that, she worked for the San Luis Obispo County Agricultural Commissioner, Ag in the Classroom, and for 13 years as the Executive Director of the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau. Jackie holds a B.S. in Agricultural Business Management from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and she is a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program. While living in Northern California, Jackie attended law school but cut it short after 1½ years so that she could move back to SLO as the Farm Bureau Executive Director. Jackie enjoys genealogy, gardening and cooking.
-
Hallie Richard
Programs Manager
Hallie joined the RCD team in 2016. She earned a B.A in Environmental Studies from SFSU in 2009. Her involvement in agriculture began with her first job in the pear orchards of Mendocino County, and includes grape harvests in northern Italy, an olive harvest outside of Rome, a year as the Mendocino County Viticulture Technician for Constellation Wines, three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama working on water/sanitation projects, and two years with the NRCS in Castle Dale, Utah. Hallie enjoys traveling, cooking, baseball and all of the outdoor activities the Central Coast offers.
-
Hayley Barnes
Conservation Projects Manager
Hayley joined the RCD team in early 2022. She earned a B.S. in Environmental Management and Protection with an emphasis in Natural Resources Planning from Humboldt State University. She has worked at a small-scale microgreens farm and at a creamery. Hayley served in the Watershed Stewards Program, monitoring steelhead populations on the Big Sur Coast and in Northern San Luis Obispo watersheds. Following that she was hired by the Upper Salinas-Las Tablas RCD and continued work in healthy soils, watershed enhancement and other projects. Hayley enjoys exploring her native Central Coast, traveling, restoring her vintage trailer and cooking.
-
Joe Murphy
District Engineer
Joe, who joined the RCD in 2018, is committed to the work of restoring a healthy relationship between humans and their environment. He is excited to use his skills to serve that vision through the RCD. He has experience in grading and drainage, stormwater management, small-scale restoration, ecological agriculture and construction management. In his time away from the RCD, Joe works as a handyman, co-manages a program in Applied Ecology at Cal Poly, and tends a small homestead with his partner. He has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and is a licensed Professional Engineer.
-
Mark Skinner
Restoration Specialist II
Mark has been with the RCD since 2013 and has a B.S. in Landscape Architecture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He has been involved in environmental work beginning with native plant landscaping then giving composting workshops and ecological gardening classes. Since 1998, Mark has worked in the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, where he eliminates invasive plant species and enhances opportunities for rare plants to thrive. Mark also writes a monthly invasive species report for Obispoensis a publication of the San Luis Obispo chapter of the California Native Plant Society.
-
Alanna Kiefer
Restoration Specialist I
Alanna joined the CSLRCD after graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a B.S. in Environmental Earth and Soil Sciences and a minor in Biology. She enjoys teaching others about plants and learning to identify new species. Originally from Northern California, she appreciates everything the Central Coast has to offer. Alanna enjoys hiking, spending time at the beach, creating art and traveling to new places.
-
Samantha Alvarez
Restoration Coordinator
Sam graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a B.S. in Environmental Management and Protection, a minor in Biology and a minor in Indigenous Studies with a concentration in Botany. She worked for the local State Park for five years, where she developed a passion for restoration work through invasive plant removal and native plant propagation. Previously, Sam worked for Audubon California, SLO Botanical Garden and The Dune Center. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, rock climbing, doing yoga, and loving each of her six pets.
-
→
-
Shelly Rachels
Accounting Manager
Shelly joined the RCD in summer 2018. After spending the first part of her life in the hot Central Valley, she sold her home and lived the RV travel lifestyle for a few months until Morro Bay called her back. She is loving life on the Central Coast. Shelly has an A.A. in accounting and has many years of experience working in office manager positions, mostly for agricultural-related businesses. She has also worked as a realtor, a small business owner in construction and a staff accountant. Since coming to San Luis Obispo County, she continues to work in offices, as an Uber driver and in elder care—what her heart loves.
-
Susan DeCarli
Board Secretary
Susan joined the CSLRCD in 2022. As a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduate, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s in City and Regional Planning. She enjoyed a long-standing career in local land-use and environmental planning, where she worked for local cities to help shape communities, protect environmental resources, and expand outdoor recreational activities, such as hiking and bicycling trails. Now semi-retired, Susan enjoys travel and all things outdoors from hiking, biking, gardening and stand-up boarding to snowboarding. She is pleased to work with the RCD to help support its missions and activities.