Our Leaders in California

As the Interim State Director, Scott leads an interdisciplinary team of conservation scientists and practitioners who design and implement cutting-edge conservation strategies across the lands and waters of California. He began his career with The Nature Conservancy in 2001, working to develop the science and planning foundations for our work to protect a network of conservation lands across the rapidly urbanizing landscape of southern California. In 2008, he assumed the directorship of California’s science and geodesign teams; his contributions during that tenure included co-leading the team that spearheaded the 2016 refresh of TNC’s signature “approach,” Conservation by Design. In 2017, his scope was expanded to include leadership and management of California’s Conservation Programs Department.

Brea Jones is the Chief Operating Officer for The Nature Conservancy in California. She oversees the administrative, financial, operational, executive and people functions for the California Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. In addition to leading these functional areas, Brea drives cross-functional strategic initiatives with particular emphasis on connecting conservation programs, fundraising and finance. She joined TNC in 2012 as a member of the marketing team and most recently served as chief of staff and director of strategic initiatives. Prior to TNC, Brea served as director of communications for NatureBridge, an environmental education nonprofit aimed at youth in national parks. A fourth-generation Californian, Brea started her career as a journalist in the Central Valley and earned her M.B.A. from the University of San Francisco.

Levi is the Chief Development Officer for The Nature Conservancy in California. For the past 14 years, he has worked at the intersection of conservation and philanthropy and now leads a team of 50 development professionals across California to fund the organization’s highest priorities. He began as an executive assistant at TNC’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia in 2011 and grew through the organization to serve in roles such as the director of individual giving for Northern California and the campaign director for the Northern Sierra Partnership. Recently, Levi was a key team member helping craft a historic campaign to transform the Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, California. Prior to working with TNC, he was a wildland firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service in the Teton National Forest in Wyoming. Levi holds a B.S. in political science from Georgetown University, where he was also an all-American distance runner. He lives in Fairfax, California with his wife and two sons, Boone and Knox, and calls mid-coast Maine his other home.

Liz Forsburg Pardi is The Nature Conservancy's California Director of External Affairs overseeing policy engagements and directing strategies on public policy, legislation and funding issues. She joined TNC in 2005, leading the organization’s outreach on forest and agricultural policy in Washington, D.C. She brings more than 18 years of experience advancing policy change as well as extensive leadership on public funding and conservation ballot initiatives.

Danny Johnson brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing, content, operations and growth leadership to The Nature Conservancy in California, where he leads Marketing and Communications. His role is critical within the organization given California’s position as one of the most biodiverse locations in the world, combined with the state’s capabilities in global conservation leadership, fundraising, technology, public policy and innovation.

Danny joined in 2020, bringing with him a wealth of marketing, strategy, creative and production experience in the media and entertainment space. Most recently, he led Paramount Pictures’ Worldwide Creative Content team, crafting and producing content for film properties including A Quiet Place, Mission Impossible: Fallout and Rocketman. Prior to that, he helped build a new discipline at Twentieth Century Fox focusing on strengthening the connection between worldwide audiences and the studio’s most valuable franchises. He founded a creative agency, Creative Asylum, and over a decade led the company from two to 120 employees and four offices worldwide. He has a law degree from Loyola Marymount University and a cultural anthropology degree from UC Santa Barbara.

Danny is a native Californian and has a lifelong love of the outdoors and the sense of well-being he finds in nature. When he’s not working he enjoys good whiskey, dogs, baseball, basketball, fitness and watersports of all types (surfing and being near any body of water). Danny and his wife, 18-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter, two old English sheepdogs and one mystery mutt, live in South Pasadena, a short jaunt away from the Los Angeles office and LA’s most sacred place—Dodger Stadium.

Tom leads the effort to transform how marine biodiversity and ecosystems are protected and managed. Prior to joining TNC, Tom held various positions, from a crew member on commercial fishing boats to the policy director of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Association to a member of the New England Fishery Management Council. He is advancing a new paradigm for fishery management, coastal and island habitat restoration and ocean conservation. His team partners with community leaders and managers and leverages cutting-edge science and technology tools to drive change. Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Dartmouth College and a master’s degree in wildlife biology from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Sophie's work is focused on generating the relationships, evidence and communications necessary to integrate conservation priorities into both on-the-ground projects and land use and climate policies. Sophie has more than two decades of experience in science leadership in the non-profit sector, and she holds a Ph.D. from the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Rodd leads TNC in California’s efforts to create a connected and resilient network of protected lands. He has served as both lead scientist and strategy lead for TNC in California’s Land and Water programs. He has also worked in both the public and private sectors as a natural resources manager. Rodd has published more than 40 papers on land conservation, wildlife-friendly agriculture and migratory birds. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis in ecology and animal behavior.

Sandi leads a multidisciplinary team focused on securing a sustainable and resilient water future for California. At TNC, she has worked at the nexus of water and agriculture across the state, including launching BirdReturns and working to implement the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. A Central Valley native, she earned her B.A. from Yale University and her M.B.A. from the Anderson School at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 2017, Governor Brown appointed her to the board of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy. She is also a member of the first cohort of the Water Solutions Network.

Laura leads a team of conservation practitioners who design and execute innovative strategies at the nexus of climate and land use. Laura was previously director of TNC’s California Renewable Energy Initiative. In this role, she provided scientific analyses and collaborated with government, industry and other environmental groups to develop solutions for preserving and protecting unique biodiversity and ecosystem function while facilitating clean energy development. Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Julie leads science initiatives that allow TNC to design and implement transformative water projects and policies. She develops collaborative, science-based approaches to water management, environmental flows and river restoration. Before joining TNC in California, Julie was a fish biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a river ecologist with TNC’s Connecticut River and Chesapeake Bay programs. Julie holds a Ph.D. in fisheries from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

Jono works in collaboration with governments, communities and the private sector to develop solutions to the world’s most pressing ocean challenges and restore resilience to our ocean ecosystems. He earned his Ph.D. from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he currently serves as an adjunct professor.