Board
Dr. Matt Ritter
Dr. Matt Ritter is an internationally recognized urban forestry expert, decorated professor and teacher. He has spent two decades studying trees and has written several award-winning books and many scientific articles.
Dr. Jenn Yost
Dr. Jenn Yost is a professor in the Biological Sciences Department at California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo, as well as the Director of the Hoover Herbarium and the coordinator of the Symbiota Support Hub for iDigBio. She received a distinguished teaching award in 2021.
Daniel Sinton
Daniel Sinton is a 5th Generation San Luis Obispo County rancher. He is a graduate of Shandon High School and Stanford University. He is currently managing 18,000 acres of open rangeland and 120 acres of wine grapes in eastern San Luis Obispo County, all of which are organic. Daniel has served on the board of the California Rangeland Trust.
Patrick Klemz
Patrick has been practicing corporate and nonprofit law for more than 10 years and is currently Vice President of the Washington, D.C. law firm Quinn, Racusin & Gazzola Chartered. Prior to becoming an attorney, he worked as a political and environmental issues reporter in California's Central Coast and in the Northern Rockies. A native of Milwaukee, Patrick received his B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his J.D. from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.
Sairus Patel
Sairus Patel, editor of the award-winning Trees of Stanford website, co-instructs campus classes and leads tree tours, presenting the history of his alma mater through an arboreal lens. With his background in font formats, he has a love for elegant typography and consults for botanical books and journals on both visual style and editorial content. He has served on the boards of Canopy and Pacific Horticulture.
Jason Johns
Dr. Jason Johns is a plant geneticist and postdoctoral fellow at UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz. His master's thesis described a novel leaning pattern in a globally common urban forest tree (Cook pine), in which trees lean toward the equator. He spends most of his spare time spearfishing, riding waves in various fashions, and exploring alpine environments.
James Kelly
James Kelley is a passionate botanist specializing in California and Hawai’i native plants. He has had the privilege of sharing his knowledge with students and engaging with the public about the fascinating world of plants—both native and ornamental. In his spare time, he enjoys exploring his home on Hawai’i Island and volunteering with local conservation groups dedicated to preserving native ecosystems.