EDI Team

Sarah brings 15 years of experience developing and managing science-based education programs, as well as ecological research and conservation projects around the globe. She has worked in a wide variety of contexts and ecosystems, from urban forests in Boston, MA, to agricultural communities in eastern Colorado and rural villages in east Africa. In 2009, while conducting fieldwork for her PhD in Ecology in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania, she founded a non-profit there dedicated to protecting elephants and improving human livelihoods. Sarah believes passionately in the importance of connecting people with nature for the benefit of both, and she is especially focused on ensuring people from traditionally under-resourced communities share in those opportunities. Sarah is a Colorado native and loves hiking and backpacking with her rescue pitbull, Winston.

Simon Breen (he/him/his) has worked to provide transformative, equitable access to outdoor education and recreation in San Diego County since 2014.  He's an advocate of thinking globally and acting locally, and fostering environmental stewardship via experiences that build a lifelong connection to nature.  As EDI's Education Director, he oversees the organization’s endeavors to engage students, families, and communities in the outdoors.  Simon's academic background has spanned natural resource management, wildlife conservation, environmental education, and anthropology.  He holds dual masters’ degrees from Cornell and Oxford Brookes University, and a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State.  He also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua, where he promoted environmental education, agricultural extension, and community outreach.  In 2021, he received the Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s “Educator of the Year” award.  When he's not bringing people to nature with EDI, he enjoys adventuring outdoors in his free time with his wife and their shaggy rapscallion of a dog, Maui.

Ida has over 17 years of experience as a marine and wildlife biologist. She has worked in not-for-profit, government, academia, and consulting roles in various countries. She has led conservation research expeditions worldwide, training citizen scientists in field research and wildlife conservation, and managed wildlife conservation projects in a variety of ecosystems and across a large range of species. Ida holds a B.S. with honors in Marine Biology and Zoology from the University of Queensland, Australia, and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science from Murdoch University, Australia. She is passionate about nature conservation and a strong believer that through citizen science and community involvement, we can foster environmental stewards and help protect threatened species and our local ecosystems here in San Diego County. She is also an avid mountaineer and is a published author of a novel and children’s book, and she has produced and directed two documentary films featured at various film festivals.

Ashley (she/her) is a San Diego native with a background in horticulture and business administration, earning 3 associates degrees and 4 certificates from Cuyamaca College. Her passion for the outdoors roots back to childhood where she was often found in the garden with her mom. She is equipped with years of experience from plant nurseries and distribution, floral design, office administration, and volunteer work for multiple organizations around San Diego. She joined EDI in 2021 while living in San Diego, and relocated to Salem, OR in 2023. Ashley loves problem-solving and keeping things organized for EDI behind the scenes. If she's not crafting or working with her hands, she's exploring the outdoors with her husband and high school sweetheart, Steven. She is thrilled to be part of the EDI family, and contribute her love of organization, commitment to the environment, and excitement for nature to our community!

Ashley has been with EDI since 2022 as a field instructor and education coordinator. She has a background in ecology and evolutionary biology from UC Santa Cruz, and science illustration from CSU Monterey Bay. Ashley has lived in San Diego for the past 4 years and has loved becoming familiar with the many plant and animal species found here and getting to teach kids about them too.

"It has been such a joyous experience working with kids and being a facilitator to connect them with the magic of nature. I love being able to bring in my science and art background as a field instructor to show my students how to look at animals and plants with an artistic eye while also thinking like a scientist. I've learned so much from working with these kids, and they are some of the brightest, funniest, and most creative people I know!"

Veronica quickly developed a love for California's native plants when she first stepped into the world of environmental restoration. After earning her Bachelor's at CSU Channel Islands, she began working on several restoration projects at the Channel Islands National Park, bringing about a growing fascination for plants. Her next opportunity took her to Eastern Oregon for a year to exclusively work on identifying the native species of the Great Basin. She is now back in Southern California to properly restore the wonderful Mediterranean ecosystem with her newsly gained knowledge!

Grace is a long-time lover of the earth, and has been hugging and climbing trees as long as she can remember! Hailing from North Carolina, she came to California in 2017 to earn a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. After graduating in 2021, she moved to San Diego shortly after to pursue a career of caring for people and nature. Grace has worked in nature and with kids for as long as she can remember, holding positions such as camp counselor, gardening apprentice, elementary school fundraising leader, and more. Her favorite job was in college, where she rode a specialized tricycle around campus to sort the recycling and compost in each waste bin to help her school meet their zero-waste goal. She is passionate about empowering children as well as adults and is so excited to be able to do so at EDI! 

Dana is a Psychology Major at Southwestern College, where she plans to earn her Bachelor of Psychology in 2025 once transferring to SDSU. She is fluent in Arabic and has worked with children for 3 years, with a focus on teaching and assisting those with behavioral, mental, and developmental disorders at public schools, private schools, and behavioral therapy clinics. Dana’s passion for teaching is as strong as her admiration for nature. In her free time, she is gardening and participates in outdoor activities such as hiking, outdoor bouldering, and mountain biking. She is delighted to be a part of the team and to help create positive and meaningful learning experiences for students.

Erin (she/her) developed a lifelong love for wildlife while growing up in the Pacific Northwest. She has always found joy exploring the natural world and doing her part to protect its biodiversity. She got her start working with the environment in her high school’s Students Saving Salmon club, where she fell in love with both field work and environmental stewardship. During her undergraduate years at Cal Poly SLO, Erin jumped into several ecological research projects, helping with small mammal population and diet research, fish behavioral research, and a novel study on plant evolution. She graduates from Cal Poly in the winter of 2023 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences, concentrating in ecology, evolution, biodiversity, and conservation. Erin is passionate about science-based environmental stewardship and believes that learning to love and understand the natural world is the key to preserving it.

Katherine (she/her/hers) came across Earth Discovery Institute while hiking through Crestridge Ecological Reserve. She wants to work with EDI because she will be directly serving her local community in some of San Diego’s natural spaces. She is excited about helping educate our future scientists, conservationists, educators, and innovators, learning more about the species that live right in her backyard, participating
in habitat restoration projects, and supporting EDI.

Aaron is originally from Ohio and spent every moment he could camping (until it got too cold). He worked in greenhouses in Ohio as well as a survival wilderness guide in Ontario Canada. In 2021, Aaron moved to San Diego (where he doesn’t have to worry about it getting too cold). Aaron is currently a biology major at San Diego Mesa College and is planning to transfer to a university in 2025. He enjoys everything outdoors like gardening and landscaping, hiking, and cycling. He is super stoked about educating the youth and local families about the many wonderful things about nature.

Mackenzie is thrilled to serve as a part-time field instructor this Fall! Participating in EDI's environmental education program and restoration initiatives aligns with her long-term career interests and Bachelor's in Sustainability. She is eager to continue learning more about the innter workings of a service-based non-profit and how to successfullly run engaging programs that support youth development and ecological preservation in our community. She is grateful for the opportunity to gain insight into EDI's operations and to be able to contribute to the impactful work we do!

Adamari (she/her/hers) is a San Diego native and recent graduate of UCSD where she received a Bachelors of Science in Ecology, Behavior & Evolution, and a minor in Climate Change Studies. She is passionate about environmental justice and working with students from underserved communities who lack access to natural spaces and opportunities to enter science. Adamari is enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge with EDI students & families and getting others excited about being outside. She hopes to inspire others to become environmental stewards! In her free time, Adamari enjoys hiking, working out, reading books, and enjoying nature.

LaDaryn grew up in the Midwest and recently moved to the West Coast. He developed a passion for nature and animal care when volunteering in the natural science world early in life and visiting museums and zoos. LaDaryn originally planned to become a veterinarian and earned a Bachelors of Science in Pre-Veterinary Animal Science from Oklahoma State University in Spring of 2020. During his undergraduate years, he served as president of the university's chapter of MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences) where he and his members networked with neighboring Agriculture and Ecology communities while fundraising for nonprofit organizations. LaDaryn enjoys traveling and people, which encouraged him to pursue work where he can introduce others to conservation, and support efforts protecting wildlife. His favorite animals are primates and bats (gorillas & flying foxes), and he hopes his work with others will positively impact these animals' habitats and populations.

Cypress is a professional naturalist and science communicator with experience in outdoor marine science education, science journalism, Natural History Museum marketing, book illustration, and more. She runs her own business as an outdoor hiking guide, where she interprets San Diego's diverse ecosystems to locals and visitors alike. Part of Cypress's mission is to inspire youngsters to feel confident and curious in nature, and supporting EDI's programming is the perfect opportunity to serve new, young audiences. When she's not interpreting nature to people, Cypress spends her time looking for snakes in the desert, looking for octopus on the coast, or looking for new recipes around the world!

Celesté was born in Los Angeles, moved to Mexico, then Oceanside, and finally settled in Southeast San Diego for the past 20 years. She is a first generation college student, artist, mental health advocate, and social entrepreneur with a background in Social Psychology (BS), Education. Most of her experience has been in personal and career counseling, and over the last 4 years, she has deepen her relationship with the land through herbalism, farming, and community building. Celesté's career shift came from her desire to reconnect historically marginalized folks to natural spaces, healthy food, and overall self-sustaining practices. She is excited to work with EDI to help the next generation of earth's caretakers connect with and advocate for our shared home.

Sarrah is a third-generation San Diegan whose love for animals was sparked at the San Diego Zoo. This passion led her to earn a Bachelor's in Animal Science at UC Davis and to volunteer with animal rehabilitation organizations in San Diego and Northern California. Transitioning to nursing, Sarrah became a Registered Nurse, working in various hospital settings, from delivering babies to psychiatric care. Now, as a school nurse, she blends her medical skills with a love for educating young minds. Outside of work, she is deeply involved in native plant restoration. Her family—high school sweetheart husband, energetic toddler, and furry companions—brings her immense joy. Whether exploring nature or tending to her garden, she is driven by a commitment to make a positive impact on both people and the planet.

With her lifelong love for all things in nature, Stacey has trained and worked in the Naturalist field since 2012. Starting with training as a Canyoneer Field Guide for the San Diego Natural History Museum, she went on to be Vice President and President for four years, and is still an active guide for the group. Naturalist and Interpretive training continued with California Chaparral Institute and the National Park Service. With so much training under her belt, Stacey started working as an Outdoor Instructor for many different San Diego Non-Profit organizations in 2015, which she continues to do to this day. Still wanting to teach love and respect for science and nature, Stacey also cares for all the live animals in the San Diego Natural History Museum.