As California Project Director, Mari develops collaborative and strategic partnerships to further policy and land use initiatives that promote wildlife corridors and core habitat protections throughout the State of California.

Mari spent her childhood on a farm in the San Joaquin Valley of California and her summers in the Sierra Nevada, near Ebbetts Pass. Her outdoor exposure inspired her to earn her bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Humboldt State University. After college, she rode her bike across the U.S., lived off the grid in Hawaii, and then took a job coordinating settlements at a personal injury law firm in downtown San Francisco to gain exposure to the practice of law. She then received her law degree at the University of Oregon in 2020 and became licensed to practice law in both Oregon and California in 2021.

Mari lives in Sacramento, California. When not strategizing a connected California, you’ll find her with her dog, Bodie, either backpacking, trail running, cooking, practicing piano, brewing beer, gardening, or sketching.