About Our Staff

Glenn Phillips is a lifelong environmental educator and conservationist. Raised in Livermore, he got his start in environmental education sharing his collection of reptiles and amphibians with local kindergarten classes when he was in second grade. Glenn has master’s degrees in urban sustainability and science education and is thrilled to return home to the East Bay after many years in NYC, where he was Executive Director of NYC Audubon and Vice President for Education at Prospect Park. At NYC Audubon, Glenn helped grow the membership base and expanded programming across the city, and directed the publication of the country's first Bird-Safe Building Guidelines. Glenn can be reached at gphillips@goldengateaudubon.org.

Clayton Anderson joined Golden Gate Audubon in 2017. He is an environmental educator and professional artist who became a naturalist and birder as a child, although he didn’t get his first pair of binoculars until graduating from high school. Clay worked his way through San Jose City College, then transferred to San Jose State University, graduating with a B.A. in Drawing and Painting. He has worked with a number of environmental education organizations, including California State Parks and Recreation, East Bay Regional Park District and The Oakland Museum. Clay may be contacted at canderson@goldengateaudubon.org.

Meshay Turner is a Bay Area native who is passionate about family, music, culture, and community. Her goal is to maintain superb professionalism alongside assisting others, whether at work or in her daily life. Meshay studied management at Laney College. She applies over 10 years of experience to her position at GGAS, including management experience at Pacific Maritime Association and Tesla. Working at GGAS allows Meshay to make an impact on environmental conservation, another one of her passions. She is also a full time, proud aunt who is helping her nieces and nephews learn the importance of conservation. Meshay may be contacted at mturner@goldengateaudubon.org or at ggas@goldengateaudubon.org.

Janet Carpinelli is GGAS’s Volunteer Services Manager. She thanks her parents for her lifelong love of all creatures and the great outdoors! Janet grew up on Long Island, NY, and enjoyed wandering the fields and woods near her home with friends and siblings. She was involved in environmental advocacy, politics, and art throughout her high school and college years, culminating her studies in her BFA Degree in Painting. Eventually, she moved to San Francisco, where she has been an advocate for open space and wildlife habitat preservation, as well as for affordable neighborhood housing. Prior to her current position, Janet spent three years working with and leading GGAS volunteers in ongoing habitat restoration and shoreline cleanup projects across the Bay Area. Janet enjoys being outdoors with GGAS volunteers and sees that they are well appreciated. Janet may be contacted at jcarpinelli@goldengateaudubon.org or at volunteer@goldengateaudubon.org.

Catherine Millar is GGAS’s Director of Development.  Catherine grew up in northern New Jersey. From a young age she was interested in the visual arts and went on to study printmaking and sculpture at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Soon after moving to California, she joined Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, as Administrative Director and became Executive Director the next year. Seven years later, Catherine joined the Exploratorium as Associate Director of Development. Thus began an unanticipated career in non-profit fundraising. Since that time, she has been Director of Development at Chabot Space and Science Center, Lindsay Wildlife Museum, Oakland Museum of California, and Richmond Art Center. She still finds time for painting and drawing, practices and teaches yoga, and enjoys hikes in the East Bay Regional Park system. You can email Catherine at cmillar@goldengateaudubon.org.

Ryan Nakano is a writer/poet currently working and living in Oakland. Growing up in El Dorado Hills, he found a love for the written word and storytelling through his interest in music and his experience as a student journalist in high school. In 2014, he graduated from Humboldt State University with a B.A. in Journalism and has gone on to freelance for several hyper-local news publications. For the past ten years he has devoted his energy to supporting small education-based nonprofits in programs and communications work and hopes to continue to find ways to build and sustain community as the Communications Associate at GGAS. Ryan can be reached via email at rnakano@goldengateaudubon.org 

Justin Pepito is a GGAS’s database and membership coordinator. A metro New York native, he moved to Australia to study Natural Resource Economics. Upon graduation, he consulted policy for Australian and American government agencies in environmental economics. He became an AmeriCorps VISTA, where he acquired skills in nonprofit operations while giving back to his local under-resourced communities. A liminal ‘systems interact with or within other systems’ thinker, he is interested in how grassroots efforts, nonprofits, academia, enterprise, and policy coordinate efforts to share resources & power for environmental justice. Outside of work, Justin is involved in queer activism in sports, data science for civic action projects, and advocating for working people. He loves cat cafes, learning about different cultures, dancing, national parks, and wild mushroom foraging in his free time. Justin can be reached at jpepito@goldengateaudubon.org