Alison is an Energy and Environment partner at Nixon Peabody, helping clients find sustainable solutions to environmental problems, looking for ways to mitigate risk while reducing pollution. She’s the co-chair of Nixon Peabody’s Legally Green Initiative, overseeing a $2M biennial pro bono commitment. Previously she worked as an aquatic toxicologist, utilizing her BS in Aquatic Biology from UC Santa Barbara. She received her JD from the University of Oregon, graduating first in her class. An avid scuba diver since age 15, Alison has been on 300+ dives around the world. Alison joins the Board to help improve San Francisco’s urban environment, increasing tree equity and pushing back against the devastating impacts of climate change. 

Katie is a Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), focusing on technology-driven transformation with expertise in carbon accounting and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives. Her passion for sustainability was sparked during her college years when she studied abroad in Northern Europe, with a focus on landscape architecture, sustainable transit and waste management. Originally from the Bay Area, Katie holds a degree in Geography from the University of California, Berkeley. She enjoys exploring the outdoors, travel and photography.

Ray joined FUF’s Board in 2020 after having been a Volunteer Planting Leader since 2018. The longtime San Francisco resident believes in the power of trees to improve lives, fight climate change, and make everyone smile. He is committed to restoring and establishing a healthy, thriving tree canopy, especially in underserved neighborhoods.

Victor Ruiz-Cornejo serves as a policy advisor to San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed, with a focus on small business, economic recovery, arts & culture, cannabis, entertainment & tourism, and LGBTQ policy. Previously, Victor was Communications Director for Senator Scott Wiener. He joined the Friends of the Urban Forest board in 2022. Throughout his life Victor has had a love of plants and nature. Growing up he learned to garden with his mom, and believes everyone benefits from being surrounded by nature. Victor received a degree in International Relations from Stanford University. He was born and raised in Sonora Mexico, before immigrating to the United States at 8 years old.​

Jim grew up in New Hampshire, with woods providing infinite opportunities for play and a natural classroom. He nurtured his life-long love of plants with high school summer jobs at the local garden center. Jim studied botany and evolutionary biology in college; upon graduation, the American Botanical Society named him Young Botanist of the Year. He moved to San Francisco in 1989, putting down roots and raising his daughter here. Jim spent the last 20 years of his law career at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office. He retired in 2023 and is excited to support Friends of the Urban Forest. Jim received his BA and MS in Biology from Yale, and his JD from New York University.

Lara is the Associate Vice President of People Strategy for the YMCA of San Francisco, focusing on culture, employee experience, organizational decision making, and internal communications. Prior to her current role, Hitchcock served as the Executive Director for two YMCAs in the GGNRA, working with partners across government, non-profit, foundation, and corporate functions to provide community programs in healthy living, youth development, and social responsibility. Hitchcock holds a BS from Boston College and loves hiking in her neighborhood and in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area with her husband and teen sons.

Shaila fell in love with the trees of San Francisco over 10 years ago, walking along tree-lined Folsom Street in the Mission District. She believes a vibrant urban tree canopy is critical for physical and mental well-being and vital in addressing climate change. She is thrilled to be serving on the board. For the last 10 years, Shaila has helped build and scale fast-growing companies in healthcare and tech. Before that, she worked with communities in developing countries addressing issues of health, education, and economics. You can often find Shaila wandering the narrow, mulched pathways of the San Francisco Botanical Garden with her son and husband. 

Josh is the Deputy Chief Business Officer for the Presidio Trust, helping to transform the historic Presidio into America’s first financially self-sufficient national park site and ensuring that the Presidio will be visited and loved by all forever. Josh believes in the power of trees to improve personal health, mitigate climate change, and increase economic stability. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two children, and they enjoy reading books, exploring parks, taking hikes, little league baseball, and youth soccer (for which Josh is a volunteer coach). He earned a BS in Urban Planning from the University of Southern California. 

Lindy brings to the board more than fifteen years’ experience as a brand strategist and creative director, focused on helping mission-driven companies and nonprofits build powerful brands and influence positive change. A long-time San Franciscan and environmental justice advocate, Lindy believes deeply in the importance of urban green space and is dedicated to forwarding the role it plays in making our city healthier, happier, and more beautiful. She also loves biking, reading, disc golf, and growing things.

Stephanie started volunteering with Friends of the Urban Forest in 2017 and joined the Board in 2024. She volunteers often as a Planting Leader. Stephanie’s life centers on urban sustainability, equity, and humanism. Her master’s thesis considered the health outcomes of investments in municipal infrastructure such as bike lanes, street trees, transit, and affordable housing. She moved to California to work for the City of San Jose, where she received a Pride of San Jose award for her work on the launch of a department of clean energy. Stephanie currently works for the City Auditor of Oakland, where she evaluates and recommends improvements to the effectiveness and equity of City programs.