Our Staff

Makayla Pearce, our office manager, is a Bay Area native. She graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science. She is published as a TedxYouth, and NPR speaker, and through these publications she hopes to inspire others to be their most confident and authentic selves. Makayla has a few years of experience in office administration and seeks to form meaningful connections. She enjoys music, books, cafes, hanging out in nature, and spending time with friends and family in her free time. She is interested in contributing to sustainability, and environmental conservation through her work at GGBA. 

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. 

Whitney Grover is a life-long coastal Californian, enthusiastic birder, and lover of the Bay Area's unique ecology. In 2023 she earned a Master of Science degree in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco, with a concentration in Ecology. She is a long-time volunteer for Golden Gate Bird Alliance, starting as a Field Trip Leader, later Board Member, and the Chair of the San Francisco Conservation Committee. Before joining the GGBA staff in 2022, she worked in healthcare as a Hospital Pharmacy Buyer and served on the Hospital's Environmental Action Committee. Whitney is a Master Birder, co-founder of the SF Bay chapter of the Feminist Bird Club, gardener, and film buff. 

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 Director of Communications and Outreach at GGBA. 

George Marschall is an environmentalist hailing from Long Island. His childhood home was a birder paradise with a stream running through his backyard, attracting all sorts of magnificent waterfowl. Several times a year his family took to cleaning the waterway which collected all sorts of detritus from the nearby highway. This inspired him to dedicate his life to protecting and preserving the natural world however he could. He moved to DC for his studies in global environmentalism at American University. Later, he spent a few years in remote and rugged San Cristobal, New Mexico living in a small community-focused retreat center, as close to the natural-world as one can be! Now in the Bay Area, George is excited to adventure and explore new landscapes and devote himself to all the birds and critters within them! 

Clayton Anderson joined Golden Gate Bird Alliance 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.

Janet Carpinelli 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 GGBA volunteers in ongoing habitat restoration and shoreline cleanup projects across the Bay Area. Janet enjoys being outdoors with GGBA volunteers and sees that they are well appreciated.