Program Staff
Executive Director, Adrienne Harris, plans and directs the program's work, as well as coordinates with the Estuary Program's many partners to expand our collective success in the watershed. She works to build partnerships with the public and private sector to increase environmental stewardship and works to balance the conservation interests of multiple stakeholders to identify a strategic path forward. During her career, Adrienne has worked with government, non-profit groups, scientists, and concerned community members to further estuarine and ocean conservation at the international, national, state, and local levels. Among other past work, Adrienne has served as a policy analyst for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), worked with farmers and fishermen as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines, and taught school children as a naturalist at the Indiana Dunes. Adrienne enjoys hiking in the watershed, kayaking in the bay, and cooking with a bounty of SLO County fresh ingredients..As the Assistant Director, Lexie Bell is responsible for leading Estuary Program's management plan update – a process that engages staff, partners, and the public. As the guiding document for all of the work of the organization, the updated management plan will provide goals and priorities over the next 5-10 years. Lexie's other responsibilities center around her role of facilitating the valuable science and conservation work of her colleagues and the organization. This includes helping to establish priorities for the organization, managing administrative elements (policies, grants, contracts, procurement, accounting and annual audits), assisting with educational efforts, and staffing the committees and the boards of the Estuary Program and Bay Foundation.
Annie Gillespie serves as the Monitoring Projects Manager for the Estuary Program. Annie works alongside staff and program partners to monitor the benefits of restoration projects, and identify areas for future work through analysis of monitoring data. Additionally, she works to develop and modify monitoring efforts and share results with local, regional, and state partners. She splits her time between a bevy of field sites, an off-site laboratory, and the program office in Morro Bay. As a specialist in water quality and coastal ecology, she claims "If I'm outdoors and not at least ankle deep in water or mud, I'm probably lost."
Jon Hall is our Restoration Coordinator. He manages the Estuary Program's restoration projects and the Restoration Fund Grants Program. He is also the coordinator of the Central Coast Invasive Species Action Network, a collaborative partnership of concerned citizens, resource managers, conservationists, government agencies and scientists working to reduce the impact of invasive species on the Central Coast. Jon has a B.S. in Wildlife Biology and a M.S. in Agriculture. He has a varied background including working with Sea Otters in the Aleutian Islands, controlling Invasive Plants on Catalina Island, modeling impacts of invasive species as a Research Associate at Cal Poly, and working for the local County Agriculture department. Jon is an expert in invasion ecology and is a licensed Pest Control Adviser (PCA).
Anna Halligan, the program's Watershed Conservation Coordinator, oversees a wide range of projects that focus on enhancing water quality and water conservation, preserving freshwater fisheries, and addressing stormwater runoff. Anna manages the Program's Riparian Fencing Program, the Americorps' Watershed Stewards Program and the Program's Watershed Crew, which is facilitated through a partnership with the California Conservation Corps. As Conservation Coordinator, she works closely with the program's Restoration Coordinator and the Volunteer Monitoring Program, utilizing VMP data results to prioritize restoration projects, as well as, analyze the effectiveness of restoration activities. Anna is an active participant in the San Luis Obispo Steelhead Initiative and serves on the board of directors for the Salmonid Restoration Federation.
Ann Kitajima serves as the Estuary Program's Monitoring Program Manager. Her responsibilities include grant writing and grant management, coordination of staff and volunteer monitoring efforts, and coordination with partner organizations in collecting and sharing data. She works closely with EPA and the Water Board to ensure the quality of the program's data. She conducts analysis and reporting to share data with program partners, volunteers and the public.
Cynthia Milhem is the Office Manager for the Program. She acts as bookkeeper, receptionist, administrative assistant, and general paper-chaser for the rest of the staff. Shari Sullivan handles the program's communications efforts. As Education and Outreach Coordinator, she maintains the website, publishes the newsletter, and oversees the Estuary Nature Center in addition to facilitating field trips for a wide range of ages and grade levels and taking on any and all projects that help further the program's efforts or to bring the community together in the interest of preserving the estuary.