California - Staff Directory

Printer-friendly versionSend to friendBrian J. Johnson, California Director
2239 5th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 528-4772

Brian J. Johnson manages TU's California Program. From 2005 to 2011 he oversaw the California Water Project. He came to TU after five years at Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger, a public interest law firm where he represented community groups working to protect waterways and other natural resources. Before law school Brian was the Communications Director at the White House environmental office from 1993-97, and the co-creator and manager of EPA's first "Energy Star" initiative for energy efficient computers from 1991-1993. Brian grew up in Iowa and graduated from Duke University and Stanford Law School. He and his wife Debbie are busy introducing their son Leo and Daughter Veronica to the great outdoors.


Lisa Bolton
137 E. Oak Street
Fort Bragg, CA 95437
(707) 962-0115

Lisa Bolton is the Project Manager for TU's North Coast Coho Project. Lisa is responsible for managing the portfolio of restoration projects that comprise the NCCP. She coordinates with NCCP partners to develop, manage and implement restoration projects, both large and small scale, along the North Coast of California. Lisa received her B.S. in Natural Resources Planning at Humboldt State University. Prior to coming to work with TU in 2008, Lisa worked as a contractor for several years on various watershed restoration projects in Mendocino County. In addition, she worked as the Watershed Coordinator for the Noyo Watershed Alliance. She also contributed two years to serving her community and the environment through the AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Project at the Mattole Restoration Council and the California Department of Fish and Game. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys gardening, hiking, biking and jewelry making.


Brad Daniels
2239 5th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 647-9311

Brad Daniels is Staff Attorney for the California Water Project. He works at the state level to reform water law and improve management of water supplies, and manages cooperative projects with farmers and other landowners to improve streamflows and water supply reliability. Prior to joining Trout Unlimited, Brad was a practicing environmental attorney in Chicago, Illinois, where he worked on issues pertaining to nearly every major federal and state environmental regulation.  Before attending law school, he worked for a number of years as a civil engineer in land development projects in the San Francisco Bay Area   Brad is licensed to practice law in California and Illinois and is a Registered Civil Engineer in California.  He attended the University of California Hastings College of the Law where he was Editor-in-Chief of the West-Northwest Journal of Environmental Law & Policy.  Brad graduated from Stanford with a BS in Geological & Environmental Science and Civil & Environmental Engineering.  He strives to be outside enjoying California's various landscapes and waterways whenever possible.

Sam Davidson
4760 San Juan Canyon Road
San Juan Bautista, CA 95045
(831) 235-2542

Sam Davidson is TU's California Field Director. Sam comes to TU from the outdoor recreation industry, where he was Executive Director and Senior Policy Analyst for the Access Fund, a climbers' advocacy group. Sam has a degree in Creative Writing from Princeton University and has worked as an outfitter, a fishing and climbing guide, a high school English teacher, and as field instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School. Sam's outdoor interests include fishing (flies, hardware or bait, it doesn't matter), upland bird hunting, climbing, surfing, riding the backcountry on horseback, and coaching youth sports.


Chandra Ferrari
(916) 214-9731

Chandra Ferrari is TU’s California Water Policy Director. Prior to joining TU, she worked for five years as staff counsel to the California Department of Fish and Game, where she specialized in water right and fisheries issues in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the Central Valley. Her experience includes work before the State Water Resources Control Board, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the state legislature, as well as multi-party negotiations for the San Joaquin River Restoration Program and Bay Delta Conservation Plan. Ms. Ferrari advises the organization and TU partners on stakeholder negotiations and administrative proceedings for the Merced, Tuolumne, and Yuba Rivers. In addition, Ms. Ferrari works at the state level to enhance instream flows, reform water law, and promote the development of the reasonable use and public trust doctrines. She grew up in Harrisburg, Oregon and graduated from the University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and the University of California Davis with a BS in Animal Science and Management. She enjoys hiking and bird watching along the American River with her husband Dan, daughters Alena and Liana, and dog Max.


Dr. Rene Henery
(510) 528-4164

Dr. Rene Henery is TU’s California Science Director. Rene is an ecologist who joins TU from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), Natural Resources and Environmental Science Department, where he serves on the Faculty. Rene completed his B.A. at Reed College in Portland Oregon and his PhD at the University of California, Davis (UCD). His dissertation work, performed in collaboration with the CA Department of Water Resources - Division of Environmental Services, focused on restoring landscape connectivity to recover Pacific salmon, with an emphasis on Central Valley Chinook salmon and floodplain restoration. Through UNR, Rene was already an integral part of the mountain meadows restoration team that also includes California Trout, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), and UCD. He retains his affiliation with UNR while he works for TU.


Mary Ann King
2239 5th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 649-9987

Mary Ann King is the Stewardship Manager for TU's California Water Project. Mary Ann is responsible coordinating landowner participation in TU's cooperative initiatives to improve instream flows and water supply reliability in California-- Water and Wine and Streamflow Stewardship. Before coming to TU, she worked at Recreational Equipment, Inc. She received her M.S. in Environmental Science, Policy and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. She has written extensively on water and natural resources law and policy and has been published by the MIT Press and the Harvard Environmental Law Review. She received her B.A. in Political Science, also from UC Berkeley. She is an avid hiker, backpacker and road cyclist.


David Lass
10356 Donner Pass Road, Suite 3
Truckee, CA 96161
(530) 587-7110

David Lass is the Northern California Field Manager heading up our new Truckee office, located on the north shore of iconic Lake Tahoe. David is in charge of upholding the SCP framework in California, as well as conducting college outreach work to engage the next generation of conservationists in watershed and land stewardship. David attended Colorado State University were he earned a BS in Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism with a minor in Parks and Protected Area Management. Born and raised in Oregon, the Tahoe area suits David well, as he is a passionate fisherman and outdoorsman.


David Stalling
2239 5th St.
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 280-5392

David Stalling is TU’s California Communications Director. David worked for TU in Montana from 2000-2006, and has worked for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the National Wildlife Foundation, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and the U.S. Forest Service. He was the first employee of the TU Public Lands Initiative, and he helped build it into the current TU program to mobilize anglers and hunters for river conservation. That program is now called the Sportsmen’s Conservation Project, and it boasts more than 20 employees, including two in California. Mr. Stalling has written numerous articles for national and regional magazines, including: Big Sky Journal, High Country News, Backpacker, and Outside, and has won several national awards for his writing. He served on the board of directors for the Outdoor Writer’s Association of America and the Montana Wildlife Federation. In 2000, he received an award as Montana conservationist of the year. He has degrees in forestry and journalism.