Staff

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Maria Mircheva has been the Executive Director of the Sugar Pine Foundation since July 2007. She first volunteered for the Sugar Pine Foundation during the 2006 field season, and took over the day to day operations of the organization after the Angora Fire in 2007.

Maria holds a Masters in Environmental Science and Management, with a focus on Conservation Policy, from UC Santa Barbara. Her undergraduate degree is in Business Economics, and she worked as a business consultant in the Silicon Valley before discovering her passion for environmental work. Maria currently juggles the demands of being a mom with those of the organization and her need to play outside as much as possible!

PROGRAM MANAGER

Tressa Gibbard has been working for the Sugar Pine Foundation since January 2010 in the capacity of grant-writer, editor, design guru, events and planting organizer. Tressa holds a Bachelors degree from Penn State University, where she majored in Environmental Studies.

She has over a decade of experience working as a field biologist throughout California and many other western states. She was introduced to the Sugar Pine Foundation as a participant in the 2006 Tahoe-Baikal Institute Summer Environmental Exchange program, and was previously a seasonal volunteer with SPF. When she’s not saving the sugar pines, Tressa can generally be found playing in the mountains.

WEB DESIGNER

Tim started working with Sugar Pine Foundation through Catchafire in 2019 to redesign our website. Tim specializes in creating compelling visuals and websites for research and non-profit organizations. Based on the East Coast, Tim works with Sugar Pine Foundation remotely and constantly wishes he was in Tahoe. Tim holds a B.S. in Marine Biology from Northeastern University.

FIELD TECHNICIAN

Edric joined the Sugar Pine Foundation as a field technician out of his pure love of nature. He has a background in tree trimming and is excellent at planting and caring for plants and trees. Edric helps with plantings, cone collections and a variety of administrative tasks. Outside of work, he is a master snowboarder, wake boarder and fly fisherman based in South Lake Tahoe.

PROGRAM ASSISTANT

Avery grew up in the Mojave of southern Nevada but moved north to the Great Basin to pursue a BS at the University of Nevada, Reno. They graduated in 2022 with a double-major in Wildlife Ecology & Conservation and Environmental Science with an emphasis in environmental planning and management. Avery has participated in multiple field disciplines post-graduation including wildlife capturing/monitoring, soils, botany, seed collection, restoration, and hydrology.

Avery will be helping plant trees during the spring, assist with education events and guided snow-shoe hikes, social media, and writing. Avery enjoys hiking in the Tahoe Basin and now is looking forward to recreating during the winter months and enjoying their first season of snow.