Our Team

Tom Zink is a Professor at San Diego State University. His research largely focuses on the role of microorganisms in the nutrient cycling processes of arid and semi arid soils and its practical application in desert restoration. Tom is the Principal Investigator for SERG.

Julie Lambert is the Senior Director for SERG. She holds a Bachelor in Science in Biology from Laval University, Quebec, Canada, and has been working as an ecologist in southern California since graduating in 2000.

Julie’s responsibilities at SERG include supervising all projects, writing and editing project reports, preparing project proposals, and creating and maintaining positive relationships with clients. 

Jocelyn Diego Hernandez graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor in Science in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution in June of 2018 and from Southwestern College (SWC) with an A.S. in Biology in May of 2016. Her passion has always been helping animals and she started out studying to be a zoologist, but decided to pursue a career in ecological conservation because she determined that having healthy ecosystems helps more animals than she can on her own.

Jocelyn is currently the Mainland Program Coordinator at SERG. In this role, she helps the Senior Director achieve program goals and coordinate the SERG non-profit to be a successful entity. Jocelyn started at SERG as a Restoration Technician (Research Assistant) in March of 2020 and was promoted to Project Manager in October. In October 2021, she was promoted to Senior Project Manager  and in January 2025, she was promoted to Program Coordinator.

Her favorite parts of being at SERG have always been that she never stops learning about ways to better protect native habitats and every day she goes home with a smile on her face because she feels she has made a difference.

Betty Lee joined SERG in 2019 and works in the San Clemente Island Botany Program. She manages the program, writes project reports, and provides support to the San Clemente Island field crews. Before joining SERG, Betty worked with native plant nurseries, Sierra wildflowers, and various bird species. She holds a B.S. in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology as well as a minor in Landscape Restoration from the University of California, Davis.

Seth Kauppinen is the current ecologist at SERG.

Rebecca Hilterbrandt is the current SERG Nursery & Greenhouse Manager. She has dedicated the last five years to growing and maintaining plants for habitat restoration and native plant nurseries. She has contributed her expertise in native plant propagation to aid in different habitat restoration projects within Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) , Mast Park , the San Diego River Conservancy (SDRC) and SERG. 

Rebecca has expanded her experience in  California native seed and plant matter (for propagation) collections, large scale plant production for outplantings, native seed storage and outplanting planning for different projects throughout the city. 
At SERG, Rebecca also participates in field surveys of rare plant species in San Diego County, rare plant research and seed production of Lithophragma maximum. As the SERG Greenhouse Manager, she is aiding in the successful establishment of biodiverse habitats at SERG’s local ecological sites, as she continues her studies in field botany.

Robert Kaaret graduated from Whittier College in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts, completing a double major in Environmental Science and Environmental Studies, complemented by minors in Spanish and Political Science. 

He harbors a passion for exploring areas of natural beauty and the restoration of ecosystems damaged by human activities. Since 2019, Robert has worked as the Crew Lead for the San Clemente Island Botany Program, having first joined the Soil Ecology and Restoration Group in 2018. Prior to his time with SERG, he contributed to several research projects on the mangal forests of the Mai Po Wetlands in Hong Kong under a LIASE grant. Throughout his time with SERG, Robert has found his greatest satisfaction in working with the remarkable individuals who have been part of this eclectic group over the years.. 

Travis Wilson is the current Mainland Project Manager.

Kyle Brine is the current San Clemente Island Project Manager.

Arianna Ruiz has been a Restoration Technician (Research Assistant)  at SERG since July 2024. She graduated from San Diego State University with her Bachelor in Science in Biology with an emphasis in Ecology in 2022 . After graduating, she began working with environmental nonprofits, including the San Diego Bird Alliance and San Diego Canyonlands, before making her way to SERG. 

Ari is passionate about botany and ornithology and SERG has given her opportunities to learn and hone her skills in environmental restoration, vegetation surveying, and biological surveying. During her free time, she enjoys reading a good horror or fantasy novel, spending time in nature, or walking her three-legged dog.

Alex Clark graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 2019 with a B.S. in biology with an ecology emphasis. After graduation he worked as a restoration technician around the Chicagoland area. He enjoys hiking, movies, sports, and taking pictures.

Nicole Cooper graduated from San Diego Mesa Community College in 2021 with an Associates degree in Anthropology where she was the Vice President of the Anthropology Club. She is currently working on her Bachelor of Art degree in Anthropology, with a minor in Sustainability, at San Diego State University. 

Throughout her academic career she has volunteered in many environmentally-focused organizations including, I Love a Clean San Diego, Surfrider Foundation, The San Diego Bird Alliance, and the Earth Day Organization. This past summer she worked in an archaeological project in a remote area of Belize as part of an academic field trip and is excited to combine her knowledge of archaeology with botany. She started her professional career in environmental restoration at San Diego Canyonlands and there was no turning back from there. 

She connected with  SERG via San Diego Canyonlands and is excited to be broadening her scope of skills in the environmental restoration field with the projects and colleagues at SERG. She enjoys the opportunity of growing plants from the seed that she and her team collects, which are used as outplants in restoration projects. 

During her free time, she runs a YouTube channel focused on sustainability and low waste living. She also enjoys reading books from the library, spending time with her dog named Frog, and finding new crafts to work on.