Our Team

Raised a hippie-kid of the 1970’s back-to-the-land movement, playing in the redwood forest and wondering at the miracle of the Milky Way, Natasha always loved to imagine and build. This led to a career in residential architecture, lots of fun volunteer work, and the creation of an award-winning coworking space and community hub in Petaluma focused on the sharing of resources and ideas. She looks forward to making the journey to a regenerative future a joyful and meaningful experience for everyone. She dedicates her work to her mother, who taught me how to be in love with the world, and her daughter, who gave her more purpose than her heart can hold.

natashaj@coolpetaluma.org

Always passionate about community building, John has a particular interest in social capital, which he believes determines a community's health and happiness. This interest has driven his active involvement in fostering community growth. His theory that providing more opportunities for individuals in a town to interact and connect benefits the entire community has proven remarkably successful. John's enthusiasm for building social capital, combined with his commitment to emergency preparedness and creating healthier, safer, and more livable communities, makes him an ideal advocate and co-founder of Cool Petaluma.

john.crowley@coolpetaluma.org

The last born of five, Annie Stuart traces the trajectory of her climate activism back to her mother, who raised all her children to savor the natural beauty of the world and to embrace a concept of family extending far beyond our home’s four walls.

Over the past several years, Annie has acted as a steering committee member of 350 Petaluma – a local group inspired by the international climate organization, 350.org. Most recently, she has focused on campaigns related to consumption and waste. However, over the years, she has volunteered time to a variety of issues, including workers’ and women’s rights, the unhoused, voter registration, international health, and LGBTIQ asylum seekers and refugees.

Now semi-retired, Annie has spent most of her career on health education, pulled initially in this direction by a strong desire to make a difference in people’s lives.

She is thrilled to become the newest member of the Cool Petaluma team, a dynamic group of changemakers whose passion and dedication is infectious and awe-inspiring!

Bridget Newman, a student at the University of Oregon in Eugene, has grown up with the unpredictable and tremendous consequences of climate change. As she pursues Journalism in Oregon, Bridget continues to explore her other interests in the fields of Environmental Science and Sustainability. Bridget has been a member of the Petaluma community for over 18 years and admires the progressive small town she knows and loves. Being raised in a climate-conscious household has brought her great awareness to the many ways we can each individually contribute to slowing, if not reversing, the effects of global warming. Bridget is passionate about the environment we live in, as well as inspiring others to make their own positive impact. She is excited to make a difference with the Cool Petaluma team!

I am a woman on a mission to transform the world - a passionate leader executing iconic experiences - one creative venture at a time.

My practice is to inspire teams to realize vision, building the seemingly impossible to effect tangible engagement with audience. I conceive and produce new, complex and highly creative enterprises, build communities around movements and instigate awareness through the arts and media.

My belief about success is rooted in the union of vision, commitment, relationships, resources and a deep reverence for the power of a great team. This, artfully melded, is required to manifest greatness.

D'Lynda Fischer is a first term Council Member in Petaluma. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority and the Regional Climate Protection Agency. As a professional Urban Planner, she serves on the Board of the local chapter of the United States Green Building Council. She is a long time member of the Sonoma County Food System Alliance, believes that "food is medicine"., and supports her local food system. She is active with local community groups including Climate Action Petaluma, 350 Petaluma, and Petaluma Pride. D'Lynda formed Zero Waste Petaluma following her election and continues to participate in the efforts of this group.

dlyndaf@coolpetaluma.org

I’m a business owner of a mission-driven restaurant in downtown Petaluma, and am enthusiastic about building community. At Lunchette, we work with local, organic, and regenerative farms so that we provide healthy, delicious food while keeping our ecological footprint small. As a business, we seek to be profitable in order to expand our support of regenerative farms, increase the livelihoods of our staff, be more engaged in community-building, and have more space for helping move Petaluma to an ethos of zero-waste, and carbon neutrality.

Ann Baker is principal of LandCulture, a landscape architecture and restoration planning firm in Petaluma, CA. Ann specializes in the ecological design of natural and sustainable landscapes and focuses on the nexus between social values and ecological health. Ann’s recent work includes the Rebuild Landscape Templates and Water Smart Gardens Maintenance Manual for the Sonoma Water Agency, the design of the 4-acre Wild Garden for the Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah, Bi’Du Khaale Senior Housing project, and a firewise demonstration garden for the Sleepy Hollow Fire Protection District. Ann is a member of the Petaluma Climate Action Commission and was drawn to climate action through a desire to care for all species and increase health and well-being in our communities. She is on the Advisory Board for Taking Action for Living Systems (TALS), a non-profit organization working to reduce wildfire hazard, increase climate change resilience, and improve forest health in California’s North Bay.

Dennis grew up in Richmond, California, and worked in his family's small grocery store until he began college in Pasadena, where he didn't see the San Gabriel Mountains right behind campus until the first winter storm temporarily blew away the smog. He majored in engineering but saw the word bioengineering shortly after graduation, and decided to apply to medical school in Omaha, Nebraska He practiced medicine at Kaiser Permanente in the North Bay for almost 30 years. He was treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 1993 and given 50% chance of survival; and is very happy to still be here now! After retirement he served as a substitute science teacher at Casa Grande High School and taught undergrad Intro to Public Health at UC Davis for 7 years. In 2015, he was appointed as a Petaluma Rep to the Stakeholder Advisory Group of Sonoma County Climate Action 2020. He was elected to Petaluma City Council in 2020.

Hi I am Diego. I have been living in Petaluma for over 20 years and consider myself very fortunate to be a part of a organization truly making a difference in our community!

The one thing I've learned in more than 30 years of teaching and administrating in schools is that change in the world has to come from the kids. The forty, fifty and sixty-somethings who run the world now just aren't capable of changing our behavior quickly enough to save the planet. Instead, we have to lay the foundation for the kids to carry the world forward into possibility and hope. Otherwise, the planet won't make it.

I bring experience as an environmental canvasser, campaign organizer as well as working with staff and students over time. I recently earned a doctorate in educational leadership from UC Davis and continue to explore ways to create more equitable outcomes for students.

3rd gen N Calif; BS Civil Engr UC Berkeley, 3 yrs US Navy (CEC Officer), MS Ecology UC Davis (emphasis Enviro Public Policy). Career in water resources and resource efficiency; ecological awareness deepened by time in Sierra with intellectual stimulation by John Muir and Thomas Berry. Retained to assist various high leverage consulting projects by Amory Lovins. Found and introduced Tariffed On Bill financing to transform uptake of municipal water efficiency measures. Wrote Business Plan for 1st organic dairy in Western US: most dairies in area are now organic. Practically all my work has focused on activity in and around Petaluma, CA.