ABOUT US
Founded in 2019, Sustainable St. Helena is guided by a volunteer Board of Directors and supported by an Advisory Board of community members with expertise in conservation, science, education, and public service.
Maddie Chandler, President
Growing up on California’s northern coast, among redwoods and some of the cleanest rivers in the West, Maddie developed a deep love of nature. As an architect, she’s drawn to the ways thoughtful design can live in harmony with place. When she’s not working, you’ll find her trail running, backpacking, painting, or taking her young children to the beach.
Paul Asmuth, MS Forestry, Treasurer
Inspired by a lifelong love of forests and the outdoors, Paul founded the St. Helena Community Forest with a vision of turning fallow land into a thriving forest. A forester, conservationist, and long-distance open-water swimmer, he understands the endurance and patience required when the finish line is a long way off. For Paul, the goal is a living forest and a lasting environmental legacy for generations to come.
Elaine de Man
Coming of age during the environmental movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Elaine developed a lifelong commitment to conservation and the natural world. At 18, her first glimpse beneath the ocean’s surface opened a new world of curiosity and exploration. A long and varied career followed, but she still finds her greatest joy in introducing others to nature, believing that people protect what they have come to love.
Caroline Saunders
A native New Yorker and her mother’s designated “flower child,” Carolyn has always had a sensitivity to the mysteries of the natural world. A Greyhound journey west ultimately led her to Berkeley, where she herded goats in Tilden Park and explored a life in education and the healing arts. She eventually landed in St. Helena and in 1999 founded Nature Camp at Bothe State Park. Her philosophy: stewardship is medicinal.
Leslie Stanton
When Leslie’s family moved from Southern California to St. Helena during her teenage years, she decided she’d never leave. After a 35-year career as the Children’s Librarian at the St. Helena Public Library, Leslie continues to volunteer at the library while supporting projects that benefit both the community and the environment, from planting redwood trees to picking up litter.
Our Advisory Board
Chip Bourell Joseph Clark Tom Clark Michelle Deasy Edie Kausch Rob Keller David Knudsen Jennifer Lamb Richard Seiferfeld John Shields Kelly Wheaton
Affiliated Organizations
