Staff

Conrad Kramer

Executive Director

Conrad Kramer joined the Mendocino Land Trust in 2020. Conrad’s background includes leading land trusts in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, California’s Colorado Desert, and the heartland of the United States where he has worked to conserve and protect critical wildlife habitat, prime agricultural lands, important open spaces, and rural communities. His background includes many years of leading ecological restoration efforts, demonstrating sustainable commercial scale agriculture, and expanding outdoor recreation opportunities. He holds a BS Degree in Public Affairs from Indiana University. Conrad’s wife, Lisa, is an environmental scientist with California State Parks specializing in reforestation. They have two sons, recent college graduates, who also call California home.

Heidi Sorenson

Chief Financial Officer

Heidi joined the Mendocino Land Trust in 2017. A Caspar native and Mendocino High School graduate, Heidi returned to the Coast in 2003 after receiving a Political Science degree from Texas A&M University. She worked in local retail and wine industry positions prior to joining MLT. Heidi also brings local government experience as a former Fort Bragg City Councilmember and Planning Commissioner. She lives in Fort Bragg with her husband and their two young daughters.

Nicolet Houtz

Director of Stewardship

Nicolet joined the Mendocino Land Trust in 2013 after working with the Watershed Stewards Project at California Department of Fish and Wildlife in Fort Bragg monitoring salmon populations on the Mendocino coast. Prior to moving to Fort Bragg, she worked with the Sonoma Ecology Center on riparian restoration projects and native plant propagation. As Director of Stewardship for the Mendocino Land Trust, Nicolet brings her educational background in Environmental Planning and Geography together with her field experience to manage Mendocino Land Trust’s restoration projects, build new additions to the California Coastal Trail, and steward the Land Trust’s preserves.

Anna Bride

Stewardship Project Manager

Anna is our Stewardship Project Manager.  She helps build and maintain trails up and down our coast. Additionally, she writes and manages grants, and is working on a butterfly habitat restoration project. She has been living in Mendocino County since 2019, but is originally from Minnesota. In the past, she has been involved with adaptive agriculture and restoration work. Talking about soils and microbes is her fave. In her free time, she loves to make fiber arts, forage, and surf!

She is very excited to be a part of this team as we work toward protecting land and providing more outdoor access to folks in the area.

Chase Ahrens

Stewardship Project Coordinator

Chase (707) 962 0470 Ext: 108

Chase is our new Stewardship Project Coordinator. He will help the Stewardship team maintain public access to trails and care for Land Trust properties. For the last few years, he has been working up and down the coast as an ocean lifeguard for the California State Parks. He enjoys mountain biking, surfing, climbing and hiking along with most outdoor activities. He lives in Elk with his partner Phoebe and their dog Grizzly. Chase is looking forward to being a part of the Land Trust team and thrilled to grow and learn with them as well.

Emily Griffen

Director of Land Protection

Emily Griffen joined the Mendocino Land Trust in 2021.  She grew up in Fort Bragg and Mendocino, earned her college degree from Amherst College in Massachusetts, and a law degree at UC Berkeley School of Law.  Emily moved back to the Mendocino Coast with her family in 2011.  Prior to joining MLT, she spent two decades as a corporate lawyer based in San Francisco.  She is excited to help conserve the beautiful natural places where she grew up, and preserve them for generations to come.

Matt Franks

Land Protection Coordinator

Matt Franks was born in Caspar and grew up on the Mendocino Coast. He came to the
Mendocino Land Trust in 2024 after spending 10 years teaching English literature at
universities in Maine and Georgia. Before that, he was working toward degrees at
Oberlin College, Humboldt State, and UC Davis, plus a short stint in the New York City
advertising world. As a lifelong backpacker and bird enthusiast, Matt is passionate
about conservation and accessibility. He and his husband now live south of Fort Bragg,
and he is thrilled to be helping protect our diverse, unique, beautiful environment here in
Mendocino County.

Sanjeep Karki

Development Manager

Sanjeep joined the Mendocino Land Trust in 2022. Born and raised in Nepal, Sanjeep considers himself a global citizen connected to the natural landscape. His primary focus at the Land Trust is to assist the organization in reaching its fundraising goals, by engaging community members who are passionate about land conservation and collaborating with them in their philanthropic journey. Prior to joining MLT, Sanjeep started and operated a nonprofit with a mission to plant trees and provide employment to village women in his native country. He also brings to MLT over 10 years of experience from various development and project management roles in the corporate sector. Sanjeep holds a B.Sc. from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Webster University. Attracted by the beauty of the rugged Northern California coast, he recently relocated to NorCal with his wife, after living in the Greater Los Angeles Area for over 12 years. Sanjeep enjoys reading, traveling, sports and being outdoors in the wild.

Anne Young

Administrative & Outreach Coordinator

Anne Young joined the Mendocino Land Trust team in 2022. Anne moved to the Mendocino coast in 2016 and quickly fell in love with the spectacular surrounds. Living by our astonishing coastline, ancient forests, valleys, farms, and vineyards continues to inform her perspective and surprise her at every turn. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and joins the team with over 20 years’ experience as a legal, administrative, and executive assistant. Anne has a deep respect for the work of preserving and honoring the natural, un-built spaces of the region, and for the people who live and work in this magical corner of the planet.

Non-Human Team Members

Security and Morale Officers

There are a variety of non-human members of the MLT team. Feist,  Argos, Lucky, Grizzley, and Barbara Boxer visit the office and trails from time to time. Feline staff members include Armstrong, Julius, Penny,  Gertie, Lykke, Frankie, and Sammi . They work remotely most of the time but like to make occasional  Zoom meeting appearances.