Our Team

Project Manager

Allie Shields

Allie has spent the past 11+ years telling captivating, engaging stories through writing, producing, and project managing tv shows, web content, and social media management. Allie’s projects have aired on places like Bravo, HGTV, History Channel, TRVL, and more. Allie works passionately to further the reach and engagement of mission-driven companies, especially those working to address the climate crisis.

Project Associate

Arisa Cleaveland

Arisa is a project associate with degrees from Case Western Reserve University in Economics and Environmental Studies. She has assisted in event planning, outreach efforts, and digital marketing. She has also analyzed and reported on survey and digital ad results.

Project Coordinator

Claudia Vasquez

Claudia has helped staff community events, conducted telephone and in-person surveys, helped with developing public education and outreach materials, reports, and presentations. She has also designed and produced high-quality PowerPoint slides and other presentation materials as appropriate, utilizing innovative graphics, animation software, and video to clearly express the content of complex presentations and engage participants.

Senior Graphic Designer

Katie Gala, MPH

Katie is a public health-focused strategic graphic designer and project coordinator with more than a decade of experience in reaching a wide variety of audiences through print, digital, and other mediums. She has a passion for environmental causes and researched climate change in the Philippines as part of her coursework while obtaining a Master of Public Health degree at Loma Linda University, where she also worked as a communications manager. Prior to moving to the Golden State, she worked in magazine publishing and advertising in Chattanooga, TN after receiving her BS in Mass Communication in 2011

Creative Director

Ly Nguyen, MFA

Ly has a strong advertising and marketing background with a proven track record of success as a creative strategist. He has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and served as the Creative Director for many years at Omni Advertising, the #1 advertising agency in South Florida. He has developed original ideas and concepts which he then converted into fully conceptualized print, TV, radio, and digital campaigns. He deftly combines creative strategies with analytics to create innovative marketing strategies. His audio and video production experience allows him to efficiently organize and direct commercial shoots and production.

Digital Media Manager

Nanami Yoshimura, MBA

Nanami is a well-rounded marketer with hands-on experience in digital marketing, Asian American marketing and project management. Prior to joining SGA, she was an account manager at a multicultural marketing agency, where she helped various Japanese and other Asian companies promote their products or services. She is passionate about environmental conservation, and wants to utilize her solid marketing background to solve challenging issues. She is a Tokyo native and a proud graduate of CSU, Long Beach, where she earned her Master’s degree in Business Administration and Bachelor’s degree in Design.

Video Editor/Producer

Pablo Fonseca

Pablo is an experienced producer, videographer, editor, and visual effects artist. He can produce, direct, shoot, and edit short and long form videos. He has over ten years of experience with Adobe Creative Suite: Premiere Pro, After Effects, Media Encoder, Audition, Photoshop, and Illustrator. He is also proficient with Cinema 4-D for 3-D, Final Cut, and Avid. He has developed videos and animations for the City of Irvine, California Dept of Food and Agriculture, and San Mateo County Environmental Health Services.

Project Coordinator

Paige Rosenberg

Paige is an Assistant Project Manager for public outreach and education campaigns and conducts client, team, and budget management as well as oversees task implementation. Her educational background of degrees in Society and Environment and Media Studies from UC Berkeley has poised Paige to utilize her mind and heart in her work, built on years of admiration for our natural world and desire to support communities that experience environmental injustice.

Paige joined SGA as an intern and has enjoyed learning about the various facets of SGA’s projects and developing a keen understanding of what each team member can contribute to support successful results. Her genuine passion for SGA’s work drives her motivation to go the extra mile for projects, lead with thoughtfulness, and get results to create positive behavior change. 

Project Manager

Tara Dales, MFA

As an experienced Project Manager, Tara has successfully developed and executed effective marketing, communication, and public education campaigns for a wide variety of clients. She is capable of communicating, concept development, strategizing, and implementing 360 marketing campaigns across a variety of initiatives including but not limited to videos, brand, and organizational initiatives to drive awareness, increase engagement, and foster behavior change.

Project Administrator

Samantha Concetti

As one of SGA’s first employees, Samantha has been instrumental in ensuring projects are administered correctly. From managing account receivables to even conducting outreach, her duties and assignments have been integral to project success. She is a problem solver, using her broad skillset to help SGA resolve many project and client issues.

Project Director

Stephen Groner, PE

Stephen Groner, P.E., is the founder and president of SGA. Prior to starting SGA in 1998, Stephen, with his engineering background, worked for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works as a project manager. This experience gives him keen insight into understanding the intricacies of managing government projects, as well as the importance of public engagement and education to gaining approval and acceptance of a project. Through his work, Stephen has helped shape and implement many of the major pollution prevention and community outreach programs in California.

Market Research Lead

Charlotte Bloemsma

Charlotte brings a passion for data-informed strategy, mixing detailed quantitative analyses with big picture thinking. Equipped with knowledge and skills from her Environmental Science degree at UCLA and Sustainability Master’s from Penn, she is dedicated to driving equitable and sustainable change across communities. She has analyzed numerous survey results, provided program recommendations, delved into audience demographics research, and coordinated outreach efforts across projects.

Project Manager

Michelle Dissel

Michelle is a Journalism, Media Studies and Sociology graduate with over twenty years of experience in marketing, advertising, and communications. From consumer products and arts development to health products and business technology, Michelle is a passionate driver of digital and traditional communication strategies that impact behavior and influence perception and change.

Project Coordinator

Tess Hundley

Tess has more than 10 years of experience as an outreach professional in a wide variety of industries, from recruiting to market research, from business development to political campaigns. She has always been fascinated by local and global government systems and how humans are incentivized to manage and utilize their natural and community resources.

Project Associate

Timothy Sams

Timothy is a Project Associate with a degree in Economics from UC Berkeley. He brings his skills to a variety of SGA’s projects – producing content, running and reporting on digital ad campaigns, coordinating media purchases, and managing outreach efforts.

Community Outreach Coordinator

Angélica Garcia

Angélica shares a love of cultures, arts, and community-building. With degrees in Applied Design and Commercial Photography from the University of Maryland, and a Master of Fine Arts from The Institute of American Indian Arts, she is specially trained to work with underrepresented communities in the areas of representation, equity, advocacy, outreach, and communication. She specializes in engaging communities of color through relationship building and open dialogue. She also holds a certificate in Medical Interpreting (Spanish/English) from Cal State University, Fresno and she is a Certified Interpreter through the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI). 

Outreach Specialist

Alberto Martinez

Alberto is an Outreach Specialist, with a degree from Hartnell College. Albert is a proud U.S. Air Force Veteran who has assisted in translation projects, outreach efforts, and digital marketing campaigns. He spends most of his off-time in the outdoors and has a passion for archeology.

Project Associate

Jeremy McGranahan

Jeremy is a project associate with a bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science and a minor in Conservation & Resource Studies from UC Berkeley. He is a certified Climate Reality Leader with a unique passion for guiding sustainable behavior change. At SGA, he does a little bit of everything, but specializes in copywriting, research, data analysis, outreach, and community engagement.

Project Associate

Gabi Ballardo

Gabi is a Project Associate with expertise in content writing, editing, coordinating community events, and conducting outreach to form crucial partnerships with various stakeholders. Gabi received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and Italian Studies from Santa Clara University and a Master of Environmental Management (with a Coastal Environmental Management concentration) from Duke University. Gabi is incredibly passionate about community engagement, environmental justice, and all things ocean-related.

Project Manager

Vanessa Martinez

Vanessa is a seasoned Bilingual communications professional with over 13 years of experience in the advertising industry as an Account Lead. Graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Cal State Fullerton, she has honed her skills with a diverse portfolio of clients. Her roster includes Subaru, Nature Valley, Hyundai, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, The UPS Store, and PhRMA among others. Her proficiency in advertising is complemented by a passion for advocacy. Before joining SGA, played a pivotal role in influential campaigns such as CrushCOVID and #ScienceWorks, showcasing her dedication to driving positive change.

Web Designer

Peter Kent

Peter is a web and graphic designer who is all about branding and visual experiences. For over 20 years, he’s been developing and refreshing visual identities both online and offline—from high-level ideas to creative and technical work in website design and development. His background is in working with smaller businesses and community-oriented organizations, supporting the culture of fresh ideas and bringing cohesion to complex goals. 

Outreach Specialist (English/Spanish)

Angel Matute

Angel is a communication specialist and artist from Venezuela with exceptional creative, strategic, and storytelling skills. His passion for environmental and social issues is the main reason he decided to re-engage with marketing from a non-commercial perspective. At SGA he specializes in Spanish translations, outreach, and community engagement.

HR Coordinator

Tanya Castro

Tanya is a dedicated human resource professional passionate about fostering a positive workplace culture. Tanya’s experience extends to employee relations and performance management, where she has consistently implemented strategies that align with organizational goals.

Project Coordinator

Megan Lent 

With years of experience as a writer and editor in the entertainment industry, and a BA from UCLA, Megan wields a toolbox of both creative and organizational skills at SGA. Primarily a project coordinator, she also assists with copy editing, proposal crafting, research, and client outreach. Megan cares deeply about environmental advocacy and nourishing community health, and is interested in locating the nexus points between these causes and other social needs.