Dylan Jones
Executive Director
Central coast native, Dylan was born and raised in Santa Maria. He left California to study Environmental Science at Willamette University. While at Willamette he found his passion for the environment and local food systems while walking the amazing conifer forests the North West provides. After college he served with the Center for Natural Lands Management as an Americorps restoration tech. Not getting enough Americorps, and missing home, Dylan came back to the Central Coast to serve as an Americorps Volunteer Coordinator with GleanSLO. GleanSLO helped with his understanding of local community needs and he is very excited to make a difference in his home communities.
Executive Director
Central coast native, Dylan was born and raised in Santa Maria. He left California to study Environmental Science at Willamette University. While at Willamette he found his passion for the environment and local food systems while walking the amazing conifer forests the North West provides. After college he served with the Center for Natural Lands Management as an Americorps restoration tech. Not getting enough Americorps, and missing home, Dylan came back to the Central Coast to serve as an Americorps Volunteer Coordinator with GleanSLO. GleanSLO helped with his understanding of local community needs and he is very excited to make a difference in his home communities.
Miranda Beal
Community Engagement Coordinator
Miranda graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara where she majored in Environmental Studies. Born and raised in Santa Maria, the Central Coast has always been her home. Miranda appreciates how nonprofits seek to improve the quality of life for our region. She hopes to strengthen environmental education in the community by working together to create outdoor classrooms. In her spare time, you can find Miranda running outdoors, trying a new recipe from Pinterest, hanging out with her family, or solving a Sudoku.
Community Engagement Coordinator
Miranda graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara where she majored in Environmental Studies. Born and raised in Santa Maria, the Central Coast has always been her home. Miranda appreciates how nonprofits seek to improve the quality of life for our region. She hopes to strengthen environmental education in the community by working together to create outdoor classrooms. In her spare time, you can find Miranda running outdoors, trying a new recipe from Pinterest, hanging out with her family, or solving a Sudoku.
Teresa “Tree” Lees
Garden Educator Manager - Los Ranchos
Teresa has firsthand experience in permaculture, classroom teaching, Garden Based Learning (GBL) in school gardens and nature based education. She has woven together a career that combines her love for children and their education with her love for the planet. Teresa, aka “Tree” is the CREEC Network Coordinator at the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education where she serves as the clearinghouse for environmental education curriculum and green schools throughout Region 8 (SLO, SB, Kern and Ventura counties). Teresa connected kids to nature in the Laureate School garden where she was the Life Lab teacher for three years. She also served as the Chairperson of the GBL committee with the San Luis Obispo Master Gardeners for ten years, conducting teacher trainings in the Sunshine Demonstration Garden, disseminating curriculum resources and providing consultations to local school gardens. She also has been both a classroom teacher and a Naturalist for outdoor schools. Teresa also spent a decade as the Children’s Education Coordinator at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden where she created interpretive garden areas and kids’ programs including a children’s Food Forest, Native Peoples & Plants garden, solar fountain, and straw bale benches. She currently organizes the SLO Permaculture Guild and the Global Family children’s garden at City Farm where she conducts the FARMGIRLS Summer Camp. She also is a Garden Nutrition Educator with the UCCE CalFresh program. She is the facilitator of the GEE Symposium, bringing together all school garden and farm to school stakeholders in our region in October 2017.
Garden Educator Manager - Los Ranchos
Teresa has firsthand experience in permaculture, classroom teaching, Garden Based Learning (GBL) in school gardens and nature based education. She has woven together a career that combines her love for children and their education with her love for the planet. Teresa, aka “Tree” is the CREEC Network Coordinator at the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education where she serves as the clearinghouse for environmental education curriculum and green schools throughout Region 8 (SLO, SB, Kern and Ventura counties). Teresa connected kids to nature in the Laureate School garden where she was the Life Lab teacher for three years. She also served as the Chairperson of the GBL committee with the San Luis Obispo Master Gardeners for ten years, conducting teacher trainings in the Sunshine Demonstration Garden, disseminating curriculum resources and providing consultations to local school gardens. She also has been both a classroom teacher and a Naturalist for outdoor schools. Teresa also spent a decade as the Children’s Education Coordinator at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden where she created interpretive garden areas and kids’ programs including a children’s Food Forest, Native Peoples & Plants garden, solar fountain, and straw bale benches. She currently organizes the SLO Permaculture Guild and the Global Family children’s garden at City Farm where she conducts the FARMGIRLS Summer Camp. She also is a Garden Nutrition Educator with the UCCE CalFresh program. She is the facilitator of the GEE Symposium, bringing together all school garden and farm to school stakeholders in our region in October 2017.
Harlee Clarke
Garden Educator Manager - Virginia Peterson and Santa Rosa
Harlee was born and raised on the Central Coast and earned her BS in Clinical Nutrition from Cal Poly. She has always loved bringing people together with food while working as a Baker and Pastry Chef in previous years. Her deep-rooted passion has evolved into educating families about nutrition and providing access to gardening, harvesting, and preparing beautiful meals with fresh fruits and vegetables. She strives to close the gap of fresh food accessibility and fight for food literacy. In her spare time, you can find her practicing yoga or in the mountains with her bike and her dog.
Garden Educator Manager - Virginia Peterson and Santa Rosa
Harlee was born and raised on the Central Coast and earned her BS in Clinical Nutrition from Cal Poly. She has always loved bringing people together with food while working as a Baker and Pastry Chef in previous years. Her deep-rooted passion has evolved into educating families about nutrition and providing access to gardening, harvesting, and preparing beautiful meals with fresh fruits and vegetables. She strives to close the gap of fresh food accessibility and fight for food literacy. In her spare time, you can find her practicing yoga or in the mountains with her bike and her dog.
Harlee Clarke
Garden Educator Manager
Harlee was born and raised on the Central Coast and earned her BS in Clinical Nutrition from Cal Poly. She has always loved bringing people together with food while working as a Baker and Pastry Chef in previous years. Her deep-rooted passion has evolved into educating families about nutrition and providing access to gardening, harvesting, and preparing beautiful meals with fresh fruits and vegetables. She strives to close the gap of fresh food accessibility and fight for food literacy. In her spare time, you can find her practicing yoga or in the mountains with her bike and her dog.
Garden Educator Manager
Harlee was born and raised on the Central Coast and earned her BS in Clinical Nutrition from Cal Poly. She has always loved bringing people together with food while working as a Baker and Pastry Chef in previous years. Her deep-rooted passion has evolved into educating families about nutrition and providing access to gardening, harvesting, and preparing beautiful meals with fresh fruits and vegetables. She strives to close the gap of fresh food accessibility and fight for food literacy. In her spare time, you can find her practicing yoga or in the mountains with her bike and her dog.
Our Board
Chris Elliott
Founder & President With formal training in art and business, Chris is a natural entrepreneur and has founded and managed several successful companies. Chris brings creativity and a strong business mind to the OCE team. Cleveland, Ohio 1969, the Cuyahoga River erupted in flames. 1971, I moved from my parent’s nice house in the suburbs to live above the river, across from the steel mills. The river and air were still an open sewer. At first I was angry, at everyone. Eventually I came to understand. Close to the mills were the poor trying to survive and forget where they lived. In the suburbs, they viewed the river fouling as the price of progress. Each had a position and a set of solid facts to support it. I couldn’t pick a side, didn’t know what to do, so I moved away. Today after many ventures, I’m not so much an environmentalist as a realist. In the end, debating the facts doesn’t matter because you can’t move far enough away… 
Lionel Dennis Johnson
Founder Lionel’s background in project management as a ironworker’s foreman. Since his retirement 20 years ago, Lionel has volunteered countless hours and materials to promote native trees. Lionel co-founded One Cool Earth with Chris and Sue Elliott to increase environmental education and protection in the county. |
Sue Elliott
Office Manager & Founder Sue co-founded the nonprofit along with her husband Chris and has accounting and management skills that help keep One Cool Earth operating from day to day. 
Cathy Cuthbert
Treasurer Cathy is a dedicated community volunteer and leader. She has a long interest in the role of nutrition and health. Combined with a savvy business sense she is well versed in fiscal responsibility. Her years of working for non-profits in our community attest to her dedication and commitment. |