Dr. Julisa Lopez (Tribal member), Research Associate
Dr. Julisa Lopez is a member of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and was born and raised in Fresno CA. In 2018. she graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz. She attended graduate school at the University of Michigan and received her doctorate in Psychology in 2024. Julisa's research examines the socio-cultural factors that perpetuate anti-Native bias among non-Natives, the consequences bias has for Native wellbeing and the psychological factors that motivate Native Peoples to take action against injustice. She is continuing her research as a Chancellor's Postdoctoral fellow in the Psychology Department at UC Santa Cruz. Her goal in working with AMLT is to develop a community participatory action research project with youth and elders who are engaged in revitalizing traditional ecological knowledge and land stewardship practices. She is especially interested in capturing the intrinsic relationship between connection to land, identity development and wellbeing among the Amah Mutsun community. In the future, she hopes to secure a tenure track faculty position at an R1 university to continue to do research aimed at justice for Native Peoples.
Yasmin Khajavipour Thompson (Tribal member), Legal Intern
I was born in Fresno but grew up in Southern California. My education journey wasn’t traditional—I dropped out of high school and took a very unconventional route to get to where I am today. After marrying my amazing wife and having our first son, River, we decided to attend school together. We both transferred to UC Berkeley, not only to further our education but also to be closer to tribal events and connect with my relatives more deeply.
After graduating from UC Berkeley with honors, I started law school at UC Law SF (formerly Hastings), where I began to build a relationship with Athena. This spring, I’m grateful for the opportunity to work as a law intern with Athena and AMLT, gaining incredible experience. Being part of the Amah Mutsun tribe means so much to me, and I’m honored to be able to give back in any way I can.
One of my favorite things every year is summer camp. I love watching River spend quality time with his cousins, and it’s always a highlight to see our community come together.
Rosanna Petralia, Native Plant Program Assistant
I was born on the Mediterranean island of Sicily. I grew up with a love for foraging. Dad and I would go on seasonal searches for mushrooms, snails, greens, and fish! My love for the outdoors and the environment led me to a degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Catania, Sicily. In 1997, I came to the American continent to fulfill a post-degree scholarship on dolphins’ behavioral ecology at the Cetacean Behavior Laboratory in San Diego. In 1999 moved to Pescadero and fell in love with what people call the “Slow Coast”, meaning the coast between Pescadero and Santa Cruz. This has been my home for the last 25 years. Of course, one of the first thoughts when I moved to the area was “what is edible out here?”.
For most of my career I worked as an interpreter for California State Parks. I started learning about the intersection of climate change and environmental equity and worked to provide underserved inner city students with opportunities to access the parks and experience the outdoors.
In 2020 I was affected by the Complex CZU Fires. In the process of helping the land recover I became interested in the propagation of native plants and in the important role native plants can play in climate change mitigation and social justice.
In 2022 I started work for Pie Ranch at the Cascade Regenerator Program helping to develop land stewardship practices to integrate natural and working lands. During my work at Cascade I initiated a propagation operation for native plants and found kinship with the AMLT Native Plants Program. I am delighted and honored to be working with all AMLT stewards and I am looking forward to learning and appreciating more about plants and the worlds they create!
Jacob Sackin, Grants Manager
Jacob Sackin grew up in Kansas City, MO, graduated from the University of Kansas, and spent a year teaching English to Tibetan refugees in Northern India. He moved to California in 1999 and has over 14 years of experience in outdoor education. He has lived in the Santa Cruz area since 2007 and is the former Executive Director of Exploring New Horizons Outdoor Schools. Jacob also led work crews and taught at Northwest Youth Corps Outdoor High School in Eugene, Oregon. He has a Master's Degree in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Northern Arizona University, has published two young adult novels focused on climate change, and exhibits his artwork around town. Jacob loves to explore, bike, kayak, bird watch, and search for mushrooms with his wife and 2 kids in Santa Cruz, and is honored to be able to write grants about AMLT and the AMTB.