Our Staff
Paulina López
Executive Director
paulina@drcc.org | (she/her/ella)
Paulina has over 25 years of experience working on issues of civil rights, social environmental justice, equity, education and diversity. Paulina is keenly in tune with the strengths and challenges of this community as it moves toward environmental health and social and climate justice. Paulina highly regarded organizer, facilitator, community and policy strategist, movement builder focused on building systems of power and shifting power outward to those most impacted by injustice and oppression. Developed consulting with governments, organizations, community and foundations to identify ways to shift power dynamics, and develop frameworks for collaborative co- creating and transformative governance. Through this work and her leadership in social, environmental, and racial justice organizations, Paulina has developed expertise in multi-sector stakeholder engagement, networks, collaborative problem solving, and building power with BIPOC communities of color, immigrants, and refugees. Paulina emigrated to the U.S. from Ecuador and has made Seattle her home for the past 18 years. She first joined DRCC/TAG as a volunteer, advocating in her community for access to a safe, clean environment for South Park’s families. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights Law from St. Thomas University.
Robin Schwartz
Development and Community Advocacy
robin@drcc.org | (she/her)
Robin Schwartz (She/Her/Hers) is a Seattle native and moved to South Park in 2007 to raise her family. Since that time, she has become steadily more involved in environmental and social justice issues, and joined DRCC/TAG in early 2017. She is a member of many community groups in addition to her role at DRCC, including the South Park Neighborhood Association, the Concord International Elementary School PTA, Greening Concord, and the Duwamish Waterway Park Steering Committee. Her work with DRCC and as a volunteer at Concord has made her painfully aware of the issues of gentrification and displacement in the Duwamish Valley. She is DRCC’s lead staff member on the Duwamish Valley Affordable Housing Coalition which is working hard to develop and preserve affordable housing with emphasis on accessibility by those community members most at risk of displacement, including people with low-income, people of color, and immigrants and refugees.
Magdalena Angel-Cano
Community Engagement and Communications Specialist
maggie@drcc.org | (she/her/ella)
Maggie is a South Park native and a graduate of our very first Duwamish Valley Youth Corps (DVYC) cohort in 2014. In the last five years, we have impacted more than 1,000 Duwamish Valley youth through our program, including more than 250 this year. We are so proud to see a DVYC member come full circle through high school, college and back again to DRCC to make an impact in her own community. She truly represents DVYC core values of advocacy, environmental justice, community representation and involvement. Her work is a great example to current Youth Corps members and provides us with a daily reminder of how important this programming is to Duwamish Valley youth.
Maggie is a graduate of the University Of Washington Department Of Gender, Women & Sexuality studies with a Diversity minor. Magdalena’s interests lie in community engagement and bringing opportunities to those in her community who have historically lacked equal access to resources.
Magdalena recently coordinated the Duwamish River Festival working with DRCC. Magdalena joined DRCC to bring the community voice into the process of the Duwamish River cleanup.
Carmen Martinez
Duwamish Valley Youth Corps Director
carmen@drcc.org | (she/her)
Carmen Martinez (she/hers) was born and raised in South Park and has been active for the past 15 years on social justice issues, making her community a better place to live. She serves on multiple committees in South Park, including as Vice-president of the South Park Neighborhood Association and member of the South Park Safety Taskforce. Carmen has worked with youth for 25 years. She began by coaching girls’ basketball at Chief Sealth (her alma mater) and has worked in youth development since the year 2000. Currently she is Manager of the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps, a program of the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition that serves low-income youth of color in the Duwamish Valley area, providing them with job skills/opportunities and getting them engaged in environmental justice issues. Carmen is also a proud mother of one son, but in reality, she is a mother of more than 1000 kids in the in the neighborhood.
dana wu / 吳 淑 如
Director of Operations & Finance
dwu@drcc.org l (she/her/they/them)
Dana Wu / 吳 淑 如 is a proud Teochew, and eldest queer child of refugee parents displaced by and survived what some choose to call the "Vietnam War". Raised on the ancestral homelands of the Tongva and Gabrielino tribes, Dana relocated to the Salish Sea region in 2005 as a first-generation college graduate with degrees in Biology and Environmental Studies. Dana has embodied their passion for marine conservation, service learning community science, and environmental justice issues by working with various entities including the Student Conservation Association, Olympic National Park, Seattle Aquarium, City of Seattle's Environmental Justice Committee, Dynamic Waters LLC, among others. After serving two years as vice board chair, Dana is excited to return home and to continue supporting the whole DRCC family and our collective mission. In their spare time, Dana cultivates joy by gardening, cycling, bowling, and being a new chicken parent.
Advisor
James Rasmussen
Superfund Manager
James (He/Him) is a founding member of DRCC/TAG, having represented the Duwamish Tribe on the organization’s Advisory Council for 10 years before joining the staff as Executive Director/Coordinator in 2011. He served as a member of the Duwamish Tribal Council for 26 years, and as the founding Director of the Duwamish Tribe's Longhouse and Cultural Center. Rasmussen has been an active voice in environmental, habitat, and community issues along the Duwamish River and in the Seattle region for over 30 years. Rasmussen has played a fundamental role in the EPA’s formation of the Duwamish Superfund Roundtable, which will inform the next phase of the Cleanup Plan. Rasmussen has been an active voice in environmental, habitat, and community issues along the Duwamish River and in the Seattle region for over 30 years. Rasmussen has played a fundamental role in the EPA’s formation of the Duwamish Superfund Roundtable, which will inform the next phase of the Cleanup Plan.
Volunteer
Brenda Sullivan
Brenda Sullivan studied at London University (B.S. in Physics) and the University of Southampton (M.S. in Acoustics). After graduate studies at the University of Southampton, she came to the United States to work in community noise and psychoacoustics research at MAN-Acoustics and Noise in Seattle. After a period as a software engineer at the University of Washington and Bruce Franklin, Inc, she moved to Virginia, where she worked as a research engineer in psychoacoustics at NASA for 25 years. On retiring from NASA, she returned to the Pacific Northwest, where she enjoys the environment and the weather. She has a lifelong interest in music and has played clarinet in many groups, large and small, and currently performs with the Orchestra of Flight and the West Seattle Community Orchestras.
Alex Agne
Alex was born in Michigan, and lived in Sweden, Upstate New York, Chicago, and Houston before landing in Seattle in 2018. A member of the Climatebase Fellowship, he is mission driven towards taking climate action, sharing knowledge and education, and driving both local and global impact. He works at Electric Era, a Seattle-based EV fast charging company, on the Business Development team. Outside of work Alex enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, practicing karate and yoga, cooking, running, hiking, biking, and more. He loves to gather for a good meal with great friends and enjoys experiencing all of the natural beauty the PNW has to offer.
Promotores & Community Advocates
Van Ly (she/her/hers)
Van was born and raised in Vietnam before immigrating to the greater Seattle area following the war. She has owned and ran a successful business in White Center for the past 35 years prior to this job. Looking for a change of pace, Van has joined the DRCC to help spread her passion of environmental conservation.
_________________________________________________________
Thuy Numrich
My name is Thuy Numrich, I was born and raised in Vietnam. I came to America in 2007 as an immigrant. I have lived and worked in this neighborhood for many years as a Social Services Support Specialist with a passion for helping those facing difficulties in life. Outside of work, I like to travel, take photos and chat with friends.
__________________________________________________________
Gloria Ramirez Santiago
Mi nombre es Gloria Ramirez Santiago. Soy una mujer indígena ñuu savi, y hablo mi lengua materna y español. Llevo muchos años radicando en Seattle y me gusta vivir al sur de la ciudad porque me siento en comunidad. Me gusta convivir y conocer personas de diferentes países, soy un navegador comunitario al servicio de la comunidad y me gusta mucho poder retribuir energía bonita a todos los espacios que visito.
Mia Ayala-Marshall
Climate Policy Analyst
mia@drcc.org | (she/her)
Mia was born and raised in Eagle, Idaho, and moved to the Seattle area in 2021. Mia holds a Bachelor Degree of Arts, majoring in Political Science from Seattle University. Mia is incredibly passionate about policy work connected to environmental justice, clean energy, conservation, and sustainability.
Mia interned at the White House in the Office on Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation (OCEII). She supported the OCEII team in implementing the clean energy provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Biden-Harris climate agenda. Mia supported the development and implementation of clean energy, sustainability, conservation, and environmental justice policies at the federal level.
Mia is excited to combine her previous work experiences and passions to uplift the voices of those in the Duwamish Valley and advocate for diverse, equitable, and inclusive environmental and social policies. Mia believes that a clean, healthy, and equitable environment for people and wildlife is achievable and is thrilled by the opportunity to support DRCC’s mission.
In her free time, Mia enjoys reading, weightlifting, spending time with friends and family, and any activity outdoors!
Crystal Perez
Duwamish Valley Youth Corps Coordinator
Crystal Perez | (she/her/they/them)
Crystal is a first-generation Mexican American; the daughter of immigrant parents who came to this area from Torreón, Coahuila. She was born in Auburn, Washington, raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky and has resided in Seattle since 2002. By experiencing the powerful seasons and beauty of the traditional Shawnee land, their time in Kentucky ignited their curiosity and solidified their love for the natural world.
For the past two years, Crystal worked as part of the team at Dirt Corps. During that time, they studied and worked in habitat restoration, green stormwater infrastructure, salmon recovery and community engagement. Through this work, they developed a relationship with DRCC and discovered a passion for connecting with the youth through the DVYC. They are committed to working in service of the environment and environmental justice, understanding that climate change is intersectional and that empowering our communities and the youth is vital to creating meaningful change. They are honored to have the opportunity to do this work.
Crystal is an avid birder, and enjoys introducing people to birding with an inclusive, curious and welcoming attitude. They also love music, animals (especially their cat Poppy), creating art and cooking traditional Mexican foods to reconnect with their heritage.
Maria Cristina
cristina@drcc.org | (she/her/ella)
Maria Cristina, a Colombian native, currently calls Seattle home. She has a Bachelor's in Environmental Engineering (2013) from Los Andes University, she has actively contributed to social and environmental projects in Colombia and conducted impact assessments for agricultural production and oil & gas extraction in Colombia and Mexico.
With a Master's in Anthropology (2016), she published a Policy Paper in collaboration with a German civil organization on the environmental and cultural effects of coal extraction in La Guajira, Colombia. In 2020, Maria Cristina earned a Sustainable Development Goals certificate from Santiago de Chile University.
Maria Cristina has been involved in the community as Spanish teacher on Washington's Early Childhood Education program and is working towards obtaining an Engineer in Training license. Beyond her professional pursuits, Maria Cristina is passionate about climate change and community engagement into environmental matters. Starting as a Community Health Worker and Promotora for DRCC DAISY project, she transition to Environmental Health Equity Program Coordinator. In her free time, Maria Cristina enjoys collecting postal cards, taking pictures, discovering new places to visit such as museums and coffee shops, spending time with family and friends, going to the beach and hiking.
Joseph Santana
Environmental Health Equity Manager
Joseph Santana | (he/him)
Joseph Santana was brought up by a family of Ecuadorian-Colombian immigrants in the Seattle area. He has actively participated in community-facing projects in Cairo, New York City, and San Juan. Joseph holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree and has worked in studies related to pediatric asthma in both New York and San Juan, Puerto Rico. His involvement in the public health field includes work at Columbia University, where he contributed to research projects and engaged in public health education initiatives organized by the university and local New York City churches. Joseph earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Walla Walla University.
Khalia Tenari
Operations and Office Coordinator
khalia@drcc.org | (she/her)
Khalia is a South Park native and a graduate of the 13th Duwamish Valley Youth Corps Cohort (DVYC).
She is currently a student at Washington State University majoring in Business management with a minor in International Relations. She plans to use her degree to make a meaningful impact through her work. She is dedicated to fostering sustainable and thriving communities. She has constant interest in providing support to local businesses and communities through volunteer work. In her spare time you can find Khalia at a concert or music festival as music is a big part of her life!