Vida Verde Executive Board Members
Laura Kretschmar
Laura Kretschmar SHE/HER/HERS
Laura is a passionate middle school math and science teacher. She has been teaching and learning with students for almost 30 years, mostly in Oakland, CA, where she was a co-founder of the Lighthouse Community Charter School. She currently teaches at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California. Laura is a National Board Certified Teacher of Mathematics and opens her classroom to both science and math researchers yearly. Laura's roots in science stem from watching the Loowit / Mt. St. Helens’ eruption in Washington State when she was young, leading her to study geology in college. Her motivation to teach mathematics blossomed over time through professional development experiences and collaborations with leaders in the field of math education. Videos of Laura’s teaching are often used in teacher education programs around the country. Laura is deeply committed to examining her teaching through an equity lens and using instructional routines that elevate the status of all students as thinkers and doers of mathematics. Laura has been involved with Vida Verde for 20+ years as a teacher bringing students; as a volunteer; donor; and Board Member, serving both as Treasurer and Board Chair. She is humbled and thrilled to rejoin the Board after a several-year hiatus. Her husband Todd, an electrician, has also shared his expertise and love of Vida Verde–mostly behind the walls of the new barn! In her spare time, Laura is an avid hiker and dog lover.
Eric Ryan
eric ryan he/him/his
Eric has been a huge fan and supporter of Vida Verde since 2003. The organization's beautiful juxtaposition of social justice, environmental education, and educational equity that are a sweet spot of his personal concerns.
Professionally, he is a national leader in the field of strategic planning for nonprofits. He is passionate about the catalytic power that practical and effective strategic planning can have on building a nonprofit’s capacity.
He is the author of Mission Met: Proven Strategic Planning Guidance to Help You Build a Financially Secure and Impactful Nonprofit. He and his team have created an online strategic planning course, and he has led hundreds of nonprofit strategic planning facilitations and consulting engagements.
In addition to his consulting work, he has started a nonprofit, been an executive director, and served on several boards as both treasurer and board chair.
A graduate of UC Berkeley, he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wonderful wife and two hilarious kids. He has coached Little League Baseball and loves to camp and hike with his family.
Juan Miguel Arias
Zia Manekin-Hrdy
zia manekin-hrdy she/her/hers
Zia has volunteered at Vida Verde since its first year and helped with setting up some of the early sleeping structures, led volunteers in brunch service and run the kitchen at the first few benefits, and even cooked for a donor event.
After many years teaching third grade, she now teaches transitional kindergarten where her students keep her singing and playing throughout the day and hopeful about the future. Zia has a bachelor degree in Studio Art and India Studies and has a Masters of Education from UC Berkeley where she focused on inclusivity and developmentally approriate education in public schools. She is especially passionate about full-inclusion, universal design, and special needs access in and out of the classroom.
zia manekin-hrdy she/her/hers
Zia has volunteered at Vida Verde since its first year and helped with setting up some of the early sleeping structures, led volunteers in brunch service and run the kitchen at the first few benefits, and even cooked for a donor event.
After many years teaching third grade, she now teaches transitional kindergarten where her students keep her singing and playing throughout the day and hopeful about the future. Zia has a bachelor degree in Studio Art and India Studies and has a Masters of Education from UC Berkeley where she focused on inclusivity and developmentally approriate education in public schools. She is especially passionate about full-inclusion, universal design, and special needs access in and out of the classroom.
Zia grew up in Seattle picking giant blackberries, making art, and car camping in the Cascade Mountains. When she was 9, a teacher at a free bus-shelter painting workshop told her about scholarships and encouraged her to apply for one to a fine arts camp. That early sleep away camp experience exposed Zia to many more opportunities to explore the world, and she ended up getting scholarships to study for a year of high school in the Slovak Republic, attend Colorado College for undergrad, and live in India for year. She also taught English at the highest elementary school in Japan for two years, backpacked across New Zealand, and took cooking classes across Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar.
She spends her summer vacation with her two kids cooking at a Buddhist retreat center where they get swim in the river daily and compete in counting deer, otter, mink, tree frog, and turtle sightings each day.
Shawn Sears