Conservation Coordinators

Maddalena Serra joined the Chapter staff April 29, 2008. She.spent the previoust two years at the Amigos De los Rios, where she focused on campaigns promoting open space, clean air, and environmental education for young people. She hopes to continue these pursuits at the Angeles Chapter.

Prior to Amigos De los Rios, Serra worked for Sonoma State in conjunction with the Forest Service as a recreational monitor in the Angeles Forest while she studied to obtain a Master of Science in Regenerative Studies. As a monitor, she spent a summer interviewing forest visitors for the reasons they came to the forest, where they came from and what activities they would engage in.

Serra also worked with Corazón, a non-profit organization based in Laguna Beach that builds homes for impoverished families in Latin America. That work took her to Tijuana to work on sustainable living issues, centering around basic housing and city services, such as sewage. Her work on homes included structures that could be quickly built from near-by materials and still be cool in the summer and warm in the winter. She has worked on establishing sustainable housing, community gardens, and community bulletin boards where residents could post information and sustainable agriculture.

Serra also travelled extensively in Latin Amerca. She worked on her thesis in Panama, studying tourist-generated trash and how waste is disposed of. “Waste is often burned by the rivers,” Serra says, “releasing dioxins which flow in the water, harm health and damage coral.”

A deep interest in environmental justice issues runs through Serra’s experience. At a past Latino Congress, Serra attended a presentation made on pollution in goods movement corridors given by Chapter member Jesse Marquez. Afterwards, Serra struck up a conversation with Marquez about his presentation.

While Serra has always had personal passion for conservation, saying, “I like the outdoors and nature and I love the sea,” she has not always worked for environmental organizations. Before undertaking work on her Master of Science, in fact, Serra was a culinary star in the San Francisco restaurant scene, where she variously worked as a pastry chef, a head chef, a restaurateur herself, and as Executive Chef at Niebaum-Coppola, owned by the renowned filmmaker.
Serra has also worked as an art director (She has a degree in graphic design.) and as an interpreter for NATO.

Senior Chapter Director Ron Silverman noted that Serra’s resume was a standout among the many candidates for the open Conservation Coordinator post. “We are very lucky to have someone as accomplished as Maddalena join us at Chapter Headquarters. In addition to impressive credentials, she brings a wonderful attitude that will energize and inspire our campaigns.”

Serra is fluent in her native Italian, English and Spanish.