Meet Our Team

Board of Directors

Tina Neuhausel (she/her), President & Co-Founder

Tina has spent the last sixteen years of her professional life helping to advance sustainable technologies and encouraging a more sustainable society. Tina founded and has run Sustainable Contra Costa since 2007. She has served as Outreach Director for Sustainable San Mateo County (2006-2010) and consulted with governments and businesses on renewable energy projects and policies, and sustainable building and business practices as Owner of Next Generation Energy Network (2004-2007). Tina served as Policy Aide to [then] Santa Clara County Supervisor Jim Beall focusing on energy, work-force development, transportation, and land-use issues, and created the Santa Clara County Fuel Cell Advancement Initiative. Tina has eight years executive management experience in the hotel industry. She received her Master of Public Administration degree from San Francisco State University.

Kimberly Lam (she/her), Director

Kimberly joined the SCOCO Board of Directors in 2013 and has been a volunteer since 2012. She is a Municipal Manager for Republic Services and previously was a Recycling Coordinator for Central Contra Costa. Before working at Republic Services, Kimberly worked in the Global Environmental Sustainability team at Levi Strauss & Co. and was a champion of sustainability and waste reduction at the University of California, Berkeley. Kimberly has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a minor in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley.

Charlie Chen, Treasurer

Charlie has been a resident of Danville and Contra Costa County for over 20 years. He has 25 years of finance experience, including leadership roles in treasury, financial planning and
analysis, investor relations and strategic planning. Charlie holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering
from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of California-Berkeley.

Laura Wehrley (she/her), Director

Laura moved to Contra Costa once her twins were 1 year old and she realized she couldn’t push their huge, double stroller up the hills of San Francisco anymore. She loves the nature, ample parking spaces, various parks and friendly neighbors of our beautiful county. She graduated from the University of Missouri with a dual degree in International Relations and Business Administration. She started work in Kansas City in the transportation industry where she was affectionately nicknamed, “the treehugger” for setting up a paper recycling system at her office. Her sales territory took her to San Francisco where she found a new job working in cultural exchange, a program she knew she could promote after loving her experience studying abroad in Spain. She started volunteering with SCOCO in early 2021 as she felt compelled to reduce waste and increase sustainability in her community. She became SCOCO’s Community Engagement & Outreach Director for three years and now serves as a board member. In 2026 she re-joined Intrax Cultural Exchange as Program Manager.

Laurine Grere Osborne (she/her), Director

Laurine is a seasoned strategist with over 25 years of consulting experience in fashion, textiles, construction, and publishing. She advocates integrating culture, values, resilience, and creativity into small and medium-sized enterprises and local communities. With a Doctorate in Business Administration from Drexel University, a Master’s in Impact Business and Investing from Glasgow Caledonian University, and a Bachelor’s in Fashion Design and Marketing from the University of East London, UK, Laurine combines academic research with practical expertise to address today’s sustainability challenges. She also serves on the California Statewide Textile Recovery Advisory Committee, addressing the pressing issue of textile waste.

Monica Burnick (she/her), Director

Monica moved to Contra Costa 25 years ago. She loves the beauty, expansive open spaces, and easy access to both the beach and the mountains. With a 25-year career in marketing and communications, she brings deep experience in helping organizations tell their stories and inspire meaningful action. Monica has been an active community volunteer supporting local schools, Boy Scouts, National Charity League, and the Orinda Garden Club. Her passion for environmental stewardship and community connection drives her commitment to advancing sustainable living throughout Contra Costa County.

Staff

Ozge Altunsoy, Community Engagement Specialist

Ozge moved to Contra Costa from London, England in 2022. She loves the sunny weather, beautiful hiking trails and friendly people of the county. She holds an MA in Education from University College London in England, and has worked as an ESL teacher and in education management in various countries. She loves to spend her time with her family discovering California, hiking and sustainable cooking. She is passionate about creating a future where people and the planet thrive together.

Eliana Batrez (she/her), Senior Program Specialist

Eliana was born and raised in San Jose and graduated from Saint Mary’s College of California. She holds a BA in Spanish Linguistics & Communication, with a minor in Ethnic Studies. Eliana is passionate about social justice, specifically community engagement and equitable access to community resources. She admires SCOCO’s dedication to empowering individuals to create change within their own communities. Most of all, she is enjoying learning more about social justice through sustainability, especially with regards to energy efficiency and conservation. Outside of work, Eliana enjoys reading, puns, and riding her bike.

Cecily Knepprath Kiba (she/her), Eco-Minister

Cecily joined SCOCO in 2023, continuing her life-long career in nonprofit operations, fundraising and most recently as a hospice chaplain. She has a passion for social and environmental justice, which drew her to SCOCO. Cecily enjoys sailboat racing and cruising, adventures with family that includes 3 grandchildren and is an ardent fan of pickleball! Cecily has a bachelors degree from UC Berkeley in Anthropology and is an ordained Interfaith minister.

Tyler Snortum-Phelps (he/him), Operations Manager

Tyler joined Sustainable Contra Costa in July of 2014. After a career in radio and progressive politics, Tyler spent many years providing ecology and gardening education in a variety of settings, including Lindsay Wildlife Museum, Diablo Nature Adventures and the Oakland Museum Natural Sciences Gallery. He has taught home composting workshops for 20 years. He was a natural science teacher at The Gardens at Heather Farm and then became Operations Manager at The Gardens, a position he held for 9 years. He has a bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting from San Francisco State University and is a Certfiied Master Composter. He and his wife are also co-directors of the music program at Unity of Walnut Creek, and he loves to cook, sing, and hike in the hills.