Team Bios

Here is a little information about the CivicSpark Team (left to right)!

Anna Olsen (not pictured) will be working with the San Luis Obispo Air Pollution Control District in San Luis Obispo as the Central Coast Regional Coordinator. Anna grew up in Ojai, California. As an undergraduate, she went to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where she received a B.S. in Animal Science and minors in Agribusiness and Equine Science. She recently finished her Master’s in Sustainability and Environmental Management from Harvard University. Last year Anna was a Central Coast CivicSpark Member and assisted the cities and the county of SLO implement their Climate Action Plans. 

Alex Economou grew up in Western Springs, Illinois.  As an undergrad, he attended the University of Oregon where he received a B.S. in Business Administration and Environmental Studies.  After graduation, Alex moved to the Central Coast to begin his career as a CivicSpark Fellow.  He is very excited to be partnered with the SLO APCD and to pursue a career in sustainability and local government climate action.

Savannah Speerstra graduated from University of California Davis in 2015 with a major in Environmental Science and Management with an emphasis in Natural Resources Management. Savannah also studied abroad in Santiago, Chile for one year at La Universidad de Chile where she also studied Environmental Science. During her time in Chile she interned for a non-profit company, Cultiva that educated the public about air pollution and completed reforestation projects throughout the city of Santiago. Savannah is from Thousand Oaks, CA but is excited to join the Central Coast team in San Luis Obispo. Savannah looks forward to working with CivicSpark and SLO APCD because she plans on a future in public works and in climate change.

Katie Webster recently earned her degree in Marine Biology from Auburn University. During her time at Auburn, she collaborated on a study looking at how climate change affects deep-sea organisms in Antarctica. Her experience in biology and conservation ecology inspired her to begin a career of helping the environment. Katie is new to California and recently moved from Georgia to begin working with the CivicSpark program. She is excited to explore all that San Luis Obispo has to offer and hopes to make a lasting impact here in the Central Coast.