Gabby graduated with a BS in Environmental Studies/Urban Environmental Sciences from The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. After college, Gabby gained experience in the workplace with grassroots canvassing, fundraising, managing heating oil tank remediation projects, report writing, communicating with the public, and communicating with regulatory and governmental agencies. Gabby was hired in 2020 as a CEO assistant and biologist and as soon as she arrived, she hit the ground running. She wears several hats at ELS including managing the CEO’s personal and work schedule, tracking, and responding to his emails, preparing materials for client meetings, assisting with field work, data collection, report writing, and project budget tracking. Gabby’s incredible organization skills, clear communication style, and delightful attitude make her a wonderful coworker and a great addition to the ELS team.
How was your interest in science/biology/the outdoors originally sparked?
My original interest in biology and the outdoors came from my childhood. I grew up on a produce farm in inner city Vancouver and I was fortune enough to get to spend the first 18 years of my life enjoying the simplicity of growing and selling produce, enjoying the literal fruits of the work. Although farming wouldn’t be my long term goal I quickly realized that I would never want to work in a way that kept me inside for eight hours a day and kept me from being active in my daily life. I combined my passions for being outdoors and working with plants, with my passion for urban ecology, and environmental policy to end up where I am today.
Are there any charitable causes or community initiatives that you're passionate about?
While I no longer live and work on a produce farm I feel strongly about supporting farmers and farm education programs. No farms = no food.
What are you or have you been most excited about accomplishing at ELS?
The most exiting thing about being with ELS is the ability to actually work in the extremely specific field that I studied in college. I don’t think it’s a very common experience that people end up doing exactly what they set out to do at 18 years old and it gives me a nice warm fuzzy feeling of accomplishment. On top of that, I get the privilege of getting to learn new things and challenge myself every day. I feel honored to work with a group of such well versed and experienced biologists and permitting specialists.
