Baykeeper Staff

Deb Self, Executive Director
(415) 856-0444 x 102

Deb Self provides executive leadership for Baykeeper, focusing on strategic organizational planning, Board and high-level volunteer development, fundraising, fiscal management and senior staff mentorship. She plays a key role in program planning and evaluation. Deb joined Baykeeper in 2003 as Associate Director before being promoted to Executive Director in 2006. She serves as Treasurer of the Waterkeeper Alliance, which Baykeeper helped found with Bobby Kennedy, Jr. to create a network of grassroots pollution advocates worldwide. Deb has more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit organizational development, environmental advocacy and regulatory compliance. Her Masters in sociology focused on environmental justice, and she holds a bachelors degree in geology. Deb lives in Oakland with long-time partner Mandy Wallace and boxer Roxi.

Sejal Choksi, JD, San Francisco Baykeeper and
Director of Programs
(415) 856-0444 x 107

Sejal Choksi is the primary spokesperson for the organization. She develops Baykeeper's overall strategy to protect the Bay’s water quality, directs all advocacy, litigation, legislation, and monitoring efforts and leads program and communications staff to further Baykeeper’s mission. Sejal joined Baykeeper as an attorney in September 2002, spearheading Baykeeper’s pesticide campaign, including efforts to secure the nation’s first regulations to control agricultural pollution. In 2004, Sejal was promoted to Program Director and Baykeeper. She serves as a member of East Bay Municipal Utility District’s Blue Ribbon Panel, addressing systemic sewage collection problems, and was appointed by the Senate President Pro Tem to serve on California’s Oil Spill Prevention & Response Advisory Committee. She also serves as a Board member of the California Coastkeeper Alliance, a statewide network of Waterkeepers dedicated to protecting California waters. Sejal holds a J.D. with a specialization in Environmental Law from the University of California, Berkeley and has a B.S. in Anthropology from Emory University.

Jason Flanders, JD, Staff Attorney
(415) 856-0444 x 106

Jason Flanders provides legal and policy expertise to assist with Baykeeper's litigation and advocacy program. Jason joined Baykeeper in 2009 after four years of representing state and local nonprofits in a variety of administrative and judicial proceedings. His past legal successes have included defending the listing of the California coho salmon as threatened and endangered in California and invalidating state regulations that would have facilitated the taking of coho salmon. He also recently worked to protect deteriorating water quality of the Delta, as well as diminishing groundwater supplies along the Central Coast. Jason holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Georgia, 2002, and J.D. from the University of Oregon Law School, 2005, where he co-directed the 2004 Public Interest Environmental Law Conference.

Ian Wren, Staff Scientist/Investigator
(415) 856-0444 x 108

Ian Wren supports Baykeeper's litigation and advocacy efforts through scientific review of issues relevant to Bay ecology and chemical status. Prior to joining Baykeeper, Ian spent six years in environmental consultancy as a Habitat Restoration Specialist in Southern California and a Hydrologist in London, UK. Prior to this, he served as a staff scientist in molecular labs at UC Berkeley and UCLA. Ian has worked with a range of public, private and non-profit organizations in California and Europe and is experienced in issues surrounding urban water quality, coastal diffuse pollution, endangered species, wetland restoration and the use of low impact technologies to mitigate water quality impacts and flood risk. He studied biology and ecology at UC Berkeley and holds an M.S. in Hydrology and Sustainable Development from Imperial College, London.

Eliet Henderson, Development Director
(415) 856-0444 x 101

Eliet Henderson directs Baykeeper's development and communication efforts, managing supporter outreach, online communications, publications and events. She joined Baykeeper in 2007 as Development Associate and was promoted to Development Manager in 2008. She previously worked in communications on a statewide initiative campaign and as an events coordinator and program assistant at Equal Justice Works in Washington, D.C. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in sociology.

Tracy Corbin, Membership Coordinator
(415) 856-0444 x 112

Tracy supports Baykeeper’s fundraising and communications programs, with a specific focus on membership outreach efforts. She joined Baykeeper in 2009. Her interest in the Bay stems from her involvement as an open-water swimmer, kayaker and floating home resident. She previously worked in marketing for the construction and publishing industries and holds a B.A. in liberal arts from Baruch College, City University of New York.

Rosalind Becker, Field Coordinator
(415) 856-0444 x 104

Rosalind Becker provides research support for Baykeeper’s policy and litigation efforts. She joined Baykeeper in 2008 shortly after completing her undergraduate degree. Her experience with water issues includes watershed analysis in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine, coastal ecosystem research in Baja California and water quality monitoring and jellies husbandry at the New England Aquarium in Boston. Before joining Baykeeper, Rosalind worked in environmental consulting as an Environmental Biologist with Carr Research Laboratory, Inc. Rosalind holds a B.A. in biology with a concentration in environmental science from Colby College in Waterville, Maine.