Jerry had the good fortune to grow up locally in the Valley of Heart's Delight where his many outdoor experiences lead to his passion for preserving the environment. After graduation from college he began his teaching career as a middle school teacher at Peninsula School in Menlo Park, retiring in 2012. Jerry has been an environmental leader for decades. On the national level, he served on the Sierra Club Environmental Education Committee and the Youth in Wilderness Program as well as chairing the national Youth Task Force. He was a founding member of both the San Francisquito Watershed Council and the San Mateo County Fish & Wildlife Advisory Committee, as well as the founding board chair of both Acterra and the Peninsula Conservation Center Management Council. He currently serves as the board president of Grassroots Ecology as well as on the Advisory Boards of both Acterra and Green Foothills.