My Experience
I am a program and project management professional working at the intersection of conservation, community science, education, and cross-sector partnerships. I have experience leading complex initiatives, coordinating stakeholders, and guiding mission driven work.
See my current resume here –
With a background in enterprise IT project management and a B.S. in Statistics, I bring strong operational and analytical experience leading complex initiatives from planning through implementation. I have managed international teams across software development and enterprise systems projects, overseeing scope, stakeholder communication, documentation, testing, training, and cross-functional execution for large-scale business operations.
Alongside my technical and operational background, I am deeply engaged in biodiversity conservation and community-centered environmental work, with a particular focus on fungal conservation and public engagement.
I am the founder and Chair of an international fungal Conservation & Stewardship Committee, where I lead strategy development, partnership building, and organizational conservation initiatives. I have also founded fungi-focused conservation and education initiatives centered on stewardship, community learning, and values-based environmental engagement, including fundraising efforts that raised over $30,000 to support programming and impact.
My work includes conservation field mycology, leading field teams, project planning, stakeholder coordination, and specimen/data collection for publicly funded biodiversity mapping initiatives in California. I have also served in nonprofit board leadership, helping launch conservation projects, secure funding, and develop educational programming.
As an author of a field guide to Los Angeles mushrooms and a conservation educator and advisor, I am passionate about translating technical and scientific concepts into accessible, engaging experiences for public audiences, institutions, and stakeholders.
I am particularly interested in roles in conservation, museums, botanical gardens, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations where I can contribute to program management, strategic initiatives, partnerships, community science, public engagement, and conservation leadership.
Interested in connecting around:
• Conservation program management
• Community science initiatives
• Strategic partnerships
• Public programming and education
• Biodiversity and fungal conservation
Interviews & Profiles
Why mycorrhizal fungi networks need more protection – High Country News
Aaron sharing stories of how to conserve Joshua Trees, state of conservation mycology, and the abundance of fungi.
“We know native plants, we know native animals, but we don’t know native fungi.”
“‘Perhaps we don’t have to just think about what is rare and scarce,’” they said. ‘“Why not make the case for protecting what is abundant?’”
A Personal Mycoperspective on January L.A. Wildfires – North American Mycological Association’s Mycophile
Aaron’s reflections on the devastating local fires that burned their sites of science research and classes as well as their places of recreation, love, and solitude.
“I look forward to witnessing how fungi and the natural world respond to the fires, teaching us what to do and how to recover. Perhaps we can let our grief for the damage done to the places we love teach us how to love them back together again.”
Mushroom Magic at the Huntington - The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens
Aaron’s community science work and advocacy in the garden helped inspire one of the largest botanic gardens in the world center fungi in their conservation initiatives. A place where Aaron regularly leads community science surveys and gives talks about fungi.
CA FUNDIS Year One Report
In our first year we documented over 5,000 species where almost a third of our DNA sequenced collections did not match existing records.
Many of which are new species.
Check out our iNaturalist to see all CA FUNDIS observations.
Arlington Garden Interview
Organizing fungal community in a local garden via Exploring the Mycoverse.
VoyageLA Interview
How fungi inspired Aaron to become a mycologist and understand themselves on a deeper level through queerness
and being non-binary.
LAist Octavia Butler Science Fair
Teaching students the wonders of fungi.
