Cerissa left behind a cubicle-bound career and moved out West to work with her hands in the dirt re-establishing native plants on Mount Tamalpais. After several years of working in the environmental field and navigating Bay Area traffic by bicycle, she moved to Arizona to complete her M.S. in environmental sciences and policy from Northern Arizona University. Cerissa joined the Trust in 2013 to lead the development of the North Rim Ranches Climate Change Adaptation Plan. In her role as the Arizona public lands director, she works to advance collaborative approaches that improve the health of forests and watersheds on public lands through science, local knowledge, and stewardship.
Cerissa Hoglander
Arizona Public Lands Director
“The land is the real teacher. All we need as students is mindfulness.”
— Robin Wall Kimmerer
Plateau favorites
- Paria Plateau sandstone formations
- Kaibab Plateau Rainbow Rim
- Every seep and spring
Western favorites
- San Juan Mountains
- Hoh Rainforest
- Little Yosemite Valley
Interests & hobbies
- Running trails
- Growing vegetables
- Finding turquoise alpine lakes
