Eric Busboom  |  President

Eric is the founder and CEO of Clarinova Software, a rapidly growing software startup committed to improving the ways that retailers and consumers interact through web applications. Eric’s extensive knowledge of software has come from many years of experience in working with multiple software startup companies in diverse industries. He has also held several leadership roles within the telecommunications industry working for QUALCOMM, Inc. After software, Eric’s second passion is philanthropy. Eric resides in beautiful San Diego with his wife and son where he is focused on rebuilding the environmental community. He is very active in San Diego Social Venture Partners and is the lead partner for the Canyons Campaign. Eric holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Harvey Mudd College and continues his lifelong commitment to learning and teaching others through his philanthropic efforts and by using technological innovations to improve the quality of business and life.

Vicki Estrada  |  FASLA, APA

Vicki Estrada is a landscape architect and urban designer and President of Estrada Land Planning in San Diego. Estrada Land Planning provides land planning, landscape architecture, GIS, revegetation, visual analysis, and urban design services. Vicki is a graduate of Cal Poly SLO and has over 33 years of private practice experience, working for both public and private interests. She is currently Chair of the City of San Diego Community Forest Advisory Board and Chair if the San Diego Airport Public Art Advisory Committee and is on the County of San Diego Historic Site Board. She also served 9 years on the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and co-authored the White Paper on San Diego Canyonlands.

John Hanley  |  Treasurer

John is the Director of Finance of the Downtown San Diego Partnership Clean and Safe Program. This program is a Property and Business Improvement District ("PBID") that provides services in the downtown area of San Diego. His prior professional experience has been in the hospitality industry and he worked in management at hotels and resorts for 20 years. He is a co-leader of the Friends of 47th Street Canyon since June 2009 and participates in monthly canyon cleanups in collaboration with the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department and I Love A Clean San Diego. John sits on the Executive Committee and is a Board Member of the City Heights Business Association since May 2009 and currently is the Treasurer. Additionally he is very active in the Facelifts (neighborhood restoration) that take place in City Heights. He has lived in San Diego since 1988 and appreciates the natural beauty and great weather that San Diego has to offer.

Kevin Johnston

As one of the leaders of the Friends of Normal Heights Canyons, Kevin Johnston volunteers to help organize restoration, environmental planning, and hikes in the canyons. He works as a Land Use/Environmental Planner for the County of San Diego Department of Planning and Land Use – Regulatory Division. Kevin has a B.A. in Geography from Michigan State University and a Master’s Degree (MCP) in City Planning from San Diego State University. Kevin enjoys hikes throughout the County, and is also a member of the Cuyamaca State Park Volunteer Trail Maintenance Unit. Earlier in his career, Kevin served as a high school teacher for five years in the Detroit and Chicago Public School Districts. He taught courses in Travel and Tourism, Geography, and Computer Technology at Golightly Career and Technical Center and Tilden High School.

Jim Marich  |  Secretary

Trained in biology (B.A. Cornell) and biochemistry (M.S. Texas A & M), Jim has been active in Friends of Switzer Canyon since 1999. He has lived in San Diego since 1985 and has developed an acute appreciation for the unique flora and fauna of southern California and Baja California Norte. During his travels, he has witnessed the worldwide problem of habitat degradation brought on by human activity especially through the introduction of non-native species. This awareness has motivated him to play an active role in the preservation and restoration of San Diego’s open spaces. As a former president of Great Outdoors, a volunteer GLBT outdoor recreational group, Jim has actively promoted participation in the natural environment. In 1987, he received a Congressional Service Award for work in establishing a community garden in Normal Heights. Jim’s professional career spans more than 25 years in the development of human medicines and diagnostics. He is the president of Marich & Associates Consulting, providing services for drug development and manufacturing. When Jim is not working or volunteering he likes to hike and camp in Baja California.

Carrie Schneider  |  Vice-President

Carrie Schneider is a biologist who never fails to be entertained by the unique and fascinating qualities of San Diego's natural habitats. She grew up in the verdant countryside of the Hoosier state then moved to the east coast, where she earned a Ph.D from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is now a scientist at a San Diego biotechnology company. She led the Environmental Systems subcommittee for the City Wide Canyons Sewer Maintenance Task Force, whose proposed improvements to City procedures for accessing sewer infrastructure in open space parks were adopted by the City Council in 2002. She is a founder of San Diego Canyonlands, started the Friends of Switzer Canyon in North Park, and continues to lead volunteers to restore upland and stream-side habitat. She enjoys contributing to the Herbarium collections at the San Diego Natural History Museum as a trained parabotanist for the Plant Atlas project and was president of the San Diego chapter of the California Native Plant Society from 2002-2004, where she continues to serve as a board member.

Jake Sibley

As Senior Marketing Writer for Adobe, Jake Sibley combines over ten years of experience in marketing and digital media with an educational background in biology and ecology. Prior to his marketing career, he worked as a field ecologist for San Diego State University. He received a Bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, followed by graduate-level coursework and fieldwork at Northeastern University, University of the West Indies (Jamaica), and University of Washington. He is a member of the California Native Plant Society, founder of CaliforniaPlants.org, and author of an e-book on California native plant gardens. He remains committed to protecting and restoring native habitat in urban San Diego County.