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CLERC Staff
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Executive Director - Will Evans

​Will grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and relocated to California in 2009.  He possesses a BS in urban policy studies, as well as a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Georgia State University, where his studies focused on economic development planning and geographic information science (GIS).  Will spent nearly a decade employed in various resource management positions with the County of Lake including Deputy Director of Water Resources, Associate Resource Planner in the Community Development Department,  and Compliance Coordinator for Special Districts Administration.
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Over the course of his career, Will has worked on projects in a variety of areas including drinking water, wastewater, flood control, post-fire debris flow mitigation, stormwater management, geothermal resource management, geographic information systems, trail development, surface mining reclamation, current and long-range municipal planning, grant writing, and downtown redevelopment.

Will is one of the founding members of CLERC and has served as the Executive Director since 2019.

Senior Program Manager - Carolyn Ruttan

Carolyn Ruttan has created three successful nonprofit organizations including the California Society of Environmental Analysts. After careers in aerospace, agriculture and local government she is the Senior Program Manager for the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center (CLERC) and Technical Director of the CLERC Lab.  Now, a certified lab analyst grade 1, along with multiple science degrees, she operates a one-person environmental laboratory in a rural county in CA.  Carolyn’s can-do attitude and reluctance to accept an “I don’t know” answer, or “it’s never been done before” answer, is her hallmark for achievement in places where there is a void with a tremendous need.
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Administrative Manager - Teresa Mayorga

Teresa Mayorga moved to Lake County in 2016 to be closer to her family. Teresa is originally from Ventura County, CA, and she lived in Utah for 25 years.  She chose her home because of the proximity to Clear Lake and to the State Park. Teresa is passionate about water and wilderness. She is a member of the Konocti Bay Sailing Club, and regularly enjoys the beauty of this lake community while on a sailboat, kayak or runabout.
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Teresa has extensive administrative and accounting experience in the construction, mining and energy sectors. Teresa previously worked as an executive assistant and later as a maintenance planner and scheduler for the Rio Tinto Kennecott Power Plant that provided power for the Copper Mine Operations in Utah. More recently she worked a short stint at the Calpine Geysers Facility and three years with a lake county contractor.  Teresa currently is serving as the Treasurer and Secretary for CLERC.​

Fire & Forestry Program Manager - Tracy Cline

​Tracy Cline joined CLERC in January 2022 as the Fire and Forestry Program Manager. She earned a B.S. degree in Wildlife and Natural Resource Management in 1998 from Humboldt State University. She has 24 years of experience as a journey-level Biologist and Natural Resource Manager. Her extensive experience related to forest health and hazardous fuels, prescribed burning, special status species, integrated pest management, invasive species, watershed restoration, CEQA and NEPA, GIS and Grant acquisitions and management are a great asset to the CLERC team.

​Tracy has worked for Federal, State and County governments including US Forest Service (USFS) as a District Wildlife Biologist, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as a Supervisory Natural Resource Specialist, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) in the Timberland Conservation Program, Santa Clara County Parks as a Natural Resource Specialist and Lake County as an Associate Resource Planner.
Operations and Outreach Coordinator - Rachel Avilla

Rachel joined CLERC in June 2022. She has been passionate about nature her whole life. Growing up in Sonoma county CA gave her ample opportunities to explore the forest, coast line and commune with all animals in her vicinity. She graduated from Saint Mary’s College of CA with a BS in Environmental Science. After an internship with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), she started volunteering and working in wildlife rehabilitation. Currently, with over 20 years of experience in this profession she is excited to use her skills to continue her dedication to the environment. 

She is the co-founder of the Wild Neighbor’s Database Project which designs and develops online data management systems to empower wildlife professionals and advance One Health. She works closely with universities and state agencies using wildlife rehabilitation data to conduct early wildlife morbidity and mortality surveillance. One of her other projects is collaborating with UC Davis’s - Oiled Wildlife Care Network on collecting and managing patient data during oil spill events. Recently, she resigned from her 4 year presidency for the California Council for Wildlife Rehabilitators, a small non-profit that helps organize and communicate with all California wildlife rehabilitators and acts as a liaison with CDFW. As much as she loves working directly with the animals, she has come to the acknowledgement that her skills are best used in information technology and community outreach. With her experience of collaborating with universities, state and federal agencies, small nonprofits and wildlife rehabilitation organizations she has learned to wear many hats and has acquired many useful skills. 

Rachel will bring 20 years of experience working hands-on with several entities in the environmental field. Her experience with non-profit management and information technology systems gives her a unique perspective on operational management as well and communicating an organization's mission. She looks forward to working with CLERC’s emerging importance and letting the world know about the amazing work it is doing to combat climate change and conserve Lake County and our surrounding communities' unique ecosystems.

Fire & Forestry Project Coordinator - Laurel Bard
​Laurel grew up in Santa Cruz, CA, where she spent her childhood exploring tide pools and hiking in the redwood forest. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2019 with a BA in Sociology and a BS in Global Environmental Politics. From September 2020 to July 2021, Laurel worked with CLERC as a Civicspark Fellow. Her work included assisting the Lake County Resource Conservation District in updating the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, and conducting community outreach across Lake County.

Biologist - Briana Halstead

​Briana Halstead joined the CLERC family as a Biologist in March 2022. She is originally from Minnesota and has lived in Lake County, CA now for just about 10 years. Since leaving MN, she has explored and experienced nature and the outdoors in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Texas, Arizona, Colorado and Nevada while working for federal agencies in these various locations. Briana graduated in 2005 from University of WI- River Falls with a BS in Conservation Biology and in 2018 from the University of Colorado with a MS in Natural Resource Stewardship and Planning. She has worked throughout the US in various roles for the National Park Service, US Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.

CivicSpark Fellow - Kristina Linder

​Kristina grew up in Minnesota just outside of the Twin Cities and graduated from Scripps College in 2021 with a BA in Environmental Analysis on the Economics track. In addition to her studies, she spent the last year working for an energy consultancy where she was able to learn more about CA energy policies and the importance of efficient and resilient buildings. Kristina is passionate about supporting sustainable, resilient, and equitable natural and built environments. She looks forward to joining the Lake County community as a CivicSpark fellow and helping with the Fire Resiliency Prioritization Plan.