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John Muir Institute of the Environment

Core Staff

Kelly Carner, Financial Analyst

  • Contact: (530) 752-7823,

Juan Cervantes, Administrative Assistant I

  • Contact: (530) 752-5643,
  • Duties: Reception services; dissemination of the weekly JMIE Announcements & Opportunities Bulletin; administrative database updates; scheduling; Xerox help; assist with general office functions such as purchasing, mail, filing and inventory.

Diane Denman, Administrative Assistant II

  • Contact: (530) 754-8396,
  • Duties: Scheduling for JMIE Director, DaFis approval, assist with office management and purchasing, payroll.
  • Background: Computer operations/customer service
  • Education: B.S., St John Fisher College.

Tania Guilfoil, Administrative Assistant II

  • Contact: (530) 754-9367,
  • Duties: Watershed sciences building reception, administrative and purchasing assistant, payroll.
  • Background: Twenty years business office and customer service experience in private enterprise. Five years UCDMC Financial Services office accountant – hospital clinics and School of Medicine.
  • Education: Business certificate – Event Planning Consultant, Degree in General Business Management (in progress).

Suanne Klahorst, Writer

  • Contact: (530) 754-9167,
  • Duties: Promotional and science writing for electronic and print publications.
  • Background: Ten years of writing for technical publications and government reports featuring UC Davis research. Eight years in sales and marketing, Genencor International, a Bay area biotechnology company.
  • Education: B.S. Food Science, University of California, Davis (1988);Certificate in Strategic Communications for Higher Education, University of California, Davis (2005)

Ed Reed, IT Administrator

  • Contact: (530) 754-9919 - Office, (408) 674-5147 - Cell,
  • Duties: Technical computer and network systems support, architecture, maintenance and consulting services; Programming support.
  • Background: Twelve years in the field of system administration.
  • Education: B.S. in Physics from the University of California, Riverside

Sharon Ruth, Communications and Marketing Manager

  • Contact: (530) 752-9178 - messages not checked often,
  • Duties: Plan and coordinate JMIE's communications, marketing and outreach effots. Content developer, editor and designer for print and electronic publications.
  • Background: Researcher at the UC Davis Center for Integrated Watershed Science and Management (now the Center for Watershed Sciences), 2000-2002.
  • Education: B.S. in Geology, Central Washington University (2000); M.S. in Hydrologic Sciences, University of California, Davis (2003); Certificate in Strategic Communications for Higher Education, University of California, Davis (2005); UC Davis Campus Communicatiors Certificate, University of California, Davis (2006)

Cheryl Smith, Assistant Director

  • Contact: (530) 752-5028,
  • Duties: Reports and advises the director of JMIE regarding issues of research administration and program development. As a member of the senior management team, provides management support in long-range planning, strategic initiatives, ongoing analysis and evaluation of major decisions, and activity prioritization and scheduling.
  • Background: Twenty-two years experience in the administration of non-profit and grant-funded programs including Branch Office Manager of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Chief Administrative Officer of the National Health Law Program, and Manager of the Center for Ecological Health Research at UC Davis.
  • Education: B.A., Theater Arts, University of California, Los Angeles

Susan Yonts, Office Coordinator

  • Contact: (530) 754-5490,
  • Duties: Administrative office coordinator, personnel and benefits, accounting and payroll, contracts and grants administration, safety coordinator.