Advisory Board
Curtis Castle has over 21 years of experience in public works in Southern California. Curtis currently serves as the Public Works Director/City Engineer for the City of Calabasas. The department includes five divisions: Engineering/Land Development, Traffic and Transportation, Maintenance, Landscape Maintenance, and Environmental Programs. Prior to the City of Calabasas, Curtis worked for the City of Santa Monica in the Public Works Department where he oversaw Design Development, Land Development and served as the city’s Watershed Manager. While with Santa Monica, he was an integral part of the design-build teams for the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP) and the Arcadia Water Treatment Plant Expansion, among numerous other high profile public works projects. Mitigating pollutants entering natural waterways and the ocean have driven much of his professional work. Designing, building and maintaining public infrastructure in sustainable ways are core to his approach to public works.
Rodney Hupalo serves as Sustainability Project Manager for the US Green Building Council California (USGBC-CA), spearheading implementation of clean technology pilots (energy efficiency, electrification, and occupant health) while driving tangible environmental impacts for buildings enrolled in the Green Homes program. Rodney, who began his career in theme park construction in Orlando, Anaheim and Tokyo, then spent more than 20 years in landscape construction in various management, marketing and business development roles. LEED AP BD+C credentialed, he also holds a BA in Communications from California Lutheran University and a Master of Sustainability Leadership from the College of Global Futures at Arizona State University.
Bruce Gumbiner is a second generation Angeleno with family arriving in Los Angeles in 1920. He attained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from California State University Fullerton and a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University. Bruce has worked through many aspects of the banking industry. The majority of his career was spent as a commercial lender and relationship manager. In 2007 his career took a turn towards community development becoming a Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Officer. Most recently his career has pivoted toward the area risk management becoming Senior Vice President and Risk Manager for American Business Bank. As part of his role with American Business Bank, Bruce oversees enterprise risk management, compliance management and remains the CRA Officer.
Outside of the work environment, Bruce is a proud and dedicated father of an adult child. He has been associated with the UCLA School of Continuing Education as an Instructor for the Department of Business and Management, has been the President of two non-profit organizations and is currently a board member of several other non-profit organizations.
Bruce continues to enjoy his involvement with several local philanthropies as both a volunteer and director. He has a passion for financial literacy as demonstrated through his volunteer activities and board memberships. Being a strong advocate for financial literacy, he has conducted classes at the Los Angeles Mission and other local organizations. You will find him volunteering at the Junior Achievement Finance Park, working to support small businesses through the FDIC Alliance for Economic Inclusion, as loan committee member for PCR SBDC, a Board member for The Valley Economic Alliance, the Chair of the Outreach Committee for Clearinghouse CDFI, and a member of the USC Price Center for Social Innovation NDSC Steering Committee.
Wendy Sotelo is a dedicated human resources professional with a strong commitment to environmental sustainability. A proud graduate of California State University, Northridge (CSUN), she holds a BA in Anthropology with a minor in Sustainability. Originally from Mexico, Wendy's deep passion for nature and animals is influenced by her cultural heritage.
With valuable experience in two prominent environmental nonprofits in Los Angeles, Wendy has honed her skills in human resources while advocating for ecological awareness and community engagement.
Recently, she co-founded Corazón Tlalli, an environmental nonprofit based in North Hollywood that embodies her deep commitment to protecting our Mother Earth. Through Corazón Tlalli, Wendy aims to empower communities and inspire a collective effort toward sustainability.
Nurit Katz is an educator, sustainability professional, and urban ecologist who is dedicated to creating a more sustainable, resilient, and healthy region through cross-sector and cross-disciplinary collaboration. As Chief Sustainability Officer for UCLA, Nurit led the development of the university’s first comprehensive sustainability plan, award winning landscape plan and biodiversity commitment, and fosters collaboration across the leading public university to advance sustainability through education, research, operations, and community partnerships. For six years Ms. Katz also served as Executive Officer for Facilities Management.
Nurit has over 15 years of teaching experience and is an Instructor for the UCLA Extension Sustainability Certificate Program. She has also taught for the UCLA Institute of Environment and Sustainability and prior to UCLA taught in environmental and outdoor education through a range of programs including Americorps Garden Education, Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation, and a farm to school program. Nurit serves as the Outreach Coordinator for the Los Angeles Raptor Study, a community science based study of nesting raptors in LA, supported by Friends of Griffith Park, volunteers with the Ojai Raptor Center, and is the faculty advisor for the Bruin Birding Club.
Erin Jackson-Ward is the Executive Director of Grantmaking and Social Impact, with oversight of a philanthropic portfolio that has disbursed over $150 million since 2018 to over 200 nonprofit, community-based organizations, as well as leadership of Cedars-Sinai's social responsibility efforts across the domains of sustainability, supplier diversity, employee volunteerism, in-kind donations, and impact investing. Under Erin’s leadership, Cedars-Sinai launched a multi-year sustainability planning effort to identify strategies that positively impact the environment and community while ensuring continued excellence in patient care. Additionally, Erin serves as a national expert and speaker on community benefit practices. Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Erin was involved with many nonprofit organizations throughout the country, working primarily on the sociomedical needs of pediatric HIV, homeless, and formerly incarcerated populations. Erin received her DrPH in Health Management and Leadership from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and holds both an MPH from Columbia University and a BA in Psychology and Genetics from UCLA.
Drew Johnstone has worked for 16 years with cities, businesses, schools, and residents to advance sustainability practices. Drew has experience balancing innovation and leadership with practicality and bringing multiple voices to the table to implement cutting-edge sustainability programs that succeed. Drew is the current Sustainability Officer for Burbank Water & Power where he manages the design and implementation of programs that promote energy and water conservation, building decarbonization, renewable energy, and electric vehicle infrastructure programs. Drew came to BWP from the City of Santa Monica, where he was a Senior Sustainability Analyst, leading the City’s green building and energy policies and programs. He was responsible for implementing zero-emission building policies, electric vehicle programs, community engagement activities, and greenhouse gas inventories. His professional career started at EcoMotion, a sustainability consulting firm where he performed utility rate analysis, solar feasibility studies, and climate action planning. Drew received his bachelor’s degree in Organizational Studies from Pitzer College.