Jessie Olson

About Jessie

• I’ve always loved plants and knew I wanted to make a career out of that interest but didn’t know what that would look like as it wasn’t a very popular career area where I grew up in Illinois.
• For college, I decided to move to California where people were more environmentally-focused so that I could better explore the different career paths involving plants.
• I graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a degree in environmental horticulture and urban forestry.
• I graduated during an economic downtown through which environmental work was hit hard, so I took internships to gain experience—I worked at a community garden and also did some policy work.
• An AmeriCorps internship led me into the nonprofit sector—I realized that I really enjoyed working with other mission-driven people.
• I then joined Golden Gate National Park Conservancy, where I oversaw construction work in ecologically sensitive areas and restored plant communities.
• I spent a little bit of time with an environmental consulting firm but didn’t feel as fulfilled by the work, so I decided to transition back into the nonprofit sector.
• I joined Save the Bay in 2014 as a nursery manager and worked my way up to my current role as habitat restoration director.