Meet the Klamath River Fund Team

The Humboldt Area Foundation and Wild Rivers Community Foundation (HAF+WRCF) is excited to introduce the team leading the Klamath River Fund, a new initiative generously supported by a $10 million donation from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, the Round House Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, and Tamalpais Trust. In an effort to take full advantage of the restoration momentum started by Klamath dam removal, this first-of-its-kind fund explicitly supports the health and restoration of Klamath Basin ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.  

The Klamath Basin is a complicated and unique place. It begins on the slopes of volcanic peaks such as Mount Mazama and Mount Shasta, includes dynamic wetlands and natural lakes in the high mountain desert of southern Oregon, and descends steeply through the temperate forests of Northern California before it enters the Pacific Ocean among the tallest redwoods in the world. 

The Klamath’s human communities are as diverse and interesting as the geology and ecology. Tribes, including the Karuk, Hoopa, Shasta, Yurok, and Klamath, have made their home in the Basin since time immemorial. Today, non-natives from all walks of life reside in many of the small mining, ranching, logging, and fishing communities of the region.   

“As a Foundation we cannot impart our values onto community; we need the community to impart its values on us.”

Holly Hensher, Senior Program Officer at HAF+WRCF

Fostering collaboration as we work to improve community health and resiliency takes a special team that has intimate knowledge of the Klamath, its natural systems, and its people. That’s exactly what we found in Pimm Tripp-Allen and Holly Hensher. Both have deep roots in the basin, and both have demonstrated their ability to work with community leaders on a wide range of issues in ways that make the Klamath Basin a better place for everyone.   

Pimm Tripp-Allen (Karuk and Yurok)

Vice President, Programs, Community Partnerships & Tribal Relations

Pimm Tripp-Allen was raised in a bicultural home, with one foot in traditional Yurok culture and the other in traditional Karuk culture. She is no stranger to Humboldt Area Foundation + Wild Rivers Community Foundation, working for the Foundation or serving on its board off and on for two decades. Pimm’s family has been active in the revitalization of traditional cultural ways and also holds responsibility for hosting Karuk ceremonies. “Growing up around traditional ceremonies informed my values, ethics, and world view,” Pimm explains. “I learned from my parents and extended family that a healthy community means supporting our youth, taking care of our elders, and stewarding the forests and rivers. Because of those early life lessons, this work really is a passion for me.”

Over her career, Pimm has led or provided critical support to a wide range of projects across the region including helping HAF+WRCF’s Native Cultures Fund get off the ground in 2000, serving on the board of United Indian Health Services during a time of unprecedented growth, and serving as an Advisor with Cal Poly Humboldt’s Indian Teacher and Educational Personal Program (ITEPP) 2013-2022. More recently she and her family worked to produce the award-winning film Long Line of Ladies that explores the traditional coming of age ceremony for women in the Karuk Tribe.

Pimm is excited that the Klamath River Fund will help keep the positive momentum started with dam removal going. She notes that the successful effort to un-dam the Klamath had impacts beyond river restoration. According to Pimm, “the diverse coalition that led the dam removal campaign showed everyone the value of inclusivity. I am proud that HAF+WRCF leaders took note of this and worked to make the Foundation a more inclusive organization that values Tribal voices.”

Pimm is proud mother of three children and two grandchildren. “This effort is really about those kids and all the youth of our communities,” she says. “I think constantly about how this work will ensure that our kids have the opportunity to be the best versions of themselves and to cultivate that same sense of community responsibility and global citizenship that I learned.”

Holly Hensher (Karuk and Konomihu)

Senior Program Officer, Programs & Community Partnerships

Joining Pimm is Holly Hensher, who hails from the upper reaches of the Salmon River. From childhood Holly learned about the connections between the natural world and human community as a traditional basket weaver. “Weaving a basket is a long process that starts with tending to our gathering areas which are managed over time with cultural burning and then gathering and processing those materials. That’s a lot of work before you even begin weaving. The whole process teaches us environmental stewardship and the need for community, since no one burns or gathers alone. It’s after all that work you are rewarded with the joy of seeing that basket used or worn for the first time.”

Holly has spent her professional career advocating for the health of the environment, children, families and communities in the region. As the Native American Graves Repatriation Act Coordinator for the Karuk Tribe, she worked tirelessly to bring home the remains of her ancestors and sensitive cultural items held by museums and agencies. She worked in the Tribal Communities in Humboldt, Del Norte and Siskiyou counties to address concerns around food insecurities and youth programs. She served as a support person for victims of violent crime as they navigate the justice system and has been a member of various interdisciplinary collaborations including the Northern California Tribal Healing Coalition, the Intertribal Tribal Women’s Advocacy Network, and the Native Cultures Fund Advisory Board.

Since joining the Foundation, she has had the opportunity to continue working towards racial equity, thriving youth and families, a healthy ecosystem and environment, as well as a just economy and economic development. She also works on one of the most painful problems in the region, that of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.

Altogether, Holly’s work on these diverse issues has defined her philanthropic philosophy, “As a Foundation we cannot impart our values onto community; we need the community to impart its values on us.”

Holly is also excited to play a role in resourcing Klamath communities here in the post-dam era. “Dam removal revealed our communities’ ability to accomplish something many thought impossible. This effort serves as a model and a reminder for future efforts that may, at the outset, seem insurmountable but can be overcome through partnerships, collaboration, and hard work.”

A Dynamic Team, Supported by Dedicated Professionals

Pimm and Holly are supported in their work by a team of advancement and programmatic professionals, including Brianna Juarez, Keytra Meyer, Jarad Petroske, Craig Woods, and Gina Zottola.

Brianna Juarez

Program Manager, Klamath River Fund

Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Brianna moved to Humboldt County in 2019. She completed her A.A. at College of the Redwoods and transferred to Cal Poly Humboldt where she received a B.A. in Philosophy with a minor in Comparative Ethnic Studies. She is passionate about social and cultural justice. With the support of her partner, family, friends and mentors, she was able to pursue her passions which led her to her position at HAF+WRCF. Brianna is excited to be a part of the community-based liberatory work that aims to aid in the healing of communities of color that have been directly affected by colonization, exploitation, and extractivism throughout the Klamath basin. She intends to continuously move with integrity and accountability at the forefront of her work as she navigates her role as the Klamath River Fund Program Manager.

Keytra Meyer

Departmental Director, Advancement & Philanthropic Innovation

Keytra focuses on relationship building and fundraising efforts with local, regional and national philanthropic partners to advance shared priorities in our rural region. Over the last 4 years, Keytra has led and supported efforts to raise nearly $30 million for the Foundation’s strategic goals of racial equity, thriving youth and families, healthy ecosystems and environments, and a just economy, and has managed over 125 contracts in that time to help ensure accountability and success. Keytra has worked for the Foundation since 2012, where she has also held roles within programs, strategy, and operations. Previously, Keytra worked as a Natural Resource Management Specialist with NOAA Fisheries and as Executive Director of the Mattole Salmon Group, both focused on salmon recovery and watershed restoration and resilience.

Jarad Petroske

Director, Marketing & Communications

Jarad believes that effective communication is the surest way to build strong coalitions and create positive social change. Born and raised in Humboldt County, he’s been fortunate to have spent over 20 years working in communications in industries ranging from local journalism, higher education and small business to philanthropy. Through technical skill, deep collaboration, and a clear mission, Jarad is excited to guide small but agile marketing and communications teams to big success.

Craig Woods

Department Director, Programs & Community Partnerships

Craig Woods is the Department Director for the Programs & Community Partnerships team. The team works to empower and support people, organizations, Tribal Nations, governments, and others engaged in charitable work to achieve healthy, equitable and sustainable success through a blend of resources. He, in collaboration with the Vice President, oversees and optimizes programs, initiatives, and portfolios and ensures cross functional and collective strategy. He is a member of the foundation’s leadership team working on strategic problem-solving and implementation. He has worked for the Foundation since 2014 and has held many roles where he has managed and coached teams through growth and re-organization, managed grantmaking, carried out and supported the charitable vision of donors and funders, and implemented equity and trust-based policies and decision making. Craig graduated from HSU in 2013 with a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management.

Gina Zottola

Vice President, Advancement & Philanthropic Innovation

Gina, in her role as Vice President of Advancement and Philanthropic Innovation, strives to develop authentic relationships with Philanthropic partners and community in an effort to provide opportunities for collaboration, shared learning and financial support for our region, its people, and the work. Developing trust, maintaining trust, and the ability to be honest and grounded in truth are the cornerstones of Gina’s work, her values and her commitment in how she works in service to the peoples of the region. Prior to arriving at the foundation, Gina was a Financial Advisor and Retirement Planning Specialist with Dean Witter and then Morgan Stanley in the Bay Area for over 15 years before returning home to Hiouchi, California, to care for her elderly parents. Gina was born and raised in Del Norte County where her family had deep roots in agriculture and cheese production. In 2016, Gina was honored by the California State Senate as “Woman of the Year” for Del Norte County. Gina’s values around building relationships and trust are echoed in her pursuit of lifting rural voices and sharing the stories of the region’s people.

A Collaborative Vision

Together, these professionals form a dynamic team that is poised to make significant strides in assisting communities’ efforts to restore and preserve the Klamath River and improve the health and success of its People. Their combined expertise and shared commitment to environmental and community well-being are at the heart of the fund’s mission.

As we embark on this journey, we invite potential funders to join us in supporting the Klamath River Fund. Your contributions will help drive innovative projects that promote ecological health, community resilience, and sustainable development.

By working together, we can ensure that the Klamath River continues to thrive for generations to come. To learn more about how you can support the Klamath River Fund, please visit our website or contact our team directly.

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For more detailed information about the Humboldt Area Foundation’s strategic vision and other initiatives, please visit HAF+WRCF’s Strategy and Regional Vision.

To learn more about Pimm Tripp-Allen and Holly Hensher, visit their profiles on our Staff Directory