Introducing Bryn Miller, Environmental Planner and Project Manager

Mar 26, 2025

This previous October, Sonoma Ecology Center welcomed Environmental Planner and Project Manager, Bryn Miller. Having spent the last ten years living and working in California, Bryn brings a passion for the environment and background in field work and local government to the SEC team. Read on to learn more about Bryn and how her expertise helps drive SEC’s Research and Restoration projects!
Pictured on the right: Bryn Miller
I grew up in Massachusetts and have lived in California for the last decade. After graduating from Claremont McKenna College with a degree in political science, I moved to the Bay Area and worked in local government for five years. Most recently, I worked in legislative affairs at San Francisco’s homeless services department. 

I became interested in the environment on countless college road trips exploring the Eastern Sierra, and frequent weekend visits from the Bay to Tahoe and Lassen. A couple years ago, I decided I wanted to transition into the environmental field and started taking evening classes in GIS and ecology. In 2024, I left my legislative affairs job and served a six-month Americorps term on Tuolumne River Trust’s forest health and restoration teams in the Stanislaus National Forest. That summer working in the field helped me translate my five years of work experience into a new career as an environmental planner and project manager at the Sonoma Ecology Center.

At SEC, I serve two primary roles. As an environmental planner, I help the Research and Restoration teams develop fundable project concepts. From there, I help match these projects to funding sources, apply for grants, and handle permitting. Leveraging my background in public administration, I’ve helped Sonoma Ecology Center create systems to organize our funding search and prepare for the rollout of Proposition 4 money this summer. In addition, I also project manage some of the technical team’s work, like general land management at the Van Hoosear Wildflower Preserve, and fish habitat restoration. I love that my work takes me outside to beautiful places in Sonoma County.

I like how varied my job is—I feel like I learn something new every day! I’ve loved learning more about oak woodland ecology through my work at Sonoma Ecology Center, and from my Firefighter Type 2 training with the Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance (TERA) focused on ecocultural burning. It’s been really great spending more time in this ecosystem, and working on projects that help protect it!

When I’m not at work, you can find me at home in San Francisco’s Mission District baking, reading, and trying to beat my partner at Monopoly Deal. On the weekends I love to ski, bike, and search for a great bagel.

 

Sonoma Ecology Center’s Research and Restoration teams work on projects that support the restoration, stewardship, monitoring, and protection of Sonoma Valley ecosystems. Navigate to their program pages (Research & Restoration) to learn more about some of the projects that Bryn helps to succeed! 

 

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