ForestWatch Announces Two New Board Members

Los Padres ForestWatch welcomes Macy McGinness and Vic Thasiah to its board of directors. They will each help support the work of protecting wildlife, wilderness, water, and sustainable access throughout the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument.

“Vic and Macy both have extensive skills and experience that will help propel ForestWatch’s mission to protect public lands, our communities, and our climate,” said Board President Anna DeLaski. “We are thrilled to work with them as we conserve open space and wildlife throughout our region.”

Macy and Vic join will serve a two-year term and join existing board members Rachael Barkley, Christopher Collier, Anna DeLaski, Patricia Klout, Terri Laine, Allan Morton, and Sam Thomas.

Macy McGinness

Originally from Boston, Macy has spent most of her adult life in California. She graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she grew to love the mountains and all they offer for year-round recreation. After several years working as an editor for SKI Magazine, she moved to San Francisco and transitioned to a career in marketing where she sought work with purpose-driven companies that supported local manufacturing, people, and the planet. An entrepreneurial spirit and curiosity for Southern California brought Macy and her family to Santa Barbara in 2015 for a job at SeaVees, where she developed and fostered an ongoing partnership with LPFW through 1% for the Planet. Today, Macy is the Director of E-Commerce and Digital at Kate Farms, a mission-based company known for its organic, plant-based shakes and formulas designed for people with a need for healthy nutrition. Macy and her husband have three young children and an energetic black Labrador who keep them busy. They enjoy traveling and exploring new places as a family. In her spare time, Macy enjoys running, yoga, cooking, and shuttling her kids around to school and sports.

Vic Thasiah

Vic Thasiah loves gazing at clouds and running mountain trails, through forests and rivers. Inspired by the beauty of Los Padres National Forest, he’s the founder of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization Runners for Public Lands (RPL), which builds inclusive running communities dedicated to protecting the environment. After serving as RPL’s executive director for three years, he’s recently transitioned to the role of chief advocacy officer. Vic has a background in humanitarian efforts in East Africa, working across Rwanda with former Rwandan refugees and survivors of genocide. Currently, he also serves as an environmental humanities professor at California Lutheran University, where he teaches courses in religious studies and environmental studies, and does research on classical Chinese nature poetry and its influence on American nature writing and environmental activism. With an older daughter away at college, Vic lives with his wife and younger daughter in Ventura.

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