Staff

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Maria Mircheva has been the Executive Director of the Sugar Pine Foundation since July 2007. She first volunteered for the Sugar Pine Foundation during the 2006 field season, and took over the day to day operations of the organization after the Angora Fire in 2007.

Maria holds a Masters in Environmental Science and Management, with a focus on Conservation Policy, from UC Santa Barbara. Her undergraduate degree is in Business Economics, and she worked as a business consultant in the Silicon Valley before discovering her passion for environmental work. Maria currently juggles the demands of being a mom with those of the organization and her need to play outside as much as possible!

NORTH TAHOE - TRUCKEE PROGRAM MANAGER

Sarah joined the Sugar Pine Foundation in January 2025. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Biology and Management from the University of California at Davis. Since she moved to the Truckee Tahoe area in 1995, her career has been focused on ecological stewardship, environmental education and community engagement.

Sarah is in charge of Truckee North Tahoe operations including field education and outreach, planting and watering trees. In her free time, Sarah enjoys reading, writing, piano, and a variety of outdoor recreations including hiking, backpacking, road cycling and skiing.  

FIELD MANAGER

Edric joined the Sugar Pine Foundation as a field technician out of his pure love of nature in 2018. He has worked his way up to a Field Manager and manages our watering, cone collections and planting on the South Shore. Edric is currently getting his Forestry degree at Lake Tahoe Community College.

Edric has a background in tree trimming and is excellent at planting and caring for plants and trees. He is a hands on, get work done kind of person and is also in charge of our Social Media. Outside of work, he is a master snowboarder, wake boarder and fly fisherman based in South Lake Tahoe.

WEB DESIGNER

Tim started working with Sugar Pine Foundation through Catchafire in 2019 to redesign our website. Tim specializes in creating compelling visuals and websites for research and non-profit organizations. Based on the East Coast, Tim works with Sugar Pine Foundation remotely and constantly wishes he was in Tahoe. Tim holds a B.S. in Marine Biology from Northeastern University.