Elyse joined Coastkeeper in April of 2025 and oversees the education partnerships and programming. She works to protect our waters by educating San Diego’s youth about the watersheds and coastlines in which they live and swim through hands-on, inquiry- and project-based learning experiences in classrooms and out in the field in their very own communities.
Elyse’s introduction to the beauty of nature and water came from growing up surrounded by evergreen trees and the Puget Sound in Washington State. She remained there through college, where she earned her BA in English Literature and a Secondary Teaching Certificate at Gonzaga University. After graduating, she pursued an MA in Reading Instruction through the Partners in Los Angeles Catholic Education (PLACE) Corps program at Loyola Marymount University, where she taught and went to school full time while living in community with other educators. From there, she fulfilled her dream of studying abroad by moving to Quito, Ecuador to teach at an international school. She stayed for three years because she not only fell in love with the people and culture, but also her quality of life, particularly the opportunities to be out in nature. She spent her weekends and vacations trekking through cloud forests, hiking volcanoes, sailing the coasts, and exploring the Galapagos Islands.
Elyse moved back to San Diego after accepting a teaching position at High Tech Middle Chula Vista, where she taught Humanities until it was time to step outside the walls of her own classroom. She is very excited about working for an organization that does so much for the climate and our communities, and in being part of this work, remains committed to utilizing education as a catalyst for change. When she isn’t working, Elyse can be found writing poetry, hosting game nights or dinner parties with friends, curled up with a good book, or on another adventure traveling the world.
