Lesly Gallegos-Stearns

Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Pronouns: She/Her/Ella
My favorite San Diego beer is:

Not beer but hard kombucha from Novo – between Peachy Lychee and Watermelon Mint

My favorite way to enjoy water is: swimming, snorkeling, getting under a waterfall or relaxing in a hot spring.
I want to see a world where: we care about our environmental impact and inspire others to do better. Where compassion and empathy lead to a better world for all.

Lesly joined Coastkeeper in July 2023 as the volunteer and outreach coordinator. Her work focuses on leading the Mission Bay volunteer program and supporting our outreach and communications work.

Growing up in Imperial Beach, exposed to the ongoing border sewage crisis, Lesly became passionate about environmental justice and sustainability. She graduated from San Diego State University with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a minor in Sustainability.

Before joining Coastkeeper, Lesly spent over four years with Casa Familiar doing community and advocacy work. In 2021, she was a youth care worker for unaccompanied migrant children from Central America and Mexico seeking asylum in the U.S. Most recently, she led a community air monitoring network and advocated intersectional environmental issues in the South Bay, primarily focusing on the communities of San Ysidro and Otay Mesa. She was also part of the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District’s International Border Steering Committee and is currently a member of the California Coastal Commission’s Environmental Justice and Sea Level Rise Advisory Group.

Outside of work, you can find Lesly at the beach, gardening, camping, hiking, cooking, and baking new recipes, or outdoors with her husky named Loki.

You can reach Lesly at [email protected].