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Meet the Team

The Santa Cruz Chapter Executive Committee is a dedicated group of passionate individuals committed to protecting our coastlines, promoting ocean conservation, and driving local environmental initiatives. Together, they lead Surfrider's efforts to create lasting change in the community.

Darcie Connell
Executive Committee Interim Chair / Volunteer Coordinator
(her/she)

Darcie Connell has had a deep love for the ocean since childhood—from camping at Sunset State Beach to playing in the sand at Seacliff, many of her fondest memories are by the coast. She’s an avid surfer, advanced certified scuba diver, and overall water enthusiast! Now living in Capitola, Darcie is passionate about community and ocean conservation. With a background in marketing, she serves as the Interim Chair and Volunteer Coordinator for Surfrider Santa Cruz, inspiring others to protect our ocean, waves and beaches.

dconnell@santacruz.surfrider.org

Amir Companieh
Executive Committee Treasurer
(him/he)

Amir Companieh is a Director of Data Infrastructure & Finance Planning, with a background in engineering and managing large world-wide teams. Alongside his data/analytics role, he manages finances for his department, ensuring efficient resource allocation and financial planning. Amir lives in Almaden with his wife and two kids and enjoys surfing with his son at Capitola regularly. Amir has had many volunteering roles in the past, ranging from working with at-risk kids, mentoring high school to-be-graduates, various Math/English/Soft-skills tutor/coach roles at Elementary School level and kids sports coaching. Amir is dedicated to making a positive impact on his community and the environment.

acompanieh@santacruz.surfrider.org

Ivy Munnerlyn
Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) Coordinator
(her/she)

Ivy grew up in Santa Cruz and has called the Monterey Bay home for most of her life. Her passion for the natural world led her to study biology at Cabrillo before transferring to Cal Poly Humboldt for a degree in Wildlife Biology. Throughout her career, she's had the pleasure of working with marine plankton, coral reefs, insects, and injured wild animals. Her previous nonprofit work focused on plastics reduction and beach cleanups, as well as kelp forest recovery and plankton monitoring. Ivy is excited to bring her commitment to creating a clean, healthy environment to Surfrider Santa Cruz.

imunnerlyn@santacruz.surfrider.org