Kathy Gschweng

Since moving to Ventura County five years ago, Kathy has developed a deep appreciation for the importance of local native plants. She regularly volunteers with the Santa Monica Mountains Fund and the National Park Service, supporting native plant restoration projects in the Santa Monica Mountains. She is a certified California Naturalist through the Santa Monica Mountains Fund, where focused her training on surveying native bee species using native plants in a suburban environment.

Kathy's background is in the sciences, and she earned her PhD from UCLA, where she studied the health effects of pesticides commonly used in California's Central Valley. She has been actively involved in STEM outreach for K–12 students, and brings experience in science communication, advocacy, and conservation.

In her free time, Kathy enjoys working in her own native garden and discovering the diverse native pollinators that it attracts.