About Our Staff

Greg Gamble, Executive Director
Greg has worked in and studied conservation for over fifteen years, including working with The Nature Conservancy and as Executive Director of the Desert Foothills Land Trust in Arizona. Greg received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University, and graduate degrees in Natural Resource Management from Colorado State University and Business Administration from the University of Michigan. In his spare time, he enjoys training for triathlons. Greg makes his home in Ojai with his wife and two young children.

Rick Bisaccia, Preserve Manager
A lifetime Ojai resident, general contractor, naturalist, search and rescue person, and a whole host of other incredible qualifications make Rick a dynamic OVLC team member. Rick has just the right mix of experience and personality for the day to day challenges as he stewards and manages preserve lands. He enjoys keeping the preserves pristine, and also finding creative solutions to increase awareness among the community of the sensitive nature of preserve habitat. Rick works closely with local police, fire department officials, the Forest Service and Ojai school district officials to assure the safety and well being of the preserves and those who enjoy them.

Brian Stark, Conservation Director
Brian grew up in Southern California. Primarily a city kid, he spent many summers of his youth on his grandparents’ cattle ranch in northwest Nebraska. He learned a lot about ranching and farming. When not helping out with chores he spent time fishing for trout in the stream that came through the ranch and hiking in the sandstone bluffs. These experiences led to a lifelong interest in and love of the outdoors.
            Brian started at the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo as a volunteer in 1994 and never left. Brian’s great work paved the way for his eventual selection for the Executive Director position. Brian’s passion is in conservation, specializing in watershed protection.  When not in the office, he enjoys mountain biking, fishing, and playing bass and guitar. He is excited to have joined the OVLC staff in March of 2010 closer to his new home with his new bride from Camarillo. “With such a close community and a vibrant local landscape, the opportunities seem limitless,” said Brian upon his arrival in Ojai.

Darcy Gamble, Development Director
Darcy came to Ojai with a varied background, a love of nature, local history, and international travel.  Upon deciding to live in Ojai Darcy made a conscious commitment to help protect and promote the town’s scenic, cultural, and social character. A busy mother of two toddlers, she also serves on the City’s Historic Preservation Commission and is an avid hiker.
               Darcy has worked for the National Park Conservation Association, was Website Manager for Williams-Sonoma.com, worked at Microsoft, and was most recently a caring Realtor in Cave Creek, Arizona.   Darcy has a BA from Washington State University and an MA from Colorado State University.   She has a development officer’s certificate from the Non Profit Support Center of Santa Barbara and is here to serve the members of the Land Conservancy with her heart.

Marti Reid, Office Manager
Marti joined the OVLC staff as our bookkeeper in November 2009 and in February of 2010 she was promoted to Office Manager full time. She comes us with a diverse background of 30 years in the restaurant business including 7 as the general manager at Carrows in Ojai. She has also worked for more than 7 years at local non-profits including most recently the Ojai Youth Foundation and the Valley Oak Charter School. Marti is capable, confident, experienced, and lovely to work with. Marti and her husband have 2 daughters and have lived in Ojai since 1997.

Todd Bertola, Restoration Team
The OVLC habitat restoration program team welcomes Todd Bertola. Todd was hired by OVLC in 2011 as a Restoration Field Technician replacing Tom Swetek who moved on and is working for The CREW as a field supervisor. Todd has a background in farming having worked on his father’s orchards and for Churchill Orchards in Ojai. Todd worked for twenty years as a social worker with “at risk” teenagers. He likes doing artwork in his spare time and visiting the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History with his three children ages 18, 14 and 9.        

Lorraine Walter, Ventura River Watershed Coordinator
Lorraine brings vast experience and expertise to her new role. During the drought years of the late 1990s, she began working for the Countywide Water Conservation Program with the County of Ventura. There she promoted water-conserving landscapes, efficient agricultural irrigation, low-flow plumbing devices, and worked on other regional water-use efficiency programs. Lorraine then spent 11 years with the Ventura County Solid Waste Management Department teaching composting, promoting mulch use by growers, and coming up with various creative ways to keep discards out of landfills. For the past 10 years Lorraine worked as a grants administrator, watershed planner, and land use planner for the Ventura County Planning Division. She raised funds for and then implemented a wide variety of projects for the Division, including work on wetlands, open space and biological resource issues, as well as green building, energy efficiency, and smart parking code. Lorraine is also interested in and has volunteered in the area of food security and community gardens.