NBC’s Board volunteer their time and expertise throughout the year to uphold the mission of the Newport Bay Conservancy and strategically direct the organization to fill that charge. Board Members are elected by our membership (volunteers who serve over 48 hours or more in the past year) each November at our annual meeting to serve two year terms and can be elected for a subsequent term. The Conservancy is always looking for passionate folks to sit on the Board. For more information on how you can become a Board Member, send us an email to info@newportbay.org.
Board Meetings are streamed via ZOOM. Dates for 2025 include 1/22, 2/26, 3/26, 4/23, 5/28, 6/25, 7/23, 8/27, 9/24, and 10/22 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. The public is welcome to join any of these meetings. NBC’s Annual Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 6, 2025.
Quicklinks:
2023 Annual Report Presentation
NBC Bylaws (last rev. 2021)
Non-discrimination Policy
Unaudited Financial Statement FYE2020
Other Financial Reports posted to Guidestar.org
Bryan Tsu, President
bryan.tsu@newportbay.org
Bryan is a managing director and portfolio manager for PIMCO. As a resident of Newport Beach, one of the greatest joys of his week is going for a run around Upper Newport Bay and enjoying its beauty, wildlife and serenity. For Bryan, who is originally from New York, Upper Newport Bay is the Central Park of Orange County, and a precious resource that he feels we need to protect and enhance for years and generations to come.
Stacey Tutt, Co-Vice President
Stacey L. Tutt moved to Southern California in 2018 to design the Consumer Law Clinic as visiting clinical Professor of Law at University of California Irvine. She’s now Senior Staff Attorney for the National Housing Law Project. Stacey quickly found NBC while on a kayak tour in 2019 and learned more about the Bay at World Wetlands Day. Stacey has always loved the outdoors, and can’t wait for her next hiking or camping adventure. She not only volunteers with NBC, but also volunteers with Irvine Ranch Conservancy. As Senior Staff Attorney and Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) Coordinator at the National Housing Law Project, Stacey works with legal aid attorneys, housing counselors, state-level HAF administrators and mortgage servicers to preserve and expand access to homeownership. Previously, she was at University of Illinois College of Law where she developed and directed the Community Preservation Clinic. Stacey has been active both in the academy and in practice; she has served as president of the Board of Directors for Illinois Legal Aid Online, and prior to teaching, she was managing attorney at Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. in Bloomington, Illinois. At the Conservancy, Stacey wants to promote and ensure access to the bay for everyone.
Bettina Eastman, Co-Vice President
bettina.eastman@newportbay.org
Bettina holds a degree in Biology with an option in Zoology and has studied Herpetology, Marine Biology and Entomology, yet her main emphasis has been on Ornithology. With 30 years in the field she has gained an incredible amount of knowledge not only about birds but all sorts of other wildlife. Bettina loves sharing her knowledge with others as a guide and volunteer. She spends many hours volunteering for Sea and Sage Audubon, California State Parks, OC Parks, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and Newport Bay Conservancy. One of her greatest joys is sharing her experiences in nature with youngsters and adults alike. Educating the public to the impacts and issues our wildlife face is an everyday conversation in her life hoping to light a spark of interest in others. She is hopeful that her efforts will make a difference for the organizations she serves. Bettina looks forward to continuing to do outreach and hopes adding her voice to the conversation may help lend a different perspective.
Julie Powers, Treasurer
julie.powers@newportbay.org
For the last three years, Julie has rowed in the Back Bay as a member of Newport Aquatic Center and has grown to appreciate its beauty, ecological diversity, and tranquility. As a former strategy consultant to both for-profit and non-for-profit clients, she is adept at breaking down problems to their root causes and conducting rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis to help provide solutions. She previously helped lead corporate strategy at Tishman Speyer, a global real estate developer in New York with a focus on social impact (developing an affordable housing investment platform), new business development, and human resources. Prior to Tishman Speyer, she served as a consultant and project leader at the Boston Consulting Group, a global strategy consulting firm. With a background in financial services, she is comfortable reading financial statements and conducting financial analysis. Her academic and professional background has given her skills, including project management, professional communication, strategic planning and policy analysis, that will help her to contribute to the board’s work.
Susie Onate, Secretary
susie.onate@newportbay.org
Susie Onate manages complex transactions for Pacific Life’s commercial mortgage loan portfolio line of business and is part of the leadership team that established Pacific Life’s Asian American and Pacific Islander resource group. Susie has worked in real estate for over 18 years and has over 25 years of experience working in law in Australia and the United States. She holds a degree in Finance from the University of Phoenix and a Paralegal Certificate from the University of San Diego. Her interest in protecting the environment started in her late 20’s when she became an avid mountain biker. As a Filipino Australian, she knew nothing about California and gained an appreciation for the diverse and beautiful landscape and how urban sprawl threatens it. She was pleased to find out during her time at Rutan & Tucker how local governments protect nature and wildlife through open space requirements. She gained a lot of knowledge reading environmental impact studies and entitlement documents and how undeveloped open spaces such as wetlands and parks protect the flora and fauna native to a specific area. Susie believes that as home prices soar, there is growing pressure to protect undeveloped spaces so educating people on the importance of preserving the wetlands is critical.
Peter Bryant, Past President 
peter.bryant@newportbay.org
Peter Bryant’s interest and passion are in documenting, monitoring and preserving local biodiversity and ecosystems. He taught Biodiversity and Conservation for over 20 years at UCI. Peter specializes in photographing invertebrates, especially the more difficult ones including the smallest insects as well as various marine and aquatic species. He has a Masters’ degree in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Genetics, and he is now participating in an international effort to catalog biodiversity using DNA-based methods. This is Dr. Bryant’s second stint on the Board, serving for 6 years from 2012-2018, and NBC’s President in 2017-2018. Dr. Bryant also established a Research Committee which has organized an Annual World Wetlands Day Symposium annually since 2015.
Mario Cuevas
Mario Cuevas serves as a teacher at Lowell School in Santa Ana. He became involved with the Conservancy as a result of our FiiN program. Mario has been a teacher in the Santa Ana District for 26 years. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from National University. Mario was instrumental in developing a partnership between Coast Hill Church and Second Harvest of Orange County to provide meals to needy families at both the Lowell school site as well as the Madison Elementary school in Santa Ana. Mario views his service to protect Newport Bay as an honor and a privilege, and looks forward to opportunities to increase the Conservancy’s capacity of diversity, equity and inclusion for all. As the Conservancy’s Education Chair, he works with the community at large, Board Members, County/City staff and all those who are unfamiliar with the diverse ecosystems the back bay offers.
Rubi Garcia
Rubi is the founder and CEO of Andy and Aiden Safety Group, a non-profit organization that partners with local law enforcement to provide education of safety strategies to those with special needs. As a proud mother of two neurodivergent boys, she provides a strong voice for advocacy of inclusion and community. In addition, she leads the Special K Kids, a special needs social group, in partnership with the Kiwanis Club of Greater Garden Grove. Rubi is also the acting Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Arts for the City of Garden Grove, serving as an advisor that reviews and makes recommendations on programs offered by the City, on capital improvement plans for park facilities, on proposed amendments to the General Plan Parks and Recreation Element, and on City art programs. Her passion for her family and her community are the fuel that drives her to fight for a better tomorrow for all. Rubi aspires to help our community come together and get educated on keeping the Bay clean and how to support it.
Lori Metherate
Lori has been a Volunteer Naturalist with NBC since 2017. She joined the NBC Naturalist training program and really came to appreciate the important role the Bay has in the Southern California Coastal ecosystem and wants to play a part in its preservation for both its beauty and its function. Lori currently works part time in horticulture and sales at Rogers Gardens. Lori has a Certificate in Horticulture from Orange Coast College and is also a UC Master Gardener. Prior to horticultural work, Lori worked in administration at UC Irvine for over 30 years, mostly as an administrative manager of a research facility. Lori also received her MBA from UC Irvine while working there. Lori will bring to her role on the Board a variety of experience with financial management, fundraising, facilities management, program and event development and marketing/arranging, and human resources. Lori has also been a resident in The Bluffs in Newport Beach for over 25 years, and as Bay has meant so much to her as a place to walk, relax and take in all the plants and wildlife, she is dedicated to giving back to the Bay.
Molly Waldram
Molly.Waldram@ocparks.com
Molly is the Supervising Park Ranger at Upper Newport Bay. She is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach. Molly has been a Park Ranger with OC Parks since 2008. She has worked at a variety of parks and was very happy to accept the assignment to Back Bay. She is passionate about nature, preservation, and connecting people to the wilderness.
McKenna Wegner
McKenna Wegner was born and raised in Boise, Idaho with a deep passion and love for the outdoors. McKenna holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Chapman University. Currently, McKenna is a Financial Analyst at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. Although she is just getting started in her career, McKenna wanted to get more involved throughout the community. After moving to Southern California, McKenna discovered Newport Back Bay where she would walk and run daily. McKenna believes the history of the Upper Newport Bay is unique to itself and a lot of people who use it daily aren’t aware of its history, as she wasn’t for the longest time. McKenna wants to be involved in helping educate the community on its history and the importance of keeping it clean. McKenna is eager to share her appreciation and love for this place with others, while spreading awareness on its preservation.
Yugina Yun
Yugina’s interest in the Back Bay started at an early age as a local high school student intern at the Back Bay Nature Science Center. She went on to obtain her degree in Marine Science from Boston University with a focus in marine policy and a Masters of Business Administration in Marketing and Global Operations at Pepperdine. Yugina currently serves as the Asst. Director of Operations at an esports team and focuses her energies on education programs, career development, and community fundraisers. Yugina is looking forward to using her education and experience moving social policy and land stewardship forward, and is interested in continuing to build programming for the next generation of bay stewards in our local community.
