Leadership Team

Throughout his public service career, Mietz has forged innovative, sustainable programs and partnerships, especially in connection with tribal groups, that have yielded new models for managing public lands. Mietz partnered closely with the League and California State Parks to establish and lead Redwoods Rising, an unprecedented public-private partnership to accelerate the pace and scale of restoration work across 70,000 acres of previously logged redwoods parkland. He also worked with the League and the Yurok Tribe to craft a first-of-its-kind agreement to establish a southern gateway to RNSP that the parks will co-manage with the Yurok Tribe on a property that the League will convey to tribal ownership in 2026. Mietz was named Superintendent of the Year for Natural Resource Stewardship by the National Park Service in 2022 for going above and beyond in natural resources protection in RNSP.

In his leadership roles at other national parks and recreational areas, Mietz identified creative funding sources via state and local government agencies and nonprofits, established nonprofit park “friends” groups, oversaw scientific research and large-scale landscape projects and managed thousands of employees who serviced millions of acres and visitors annually.

“Steve is a thoughtful, driven and creative leader, which is exactly what the League needs as we look ahead to navigate the ever-changing landscape of conservation,” said Vice Chair of the League’s Board of Directors Rosemary Cameron, who led the search process.

Mietz holds a Master of Science degree in environmental studies from the University of Montana and a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University.

She brings nearly two decades of experience in organizational management and values-driven leadership to her role.

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Kirsten cherishes her experiences in the redwoods, from teenage backpacking adventures in Big Basin to weekend explorations in the East Bay hills. Reflecting on her connection to nature, Kirsten shares, “Redwood forests have been the setting for some of the most defining moments of my life.”

Before joining Save the Redwoods League, Kirsten co-founded and served for 18 years as the chief impact officer at Revolution Foods, where she was instrumental in addressing childhood food insecurity and supporting schools and students during the pandemic. Previously, she worked as an environmental and social justice advocate at Earthjustice.

Kirsten’s dedication to social impact and sustainability extends beyond her role at the League. She currently serves on the board of Amigos de las Americas and is recognized as an Ashoka Fellow and an Aspen Institute Catto Fellow. Additionally, she teaches a social entrepreneurship course at UC Berkeley and serves as an operating advisor to the Closed Loop Fund.

Kirsten is thrilled to contribute her skills and energy to Save the Redwoods League and lead the organization into its next chapter of growth and conservation efforts. “It is an honor to join Save the Redwoods League at this critical juncture of expansion,” she shares. “I’m eager to further the mission of this esteemed organization.”

Being born and raised in the Bay Area gave Hoelsken the opportunity to explore the numerous lakes, rivers, beaches, and mountains throughout Northern California. “From an early age I have felt a deep connection to nature and animals, and there has always been something special about being in the redwoods,” says Hoelsken.

Hoelsken brings more than 20 years of legal, business management, and nonprofit leadership experience to Save the Redwoods League.

He began his legal career litigating large-scale, complex construction and environmental cases in state and federal courts. He then spent the next several years in the renewable energy sector. He co-founded and served as general counsel to a distributed wind energy project development company, and later was general counsel to a multi-state solar energy business.

“My career has always been focused on supporting the greater good and taking practical action on the causes that I care deeply about,” Hoelsken says. His love of animals led him to focus the next phase of his career on animal-related nonprofits, first as the executive director of a horse rescue and sanctuary in the Napa Valley, and then as the director of operations and in-house counsel to a national service-dog organization supporting veterans with disabilities.

Prior to joining the League, Jeff was senior counsel at Paragon Legal, where he provided in-house counsel services to both corporate and nonprofit clients. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from UC Berkeley and his law degree from UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.

Hoelsken says, “It is an honor for me to be part of Save the Redwoods League and to support its critical mission protecting and restoring California redwoods, and connecting people to the peace and beauty of redwood forests.”

Lim has more than 18 years of accounting and finance expertise, including her most recent roles at the League, as acting CFO and controller. Before that, she was the assistant controller for Jewish Family and Children’s Services.

Lim is a Certified Public Accountant and a graduate of the University of California, Riverside, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

McIntosh is a seasoned marketing professional with more than 20 years of nonprofit experience, including strategy and brand development, marketing, advocacy communications, external relations, cross-functional program management, executive and board communications, team leadership and stakeholder engagement. McIntosh most recently held the role of Director of Special Projects at The Trust for Public Land, where she was responsible for program leadership and management of organization-wide priority projects. She also served as the Trust’s interim SVP, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, leading their work on brand awareness and engagement, public relations, digital, creative and editorial.

McIntosh was previously Vice President for Marketing/Communications at Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization. She has also worked for several additional nonprofit organizations and marketing agencies.

McIntosh is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She is also a board member for the Marin Conservation League in San Rafael, California.

Most recently, Paul was vice president of land stewardship at Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) in Palo Alto, Calif. He was at POST for 16 years, creating strategies for the permanent protection of conservation values and natural resources on all POST-protected lands and easements. Prior to that, he worked as a policy research associate at the Pinchot Institute for Conservation in Washington, D.C., and served as staff forester, lands manager and ecosystem research program director with the University of Washington. He holds a master of forest science degree from Yale University and a bachelor of science degree in forest resources management from the University of Washington. He currently serves as advisory council chair of the Bay Area Open Space Council. A Los Angeles native, he lives in San Francisco with his wife and son.

Recognized as a creative, dedicated team leader and a highly effective manager, Tim was most recently the Associate Director of Development at the San Francisco Symphony where he was responsible for the Symphony’s individual giving programs, raising over $23 million annually. Prior to the Symphony, Tim was the Senior Director of Development and Gift Planning a the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco where he conceived and implemented a $25 million endowment campaign, exceeding the campaign goal by raising a total of $31 million while significantly increasing the annual giving programs during the same period. Additionally, Tim has served in development leadership roles for Cal Performances at the University of California, Berkeley, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and KQED, San Francisco’s public television and radio station. Prior to his fundraising career, Tim was a Captain in the United States Army. Originally from the Black Hills of South Dakota, Tim received a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

“Ever since I arrived in the Golden State over two decades ago, I have been in awe of the redwoods which are emblematic of California’s natural beauty,” Tim said. ” As we gain new understandings of the redwoods and their benefits to mitigating the impacts of climate change, I’m even more inspired to help protect and restore the redwood forests.”