Kellie Berry (33455546092)

Kellie Berry, Sacramento Valley Division Chief
Credit: Veronica Davison/USFWS
Kellie Berry, biologist and Sacramento Valley division chief, Sacramento Fish & Wildlife Office, Sacramento, Calif.
Who is your female conservation hero or mentor?
My favorite female conservation hero is Rachel Carson. I look up to her and respect what she did for the environmental movement.
Where did you go to school?
I went to school at CSU- Sacramento and obtained a B.S. in biological conservation.
How did you get interested in conservation?
I began volunteering in high school at the Sacramento Science Center and fell in love with the concept of working with and preserving wildlife. In college, I shifted my major from animal science to biological conservation while working at the California Department of Fish and Game (now the California Department of Fish and Wildlife) in the Environmental Services Division. My mentor encouraged me to pursue biology as he felt with the environmental movement and my love for the industry, it would be a “good fit.” The economy was great in the 1980s and I felt I could contribute to a balance between growth and the preservation of habitat. My diverse career in environmental sciences helps me better understand the perspectives of the various stakeholders I now work with in the Sacramento Valley. I have worked at a consulting firm conducting wetland delineations I have been involved in branding the first privately owned mitigation banking company west of the Mississippi, and have managed the environmental entitlements for two homebuilder/land developer companies. All of my experiences throughout my career have benefited me tremendously in my current role.
What’s your favorite species and why?

I would say that I don’t have a favorite species but that I love the vernal pool landscapes in the Valley and any and all the species that inhabit them.