Kelsey Pickert
Executive Committee Chair
(She/Her)
Kelsey is in her second term on the Executive Committee and serves as the 2022-2023 Executive Committee Chair. Her love for the environment was fostered in Northern California, where she grew up before moving to San Diego for college. A passion for science, surfing, and environmental protection brought her to the Surfrider Foundation in 2018. Her work with Surfrider is driven by an ambition for equitable beach access and mitigating climate change for future generations. Environmental justice is at the heart of her work, and her motto is, “Think Globally, Act Locally.”
Udo Wahn, M.D.
Executive Committee Vice Chair
(He/Him)
A retired Assistant Professor of Reproductive Medicine at UCSD and Kaiser, Udo is a dedicated coastal defender and Surfrider member since the 1980’s. Having served 2 prior terms on the EC he is dedicated to continuing advocating for beach preservation, access and pushing climate friendly policy along with supporting all the other important programs Surfrider SD is involved with. In 2017 he became a Certified Climate Reality Leader, trained by former Vice President Al Gore. Loving retired life, living by the tides and participating in purposeful environmental activism.
Carly Kupa
Executive Committee Member
(She/Her)
Carly hails from Oregon and has always had a love for the outdoors. Ever since childhood, she’s always had an awareness of environmental issues and the need to protect our natural resources. After getting her graduate degree in Sustainability from the University of Oregon, she moved down to San Diego to be closer to the ocean and sunshine. She had always dreamed of volunteering for Surfrider and got involved immediately. She has been the Climate Change Committee co-lead for two years now and is excited to get more involved in a larger capacity on the EC. In her spare time, Carly loves to paddleboard, hike, and spend time with her new baby.
Ally Celones Şentürk
Executive Committee Member
(She/They)
Simone Fraid
Executive Committee Member
(She/Her)
J.P. Bruner
Executive Committee Member
(He/ Him)
JP has spent the last 5 years as the chapter's Climate Change program lead. In this time, he advocated on behalf of the chapter for calls to end offshore oil drilling, strong climate action plans, community choice energy, and building electrification. From the beaches to the mountains, JP is passionate about being active outside. This passion led him to want to protect and advocate for the beautiful and important places that we all live and recreate in.
Corie Sandor
Executive Committee Member
(she/her)
Ben Rubenson
Executive Committee Member
(he/him)
Ben is currently a co-lead for the Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) in San Diego and helps lead some of the monthly beach cleanups. He has been involved with Surfrider since 2016, previously working with the Rise Above Plastics and Ocean Friendly Restaurants Programs. Whether its surfing, snorkeling, open water swimming or running, Ben tries to spend as much time at the beach as possible. He is looking forward to getting further involved with Surfrider through the Executive Committee role.
Yusef Miller
Executive Committee Member