Eden was raised in Southern California but headed north to attain her bachelor’s degree from U.C. Berkeley. Immediately after graduation she joined the U.S. Peace Corps, where she served as a community development agent in a rural village in Senegal. That experience reaffirmed her passion for social change through community-based organization, to which she directed her career path, working with various international organizations committed to basic human needs and rights.
Feeling an affinity to northern California, Eden then returned to San Francisco where she met and married her husband Pat and started their family of three daughters, Joeva, Terri and Richelle. After earning her Master’s degree in Public Administration from S.F. State University, they moved to Minnesota, where Eden continued her international work. Missing California, she and Pat returned in 2006 to Auburn, where they had no family but felt strong resonance with the trails and canyon area. Prior to joining the Placer Land Trust team, Eden worked with Davis-based Freedom from Hunger where she led microfinance programs for rural women living in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
“Relocating to the foothills was the best move our family has made, with the canyon as our backyard. We were initially attracted to the recreational aspects of the area, and as we got deeper and deeper into life here we have developed a strong respect for and commitment to its agricultural riches as well. Living here introduced and instilled the joy of trailheads for our daughters, and it prompted me to make the move from global to local, to seek a way to apply my international experience in a meaningful and impactful way to better our community. I am so honored to be working with Placer Land Trust – it is such an integral community organization, bringing everyone to the same table to ensure that the land continues to nurture and be nurtured in every way.”
