GRID Alternatives - Inland Empire
1257 Columbia Avenue, D5
Riverside, CA 92507
Phone: 951.272.GRID (4743) or 1.888.496.GRID (4743)
Fax: 909.494.4061
Email: infoie@gridalternatives.org
Staff Bios
Lisa Castilone, Outreach Coordinator
Lisa is a long-time resident and community activist in Riverside County. Lisa has worked in the social service/non-profit sector for over 10 years. Most recently she was the Program Coordinator at Alternatives to Domestic Violence (ADV) in Temecula, CA where she assisted victims through advocacy, education and court services. Lisa is a hands-on person with a strong sense of community and she enjoys empowering others to make positive changes in their lives. Lisa is a forward thinking environmentalist and is committed to creating a healthier tomorrow for future generations by implemeting the three R's: Renew, Reuse and Recycle. Lisa is a successful single parent of 6 college- and school-age children. She enjoys all sports and is a team mom and rowdy cheer leader for most of them as her children are athletes and team players.
Leida Chambliss, Outreach Coordinator
Leida has a passion for working with people and making their lives better. As a former recruiter with over a dozen years experience, Leida facilitated the hiring of over 300 people into their dream jobs. Over the years she has volunteered for a variety of charities from assisting animals in need, fund raising for children of abuse and helping low income families revitalize their homes through volunteer efforts. Her eagerness for helping those in her community by creating a cleaner more sustainable environment is the driving force behind her pursuit of a Bachelor in Urban Policy and Design. In her free time, she can be found photographing her children, studying, and spending time with her family at home.
Michelle Gherardi, Development Manager
A native Southern Californian, Michelle has 15 years experience on both the east and west coasts, in integrated marketing and development with several of those years spent procuring funding and raising awareness in the non-profit environment. Her passion for our community is enhanced by the love for her family and friends, and she strives daily to provide her child with a sense of global unity and appreciation and love for diversity. She loves cooking for her entire family, reading, solving Sudoku (a recently acquired hobby), traveling to places near and far, yoga (which she admittedly doesn’t do enough of) and spending time with her loved ones.
Dan Glasow, Solar Installation Supervisor
Dan grew up in Southern California. He has worked in construction (residential and commercial) for over 13 years, including more than 2 years in the solar industry. Dan likes meeting new people and all sorts of challenges. He enjoys camping, fishing, and spending time with his family.
Greg Graham, Solar Installation Supervisor
Greg grew up in Fontana, California and has been a resident of the Inland Empire for 24 years. He served in the United States Marine Corps and is happy to be engaged with community building and non-profit activies. As part of his duties in his career with solar he has designed, built, supervised and consulted. He has a passion for teaching and learning and loves to work with new people. Greg enjoys cooking, music, rock climbing, traveling, Dogs, and various other activities.
Abby Kuranz, Outreach and Program Associate, AmeriCorps VISTA
Originally from Wisconsin, Abby just spent her last two years working as an environmental educator at a non-profit in Seattle, WA. She graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BS in Biology and Spanish. She loves playing all sports, especially soccer and tennis, getting outside, camping, hiking, and meeting new people!
Jared McCreary, Volunteer and Training Associate, AmeriCorps VISTA
Last year Jared was interning on a congressional campaign until mid-November, then he was heavily involved in student organizing, bringing 7 different campuses in the Inland Empire together to fight for access and affordability at the campus level, and funding at the state level. Last year he also led the organization of a Southern California regional "Education Reclamation" conference, which brought 120+ students, faculty and community members from all corners of Southern California together to discuss these issues, and learn from each other in 21 different workshops. Jared enjoys music and is a classically trained vocalist and jazz singer.
Wes Norris, Volunteer Management and Events Planning Intern
Wes grew up in Silicon Valley where he developed a passion for the Clean-Tech and Renewable Energy industry in high school. While attending the University of Redlands as an Environmental Business Major, he became the President and Co-Founder of the USGBC student chapter on campus. Last year was his final year as a four year starter (punter) for the University of Redlands NCAA Division III football team.
Kiran Saeed, Marketing and Events Intern
Kiran Saeed is a writer-designer-performer-something who started calling herself “the communicatrix” when she hit three hyphens. After three successful years in development consultation for numerous collegiate organizations, Kiran is now pursuing a career in marketing and project management whose work primarily focuses on renewable energy. She graduated from the University of California, Riverside, receiving the Dean Loda Mae Davis award for outstanding leadership and community involvement, which taught her what it takes to succeed in life: perseverance, hard work, and a belief in oneself. A relentless go-getter, Kiran is also able to bake seven-minute brownie mix in just under four minutes.
Bambi Tran, Regional Director
Bambi grew up in the Washington, DC area, holds a BS in Architecture from the University of Virginia and a Master in Real Estate Development from the University of Maryland – College Park, and is a LEED Accredited Professional. In her career she has worked as a green builder, designer, and consultant to a number of private and non-profit developers, building owners, and design/engineering/contracting firms throughout the US and internationally. Bambi enjoys cooking, hiking, traveling, reading, teaching, and building things and is trying her hands (and feet) at mini-triathlons.
Neil Warren, Project Assistant
Neil has been a carpenter for some 25 years rough framing new residential tract houses throughout California. Recently, Neil decided to reinvent himself by breaking into the solar industry. In 2010, he went to school to take a training course in residential PV systems earning his ETA entry level certification as well as his NABCEP entry level certificate of knowledge. He was very excited to join GRID as a volunteer and is now totally ecstatic to be part of the Inland Empire team as a staff member. Neil expects to continue to grow his knowledge and skills as he grows with this new Inland Empire team.
