Graciella Rossi, Project Director

For over forty-five years, Graciella has worked as an environmental educator and activist and has founded several grassroots and community-based nonprofit organizations. Her life passion is to provide access to nature for low-income youth and special need populations. She has trained many environmental education organizations in fundraising and planning skills. She believes it takes a team of committed individuals working together to confront our environmental crises and it is our youth that will take the lead in protecting our planet.

In addition to her non-profit work, she has taught for 20+ years in WCCUSD as a special education teacher and Learning Center Coordinator/ Founder. During that time, she also managed school gardens at Tara Hills and Mira Vista Schools and worked with a team to create a curriculum connecting garden activities to the core curriculum. She holds a Multiple Subjects and Education Specialist Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University and has studied Expressive Arts and Ecotherapy at JFK University.

She is an avid outdoor enthusiast and loves biking, kayaking, and gardening. She enjoys eating her husband Rick’s delicious garden-fresh meals and traveling abroad especially to her family’s place of origin in Italy.