After living and traveling literally everywhere, Aleksandra has settled and called San Luis Obispo County home for the last 15 years. Born behind the iron curtain in Warsaw, Poland, her travels were first dictated by need and later by choice. Aleks’ diverse upbringing allowed her to hone her ability to question the world around her and seek to understand how societies make choices that have implications for family and friends. Aleks has always been a hydrologist since the moment she can remember. As a child she spent most of her time splashing in puddles and crawling though storm sewers. This personal interest morphed into a B.S. in Hydrology with an emphasis in aquatic biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington. Aleks has lost track of how many years’ experience she has, and as a mom of two boys the question always nags at her. How do you count part-time experience while raising two boys? Using any math formula, she has well over 25 years of private and public sector experience in analyzing, designing, constructing, and monitoring all aspects of river management and stream restoration projects along the west coast of the United States. A central theme in Aleks’ work is to develop science-based innovative solutions in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders including private landowners, academic institutions, government agencies, and likeminded conservation organizations to meet both human and ecological needs. Aleks is an adjunct faculty at the California Polytechnic State University and has taught undergraduate courses in water resources engineering, geology, and geomorphology. Aleksandra loves fly fishing, skiing, hiking, and exploring the natural world with her family and friends. And now that it’s more socially acceptable with coronavirus on the scene, she is also willing to admit she is also a bit of a survivalist and prepper.