Staff

Lindsey Pacela

Director of Communications and Administration

Lindsey is a passionate humanitarian and environmentalist, currently completing her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of La Verne. A lifelong advocate for service, she was a Girl Scout from kindergarten through high school, actively involved in community service and environmental conservation projects.

She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of La Verne, double majoring in journalism and psychology. During her undergraduate years, she interned with the City of Chino’s HOPE Program, which supports families in crisis. Lindsey also held leadership roles as editor-in-chief of the La Verne Magazine and news editor for The Campus Times. In addition to her editorial work, she has specialized in social media management and website development for nonprofit organizations.

In 2023, Lindsey went on a Coastwalk trip to write about the experience for the La Verne Magazine, but found herself falling in love with the organization. As of 2024, Lindsey now works as the Director of Communications and Administration for Coastwalk California. She manages the organization’s collaborations, social media, helps with the newsletter and various administration needs.

Email contact: [email protected]

Phone Contact: (707) 829-6689, Ext. 1

Sarah Van Buskirk

Chief Editor – The Coastal Advocate

Sarah is currently a freelance journalist after earning her bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of La Verne in 2024. She served as Editor-in-Chief for the University’s newspaper, The Campus Times, for three semesters leading her staff to be awarded the Columbus Scholastic Journalism Association gold medal for overall journalism excellence for newspaper and hybrid publications during the 2022-23 academic year. She wrote a vast collective of stories, highlighting environmentalism and the importance of local agriculture during her time as an undergraduate.

In 2023, Sarah studied abroad in Berlin, Germany and attended the eco-friendly, Berlin Fashion Week and reported on the sustainability or lack thereof, in the fashion industry. Focusing on providing transparency to her readers, Sarah wrote about the damages of fast fashion and provided ways to exude personal style while being conscious of the Earth’s atmospheric health

Sarah is the Chief Editor for the Coastwalk’s monthly newsletter, The Coastal Advocate where she keeps subscribers up-to-date with current coastal events, politics and general news while providing other forms of media to further educate those on related topics.

Email contact: [email protected]

Phone Contact: (707) 829-6689, Ext. 0

Caroline “Cea” Higgins

Coastal Trail Advisor

Cea Higgins served as the Executive Director of Coastwalk/ California Coastal Trail Association until 2020 and now serves as the organization’s Advocacy Coordinator. Her career includes serving as the Policy and Volunteer Coordinator for Sonoma Coast Surfrider Foundation, where she has coordinated beach clean-ups and conducted youth and community marine debris education programs for the last 20 years. Cea was also selected by NOAA to serve on the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council and chaired the Sediment Management Working Group working with governmental agencies and County planning departments to develop climate-smart adaptation policies to more effectively deal with coastal erosion and sea level rise. She is the coastal representative on the Sonoma County Water Coalition, which focuses on improving water quality. In addition, she is a founding member of the Bodega Bay Collaborative, which sponsors town halls, community forums, and provides a voice to unincorporated coastal areas. Cea also helped establish the Sonoma County Marine Protected Areas Collaborative, where she works with scientific institutions, environmental NGOs, and tribal governments to raise awareness of the value of marine protected areas amongst coastal residents and visitors.

Cea earned a BS in Education from the University of Virginia and a Masters in Science in Curriculum Design & Atypical Learning from the University of Wisconsin. To improve her ability to advocate for coastal preservation, she earned a Juris Doctorate with honors from Concord Law School. An avid surfer, hiker, and trained in marine mammal and sea bird rescue, Cea believes in giving back to the ocean and coast that she is blessed to enjoy and work to protect.

Email contact: [email protected]