the People
the People
Shou Zhang (张守德)
Founder
Shou is the founder of AiniCalifornia Nursery, where he leads nursery production, educational workshops, and free plant distribution events.
He holds an MSc in Tourism, Society and Environment from Wageningen University & Research and a BSc in Hospitality Management from San José State University. Shou was a 2024 California Climate Action Corps Fellow, contributing to post-fire burn scar restoration projects with TreePeople in the Angeles National Forest. Outside of the nursery, he is a docent at the Arroyo & Foothills Conservancy and a certified Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2) at the Los Angeles Prescribed Burn Association.
Chloe Kim
Volunteer Zine Illustrator & Education Coordinator
Chloe is driven by her love for the California landscape and all things creative, she hopes to share this love with her community. She comes to ainiCalifornia with a background in post-fire restoration with TreePeople and native seed sourcing with the Santa Monica Mountains Fund. When she’s not designing educational material for ainiCalifornia, you can find her helping out in the nursery, tabling, or finding new ways to experiment with native plants.
Caroline Symons
Volunteer Director of Development
Caroline Symons is a native plant and Cooper's hawk enthusiast based in Los Angeles. With a background in film and TV production, she manages budgets and seeks out new partnership opportunities for ainiCalifornia. Caroline has been a Restoration Lead at the Audubon Center at Debs Park, where she still volunteers to lead the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project community science initiative each summer. She is a 2026 participant in the California Naturalist Certification Program through the Santa Monica Mountains Fund.
Justin Bonilla
Community Garden Co-Designer @ Studio Revolú
Justin is a native plant landscape designer, partnering with schools and community spaces to help steward a sense of place, ecological belonging and mutual aid among all beings. He is a certified California native plant landscaper with a dark past as a TV writer.
Logo generously designed by Natalie (@natdesignsstuff).