Meet the Staff: Antonio Sanchez

Antonio Sanchez is a force of nature, full of energy, unstoppable, and unforgettable. He's built a unique program as the Rancho Sierra Vista Nursery Manager and Volunteer Outreach Coordinator for SAMO Fund. During the past four years, thanks to Antonio, the RSV Nursery has become a center for plant restoration for the Santa Monica Mountains, and known for its free plant giveaways to the public, seed conservation, educational internships, a robust volunteer base, training, workshops, community outreach and so much more. 

One of the reasons Antonio enjoys working at SAMO Fund is because of the incredible people he's been able to engage through native plant propagation. SAMO Fund has grown very quickly in the last few years. "There have been a lot of new, diverse employees and interns all working to promote the flora of the Santa Monica Mountains. I can't think of too many things better than employing local folks and helping to get native plants back into our parks and in and around Southern California,” said Antonio.

Next on his agenda is to continue to build even more community programs with more schools to gain employment for young people who normally wouldn't have access to the National Parks and working within the Indigenous communities. Antonio enjoys that SAMO Fund has become incredibly community based. The work SAMO Fund does could not get done without local volunteers, interns, and employees. This has created a lot of unity in the local area, and a cause to rally around. “We are trying our best to make our projects the communities' projects," he said. We can't wait to see what Antonio does next.