Our Staff

Executive Director
Jade Swor (any pronoun) is from the Gulf side of Florida and has had an evergrowing interest in the world of fungi. From studying applied cultural anthropology and sustainability at The Evergreen State college, Jade then received a Master’s in Environmental Management from Western Colorado University in 2020 while starting a mushroom cultivation operation with the Potter Valley Tribe. Jade’s current passions lie at the interface of tribal relations, mycology, and biomimicry.

Project and Development Coordinator
Keya Roy (she/they) grew up on the Eastside of King County as the daughter of Bengali-Indian immigrants. They recently graduated from the University of Washington with degrees in Environmental Studies and Urban Ecological Design and hope to later earn an M.S. in Bio-Integrated Design. Tired of breathing in toxic smoke particulates from climate-change-induced wildfires each summer, her undergraduate thesis examined upcycling spent mycelium block waste from the regional mushroom farming industry into HEPA filters. Keya is extremely passionate about collectively realizing a Solarpunk future in which humans, technology, and nature can exist in mutualistic symbiosis. Her research interests include environmental anthropology, kincentric ecology, the just transition, climate resilience, and ecological design (especially mycelium materials!)
Our Board

Chair
Alex (she/her) was raised in the prairies of the Midwest, skipping around in tall wildflowers and shimmying up any oak tree. A desire to explore outdoor worlds beyond her home brought her to the tropics for 4 years, where she worked in environmental education and restoration in Maui, Hawai’i, which later encouraged her to travel to Taiwan to get a Masters in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from National Taiwan University. After completing her thesis on tropical fern ecology, she has arrived in the PNW to begin to build relationship with temperate ecosystems. She has a passion for interacting with spore-producing organisms, and is eager to be a part of community restoration efforts where biological systems can take an active role.

Co-Chair
Mack Kleiva (she/her) grew up in the Puget Sound visiting beaches across the Kitsap Peninsula daily, looking out for orcas on every ferry ride, making salmon prints in elementary art classes, and living in awe of the beauty this region has to offer. They studied Environmental Chemistry and Science Communication at The Evergreen State College, graduating in 2019 with a dual BA/BS. Their focus was on the biogeochemical processes of nutrient and toxin cycling. They’re passionate about practicing remediation both socially and environmentally.

Secretary

Experimenter

Treasurer
Quinn Molina (he/him) was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley foothills of Southern California. Where he spent many a weekend wandering through canyons and hiking through chaparral. He pursued a dual BA in Latin American Studies and Political Science at The Evergreen State College to better understand how hegemony and global systems influence the communities that had left an impression on him during his travels abroad growing up. After concluding undergraduate studies, he joined the Washington Conservation Corps where he contributed to projects ranging from bioremediation to maintaining trails and also assumed management roles in several Americorps Disaster Response Team efforts in Florida, Puerto Rico, and Washington state. It was working in the woods during the rainy seasons of WA that gave him an affinity for fungi. He has pivoted his career track to that of an IT professional but aims to leverage his free time to aid the efforts of bioremediation and food sovereignty.
Past Interns

Anelise Caceres (she/her)
I am a Genetics and Genomics major at UC Davis, and I am interested in helping out at Metamimicry because the company studies interesting biological solutions that greatly benefit communities and the environment. Since I love biology, I am excited to conduct research on bioremediation and learn more about how biology can be used to combat pollutants in a variety of ways!

Star Gralenski (they/them)
Star is a multimedia artist looking to accelerate community oriented initiatives. They are passionate about making information accessible. Star is excited to work with Metamimcry because of its investment in educating. They share an interest in community outreach and creativity. Star hopes to be effective in increasing Metamimcrys recognition in the public.

Aseel Ibrahim (she/her)
I’m a 3rd-year neurobiology, physiology, and behavior major and technology management minor at UCD. I’m currently researching the importance of cattails and cattail bioremediation! I enjoy learning about the versatility of plants and the ways in which cattails can help decrease pollution. I’m interested in bioremediation because it can help us implement and raise awareness about potential methods for limiting pollution in our environment!

Catherine Koterba (she/her)
Catherine is an undergraduate student studying Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is interested and invested in the search for sustainable ways to combat pollution and climate change. She believes strongly in the mission of Metamimicry and their community based approach to bioremediation and education. Catherine is working with Metamimicry to help develop a bioremediation database to compile information in an accessible format. In addition to this, she is also working on designing a mycoremediation installation to help combat pollutants in parking lot water runoff and hopes to implement it in her community.

David Lavenduskey (he/him)
David was born, raised, and resides in Mendocino County, California. He is a senior at South Valley High School working on a capstone project researching and experimenting on waste by-products to grow mushrooms. His favorite thing about mushrooms are their wide-ranging abilities; from acting as a hyper-sustainable crop to their capacity to clean our polluted environments. With Metamimicry’s guidance, he has begun learning about the process of mushroom cultivation and will work to experiment with novel remediator species.

Paula Oh (she/her)
“I study NPB (neurology, physiology, behavior) focusing on the path of physiology. Im interested in bioremediation and helping this company in its sustainability because by using waste products/ natural products in order to improve the environment is a huge step to sustainability. I am focusing more on the medicinal side which will hopefully lead to researching and trying to find out natural resources that will improve health.”

Erika Trinh (she/her)
Erika is an undergraduate studying environmental engineering at UC Davis. She is excited to work with Metamimicry to build a database of bioremediation strategies. Erika hopes to increase access to knowledge about harmful toxins and how to remove them on a community-level.