About Us
Since 2013, Poseidon Education has coordinated hands-on environmental education programs that engage students in real-world problem-solving around water quality, while connecting students with important career pathways. In partnership with local water authorities, municipalities, agencies, and engineering organizations, we’ve reached thousands of students in over 50 schools. Our award-winning programs equip students in grades 5–12 with the skills to collect and analyze data, develop innovative solutions, and present their work with purpose. We also support educators by training and certifying them to lead these impactful experiences in their own classrooms, helping students build technical skills and discover future careers in water science, engineering, and environmental stewardship.
Our Team
The Poseidon Education team is made up of passionate professionals with backgrounds in aquatic and marine biology, microbiology, environmental compliance, education, research, marketing, and nonprofit leadership. With over 30 years of combined experience in STEM and education, our team is passionate about empowering the next generation of water leaders.
Patti-Diaz Zachary, CEO
Patti is a marine biologist and experienced educator and program manager. Her work ranges from research to conservation to education. She began her work on a marine geology research team at the University of California Santa Barbara, studying climate change via isotopic testing of benthic foraminifera in ocean core samples. In 2009, she founded the non-profit organization, H2O Trash Patrol, dedicated to cleaning San Diego and Orange County waterways, by focusing on waste reduction and marine debris removal via standup paddle boards. She also took her passion for environmental change to the stage and has been a guest speaker for several universities, TV guest spots, and nationally known events, including TEDx. For the past six years, she has been training elementary, middle, and high school teachers to teach award-winning water education programs, while working with students to effect positive environmental change in their schools and communities.
Most recently, she has been focused on curriculum development of the Stormwater Quality Leadership Program, which has a career track emphasis for students by developing water quality professional skills and providing an authentic resume-building experience.
Bill Dean, Founder
Bill’s environmental work experience began in 1991 with the approval of AB 939. He was instrumental in the roll-out of residential and commercial recycling in San Diego North County.
He advanced to Environmental Compliance Director for the largest waste and recycling company in Southern California. In this role he managed all the environmental regulatory requirements including water quality issues. Moving on, he took the reins of a San Diego non-profit, Solana Center, as the Managing Director. There he expanded the pallet of environmental programs to help cities in San Diego meet education and outreach goals. Bill wrote and managed the $720,000 DROPS Grant that was awarded to the Encinitas Union School District, by the California State Water Board. For over a decade now, Bill has created and delivered numerous environmental programs and curriculum that have engaged and educated over 1,800 participants, over 20,000 students and over 1,000 teachers and staff.
Leanne Vennemeyer, Marketing Director
Leanne is an experienced communications professional and content creator. She directs marketing, communications and outreach operations for Poseidon Education and produces digital content. Leanne began her career in a molecular biology lab at Amgen working on process improvement for scale up production. She conducted market research in the biotechnology sector for Frost & Sullivan before moving on to lead marketing communications efforts at Affymetrix, Inc. With extensive experience producing content for cities throughout North County San Diego, she crafts environmental campaigns that educate and empower communities, particularly youth, to make sustainable choices.
Jasmin Diaz, Project Lead
Jasmin has always had a passion for protecting the environment. Her experience begins with the work she did with H2O Trash Patrol, a non-profit organization dedicated to removing marine debris from waterways. She then interned at Sea Life Aquarium as an Aquarist Intern where she helped educate the public about the importance of protecting marine life. She is also a recent 2021 graduate from Hawaii Pacific University where she received her B.S. in Marine Biology. During her time there, she worked for two years at the Center for Marine Debris Research as a Research and Laboratory Assistant on a number of projects analyzing the impact of plastic on the marine environment. She also designed and led an independent research study regarding plastic accumulation in the Kaneohe Bay convergence zone. She is a published author and has much experience in writing from her collaboration on a number of research papers. More recently, Jasmin has been working with Poseidon Education taking on the role of Project Lead, and is currently developing and writing curriculum for the Water Resource Management Program.
Peri Strait, Program Manager
With a background in biology, environmental education, and research, Peri has always been passionate about leveraging science and education to create equitable and sustainable environmental solutions.
Her journey began as a Laboratory Intern at Ohalo Genetics, a food crop research company developing innovative breeding systems to increase agricultural yields while reducing resource inputs. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2022, Peri continued at Ohalo as a Research Associate.
She then turned her attention away from research to explore environmental inequity, shifting her focus to community-based work. She served as an AmeriCorps Outreach Coordinator with Project New Village, a nonprofit using urban agriculture to promote a healthy, sustainable, and equitable food system in Southeastern San Diego. In this role, she established partnerships with over 40 environmental and health organizations.
As a Program Manager at Poseidon Education, Peri develops curriculum for the Water Works: Dig In Program, trains teachers for the Stormwater Quality Leadership Program, and teaches the Water Resources Leadership Program while transitioning it into a teacher-led model. She also leads outreach to bring in new business, recruits participating educators, and coordinates program logistics. Peri is proud to be in a role that blends her passion for science, education, and meaningful community impact.
Claire McKinney, Marketing Specialist
Claire joined Poseidon Education in 2024, supporting marketing, communications, and outreach efforts.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Art from University of California, Irvine and previously worked in the Arts Division for the City of Encinitas, where she supported programming and marketing efforts for the newly launched Pacific View Arts Center.
At Poseidon Education, Claire applies her background in art to lead website design and content, digital and print communications, and media outreach. She also assists with designing program materials and partnership development. Recently, Claire helped coordinate Poseidon Education’s partnership with the University of Massachusetts Global, establishing a pathway for educators in the Water Leadership Programs to earn graduate-level professional development credit. Check out her article in Stormwater Solutions that explores how outreach and education can lead to measurable improvements in local water quality.
Our Awards
