Clifton Meek - District Manager

Clifton is a scientist with 20+ years of experience in environmental review, conservation planning, and coordination on large-scale infrastructure projects at the federal, state, and local levels. Prior to his appointment as District Manager at TEAM RCD, he spent 16 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a senior NEPA reviewer on transportation projects throughout California and Arizona. He also served as EPA’s representative on the Steering and Program committees for the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation for seven conference cycles.

Clifton began his career as a conservation intern with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge and then worked as a field ecologist with The Nature Conservancy based out of Irvine, CA. When The Nature Conservancy closed their Irvine office, he transitioned to environmental consulting and began conducting biological studies and mitigation in support of infrastructure and conservation projects throughout Riverside, San Diego, and Orange counties. Clifton is thrilled to be returning to his roots in southern California and is looking forward to building new partnerships with many of the agencies he worked with early in his career.  

Clifton holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ecology and Environmental Health from the NYU, Gallatin School of Individualized Study and a Master of Science in Conservation Biology from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

 
Kit Swift - Conservation Technician

Kit holds a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolution from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where their undergraduate years combined chaparral fire dynamics research, work in local sustainable gardening, and service at the university food bank. That combination shaped an early focus on the practical overlaps between ecological science, land stewardship, and community resilience. Since graduating, Kit has worked with ranches and farms on ecological data collection and on mapping the ecological connections that run through working agricultural landscapes. Originally from Irvine, California, Kit lived in Santa Barbara throughout college before relocating to the Temecula area.