South Coast Research and Extension Center

Contact Us

Location and Contact

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Address: 7601 Irvine Blvd, Irvine, CA 92618 
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Phone: (949) 653-1810
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Fax: (949) 653-1800
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Email: southcoastrec@ucanr.edu

Map to our office

We are located near the intersection of Modjeska and Irvine Blvd. in Irvine, CA.

 Get Google Maps directions to South Coast Research and Extension Center here

Our driveway, indicated by the blue arrow in the map below, is immediately after the stone wall along Irvine Blvd., before the large LED sign. When you arrive on site, you can park in any available spot, but you must sign-in at the front desk in the office near the flagpole, indicated by the red rectangle in the map below.

Google Maps View of South Coast Research and Extension Center at 7601 Irvine Boulevard in Irvine, California, with a blue line indicating the driveway and a red rectangle indicating the main office

Meet the team

 South Coast REC-based Employees

Center Administrators

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Lindsey Pedroncelli, PhD
Interim Director
South Coast Research and Extension Center
Email: lrpedroncelli@ucanr.edu

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Chris Martinez
Center Superintendent
Phone: (949) 301-9182 ext. 1003
Email: cpmartinez@ucanr.edu

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Kat Hicklin
South Coast REC, UCCE Orange, and Desert REC Business Officer
Phone: (949) 653-1812
Email: khicklin@ucanr.edu 

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Marie T Hernandez-Vega
Business Office Assistant II
Phone: (949) 653-1810
Email: thernandezvega@ucanr.edu 

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Andrea Arellano
Administrative Assistant
Phone:(949) 653-1809
Email: andarellano@ucanr.edu 

Field Research and Facilities Maintenance Staff

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Eric B Palmer
Senior Farm Maintenance
Email: ebpalmer@ucanr.edu 

 

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Naomi Robles
Senior Agricultural Technician
Email: nrrobles@ucanr.edu

 

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Gabriel Lopez
Facilities Maintenance
Email: gilope@ucanr.edu 

 

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George V Nieblas
Principal Agricultural Technician
Email: gvnieblas@ucanr.edu 

Community Educators

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Tamara Jean Majcherek
Community Education Specialist II
Phone: (949) 653-1824
Email: tjmajcherek@ucanr.edu 

 

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Jason R Suppes
Community Education Specialist II
Email: jrsuppes@ucanr.edu  

Advisors

Urban Agriculture
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Grant E. Johnson
Assistant CE Urban Agriculture Technology Area Advisor
Phone: (949) 414-8022
Email: gejohnson@ucanr.edu

Soil Health and Organic Materials Management Team
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Natalie Jane Levy, PhD
Soil Health and Organic Materials Management Advisor
Email: nlevy@ucanr.edu

 

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Brandon Hsu
Student Assistant
Email: brhsu@ucanr.edu  

 

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Nathan Lo
Staff Research Associate
Email: nclo@ucanr.edu

Urban Watersheds
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Esther N Lofton, PhD
Urban Watershed Resilience Advisor
Phone: (858) 282-6737
Email: enmosase@ucanr.edu  

Urban Forestry Team
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Beatriz E Nobua Behrmann, PhD
Urban Forestry and Natural Resources Advisor
Phone: (949) 301-9182 ext. 1006
Email: benobua@ucanr.edu 

 

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Randall Oliver
ISHB Communications Coordinator
Phone: (949) 301-9182 ext. 1012
Email: rdoliver@ucanr.edu 

 

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Cristian Burgos
Staff Research Associate
Email: cburgos@ucanr.edu 

 

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Jennifer Shedden
Staff Research Associate
Email: jshedden@ucanr.edu 

 

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Elle Overs
Staff Research Associate
Email: eovers@ucanr.edu 

 

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David Landis
Staff Research Associate
Email: dlandis@ucanr.edu 

Human-Wildlife Interactions Team
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Niamh M Quinn, PhD
Human-Wildlife Interactions Advisor
Phone: (949) 301-9182 ext. 1004 
Email: nmquinn@ucanr.edu 

 

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Gabriela Guzman
Staff Research Associate
Email: gguz@ucanr.edu 

Statewide Programs

4-H Youth Development Program
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Rita M Jakel
4-H Program Coordinator
Phone: (949) 653-1803
Email: rmjakel@ucanr.edu 

 

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Claudia Carlos
4-H Regional Program Coordinator
Phone: (951) 955-2613
Email: cfcarlos@ucanr.edu 

UC Master Gardeners
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Randy Musser
UC Master Gardener Program Coordinator
Phone: (949) 653-1808
Email: remusser@ucanr.edu 

UC Master Food Preservers
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Jennifer Borges
UC Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator
Email: jhborges@ucanr.edu 

Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program Team
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Javier F Miramontes
Community Nutrition and Health Supervisor
Email: jfmiramontes@ucanr.edu 

 

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Guadalupe L Cabrera
Community Nutrition and Health Educator
Phone: (949) 301-9182 ext. 1008
Email: glcabrera@ucanr.edu 

 

Judith Valadez
Community Nutrition and Health Educator
Email: jvvaladez@ucanr.edu 

 

Cross-County Employees

Employees who also serve Orange County but are based in other counties
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Amrita Mukherjee
Urban Agriculture/Small Farms Advisor
Phone: (909) 602-8339
Email: amukherjee@ucanr.edu 

Based at the UC Cooperative Extension office in San Bernardino

 

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Ashley Michelle Hooper
Urban Community Resiliency Advisor
Phone: (626) 586-1981 
Email: asmhoope@ucanr.edu 

Based at the UC Cooperative Extension office in Los Angeles

 

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Caroline D Champlin
Science Communication Specialist
Phone: (949) 439-9754
Email: cchamplin@ucanr.edu 

Based at the UC Cooperative Extension office in Los Angeles

 

Christopher McKerracher
Pest Management Guidelines Coordinator
Email: cmckerracher@ucanr.edu

Based at South Coast REC, part of the UC Statewide IPM Program

 

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Christopher Shogren, PhD
Environmental Horticulture Advisor
Email: cjshogren@ucanr.edu 

Based at the UC Cooperative Extension office in Los Angeles

 

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Eric Gordon Middleton, PhD
Area IPM Advisor
egmiddleton@ucanr.edu

Based at the UC Cooperative Extension office in San Diego

 

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Liliana Vega
4-H Youth Development Advisor
Phone: (805) 242-2454
Email: live@ucanr.edu

Based at the UC Cooperative Extension office in San Diego

 

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Monica Palta, PhD
Cooperative Extension Specialist in Urban Water Quality, Health, and Justice
Phone: (626) 586-1948 
Email: mpalta@uci.edu 

Based at UC Irvine in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (School of Engineering) and the Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy (School of Social Ecology) 

 

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Natalie M Price
Community Nutrition and Health Advisor
Phone: (626) 586-1948 
Email: nmprice@ucanr.edu 

Based at the UC Cooperative Extension office in Los Angeles

 

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Siavash Taravati, PhD
Area IPM Advisor
Email: staravati@ucanr.edu 

Based at the UC Cooperative Extension office in Riverside