​Laurie Koteen is a restoration scientist overseeing the Otay River Estuary Restoration project in South San Diego Bay.  Prior to her current position, Laurie served as a Senior Ecologist at the California Coastal Commission for several years.  There, she worked to mitigate the impacts of a wide range of development projects, advised on ecological policy development, and oversaw ecological restoration projects with both a terrestrial and marine focus.  Laurie received a B.S. in civil engineering from Tufts University, a M.S. in ecology from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group.  Through this work, Laurie has performed research and management activities in a wide array of ecosystems, including native California grasslands, oak woodlands, and in an array of land use types in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.  Her work has emphasized the study of climate-ecosystem interactions, species and community conservation, coastal wetland ecology and climate mitigation.