SESLOC Credit Union is proud to honor Katharine Rondthaler Krieg as a SESLOC Young Change Maker. Katharine recently earned the award for her work as Executive Director of One Cool Earth, a non-profit which provides outdoors education, garden education and outdoor enrichment programs for elementary school students across the Central Coast.
The SESLOC Young Change Maker Award is given to a young person or young professional under 40 doing significant work to benefit their community. Anyone can nominate a young person for the SESLOC Young Change Maker award on the Wild 106 website.
Katharine joined One Cool Earth in 2021, after working as the Organic Garden Manager at Santa Clara University. Her passion is in providing gardening and outdoor education for elementary school students across the Central Coast, with the goal of creating more sustainable food options in our community. In her role as Executive Director of One Cool Earth, Katharine has expanded the organization’s reach to over 30 schools across nine school districts in San Luis Obispo County. Each program provides age-appropriate education on gardening and growing foods, including “Garden Journal” work booklets, hands-on activities in school gardens and science framework to help teachers expand their curriculum.
In addition to expanding the reach of One Cool Earth, her leadership has brought nearly $1 million in funding resulting in accelerated growth. The expansion has also allowed Katharine to launch new programs which have deepened our impact and expanded what’s possible for the communities we serve. One Cool Earth offers a program for expecting and new mothers which help their babies become familiar with the local ecology while creating bonding experiences for mothers. The organization also built a Play Grove for children 3 to 5 years old, designed to help children learn about outdoor science concepts through play.
Beyond the numbers, Katharine has built a strong, dedicated team, and she leads with genuine care, encouraging the people she works with to grow both personally and professionally. Everything she does reflects One Cool Earth’s mission. Katharine is strategic enough to secure major funding and forge lasting partnerships, and she makes everyone around her feel valued and invested in the mission.
SESLOC congratulates Katharine for being named a SESLOC Young Change Maker!