Nora Cullinen

Hidden Heroes 2025: Local Leaders Shaping the Bay Area’s Resilient Future

The 2025 Hidden Heroes of the Greenbelt was our biggest bash yet! Greenbelt Alliance’s fifth annual benefit brought over 200 supporters, friends, and partners together at Oakland’s historic Preservation Park for a perfect summer night.

Our community showed up to celebrate the three extraordinary local government champions being honored: Miguel Marquez (Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge), Danielle Mieler (City of Alameda), and Rachael Tanner (City and County of San Francisco). These local leaders are transforming bold ideas into real-world solutions for a stronger, more climate-smart Bay Area, while inspiring the next generation of changemakers. Read on for more highlights during the panel conversation.

Elected leaders and representatives attended the ceremony in support of our Hidden Heroes, including City of Alameda’s Mayor, City of Newark’s Vice Mayor Eve Marie Little, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood’s representative, Raynell Cooper, and Suisun City’s Councilmember Princess Washington.

Check out the full album on Flickr

We had a blast activating the park with Oakland’s own Miles Turk & Friends live band, connecting with educational partner booths, enjoying Off the Grid’s food trucks, and participating in fun activities!

Thank you to our partners from San Francisco Bay Area Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), REAP Climate Center, Exploratorium, and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District for engaging and educating guests on their incredible work. We’re proud to work alongside organizations like these to advance our shared mission across the region.

Thank you to all who attended this unforgettable Hidden Heroes of the Greenbelt 2025 and helped us raise funds to continue our work in the region.

A Conversation with the Heroes

This year’s Hidden Heroes of the Greenbelt awardees are breaking down barriers to affordable housing, taking a holistic approach to how we plan and build our cities in the face of climate hazards, and inspiring the next generation of stewards to protect our precious open spaces.

Greenbelt Alliance’s Executive Director, Amanda Brown-Stevens, highlighted the importance of elevating local governments’ workers’ contributions, especially at a time when they are under scrutiny and attack at the federal level. “We have seen this year an unprecedented destruction and slandering of the federal workforce. People who have dedicated their lives to important public service were unceremoniously fired and their work destroyed. Today, we are here to celebrate and also to reaffirm that we stand with government workers and others who are under attack from the current administration.”

The 2025 Hidden Heroes of the Greenbelt awardees are:

Watch Miguel's inspiring story in this featured trailer:

Watch Danielle's inspiring story in this featured trailer:

Watch Rachael's inspiring story in this featured trailer:

Our People and Culture Manager, Princess Washington, moderated an insightful conversation with the heroes.

City of Newark’s Vice Mayor Eve Marie Little—who nominated him—presented the award to Miguel Marquez. He spoke about the power of collaboration, working with fellow park rangers and local leaders to educate communities about nature, and the joy of watching children light up when they experience the outdoors, joking that he wants people to feel like “it’s cool to hug trees.”

Supervisor Bilal Mahmood’s representative, Raynell Cooper, presented the award to Rachel Tanner. She reflected on how today’s efforts to implement inclusive housing policies will reap benefits for multiple generations and shape tomorrow’s communities. “I think there’s nothing that Californians like more than a fight about being Californians. I think the fact that the federal government is trying to put blinders on and undo science, we will not stand for it, and we’ll continue to press and further policies that will fight climate change. We’re ready for the fight,” said Tanner.

Reap Center’s Jonathan DeLong presented Danielle Mieler with her award. She emphasized the importance of bringing people together to discuss sea level rise, ensuring residents feel heard and empowered, because local action is what gives her hope.

And all the Heroes agreed that as Californians, we won’t stop fighting for our climate and communities!

Together, our 2025 Hidden Heroes are not only advancing forward-looking land use policies, but also inspiring the next generation to protect our region’s lands and the communities that depend on them, for years to come.

This event would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our generous donors, many of whom have stood by our work for many years. We are deeply grateful to all who made Hidden Heroes of the Greenbelt 2025 a success.