Karin Argano

Karin Argano was raised in Southern California in Laurel Canyon, fully embracing the Cali lifestyle. Karin grew up on bikes, horses and surfboards, in the pool or on the trail and always with the beloved dogs, rabbits and anything her sisters and her could sneak into the house. 

Summer camp in the High Sierras cemented Karin’s love of nature. Her undergraduate work in biology and education was in Santa Cruz, then on to Cal Poly SLO to study Animal Science and Ag. Business, pursuing an MBA and working in Equine Science, Education, Agricultural research and the Wine Industry. 

Working in Agriculture and owning land led Karin to understand the urgency of conservation in our county. While living in Avila Valley, Karin served on the Avila Valley Advisory Council for seven years, worked on the Bob Jones Bike Trail project and the mitigation committee for the Exxon oil spill in Avila Beach in 1992. Non-profit land trusts like The Land Conservancy of SLO raised Karin’s awareness of land and watershed conservation.  

When Karin moved to Cambria, Wayne Attoe, introduced her to Greenspace. Joining the GS board was a joy - in the company of Rick Hawley, Dr. Cichowski, Wayne Attoe, Mary Webb and John Seed. They so graciously mentored her on the path to Executive Director, for which Karin is forever grateful!  Karin is proud of the many Greenspace accomplishments, including the recently completed 34-acre Strawberry Canyon Fuel Reduction and Forest Health Management project. Karin’s favorite Greenspace memory is bringing Earth Day back to Cambria, post pandemic, her first year as Executive Director.

Karin has served as Executive Director since 2022 and wears many hats daily: Property Steward, Fundraiser, Collaborator, Educator, Community Outreach, Program developer, all the time steering the ship with the help of the Greenspace board towards our goals.

Karin has lived in Cambria full time for five years, and on the Central Coast for 40 years. Outside of work you will find her hiking, beaching, making art, music, cooking, traveling, gardening, knitting, reading and spending time with her tribe (poodles included).

Pine forests have always been Karin’s happy place. The smells and sounds, their abundance of life has always fascinated her. Karin appreciates the seasonal changes from mushrooms to wildflowers; hawks and owls have always been her favorites.