Our Team
Meet the Team
Katherine Naegele -
Consulting Arborist
(she/her)
Katherine has been working with trees since 2008 and has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 2012. Before starting Aesculus, she worked as a tree estimator, special projects forester for gas line testing, hiking trail builder, banker, and library page. She holds a Master of Forestry from UC Berkeley. When not working with trees, she can often be found playing with trees at her mom’s house suburban experimental plot in San Jose. She is also an active opera singer, under the name Katherine
Nägele-Lin.
Elizabeth Lanham - Consulting Arborist
(she/they)
Elizabeth began her career with trees in 2007 as an excited, young intern, and soon after realized she had found her passion. They took on a full-time municipal position shortly after and received their ISA Arborist Certification and TRAQ Credential in 2010. Before joining Aesculus as part-owner, she worked as a project manager for tree protection plans, tree inventories, fire prevention/reduction plans in the wildland-urban interface, municipal consulting for multiple Bay Area municipalities, and many other urban forestry pursuits. They expect their career to be a lifelong calling. They hold a B.S. in Environmental Science with a Concentration in CEQA from San Jose State University. When not at work, she often maintains her patio garden, reads books, enjoys movies, both new and vintage, attends learning sessions and classes, and spends time with her two cuddly cats.
Vanessa Ruiz-Fielding - Field Arborist
(she/her)
Vanessa has been in the tree care industry since 2018 and has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 2024. Her curiosity in Arboriculture began when she was in high school - often competing in local forestry challenges and identifying trees. She went on to study Environmental Horticulture and Design at Foothill College. On her days off, she enjoys gardening, plant identification, hiking and learning about the ethnobotanical properties of plants.