Our Story

Season brings over ten years of experience to solving problems. She is driven by a deep sense of justice, a passion for wild places, and an aspiration to bridge design, data science, and conservation to create game-changing solutions. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in geology and environmental studies from Whitman College; and a Masters of Environmental Science and Management with a specialization in Economics and Policy of the Environment from University of California Santa Barbara where she was a member of the first cohort of Sustainable Water Markets fellows. Prior to Virga Labs she served as the Water Projects and Sustainable Finance Director for The Nature Conservancy’s Colorado River Program and was a Restoration Coordinator at the Tamarisk Coalition. She resides in Tucson, AZ, where she cultivates her cactus garden and enjoys gatherings to celebrate the desert.

With over 20 years of experience crafting custom online solutions, Dakota brings a diverse tech toolbelt to the Virga Labs. A deep love for the natural world fuels their passion to bridge the gap between the digital and environmental realms. Whether it's camping with family, exploring new landscapes with their dog, or simply learning about local flora and fauna, Dakota finds constant inspiration in nature's intricacies. This fascination extends to their professional work, where they strive to create online solutions that seamlessly integrate with and enhance our interactions with the environment. Beyond exploration, Dakota enjoys nurturing native and low-maintenance plants in their yard and bicycling at a nearby creek.

Ryan has been designing beautiful and meaningful brand stories for small businesses in Tucson, Arizona, and the greater Southwest US for nearly 15 years. After completing a Bachelor Degree in Music and Business from the University of Arizona, Ryan’s path led through managing shows and creating posters for The Historic Rialto Theatre, into using design to resonate with and connect to desert dwellers in Tucson. His passion for art and the wonder of nature intersect at Virga Labs, where he hopes to use design and illustration to inspire action on climate’s biggest challenges. When not kerning type or drawing rain clouds, Ryan enjoys playing soccer and exploring the Sonoran desert with his family.

Born and raised in New York City, Hannah now calls Tucson, Arizona home. She discovered a deep connection with the Southwest during her years living along the San Juan River in Bluff, Utah. With 10 years of experience in Business Operations and Project Management, she is passionate about supporting people and businesses. When not working, you can find her running the trails, experimenting with new recipes, or spending time with her cat and two dogs.

After teaching elementary school in New England and the Pacific Northwest, Adam went back to school to study hydraulic engineering. Upon finishing a master’s degree, he joined the Army Corps of Engineers, where he spent 10 years working on various aspects of their river and reservoir management mission. This included hydraulic design of structures, synthetic hydrology development, emergency flood management response and using Riverware to model basins large and small. Out of all those roles, Riverware modeling was the favorite, and Adam was delighted to join Virga as a Water Resources modeler, focusing on Riverware model development, deployment and support. He lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife, son and dog, and plays oldtime banjo to relax.

Natalie aims to use her background in mathematics to better understand the challenging questions at the intersection of data and climate. After completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics with a focus in Environmental Science at Northern Arizona University, she received her Masters in Applied Mathematics and PhD in Theoretical Probability from the University of Colorado Boulder. Natalie spent three years building skills as a Data Scientist at Lumen Technologies before joining the team at Virga Labs where she can now put her knowledge to work by leveraging data to drive understanding of complex systems and enable actionable insights. Born and raised in Tucson, AZ and currently living in Broomfield, CO, Natalie has always called the southwest her home and is excited to work in the field she is passionate about. When she's not thinking about data, she enjoys spending time in the mountains and getting completely engrossed in a jigsaw puzzle.

Jacob strives to use his frontend expertise to create beautiful and user-friendly web applications and data visualization tools at Virga Labs. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, he gained knowledge in many different software fields before discovering a passion for web development. Jacob aims to create interactives that allow for seamless exploration of climate data and produce meaningful insight about our current environment. He currently lives in Denver, where he can usually be found going on a long run in the nearby parks.

Amber brings over 15 years of experience developing tools and data to support resource decision-making that is robust to future climate and hydrological change. Most recently she spent nine years with the National Park Service Climate Change Response Program, where she led a team to develop software and tools to provide decision-relevant climate projections for all parks in the NPS system. She values working with partners and stakeholders to understand their needs and to create solutions-oriented products, especially those tackling issues where there’s deep uncertainty. Prior to joining NPS, Amber worked for the U.S. Geological Survey to co-author the 3rd National Climate Assessment and write climate change vulnerability assessments for Colorado. Her previous experience also includes terrestrial carbon climate mitigation policy development, international project finance, and a short time working in Congress. Amber completed a PhD and MS in Ecology at Colorado State University, where she had NSF, Colorado Water Institute, and ESA Science & Policy Fellowships, and a BA in International Studies and Economics from Austin College.

With a decade of experience facilitating collaborative decision-making in natural resources and climate adaptation, Anna designs and implements stakeholder-driven processes that support sustainable water management and public policy development across the West. She specializes in multi-party facilitation, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement, helping diverse groups navigate complex water and land use issues with clarity and trust.

Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Gillian Achieng is an Executive Assistant who brings empathy, organization, and thoughtful structure to her work. With five years of experience in customer service, she’s developed a deep appreciation for understanding people and creating meaningful experiences. She channels that same attention to detail into designing efficient workflows, managing calendars and inboxes, and coordinating seamless travel experiences. When she’s not organizing systems, Gillian finds inspiration in fashion, nature, and meaningful conversations, and is always eager to learn something new.