President

Bob Miller, San Rafael

Robert (Bob) Miller’s primary policy focus has been on the economics of reducing greenhouse gas emissions--especially on barriers/facilitators to innovations in renewable energy use for electricity, transportation, and heating that together account for most of Marin's greenhouse gas emissions.

Bob is Emeritus Professor of Health Economics at University of California, San Francisco where he was a faculty member for 25 years; he received his PhD in economics from the University of Michigan.  He was a member of the Environmental Forum of Marin’s Master Class 42, served on the City of San Rafael's Climate Change Action Plan Update Committee, and serves on its General Plan 2040 Steering Committee.

At MCL, he is active in the Climate Action Working Group, is chair of MCL’s Long Range Planning and Evaluation Committee that is revising MCL’s strategic plan, and serves on MCL’s Executive, Finance, and Membership Development Committees. Bob moved to San Rafael in 2013 in part to be closer to Marin’s protected park lands, open spaces, and farmlands.

1st Vice President

2nd Vice President

Terri Thomas, Sausalito

Terri Thomas is a natural resources manager, ecologist, and planner with 36 years of national park experience.  She worked in Crater Lake, Yosemite,and Everglades national parks and from 1984 to 2016 held the positions of Chief of Natural Resources Management and Science at Golden Gate National Recreation Area followed by the Director of Conservation, Science and Research at the Presidio Trust. In these roles she oversaw a diversity of natural and cultural resource disciplines. Terri has a BS in Forestry and an MS in Forest Ecology.  She has served on the boards of Fire Safe Marin, the Sausalito Community Boating Center, the Floating Homes Association, the elected board of the Fallen Leaf Lake Community Services District and most recently served as the Director of Natural Resources and Climate Resiliency for Conservation Corps North Bay.  Currently she serves on the Board of the George Wright Society, and as Director of Ecology for the Environmental Forum of Marin.

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Treasurer

Richard Jensen, Corte Madera

Rich joined the Marin Conservation Board of Directors as Treasurer in February 2021. He retired after working in the financial services industry for over 40 years. Before joining Wells Fargo, he worked for Bank of America and American Express. He is now a Business Management Consultant to nonprofits in Marin County, providing strategic and marketing planning advice with a focus on goal formation, fundraising, board governance and financial control. Richard received his BA in Economics and MBA in General Management from Golden Gate University in San Francisco and serves on a variety of nonprofit boards.

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Secretary

Susan Stompe, Novato

Susan is a retired businesswoman, has been active in conservation and civic affairs for many years. She served as MCL's President in 1997-1998, 2000-2002, and 2011-2013, she chairs both its North Marin Unit and Land Use and Transportation Committee and coordinates MCL’s Coastal Cleanup efforts in Novato.

Susan has served Novato as mayor, councilmember, planning commissioner and co-chair of Novato Clean and Green Day. She has also served on the boards of The Olompali People, Marin Baylands Advocates, League of Women Voters, Environmental Forum of Marin, Marin State Parks Association., Novato Human Needs Center, and Sierra Club/San Francisco Bay Chapter.

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Directors

Kim Baenisch, San Rafael

Kim Baenisch is a problem solver with an affinity for creating order where none exists, and a lover of the outdoors which she feels everyone should be able to access and experience.

For the past 15 years, Kim led nationally recognized non-profits that work to reduce greenhouse gases through non-motorized transportation options (Marin County Bicycle Coalition, focused on biking and walking) and empower youth through nature-based experiences (Trips for Kids Marin). 

 She holds a Bachelors degree in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University, and worked for a Marin County landscape design firm and a Sonoma County environmental restoration firm.

Originally from suburban Long Island, NY, she found her true home when moving to Marin County in 1987. Kim is a long time recreational hiker, mountain and commute cyclist, and gardener.

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Bob Berner, Dillon Beach

Bob served as Executive Director of Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) for 28 years from 1984 until he retired in 2012. Prior to MALT, he was Executive Director of San Francisco Heritage (formerly, The Foundation for San Francisco's Architectural Heritage), and Vice-President, Director of Finance for the Nature Conservancy. He currently serves as a member of the Marin County Measure A Community Oversight Committee. Bob previously served on the MCL Board from 1993-1999. He was awarded the Peter Behr Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 and the Marin Green Award in 2009.

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Nona Dennis, Mill Valley

Nona is a retired Environmental Consultant and Environmental Educator, and was formerly adjunct faculty in the University of San Francisco graduate program in Environmental Management. She is a past board member and Life Member of the Environmental Forum of Marin and frequently an instructor in the Forum Training Program; past chair of Mill Valley Planning Commission; past state President of the Association of Environmental Professionals and director of the National Association of Environmental Professionals. Nona served on the St. Vincent’s/Silveira Advisory Task Force and on the Sustainability Working Group for the Marin Countywide Plan update. Nona served as President of MCL from 2008 – 2011 and is currently the chair of the Parks and Open Space Committee and the editor of the MCL News.

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Ken Drexler, Fairfax

Ken is an estate planning attorney in San Rafael. He formerly chaired the State Bar Commission on Administration of Justice and serves as Secretary to the PRE Road Advisory Board. He is on the Board of Environmental Action Committee of West Marin and is a member of the California Planning & Conservation League, and Sierra Club, among environmental non-profits.

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 Roger Harris, Corte Madera

After teaching political science at an Historically Black College in Mississippi, Roger made a mid-career shift and went back to school to make his avocation his vocation. He became a Certified Wildlife Biologist, was the assistant director of the Richardson Bay Audubon Center for the National Audubon Society, and then director of another nature center before becoming a principal in an environmental consulting firm, where he specialized in endangered species, wetlands, and native habitat restoration. Now retired, Roger frequently leads field trips and does lectures locally for a number of environmental organizations, including the Marin Audubon Society. He also leads international trips for the Oceanic Society. Roger is current vice chair of the Marin County Parks and Open Space Commission and past president and current board member of the Task Force on the Americas, a 42-year-old human rights organization based in Marin.

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Paul Jensen, San Rafael

After 40+ years as a City Planner, Paul is retiring in 2021.  His interest in pursuing the city planning profession was influenced by the 1973 Marin Countywide Plan, which balanced the protection of open space and agricultural land by concentrating growth along the urban (US 101) corridor.  His career in city planning started with the City of San Rafael in 1980, and included owning and operating a planning consultant business specializing in development project management, environmental review, and policy writing for Bay Area cities. These past 10 years, Paul has served as the City of San Rafael Community Development Director. 

 Paul’s philosophy about planning for our future is about balance.  He believes that balancing environmental protection with community needs such as housing and commerce is necessary for a healthy future.  He also sees that the lens of climate change needs to be considered in our actions as Marin County is vulnerable to increased fire hazard and flooding, as well as sea level rise.

Paul is a native San Franciscan and have lived in Marin County since 1980. He has been a member of MCL for 30 years.  He holds a BA in Geography/Urban Planning and an American Institute of Certified Planner (AICP) certification. 

Madeline Kellner, Novato

Madeline grew up in Berkeley and spent her early years enjoying nature in Inverness.  Fast forward to 1993 when she and her family moved to Novato to take an administrator position at Kaiser Santa Rosa.  In addition to a 12-year career with Kaiser, Madeline served as Marin County Health Services Director and as Executive Director of the In-Home Supportive Services Public Authority of Marin.  She has served on two non-profit boards in Marin: 10,000 Degrees and Homeward Bound of Marin.

Madeline was elected to the Novato City Council, 2007-2015, serving as mayor in 2011. She served on the Marin Transit, Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM), and Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) boards and on the board of the League of California Cities.

More recently, Madeline and husband Clint served as Peace Corps volunteers in Guatemala, 2016-2018, and in the Amazon of Peru in 2020. Madeline serves on the NorCal Peace Corps Association board.

Larry Kennings, Mill Valley

Larry is a land use planning consultant with 45 years of professional experience in Marin County, including the Master Plan for the GGNRA, General Plans for Fairfax and Mill Valley, and community plans for Bolinas and Marshall. He currently serves as a member of the Marin County Parks and Open Space Commission. He also is on the Board of Directors of the Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative and the Steering Committee for the Housing Crisis Action Group. He was a Founding Director of the Environment Group Hawaii, the International Association of Public Participation, and the Alumni Association of the University of California's College of Environmental Design.

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David Lewis, Novato

David Lewis is Director of the University of California Cooperative Extension offices in Marin and Napa Counties. He is also the Watershed Management Advisor in the North Bay. He is a Carleton College graduate and holds a Master’s of Science degree in International Agricultural Development from UC Davis. His training and background are in geology, soils, and watershed hydrology.  

He is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, having contributed to the African Food Systems Initiative in Niger, West Africa from 1990 to 1992. He subsequently developed programs and trained volunteers in Zimbabwe and Albania. 

In his UCCE role, he oversees all research and extension programs in Marin and Napa Counties, bringing research, science-based information to bear on local community needs and issues. He also develops and implements projects that integrate natural resource conservation with agricultural land use management. He is committed to developing and disseminating the tools and practices that support beneficial contributions of working landscapes to local economies and the environment.

David currently serves as co-chair of the Agricultural Land Use Committee.

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Larry Minikes, San Rafael

Larry joined the Bay Area Trails Preservation Council in 1992 and served as its president from 1997 – 2002. In 1993 he joined the Tamalpais Conservation Club (TCC) board and served several years as the corresponding secretary. Starting in 2003, he began serving the first of six non-consecutive terms as its president representing community interests at public meetings. To honor the TCC centennial, Larry championed the 240 page book, “To Save a Mountain  - The 100-Year Battle for Mt. Tamalpais.” In 2014, Larry as founder and executive director of Mount. Tam Jam, successfully launched the first music festival in 46 years at the Sidney B. Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre on Mt. Tam. The effort resulted in raising much needed funds for Mt. Tam State Park.

In 1999/2000 Larry founded the Marin Municipal Water District Watershed Citizens Advisory Committee (WCAC). After two years of successive meetings the WCAC successfully developed and received board approval for its 50-year watershed protection plan which is now board Policy No. 7, Mt. Tamalpais Watershed Management. Larry also recently served on the MMWD Citizen Advisory Panel on Infrastructure (2019-20).

For approximately the past two decades, Larry has run a consumer electronics health and wellness product design and development company, A/V Stim, LLC. He and his wife have been partners for over 40 years and have two lovely grown daughters. Larry loves the outdoors and is an avid hiker, mountain biker and a committed volunteer broom puller who gets out on the mountain and into open space several times each week.

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Linda J. Novy, Fairfax

Kate Powers, San Rafael

Kate has a BA in Environmental Design. She’s lived in the Bay Area for over 25 years, previously residing in Colorado. Kate has volunteered for a number of environmental organizations. She co-coordinated the Reflections on Water exhibit at the Bay Model and the 2013 Marin Watershed Forum in partnership with the Gallinas Watershed Council. She also has co-coordinated Lectures and Master classes for the Environmental Forum of Marin. Most recently she co-directed the Environmental Forum’s Master Class 41. She currently sits on San Rafael’s Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee. She served as President of MCL 2015-2018.

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Pam Reaves, San Rafael

She is a past member of San Rafael 2040 General Plan Steering Committee and the San Rafael Climate Change Action Plan Update Working Group. Pamela remains active in San Rafael.

She graduated form the Environmental Forum of Marin, class of 30 and co-coordinated Toxins Day and Advocacy Day for many years. She was a Marin County Integrated Pest Management Commissioner for six years and helped revamp the County IPM Ordinance to improve oversight, transparency, and collaboration.

Because 53% of Marin County’s green house gas emissions are from transportation, Pamela is particularly interested in helping our County move towards electrification of all vehicles and to increase access to Electric Vehicles and infrastructure to all income levels. She is also interested in how carbon sequestration via creek restoration and ranch management practices can help combat climate disruption.

She and her wife have lived in San Rafael for 22 years and have created a waterwise luscious garden with many citrus, stone fruit, apple trees, and vegetables as well as bird, bee, and butterfly habitat.  Pam loves to hike for rejuvenation and exercise. She is newly retired from her clinical psychology practice.

Roger Roberts, San Rafael

A resident of Marin County since 1970, Roger retired after a 35 year career in International Trade and Project.  He has been a member of the Marin Conservation League for approximately 20 years, previously served on the Board for 12 years, 3 of those years as President.

Roger has M.Sc. in World Business Administration and Finance from San Francisco State University and B.A. in Government and International Relations from the College of William and Mary.  He served on the board of directors of Marin Citizens for Energy Planning, served as City Councilman for the City of Larkspur,  served on various citizens advisory and action committees, and is a member of a number of other national and local environmental organizations.   

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Jeff Stump, Inverness

Jeff has worked in land conservation and policy at the local, state and national level for 26 years. Jeff has worked for the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, American Land Conservancy and the California Coastal Commission. He holds a Bachelor of Science in environmental policy analysis and planning from the University of California at Davis. Jeff lives in Inverness and spends much of his free time hiking and biking the local trails.

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Doug Wilson, Mill Valley

Greg Zitney, Novato

Greg is a consulting Environmental Planner and Certified Wildlife Biologist^® and has been a resident of Marin County since 1974. His primary areas of expertise include California Environmental Quality Act and National Environmental Policy Act procedures; procedural and reclamation plan requirements under California’s Surface Mining and Reclamation Act; and biological resource impact assessment and mitigation planning. He has been involved with many projects in Marin County, including the first master plan for GGNRA; an environmental assessment for McInnis County Park; a study of the cumulative effects of dock development and boat traffic on wildlife of Richardson Bay; a peer review of the San Rafael Rock Quarry reclamation plan; and impact assessments for a variety of development proposals along the County’s bay shoreline and upland sites.

Greg previously served on the Board of Directors for the Western Section of The Wildlife Society and the Association of Environmental Professionals, and most recently completed four years of service as a member of the Marin County Parks and Open Space Commission, including two as its Chair.

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