The Foundation
Board of Directors
Our diverse board of directors is composed of business leaders, conservationists, scientists and educators, and is representative of the Laguna’s broad appeal to Sonoma County’s many cultural and economic communities. Our strategic approach is collaborative, building a “big tent” embracing private landowners and public agencies to jointly solve problems and improve management of the Laguna’s natural resources. Our directorship, accordingly, reflects a wide range of perspectives and interests, but shares the common goal of improving the health and functioning of the Laguna.
President
Hugh Helm is a retired attorney who practiced law in Ohio and California for 35 years. He taught legal ethics at Empire School of Law for 15 years and served as a small claims judge for 10 years. He is active in Rotary, is a team leader in the land monitoring program of Sonoma Land Trust, a docent at Bouverie Preserve, and a docent trainee at the Laguna Foundation. His interests involve anything outdoors, and his partner Christine has been a very active docent with the Laguna Foundation since 2004.
Vice President
Richard Power has lived in Sebastopol since 1992 near one edge of the Laguna. He often commutes across it by bike to his office in Santa Rosa where he is a founding partner of Carle, Mackie, Power & Ross LLP. His practice focuses on affordable housing and it’s financing utilizing the low income housing tax credit.
Treasurer
Janine Barnes moved to Sebastopol in 1983. Since moving to Sebastopol, she has experienced and enjoyed the many positive changes in the Laguna. While raising her two daughters, she became aware of the Laguna Foundation when her two daughters participated in the Foundations sponsored field trips to the Laguna in their fifth and sixth grade classes. Janine currently works for Boyle & Stoll CPAs specializing in non-profit audits and tax.
Secretary
Rachel Mansfield-Howlett is an attorney with Provencher & Flatt, LLP. She represents environmental and citizen groups throughout the State in public interest cases involving land use laws including CEQA, climate change, general plan and zoning, and conservation easements.
Directors
Caroline Christian is on the faculty of the Department of Environmental Studies and Planning at Sonoma State University. She received her PhD in population biology from UC Davis in 2002 and has done ecological research on a broad range of conservation and land management issues, including invasive species, grassland and riparian restoration, livestock grazing and prescribed fire. Prior to her position with Sonoma State, Caroline was a Smith Postdoctoral Fellow with The Nature Conservancy at UC Santa Cruz and then held a position with TNC as a senior ecologist.
Bill Cox started his Department of Fish & Game career in 1974 as a Seasonal Aide living in Point Arena studying the salmon and steelhead runs on the Garcia, Gualala, and Klamath rivers for what was then known as the Anadromous Fisheries Division. His full-time appointment came in November of 1977 in Yountville, in 1980 Bill moved out to Sebastopol to cover Sonoma County, representing the Department on all things fish and stream related. Then, in 1982, Bill picked up Marin County as well. Bill sees his greatest accomplishments as being the positive relationships he has built with the local agencies and the public in Sonoma and Marin counties.
Howard Kalmer has lived in Sebastopol for 17 years and views the Laguna as "a world-class, at-risk ecosystem that is so much a part of what I value about living here." His background and experience have focused on college and post-graduate teaching and research, consulting with non-for-profit and governmental organizations, and owning and managing a consulting business and two wine businesses. He adds, "Volunteering with the Foundation is an important way for me to help create a successful future for the Laguna.”
Tom Origer obtained a Master of Arts degree in Anthropology from San Francisco State University in 1983, after obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology at Sonoma State University in 1974. He has over thirty years of experience in cultural resources management throughout Northern California. His experience includes work that has been completed in compliance with local ordinances, CEQA, and NEPA (Section 106) requirements. Mr. Origer has been instructing archaeological analysis and field archaeology classes at Santa Rosa Junior College since 1979.
Rhoann Ponseti is Director of Marketing at REACH Air Medical Services. She joined REACH following a career in the advertising and marketing fields. As a marketing strategist, creative director and copywriter, she started and developed several companies including Ponseti & Partners, a firm specializing in database marketing with national clients such as Levi-Strauss and Red Wing Shoe Co. Previously, Ponseti served as Director of Marketing for the New York Times-owned Press Democrat. She has served on the boards of American Red Cross, Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce (President of Board), Community Foundation Sonoma County (President of Board), Santa Rosa Symphony and Sonoma County Museum (President of Board). She is passionate about our community and giving back.
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