Board of Directors
Officers
President
Nona Dennis, Mill Valley
Nona Dennis is a retired Environmental Consultant and Enviromental 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, part chair of Mill Valley Planning Commission, past state President of the Association of Environmental Professionals nad director of the National Association of Environmental Professional. Nona served on the St. Vincent’s/Silveira Advistory Task Force and on the Sutatinabiliyt Working Group for the Marin County Plan update.
Nona served as President of MCL from 2008-2011.
Nona served as President of MCL from 2008-2011.
2nd Vice President
Pamela 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 from 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 greenhouse 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 over 20 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.
Because 53% of Marin County’s greenhouse 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 over 20 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.
1st Vice President
Paul Jensen, San Rafael
After 40+ years as a City Planner, Paul retired 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’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.
Secretary
Kate Powers, San Rafael
Kate has been a member of MCL’s Board since 2014, serving as President from 2015 to 2018. She currently serves as Board Secretary and Co-chair of MCL’s Land Use, Transportation and Water Committee. She tracks transportation projects with a focus on improving and protecting watersheds and promoting integration of environmental planning at early stages of project planning and development. Kate is the current editor of MCL’s newsletter. She serves on Transportation Authority of Marin’s Citizen Oversight Committee and previously served on San Rafael’s Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee and 2040 General Plan Steering Committee. She holds a BA in Environmental Design.
Treasurer
Richard Jensen, Corte Madera
Richard Jensen joined the Marin Conservation League 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.
Directors
Belle Cole
San Rafael
Belle Cole, a resident of San Rafael since 2006, came to Marin County with years of experience in economic development, higher education administration, establishing and managing her own consulting firm- the PMR Group, Inc. Her experience prepared her for problem solving of complex, high stakes public policy issues. She took on new challenges in Marin county- advocating for climate change and other progressive causes (OFA Marin): forming a coalition of leading environmental and climate action groups (Lead on Climate); advocating for Measure C and helping establish the Ecologically Sound Practices Partnership (ESP) and winning endorsement and funding for the Marin Biomass Project. She has a BA from Mount Holyoke College in Mass and an MA from the Johns Hopkins school of Advanced International Studies.
Ken Drexler
Fairfax
Ken is an estate planning attorney in San Rafael. He became a MCL Board member in 1985 and served as Treasurer from 2001 to 2021. He is also on the Board of Environmental Action Committee of West Marin and is a member of the Sierra Club, among other environmental non-profits.
Mike Swezy
Fairfax
Mike recently retired as Watershed Manager after a 23 year career with Marin Municipal Water District watershed lands on Mt Tamalpais and West Marin. Prior to MMWD Mike worked as an ecologist for California State Parks and in the early 80’s helped create Marin Conservation Corps (now Conservation Corp. North Bay). Mike has also worked as a forestry consultant and served on fire crews with the US Forest Service. He holds a Bachelor of Science in forestry from UC Berkeley and a Master of Science in fire ecology from the University of Washington and is a California Registered Professional Forester. Mike served on FIRESafe MARIN’s board of directors for ten years including three years as board president. In 2014 he was awarded MCL’s Green Award for Environmental Leadership for efforts to create the Tamalpais Lands Collaborative, aka One Tam. Mike is interested in supporting MCL’s participation in public land management, watershed health, and wildfire protection issues.
Jack Liebster
Corte Madera
Prior to his retirement in 2023, Jack was Marin County’s Advance Planning Manager in charge of sea level rise response, updating the Local Coastal Plan, implementing the Countywide Plan and other initiatives. A founding class member of UCSC’s Environmental Studies Program, he built upon his ES/Biology double major in positions with the EPA, Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, ESA Consulting, Tahoe’s California TRPA, the City of Half Moon Bay as Planning Director, and the State Coastal Conservancy. For more than 25 years he served with the Coastal Commission, developing projects and coastal plans statewide, and as Public Affairs Director, was instrumental in creating and growing Coastal Cleanup Day, the Adopt-A-Beach program and the extraordinarily successful “Whale Tail” License Plate, which has produced $100,000,000 to date for environmental restoration.
Larry Minikes
San Rafael
Larry has been active in Marin conservation efforts for 30+ years. He began his activism joining the Bay Area Trails Preservation Council in 1992, serving as president 1997–2002.
He joined the board of the Tamalpais Conservation Club (TCC) in 1993 and served several years as secretary and president. To honor the TCC centennial, Larry co-edited the book, “To Save a Mountain–The 100-Year Battle for Mt. Tamalpais.” In 2014, he served as founder and executive director of Mt. Tam Jam, launching the first music festival at the Sidney B. Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre on Mt. Tam in 46 years.
In 1999-2000 Larry founded the Marin Municipal Water District Watershed Citizens Advisory Committee (WCAC) which received board approval for its 50-year watershed protection plan. Larry also served on the MMWD Citizen Advisory Panel on Infrastructure (2019-20).
Larry also serves on the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) Citizen Oversight Committee. He is a co-founder and member of the Ecologically Sound Practices Partnership Steering Committee (ESP Marin), and the Marin Biomass Collaborative Steering Committee.
Larry loves the outdoors and is an avid hiker, gravel bike and mountain biker.
He joined the board of the Tamalpais Conservation Club (TCC) in 1993 and served several years as secretary and president. To honor the TCC centennial, Larry co-edited the book, “To Save a Mountain–The 100-Year Battle for Mt. Tamalpais.” In 2014, he served as founder and executive director of Mt. Tam Jam, launching the first music festival at the Sidney B. Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre on Mt. Tam in 46 years.
In 1999-2000 Larry founded the Marin Municipal Water District Watershed Citizens Advisory Committee (WCAC) which received board approval for its 50-year watershed protection plan. Larry also served on the MMWD Citizen Advisory Panel on Infrastructure (2019-20).
Larry also serves on the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) Citizen Oversight Committee. He is a co-founder and member of the Ecologically Sound Practices Partnership Steering Committee (ESP Marin), and the Marin Biomass Collaborative Steering Committee.
Larry loves the outdoors and is an avid hiker, gravel bike and mountain biker.
Bobbi Simpson
Fairfax
Bobbi enjoyed a 33-year career with the National Park Service that included working in numerous national parks around the country–from the Alaska Region, Everglades NP, to Point Reyes National Seashore. Recently, as Invasive Plant Liaison for 14 California national parks she facilitated grant, interagency and inter-parks coordination to help deal with the pressure of invasive plant threats. She also served on the board of the California Invasive Plant Council. A common thread across her NPS experience was the opportunity to work with an array of ecosystem issues and partnering with an extensive NPS network to bring expertise to help construct comprehensive management strategies for parks. She enjoys working on landscape level issues with cross-boundary management needs. Her special interests include protection of “Dark Skies”, and parks and open space for the inherent value of wild places. Pollution-driven climate change solutions are also of interest tp her; and essential to perpetuating the intricate balance of natural systems. She knows how special Marin County is with its unique, accessible, and treasured network of parks and open space. During retirement Bobbi derives pleasure watching and listening to birds, hiking, and dabbling with various artistic outlets. Bobbi went to Clemson University and studied the design and history of the National Park System with an emphasis in Natural Resources Management.
Ken Strong
Greenbrae
Ken grew up in the East Bay and has lived in Greenbrae for 30+ years, where he regularly hikes, bikes and savors the beauty of Mt. Tam. He joined MCL in 2018 after retiring from his law practice. Hen has been an active member of MCL’s Climate Action Working Group, focusing on clean energy and building electrification for the past 7 years. Ken is a member of the Climate Reality Project’s Marin-Sonoma Building Electrification Squad and has volunteered with One Tam. He and his wife enjoy traveling to faraway places and cherish visits with their kids and grandchildren. During his career, Ken served as legal counsel to engineering and environmental consulting firms, and as an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association. He holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from UC Santa Barbara and a law degree from UC Law San Francisco.
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 one the Executive Council of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks.
Nancy Hughes
Novato
Nancy Hughes has spent the majority of her career leading staff and partners in urban forestry related advocacy, education, outreach, and large-scale regional tree plantings events throughout California. She retired as executive director of the California Urban Forests Council in January 2024.
She has previously served as the executive director of both the Consensus Organizing Institute and San Diego People for Trees and taught Pubic Service in America at UCSD. She has participated on the Board of the National Alliance for Community Trees and the LA Center for Urban Natural Resources Sustainability. She is currently a member of The Britton Fund board of directors.
Hughes earned a BA in Communications from Rowan University in New Jersey.
At home she helps raise two grandsons, chickens and various food producing plants and trees. Her heart’s desire is to hike in the Marin County hills among the oaks and redwoods.
She has previously served as the executive director of both the Consensus Organizing Institute and San Diego People for Trees and taught Pubic Service in America at UCSD. She has participated on the Board of the National Alliance for Community Trees and the LA Center for Urban Natural Resources Sustainability. She is currently a member of The Britton Fund board of directors.
Hughes earned a BA in Communications from Rowan University in New Jersey.
At home she helps raise two grandsons, chickens and various food producing plants and trees. Her heart’s desire is to hike in the Marin County hills among the oaks and redwoods.
Jane Medley
San Rafael
Jane grew up in the Bay Area–first in Berkeley, later in San Rafael. After graduating from UC Berkeley, she had the good fortune to begin working for the National Park Service in Yosemite. She later became an elementary school teacher and ended up spending most of her adult life in communities in and around Yosemite. After retiring, she returned to San Rafael where she enjoys studying animal and plant life in Marin’s natural environments. She serves on MCL’s Parks and Open Space Committee and volunteers with several other Marin non-profits.
Georgia McIntosh
Mill Valley
Georgia is a nonprofit management and marketing communications executive with experience in strategy development, team leadership, brand and advocacy communications, change management, and research. For the first part of her career, she held strategic planning positions at the global marketing communications firms BBDO and J. Walter Thompson, working with private sector and nonprofit clients such as YWCA, Big Sisters, Telus Canada, and B.C. Ministry of Forests. She served many years at Earthjustice and at Trust For Public Land, and currently leads marketing and communications at Save the Redwoods League.
Robert Miller
San Rafael
Robert (Bob) Miller’s primary policy focus has been on how to accelerate greenhouse gas reduction--especially on barriers/facilitators to implementing innovations in renewable energy use for electricity, transportation, and heating that together account for most of Marin’s greenhouse gas emissions. He is particularly interested in the role that MCE and other Consumer Choice Aggregators can play in funding innovative projects and programs that reduce emissions.
Bob was a research faculty member for 25 years at University of California, San Francisco; 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 served on its General Plan 2040 Steering Committee.
Bob is chair of the MCL Climate Action Working Group and MCL Clean Energy Group and is an At-Large member of the Executive Committee. He was President of MCL for three years (2020-23) and chair of MCL’s Long Range Planning and Evaluation Committee that revised MCL’s strategic plan.
Bob and his spouse Bonnie Marks moved to San Rafael in 2013 in part to be closer to Marin’s protected park lands, open spaces, and farmlands.
Bob was a research faculty member for 25 years at University of California, San Francisco; 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 served on its General Plan 2040 Steering Committee.
Bob is chair of the MCL Climate Action Working Group and MCL Clean Energy Group and is an At-Large member of the Executive Committee. He was President of MCL for three years (2020-23) and chair of MCL’s Long Range Planning and Evaluation Committee that revised MCL’s strategic plan.
Bob and his spouse Bonnie Marks moved to San Rafael in 2013 in part to be closer to Marin’s protected park lands, open spaces, and farmlands.
Aviva Rossi
San Anselmo
Dr. Aviva Rossi is an ecologist with over 25 years of work experience in wildlife ecology, vegetation management, policy/permitting/planning, and habitat restoration. She has worked within non-profit organizations, government, private companies, and academia. Her general research interests include biogeography, natural history, mammalogy, climate change, conservation, and land regeneration. Dr. Rossi’s recent projects have quantified the natural history of small mammals, including the niche space, resource selection, and modeled distributions to better understand how species are likely to respond to climate change. Her current work is focused on tracking changes to soil and wildlife biodiversity trends during regenerative agriculture transitions.
Jeff Stump
Inverness
Jeff has worked in land conservation and policy at the local, state, and national level for 26 years and is currently Director of Land Protection for Save the Redwoods League. Previously he held leadership roles with 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 and works out of his home in Occidental and spends much of his free time hiking the local trails.
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; wildlife biology; 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 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 recently completed four years of service as a member of the Marin County Parks and Open Space Commission, including two as its Chair.
Greg previously served on the Board of Directors for the Western Section of The Wildlife Society and the Association of Environmental Professionals, and recently completed four years of service as a member of the Marin County Parks and Open Space Commission, including two as its Chair.
Vicki Nichols
Sausalito
Vicki is excited to rejoin the MCL board during this special year, celebrating 90 years of service in Marin County. During her prior term she served as Secretary and Second Vice President. For the past several years she has volunteered as chair of the Events & Programs Committee bringing events and education to our engaged membership.
Using her Planning Commissioner experience she recently helped update MCL’s Housing Policy. After completing several terms on the Planning Commission, culminating in the successful adoption of the 2040 General Plan, she rejoined the Sausalito Historical Preservation Commission. She is currently is working with the city to develop Objective Design Development Standards for increasing housing with historical preservation in mind.
She has made her home in Sausalito for over 40 years and volunteered for decades in local government. In addition to the MCL board she serves on Marin Baylands Advocates, is the MCL representative on the Marin County Zero Waste Environmental Task Force and is in her first term as the Sausalito appointed trustee to the Marfin County Mosquito Vector Control District.
She is determined to visit the many natural areas that MCL has a part in preserving more often. There is a wealth of nature out there for all to enjoy!
Using her Planning Commissioner experience she recently helped update MCL’s Housing Policy. After completing several terms on the Planning Commission, culminating in the successful adoption of the 2040 General Plan, she rejoined the Sausalito Historical Preservation Commission. She is currently is working with the city to develop Objective Design Development Standards for increasing housing with historical preservation in mind.
She has made her home in Sausalito for over 40 years and volunteered for decades in local government. In addition to the MCL board she serves on Marin Baylands Advocates, is the MCL representative on the Marin County Zero Waste Environmental Task Force and is in her first term as the Sausalito appointed trustee to the Marfin County Mosquito Vector Control District.
She is determined to visit the many natural areas that MCL has a part in preserving more often. There is a wealth of nature out there for all to enjoy!
Staff
Office Administrator
Martha Richter Smith, San Anselmo
Hailing from New England, Martha moved to the Bay Area in the mid-nineties to work in the entertainment sector but in recent years has transitioned to the non-profit arena. Most recently, she worked at The Life You Can Save where she contributed her project management skills to assisting in the research and publication of the 10-year Anniversary edition of The Life You Can Save authored by Peter Singer. She enjoys hiking in the hills of Marin, gardening, and cooking for friends and family.
Executive Director
Dr. Kate Shilvock, Novato
Dr. Kate Shilvock is a nonprofit executive, governance expert, and seasoned fundraiser, as well as an avid community volunteer with over two decades of proven servant-leadership success in established and emerging cultural, education, and community services institutions. She is an agent for change and her wealth of experience ranges from streamlining organizational processes and procedures through iterative and efficient program management, to inspiring teams towards exponential fundraising growth. Dr. Shilvock is passionate about helping nonprofit organizations embody their core values by effective operationalization of their mission and vision throughout the community, building consensus through inclusive and equitable leadership. Kate and her husband settled in Novato 15 years ago, drawn by the beauty and access to open space that makes Marin so unique, and are having a blast raising two active kids and a large rescue husky who rules the pack.