Chair: Mike Benziger—Mike is a leader in the American biodynamic wine movement and was the winemaker for the first certified biodynamic wine in Sonoma County. Having founded Benziger Family Winery more than a quarter-century ago, Mike’s affinity for the family estate has evolved, and with it, his passion for making the best wines from its 29 distinct blocks. Growing up in New York, he worked for his father Bruno Benziger, a wine and spirits importer. After college, he moved to California to work in a fine wine shop before beginning a winery apprenticeship in 1978.
President: Malcolm Walter – Malcolm’s career spans over 40 years and includes serving as the COO or CFO for several privately-held and public companies. In 2016, Malcolm retired after a 17-year career as COO of Bentley Systems, a global software. Malcolm and his wife, Liz Fisher, moved to Glen Ellen in 2020 and now live at Wake Robin Lodge, originally built in 1901 by Ninetta Eames, the aunt to Jack London’s wife, Charmian Kittredge. Jack and Charmian made Wake Robin their home for several years before moving to Beauty Ranch in 1911. Malcolm also serves on the boards of Presidio Graduate School and Glide Memorial Foundation in San Francisco.
Vice President: Charles (Chuck) Levine—From 1997 to 2002 Chuck served as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Chief Operating Officer and then President of Sprint PCS, growing it from $0 to over $10 billion in revenue. Chuck has successfully built new businesses for Octel, AT&T and General Electric, and was an integral part of business turnarounds. His career began at Proctor and Gamble as a brand manager for its largest business, Pampers. He currently is an independent director for technology-focused companies.
Treasurer: David Lambert – David has extensive experience as a CFO and CEO in SaaS, software, travel and hospitality companies. Since 2018 he has been a general partner of CFO Particeps, a CFO consulting firm and has a number of part-time assignments with technology companies providing strategic, financial and accounting advice. Previously, he was CFO of Revinate, a SaaS company serving the hospitality industry that has over 20,000 hotels using its systems. He has closed over 20 fundraises for startups, managed an IPO for Preview Travel (one of the first internet travel agencies) and has completed the acquisition and sale of several technology companies. He is experienced in all phases of finance, accounting, HR, IT and administration, and has been a CFO of private and public companies. He also has broad experience as a CEO and COO of multiple companies in the technology and hospitality industries and was on the board of a NYSE public company for five years, serving as head of the audit committee. He holds and MBA from UCLA and a BA in Physics and Math from Occidental College. In addition to his extensive experience in Finance, David grew up in the national parks as the son of a National Park Ranger. He and his wife, Ann, are avid hikers and relate to our Jack London and our Park on many levels.
Secretary: Bill Blosser—Over a span of 40 years, Bill has worked intermittently for CH2M HILL, an international engineering and planning consulting firm, as an independent environmental consultant on issues related to water resources planning, sustainable development, transportation planning, land use policy and growth management. He has chaired the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission, the Oregon Water Resources Commission, Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission, Sustainable Northwest and was founding member of the International Sustainable Development Foundation, the China-US Center for Sustainable Development. Bill founded of Sokol Blosser Vineyards in 1971 and Sokol Blosser Winery in 1977.
Immediate Past President: Peter Ferris – Peter has held several senior-level positions with Equinix since July 1999 before being appointed Senior Vice President of Global Partner Programs and Strategic Customer Development in 2013. He has a background in developing strategies for growth of the company’s operations. Peter has more than 30 years of experience in the telecommunications industry including senior management positions at Frontier Global Center, Genuity and MFS Datanet.
Director: George Arabian – George has devoted thirty-five years of his career to senior management in the technology sector, specializing in crafting growth strategies and executing revenue plans for companies that played a pivotal role in shaping the Internet landscape. Under his leadership, teams executed strategic initiatives both domestically and internationally for innovative high-growth technology companies, yielding successful outcomes, including three (3) NASDAQ IPOs and two (2) profitable exits through acquisitions. Additionally, George serves as the founder and Managing Partner at Steelhead Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund.
In 2017, George and his wife, Ann, relocated from Marin County to Glen Ellen, where they have both actively engaged with the local community. George serves on the Board of Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley where he has created and held workshops focused on “Entrepreneurship and Career Possibilities in the Technology Sector” with the core theme being to turn dreams into reality. George’s previous efforts at JLPP was as a member of the Jack London Park Advisory Committee that led the efforts to create the first Jack London Park Digital Tour.
Director: Dave Burlington – Dave is a partner and chief revenue officer at Armanino LLP, a key leader in the firm-wide Growth and Innovation Office, overseeing the industry strategy, client management and expansion, sales operations, and go-to-market activities for the firm. With over 25 years of experience in the consulting and software industry, he specializes in building and scaling high growth technology companies across various sectors and markets.
Dave has been a key member of the leadership teams that have taken two software companies public (Taleo and Epocrates), and has deep expertise in leading all aspects of enterprise SaaS and mobile application product, service, marketing, and sales teams. He serves as an advisory board member for Accelo, a leading cloud-based service operations platform. His mission is to help clients achieve their business goals and solve their most complex challenges through innovation, collaboration, and excellence.
Director: Jody Davies – Jody Davies was born and educated in the northeast and in Durban, South Africa. Though she obtained a BS in Environmental Science and a Master’s in Community Development, she wound up gravitating to the emerging world of IT working in high level positions for both IBM (US and Australia), AT&T and IP Sharp Associates in Sydney. But these tech positions only capture a part of her working life. She was also a staff photographer for New York Mayor, Ed Koch, ran her own successful photography business, and served as the first Development Director for one of the largest outdoor education non-profits in the country. But the paid jobs Jody has held capture only a part of her rich and varied work and service commitments. In addition, she has served on numerous non-profit boards, led capital campaigns and helped to establish, run, and staff several foundations and a school. What unites these varied experiences are three core values: an enduring commitment to community service, an abiding passion for artistic creativity and a deep love and concern for the natural environment.
Director: Dave Gould – A native of southern California, Dave Gould “rangered” throughout California for over 35 years. A graduate of Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo with a science degree in Natural Resources Management, he began his professional career as a wildland fire fighter with the U.S. Forest Service. He worked for two seasons at Sequoia National Park as a ranger/naturalist, wandering the forests of the magnificent giant sequoias before starting his full-time career with California State Parks as a ranger at the beaches in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Moving north, Dave worked at Mt. Tamalpais State Park in Marin County and then in the redwood parks of Humboldt County for a number of years. Moving then with his family to California’s central valley, Dave worked as the Chief Ranger of the Four Rivers District based out of San Luis Reservoir SRA. In the fall of 2003 Dave was selected to become the Calaveras Sector Superintendent, overseeing the operations of eight different state parks including Columbia SHP, Calaveras Big Trees SP, Indian Grinding SHP, and the California State Mining & Mineral Museum. He then joined the ranks as a District Superintendent of the seven wonderful State Parks of the Marin District. Dave then took over the helm as District Superintendent of the 17 parks in the Diablo Vista District, covering six Bay Area counties. Dave retired from State service starting in 2010 but immediately volunteered his time helping with various park issues. He is currently on the Board of the Blue Wing Adobe Trust in the town of Sonoma and did serve on the Board of the California Trails Conference Foundation for four years. Additionally, he was asked to form the “Parks Alliance for Sonoma County” to help rally the movement to keep open the five State Parks scheduled to close in Sonoma County due to State budget woes. Dave is also a Sonoma County Master Gardener and was also ordained a Deacon for the Diocese of Santa Rosa in September of 2016. Dave and his wife Carlin serve as the co-directors of the Marriage and Family Life Office for the Diocese. Dave is an avid hiker and loves nature photography, California poppies, and giant sequoia trees! His personal interests include gardening, camping, and family life. Dave and his wife Carlin have been married for 43 years and they have three “junior rangers” and two “grand junior rangers.” (His son Galen was named after Galen Clark, the first ever ranger in California, appointed at Yosemite in 1866.)
Director: Tom Herman – Tom has an undergraduate degree from University of Oregon and an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Tom and his wife Bonnie, recently moved to Sonoma full time. They have six adult children and six grandchildren. They both enjoy traveling, tennis, teaching, mentoring, and spending time with family. Tom’s corporate background includes:
• Delta California Industries: President and CEO of the largest regional trucking company in the Western United States
• Automotive Division of Lucky Stores: President and CEO of 400+ Kragen and Checker Auto Parts Stores
• Lucky Stores Inc: Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer
• Grand Auto: President and CEO of 125+ full-service auto parts chain
• San Franciso Music Box Company: President and CEO of 100+ musical gifts stores
• Imposters Copy Jewelry: President and CEO of a 100+ franchise copy jewelry retailers
• Breuners Home Furnishings: Chairman of the Board of this furniture company
• Employment Law Learning Technologies: President and CEO of a web-based distance
• learning company
• T Chem Inc: Chairman of the Board of this private label soap and bleach manufacturing
• company
• The Good Guys: President and COO of this 85-store consumer electronics retailer
• Grocery Outlet: Director and consultant to this 450-store grocery retailer
Tom has served on the following nonprofit boards: University of Oregon Trustee; Children’s Hospital of the East Bay; Oakland Boys and Girls Club; 100 Club of Oakland; Oakland Library Foundation; and HEDCO Foundation.
Director: Nancy Lasseter – Nancy moved to Sonoma County in 1993 and served as founding Trustee for Sonoma Academy from 1999-2017 (she currently serves as Trustee Emeritus). She has raised funds for Sonoma Valley Education Foundation, the Sonoma County Children’s Home and the Juvenile Diabetic Research Foundation. Nancy worked as a computer engineer for Apple from 1986-1991. While at Apple, she directed a computer animated short film called, Pencil Test, the first 3-D computer animated film created with personal Macintosh computers, leading to the invention of real time animation playback software, now known as QuickTime (the software used on Apple computers and mobile devices globally). In 2000, she formed Lasseter Family Winery in Glen Ellen. Her philanthropic art and technology causes throughout the County have included, Sonoma Community Center, Sonoma High School (Media Lab), Sonoma Country Day School (Art Wing), Sonoma Boys and Girls Club (Art Classroom), Sonoma Academy Media Lab and Financial Aid Fund, and Green Music Center (Projection System). In 2003, she was named A Jewell of a Woman by The Girls Scouts of America, Konocti Council.
Director: Sandy Leonard—Sandy graduated with an economics degree from the University of Washington and worked in commercial real estate finance at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City before being accepted to the Parsons School of Design Environmental Design Program. After having two children, she elected to become a full-time mother and moved with her husband Geoff to San Francisco. She became a volunteer for the Golden Gate Parks Conservancy and currently is a member of the Trails Are Forever fundraising committee which raised $2 million at their annual event this past year. She is also a biodynamic farmer and beekeeper.
Director: Stephanie Linder – Stephanie Linder is the Chief Executive Officer of the Gardens of Golden Gate Park, a public/private partnership with the San Francisco Recreation & Park Department to jointly operate the Conservatory of Flowers, Japanese Tea Garden, and San Francisco Botanical Garden. She has been a park advocate for much of her career, with more than 25 years of experience in the non-profit sector. Previously, she was Director of Development and Communications at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Before working at public gardens, she held leadership roles at San Francisco Parks Alliance, Sierra Club, The Trust for Public Land, and Planned Parenthood. She is an alumna and former Board Chair of Emerge California, a candidate training program for women seeking elected office with a majority of graduates being women of color. Stephanie was instrumental in helping the organization develop a statewide presence. She holds a Master of Arts in American History from Binghamton University in New York and has taught history at the college level. Stephanie and her husband split their time between their homes in Bennett Valley and San Francisco.
Director: Walter (Wally) McGuire—Wally is President of McGuire & Co, Inc., a San Francisco based public policy and public affairs firm. He has served as chief of staff to the Lieutenant Governor of California, and during the Jerry Brown administration was the Director of Administration and Chief Lobbyist for the state in Washington D.C. Over the past three decades, McGuire & Co, Inc. has represented scores of clients on policy matters and campaigns in the fields of environment and health. His activities have included major national event-driven educational campaigns in health such as cancer finding and women’s health; California campaigns in land use, electric vehicle infrastructure and diversity issues; and the historically successful response to the 2001-2002 energy crisis. Wally is Chair of the California Council on Environmental and Economic Balance founded by Governor Brown. He is “Expert Advisor” to the California Emerging Technology Fund whose mission is to provide leadership to close the digital divide by accelerating the deployment and adoption of broadband to underserved communities.
Director: Barbara Morrison – Barbara, a Bay Area business and civic leader, is the founder and president of TMC Financing, the leading Certified Development Company in the nation, providing SBA 504 commercial real estate financing to small business owners. Since 1981, TMC has provided more than $10 billion in financing for projects in California, Nevada, and Arizona, benefiting nearly 6,000 businesses and creating and retaining an estimated 60,000 jobs throughout the region. Barbara also founded TMC Community Capital in 2018, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), that provides affordable microloans for California small businesses using an online platform. Barbara is currently Co-Chair of the Board of the Marin Theatre Company, a Board member of TMC Community Capital, a member of International Women’s Forum, and member of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Committee. Formerly, Morrison was a member of the Belvedere City Council and served two terms as Mayor.
Director: Jon H. Parker – As a Management Consultant, JP spent 35 years in strategic planning and in directing business expansion for national and international companies including The International Olympic Committee, MasterCard, Holiday Inn Worldwide, and NASCAR. He moved into Finance with publicly traded Boston Private Financial Holdings and was serving as Vice Chairman when he retired. After retiring, JP joined Sonoma’s wine industry as a partner/adviser in 2 businesses: Highway 12 Winery and SV Custom Wine. He is also involved with the Sonoma community serving or having served on a number of non-profit Boards including SV Boys & Girls Club, Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Assn., George Ranch Community Assn., Transcendence Theatre Company, SVHS-Seize The Advantage Program, Sonoma’s Park & Rec Commission, and as an active Rotarian. JP graduated from Tufts University and received his MBA from George Washington University. He built his Sonoma residence in 1987, and became a fulltime resident in 2002.
Director: Laura Stanfield – Laura has been involved with Sonoma non-profit organizations for over 25 years. A graduate of Texas A&M University she worked in the technology industry for Texas Instruments, Ion Associates and Western Digital. She has served on numerous boards including the Sonoma Valley Education Board. She has helped to establish marketing programs and has done extensive fundraising for the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation. Laura and her husband Rich raised four daughters while living on London Ranch Road. Laura is committed to working with the broader community to increase opportunities for people young and old to experience the beauty and history of Jack London State Park.