Board of Directors

	Regional Parks Association Board of Directors
Officers President: Amelia Wilson Vice President: Joe Engbeck Treasurer: Pete Wilson Secretary: Martha Martin Board Members Judi Bank Tim Gordon Hulet Hornbeck Kathleen Nimr Carroll Williams Ex-Officio Board Members Martha Breed Harlan Kessel Helen Klebanoff	The RPA Board of Directors shall consist of nine (9) members according to the association by-laws. The offices of President and Vice-President must be filled by members of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall be elected by the members of the association at a meeting held for that purpose during the third week of January from a list submitted by the nominating committee and from nominations that may be made from the floor at the election meeting. Elections shall be effected by the majority of the members present. The Board of Directors shall be a continuing body. Each director shall serve three years and until his successor shall have been elected and President and Vice President shall be elected by the Board of Directors from its own members. The Treasurer and Secretary shall be elected by the Board from its own number or appointed from the membership at large.
Amelia Wilson President Elected Term: 2001-2004 RPA Member since 1993	__________________________________ AMELIA WILSON has been serving on the RPA board since 1993. While Amelia and Pete Wilson share an RPA board seat, their combined efforts and dedication are a tremendous benefit to RPA . The importance of preserving natural resources has been a focus for Amelia & Pete for many years, not only in the EBRPD but also in the desert canyon lands of Utah, where they belong to the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and the Glen Canyon Institute. Together with other residents of Orinda, their distress over the proposed golf course development in Gateway Valley caused them to form Save Open Space (SOS) - Gateway Valley in 1989, which has forced a reduction in the number of proposed housing units and elimination of the golf course of the yet-to-be constructed development. Amelia is Secretary of *SOS.*
Joe Engbeck Vice-President Elected Term: 2002-2005 RPA Member since 2000	__________________________________ JOSEPH H. ENGBECK Jr. has served on the RPA board of directors since 2002 and has been actively involved in the environmental movement since 1960 and is currently a councilor of the Save the Redwoods League and a board member of Save San Francisco Bay Association. Mr. Engbeck is the author of six books and many other publications about the history and natural history of California and the American West, some of which are listed below: The Enduring Giants: The Epic Story of Giant Sequoia and the Big Trees of Calaveras -- California Dept Parks &; 2nd edition (June 1973) State Parks of California, from 1864 to the Present -- Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co.; (March 1980) Point Lobos State Reserve, Preserving a Primitive Landscape Redwoods, the United Nations, & World Peace; Origins of the Sustainable Development Movement Mr. Engbeck was a trustee of the California Historical Society for six years and helped organize People for Open Space in the 1960s before joining the California Department of Parks and Recreation where he was a writer, editor, and manager of the State Park System’s publications program. Mr. Engbeck is a founder and past president of the *Claremont-Elmwood Neighborhood Association* and co-chair of the Friends of Claremont Canyon. He also serves on the board and executive committee of the Claremont Canyon Conservancy.
Pete Wilson Treasurer Elected Term: 2001-2004 RPA Member since 1993	__________________________________ PETE WILSON has been serving on the RPA board since 1993. While Pete and Amelia Wilson share an RPA board seat, their combined efforts and dedication are a tremendous benefit to RPA . The importance of preserving natural resources has been a focus for Pete & Amelia for many years, not only in the EBRPD but also in the desert canyon lands of Utah, where they belong to the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and the Glen Canyon Institute. Together with other residents of Orinda, their distress over the proposed golf course development in Gateway Valley caused them to form Save Open Space (SOS) - Gateway Valley in 1989, which has forced a reduction in the number of proposed housing units and elimination of the golf course of the yet-to-be constructed development. Pete is chairman of SOS. Pete also played an active part in the merger of the Orinda and Moraga Fire Protection Districts in 1997, and serves as an elected Director of the District and Treasurer.
Judi Bank Elected Term: 2001-2004 RPA Member since 1991	__________________________________ JUDI BANK grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania and graduated from Penn State University with a BS in General Agriculture. She came to California in 1962 and has resided in Oakland since 1969. Judi has been very active in Bay Area equestrian and environmental issues. Here are some of the organizations in which she has played a role: - Metropolitan Horsemen's Association (MHA) * Served on Board from 1971 to present. * President, Treasurer * Manager Combined Training Events 1971 – 1980. * Manager Dressage Shows and Horse Shows 1980 – present. * Maintained Sequoia Arena in Joaquin Miller Park. * Maintained Hunt Field and arena in Redwood Park. * Contributed to trail maintenance in *EBRPD* and Oakland. * Developed first Trail Etiquette card with Bicycle Patrol and *EBRPD* Public Safety. * Developed Bicycle Trail Use Policy, City of Oakland. * Member of Oakland Trails Working Group. * Partnered with Oakland Dog Owners Group on dog/horse trail conflict issues resolution in EBRPD. - East Bay Area Trails Council - was MHA representative - EcoStewards Committee, Montclair Presbyterian Church * Member since 1985 * Secretary in 2002 * Member of Environmental Committee: personal choices, saving the redwoods, global warming, etc. - Citizens for Oakland's Open Space (COOS) * Served on board 1990 – present. * Co-secretary 1990 – 2000 * President 2000 - present As a *COOS* member she led a coalition of homeowners groups and MHA members that authored, campaigned for (and won), monitored the implementation of, an action plan for Measure K – a 1990 $60 million bond measure for Oakland's parks and recreation centers improvements and open space and shoreline acquisitions. - EBRPD Park Advisory Committee (PAC) * Appointed in 1999 by Alameda County Mayor's Conference. * Chair Operations Sub-Committee 2000 – present. * Member of Special Committee on Dog and Bicycle Policy. Judi has been a member of *RPA* since 1991 and was elected to the *RPA Board* in 1995.
Tim Gordon Elected Term: 2003-2006	__________________________________ TIM GORDON is a retired EBRPD naturalist. Tim graduated with a Bachelor's degree in geology from UC Berkeley in 1962. After graduation Tim spent time in Nevada City working on a bark beetle research project with Boyce Thompson. Upon return to the Bay Area, he spent a couple of years with a program for severely emotionally disturbed kids called the *East Bay Activity Center. In 1966 Mr. Gordon became a naturalist for the EBRPD at Tilden Park. In 1975, he was elected to serve as president of the Park Workers' Union* and had to deal with the strike against the park district that year. Tim was always in constant readiness to support and defend his co-workers. Tim was an advocate against pesticide use in the parks. He was also passionately involved in the defense of the widely reviled eucalyptus and used its saplings in the marvelous domes that once dotted the north lawn of the Nature Center. Upon his recent retirement from the park district his interest in being a naturalist didn't end. He still likes to share his naturalist knowledge and experience to educate the kids of the Bay Area when he has the opportunity. We are grateful that Tim has chosen to share the wisdom of his career experience as an EBRPD naturalist by contributing to the efforts of the RPA to improve our parks and protect wildlife habitat. He was elected to the RPA Board in 2003. Tim's never-ending mantra is: What About the Wildlife?
Hulet Hornbeck Elected Term: 2003-2006 RPA Member since 1985	__________________________________ HULET HORNBECK is a retired EBRPD Land Acquisition Manager. Hulet setup and managed the park district's first Land Acquisition Program from 1965-1985. Many of the parks in the park district inventory can be attributed to the management efforts of Mr. Hornbeck. Hulet was born in Passaic, New Jersey and studied Forestry at the University of Maine from 1938-1940. After serving time in WWII he obtained a law degree from Rutgers University in 1948. He has served in a variety of capacities over the years supporting Bay Area environmental activities: - Sierra Club Bay Chapter chair in 1964. - Contra Costa Park Council President 1959-1964 - American Trails Foundation (formerly National Trails Council) * Founding Board member 1971 * Currently member of the Executive Committee - Appointed by Governor to State Trails Committee from 1985-1992 * Committee Chairman 1991-1992 Mr. Hornbeck has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the National and State Trails Symposiums. Hulet's dedication to providing the public with great places to hike is obvious. We are grateful that he has been an RPA Board member since 1985 and we hope that he continues to do so.
Martha Martin Elected Term: 2001-2004 RPA Member since 1998	__________________________________ Before retiring, Martha J. "Marty" Martin had a career in education teaching young people how to appreciate and make music. Marty has had a parallel life-long passion for the great outdoors. Spending many summer days hiking and camping in the mountains of California since her childhood as a Girl Scout, she knows that you must protect what you love both through education and advocacy. Her affiliation with RPA began with her concern for the grazing practices in the Regional Parks. She has hiked all the trails throughout Mt Diablo and is very familiar with the Regional Park trail system.
Kathleen Nimr Elected Term: 2001-2004 RPA Member since 1998	__________________________________ KATHLEEN NIMR has been a resident of Martinez for more than 30 years and active in many community issues, including recycling, and land use planning. From 1981 - 1988, she was a member of the Contra Costa County Planning Commission. She is currently serving as the Chair of the Transportation and Compact Growth Committee for the Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club and as a member of the East Bay League of Conservation Voters Board. She was employed as Chief of Staff for County Supervisor Nancy Fahden from 1977 - 1980 and for County Supervisor Jim Rogers from 1994-1998. Kathleen has been a member of the RPA Board since 1998.
Carroll Williams Elected Term: 2005-2008 RPA Member since 2005	__________________________________ CARROLL WILLIAMS is a retired Forest Service Scientist and Adjunct Professor Emeritus in the College of Natural Resources (CNR), University of California, Berkeley. As a Project Leader in the Forest Service, Carroll led several teams of scientists examining the interactions of insects, pathogens, fire, and human activities on the health of western coniferous forests and the balsam fir white spruce, northern hardwood forests in eastern United States and Canada. Following forty years with the Forest Service, Carroll joined the CNR faculty in 1988 and retired in 2003. He developed and taught various courses on the conservation and health of forest and woodland ecosystems in California. . In addition to his professional work, Carroll was twice elected to the Berkeley School Board, serving from 1977 to 1983. In 1991 he was appointed by the Board of the East Bay Regional Park District to complete the term of Director Mary Jeffords. Carroll is interested in the restoration of the oak woodlands and native grasslands in the Bay Area, and the health of the various creeks they contain. Carroll has been a member of the RPA Board since 2005.
Martha Breed Ex-Officio Board Member	__________________________________ MARTHA BREED is a lifelong resident of the East Bay and has spent time in the Regional Parks since her childhood. Our Regional Parks contributed to her love of the natural world. As a graduate of UC Berkeley in Conservation of Natural Resources, she broadened her knowledge and developed her passion for birds and wildflowers. Martha's idea of a good day outdoors is might be paddling her kayak on Loch Lomond in the Santa Cruz mountains gliding up near a flock of Common Mergansers or spotting a Green Heron hunched on a branch near the water's edge. She has been a volunteer with Friends of Lafayette Creeks since its inception, working with school programs, scouts, and neighbors to educate residents and enhance the local watershed.

Harlan Kessel Ex-Officio Board Member	__________________________________ HARLAN KESSEL is a retired publisher, University of California Press where he served some 21 years as marketing director and editor. He also served on the Sierra Club Publications Committee for seven years during which time the Sierra Club program for young readers was launched. Mr. Kessel was a director of the East Bay Regional Park District for 17 years from 1976-1992, a period of the greatest growth in the Park District’s history. Believing that all struggles are local, Mr. Kessel is a co-founder and past-president of COOS, Citizens for Oakland's Open Space. Among other organizations and foundations, he has served two separate terms as president of the Alameda County Historical Society.
Helen Klebanoff Ex-Officio Board Member	__________________________________ HELEN KLEBANOFF's Norwegian ancestors came to California in 1842 by way of the Isthmus of Panama. Overland travel did not start in earnest until the gold rush. Helen, a fourth generation Californian, was born and raised in southern California, and graduated with a Masters degree in social work from U.C. Berkeley. She served on the EBRPD Park Advisory Committee and is a long standing member of the Sierra Club. Her grandfather was a teacher for the then U.S. Indian Service (now the BIA) which contributed to her interest in and love of not only California wildlands but also of the entire American Southwest. She strongly advocates that the EBRPD enact a general leash law for dog with very few exceptions. (she herself has had several Bernese Mountain dogs). Off leash dogs, even "under control", she believes are not compatible with most wildlife. Above all, she believes EBRPD's top priority should be the preservation of natural resources, especially in light of the increase in population in California. If not the Park District, where else! Helen was President of RPA and a member since 1993.