Board Member Search: Sonoma Land Trust seeks dynamic, passionate leaders to amplify our mission and vision by providing clear and strategic oversight as we work together to implement natural climate solutions, reduce biological diversity loss, restore functioning habitats, and engage new voices in conservation for our future.
We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds who bring fresh perspectives and unique skills to the organization. Interested candidates should visit potrerogroup.com/sonomaboard to apply.
Chair
Scott Hafner
Chair
Scott has roots in Sonoma County that go back 50 years to when his family purchased an old prune and pear orchard in Alexander Valley, east of Healdsburg. The family enterprise is now a 100-acre vineyard and a small winery, where he oversees marketing and finance. Summers in the Sierras as a boy gave Scott a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of California. He supports SLT as a board member and longtime donor, following in his mother’s footsteps, who served as a board member for 10 years. Scott and his spouse, Bill Glenn, live in rural Santa Rosa.
Vice Chair
Gregory Appling
Vice Chair
Gregory currently serves as board clerk for the Gravenstein Unified School District, where he has focused his energy and efforts on helping provide the best education possible for all students in the district. Gregory received his B.S. in Marine and Environmental Science from Hampton University and worked in the environmental sciences until 2007 when he transitioned to residential construction. He currently resides in Sebastopol with his family.
Vice Chair
Philip Jensen
Vice Chair
Philip J. Jensen has been a partner with Paul Capital since 2001 and brings over 35 years of experience as a senior financial executive and certified public accountant. Previous positions held include Chief Financial Officer of the California Division of Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Hospitals, Chief Financial Officer of McKesson Corporation’s drug distribution business, and partner with Deloitte. Jensen holds a B.S. in business administration from San Francisco State University and is a California Certified Public Accountant (inactive). Jensen currently resides in the city of Sonoma.
Secretary
Ellie Rilla
Secretary
Ellie has always loved working outdoors, where she combined working with young adults with her career training in environmental restoration. With degrees in biology and an MPA, a project working with ranchers on the Sonoma Coast led to her longtime position with the University of California in Marin and Sonoma Counties. She worked closely with producers to grow local agriculture through diversification strategies: agritourism, value-added marketing, organic conversion and conservation easements. The author of practical books on agritourism and the artisan cheese business, Ellie and her husband, Patrick, maintain a small farm in the coastal hills west of Sebastopol.
Board Member
Marie Andel
Board Member
Marie’s love of the outdoors began early when her teacher parents would take the whole family camping for the summer. She is retired from a long career in the insurance business with a focus on all things related to people, culture and communications. A longtime champion of diversity and inclusion, Marie is delighted to bring her business experience and community leadership to Sonoma Land Trust. Marie feels fortunate to call Sonoma home and, as a board member, to help develop long-term land protection strategies to preserve the astounding beauty of Sonoma County for future generations.
Board Member
Simon Blattner
Board Member
For his entire life, Simon has been a supporter of land conservation and Sonoma Land Trust is a perfect place for him to make open space and conservation become reality. For over 35 years, Simon was President and CEO of Rittenhouse Paper Company and, later, he became a handmade paper maker and book arts printer. In his partial retirement, he maintains a small real estate and real estate development practice. Along with the Land Trust, Simon continues his volunteer work with La Luz, Sonoma Valley Hospital and the Sonoma Valley Museum.
Board Member
Robert Brent
Board Member
Robert is an entrepreneur. He joined the Sonoma Land Trust board in 1992 and served as interim executive director of the organization in 2002 and 2003. Robert founded or served on the boards of Lasercraft, Dri-Water, Inc., Virtual Warehouse, Calliope Designs, T& Design, and he is also a former president of the Harmony United School District Board of Trustees. Robert is the inventor of the Brent potter’s wheel and a longtime board member of the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. He lives in Sebastopol with his wife, Paula.
Board Member
Clay Clement
Board Member
Clay is a retired business trial lawyer and mediator, largely devoted to real estate litigation, including land use, property tax, and eminent domain. He began his practice in Sonoma County in 1972. A graduate of the University of the Pacific and School of Law at UC Berkeley, Clay has been a board member of the Santa Rosa Youth Soccer League, the Sonoma County Family YMCA, the Redwood Empire Blood Bank, and the Artemis Wildlife Foundation of Helena, MT, in addition to Sonoma Land Trust. He lives in Santa Rosa.
Board Member
Anita Das
Board Member
Anita Das, a Bay Area native with a profound commitment to environmental conservation is a statistical consultant specializing in biotech and pharmaceutical industries, advising in clinical trial design, statistical analysis, and regulatory affairs for the development of pharmaceutical products that prevent or treat infections. With an MS in statistics from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a Ph.D. in epidemiology from George Washington University, she is excited to apply her science background and data interpretation skills to further environmental goals in Sonoma County.
Residing in Guerneville, Anita finds joy in gardening, caring for her chickens, and practicing yoga. Her greatest happiness is discovered in the wilderness through activities like hiking and backpacking. Despite having explored outdoor destinations worldwide, Anita holds a special fondness for the natural beauty of Sonoma County.
Board Member
Frank Dean
Board Member
Frank Dean has extensive experience in conservation and is currently the President/CEO of Yosemite Conservancy. His exciting work has led him to guide important projects such as the Conservancy’s successful $20 million fundraising campaign to restore the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias in 2018. He has worked to increase the opportunities for diverse communities, including connecting underserved youth with parks, and restoring important ecosystems in many milestone projects. As part of his efforts, he partnered with other non-profits to create the Park Youth Collaborative, a major expansion of the successful inner-city youth outreach programs at Crissy Field that annually serves 70,000 children when he served as a General Superintendent at Golden Gate National Parks in San Francisco. Prior to that he held positions as Chief of NPS Partnerships and Centennial Programs at the National Park Service in Washington, D.C and Park Superintendent at Saratoga National Historic Park in Stillwater, New York and as Assistant Superintendent at Point Reyes National Seashore and Management Assistant at Yosemite National Park.
Board Member
Liz Fisher
Board Member
Liz Fisher is an innovative business leader who brings many years of experience as a professional in the financial services industry. She worked as an organizational consultant and executive coach who collaborates with senior leadership teams and key executives. Her expertise is in the areas of strategy development, human capital and diversity and her work spans over 30 years in the financial services industry. Liz has led teams for global firms including Fidelity Investments, JPMorgan Chase, and Spencer Stuart. She is an experienced advisor of boards of directors, and through her many roles she has been able to leverage her years as a business leader and as a proponent of leadership equality with great success.
Board Member
Duncan Higgons
Board Member
After a successful full-time career in biotechnology developing new therapies for patients, Duncan moved to Sonoma in 2015. He spends his time on his three passions: mentoring start-up biotechnology companies, charitable work — specifically land preservation and conservation — and lifelong learning, travel and outdoor activities. Participation on the board of the Sonoma Land Trust allows him to combine his charitable work with his love of nature. He is an avid hiker and outdoorsman.
Board Member
Steven Hightower *In Memoriam*
Board Member
In Memoriam July 2024. Steven first experienced Sonoma on a wine exploration trip from SoCal in the early ’60s — the “on the land“ part was sleeping in a cow pasture as the group had no funds for hotels. Hightower is retired from a career as an entrepreneur and small business partner in the real estate technology arena. He is an interested and very amateur botanist, being a UCE Master Gardener emeritus, and a former docent, board member and board president of the Sonoma Botanical Garden in Glen Ellen. With his wife Troy and three rescue cats, he lives on the flanks of Sonoma Mountain, overlooking the Mayacamas, where the Land Trust has done so much important land conservation work. Hiking Sonoma parks and biking the Valley keep him connected with the land.
Board Member
Quincey Tompkins Imhoff
Board Member
Quincey is a longtime conservationist and community activist, both here in Sonoma County and internationally. She is the VP and former executive director of the Foundation for Deep Ecology, whose mission is to support and advocate on behalf of wild nature. The Foundation was founded by her late father, Doug Tompkins (North Face, Esprit, Patagonia Preserve in Chile) and her mother Susie Tompkins Buell (Esprit, philanthropist). Quincey serves on the Land Trust’s North County Advisory Council and spearheaded the community effort to stop logging at Felta Creek. She and her husband, Dan Imhoff, live in Healdsburg and raised two children. Quincey is a photographer and project manager for a wide variety of projects focusing on education, community and the environment. She has a BA from the University of California, Berkeley.
Board Member
Nancy Otto
Board Member
Nancy Otto, senior consultant with Klein and Roth Consulting, brings to the board over 25 years of experience with nonprofit organizations. Prior experience includes over 10 years with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, the National Immigration Forum, and Interim Associate Director and Development Director for several nonprofits. Today, she works exclusively with nonprofit organizations, such as the California State Parks Foundation and the Land Trust Alliance. She resides in Sereno Del Mar north of Bodega Bay. When she’s not dedicating herself to nonprofit work, she’s an artist working with blown glass.
Board Member
Tim Portwood
Board Member
Tim is a retired fundraising professional and consultant. He had a long career in the development office at Stanford University, where he directed two major campaigns and later served as vice president for development at Stanford Hospital. In 2008, he joined Marts & Lundy, an international fundraising consultancy, where his clients included top universities and leading environmental, scientific, and cultural organizations. Previously, Tim practiced law in San Francisco for eight years. He earned a B.A. degree from Stanford and a JD from Duke. Tim and his partner, Jim Lauber, live in Monte Rio and enjoy the diverse natural wonders of Sonoma County.
Board Member
Allison Sanford
Board Member
Allison is a graduate of Whittier College, where she majored in communications and performing arts. After a career in marketing, she served as staff director for county supervisor Tim Smith until her retirement in 2009. Soon after, Allison joined the Sonoma Land Trust board and served as board chair from 2018 to 2021. She has also been a board member of Tomorrow’s Leaders Today, which focuses on youth development issues. Allison resides in Santa Rosa, where she raised her children, and where she now nourishes her garden and grandchildren.
Board Member
Judy Scotchmoor
Board Member
Judy is retired from a long career in science education, first as a classroom teacher and then as assistant director of the University of California Museum of Paleontology. She received several national awards for her efforts to increase public understanding of how science works and its importance in our world. A Sonoma resident for more than 30 years, Judy became a founding member of Impact100 Sonoma and served on its board for five years as communications chair. In 2016, she joined the Sonoma Land Trust board. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, kayaking and scruffling cats.
Board Member
Lewis Warren
Board Member
Lewis Warren is a shareholder of the law firm Abbey, Weitzenberg, Warren & Emery. Warren brings with him more than three decades of experience practicing law. His experience encompasses all facets of civil litigation, including jury and court trials, binding arbitrations, appellate work, and a wide range of law and motion practice. He is past president of the Sonoma County Bar Association, of which he served on the executive committee from 2007 to 2011.
