Chair: George N. Somero

A native Minnesotan, George N. Somero received his Bachelor’s degree from Carleton College and his Ph.D. from Stanford University. He served on the faculties of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Oregon State University before joining the Stanford faculty in 1995. He served as Director of Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station and currently serves as a Professor in Marine Sciences. His research interests center on the effects of environmental factors such as temperature on marine organisms. He currently divides his research efforts between rocky intertidal ecosystems in Central California and the ice-cold waters of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica, the site of his doctoral studies 40 years ago. George serves on several boards, including those of the journal Science, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), and the Company of Biologists in Cambridge, UK. George and his wife, Dr. Amy Anderson, reside in Carmel Valley.

Vice Chair: Roz Fisher

Born and raised in Honolulu, Roz Fisher attended Smith College, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. She settled on the San Francisco Peninsula and worked for IBM Corporation, providing technical marketing support to clients in Silicon Valley. In 1981, she began employment with Visa International in San Mateo, holding various management positions in software development, computer and network operations, and customer support. Roz and her husband Howard purchased a second home at Carmel Valley Ranch in 1998, then moved to the area permanently when construction began on their new home at the Santa Lucia Preserve. Among the first full-time residents of The Preserve, Roz and Howard have two adult sons, Joshua and Nathaniel.

Treasurer: Phil Wilhelm

Phil Wilhelm was born and raised in Chicago where he co-founded Huron Partners, Inc., an investment holding company with concentrations in commercial real estate and operating companies. He graduated from Duke University with a Bachelors degree and earned his MBA at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

In 1980, Phil became an owner and Managing General Partner of the Highlands Inn directing its re-development. He subsequently became an owner of several Monterey Peninsula hotel properties. He is Board President of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Monterey County and his recreational interests include golf, travel, biking and hiking. Phil and his wife Carol now reside in Carmel Valley and have two adult children, Phillip Jr. and Julia.

Secretary: Robert Montgomery

Robert Montgomery grew up in southern California, but spent most of his professional life practicing international trade law in Washington, DC with the firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. A graduate of West Point, he attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and served as an infantry officer in Vietnam before earning his law degree at UC’s Boalt Hall, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. Upon graduating, he became an assistant to the Army’s General Counsel in the Pentagon, and thereafter held a series of responsible positions in the federal government, the last of which was General Counsel of the Federal Energy Administration, predecessor to the Department of Energy.

Throughout his 30-year career as a corporate lawyer, Bob retained a strong interest in public affairs, representing numerous pro bono clients in civil rights litigation and serving as a founding board member of Covenant House Washington and the International Senior Lawyers’ Project. Upon retiring to the Monterey Peninsula in 2005, he became a CASA advocate for foster youth, and subsequently joined the International Advisory Board of the Monterey Institute’s Center for Nonproliferation Studies. He has three adult children, and lives in Pebble Beach with his wife, Susan.

Trustee: Tom Archibald

Thomas W. Archibald attended the London School of Economics and received a B.A. degree in economics from Denison University and a Juris Doctor degree from the Ohio State University Law School. He retired from the Bank of New York in 1995, where he served as Executive Vice President of the Personal Trust Sector and Private Banking. He was previously with Irving Trust Company when it merged with The Bank of New York in 1988. There he served as the executive in charge of the institutional securities businesses. Mr. Archibald is a past Director of Group Health Incorporated, the only not-for-profit health insurance carrier chartered to operate throughout New York State.

Tom was President of Monterey Museum of Art for 2 years and retired in 2009 from the Board after serving for 10 years. He is on the Board of Directors for “Hear USA”, a past member of the Advisory Board for Rockefeller University in New York City and a past member of the Board for the New York Philharmonic. Currently he is involved in a Scholarship Mentor Program at CSUMB.

He and his wife Judy live in Pacific Grove.

Trustee: Demi Briscoe

Demi Briscoe was raised on the Monterey Peninsula, attending local schools and forming friendships that have lasted into adulthood. She and her friends spent many blissful hours showing their horses at the Carmel Valley Trail and Saddle Club.

Demi has spent her professional career as a banker in Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel, where she has managed branches for First Interstate Bank and First National Bank of Central California. She currently is Vice-President of First National Bank’s Carmel Branch.

Demi stays active in the community by serving on the Board of Directors of Carmel Valley Village Improvement Committee (CVVIC), as well as the Capital Campaign Steering Committee for the Carmel Foundation. Demi and her husband Rich enjoy hiking the trails of Garland Park and other scenic recreational areas in the County. They are avid travelers and particularly enjoy exploring the U.S. Southwest.

Trustee: Steve Dorrance

Steve Dorrance is an active partner in the Dorrance family ranching operation in Monterey County, first established in 1945. He has a degree in Agricultural Management from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and has approximately 20 years of experience with Holistic Management™, a comprehensive framework for managing healthy land. Steve’s interests lie with resource management in the area of wildlife, livestock and the lands that support them. Steve is a native of the Monterey Bay area. He and his wife Leslie have three adult children, Drew, Clifton and Mollie, who were raised on Dorrance Ranch.

Trustee: Scot McKay

Scot McKay was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois. He attended the University Of Iowa, Lake Forest College and Keller Graduate School of Management. Scot is a successful entrepreneur whose business interests include an auto dealership, several restaurants, a real estate development company, a software company, and ventures in China. Most recently, he purchased and renovated the 13-Acre Carmel Valley Athletic Club. Under his ownership, CVAC was voted Outstanding Facility of the Year by the USTA. Scot’s most important “business” is his family of seven children, ages 9 to 24, which he “runs” with Heidi, his wife of 28 years. The McKay Family moved to Carmel permanently in 2003. Scot enjoys automobiles, tennis, golf, hiking, and being at the ocean.

Trustee: Ralph Miljanich

Born in Watsonville, Ralph Miljanich has family ties to the Pajaro Valley and California that date back 100 years. Ralph has a B.S. in Soils Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and an M.B.A. from Oregon State University. Currently, Ralph works as a Financial Advisor with Morgan Stanley. Ralph has been involved with non-profit organizations for 25 years and currently serves as the Vice-President of the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, the President of the Regional Water Management Foundation, and the President of the Independence Square Housing Corporation. He is also on the Board of Directors for the Rotary Club of Watsonville. In 2008, Ralph was recognized as a Top 10 Volunteer out of over 40,000 employees worldwide with Morgan Stanley. Ralph lives in Corralitos with his wife, Kerri, and son, Christopher. He enjoys gardening, basketball, music and home re-modeling.

Trustee: Bob Sayre

Bob Sayre, a Big Sur resident and landowner for nine years, serves on the boards of the Monterey Fire Safe Council, the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade and the Coastlands Mutual Water Company. He is a also a member of the Friends of the Library and the Big Sur Grange, where he helps publish the Grange newspaper The Big Sur Roundup. Bob has a sincere interest in research associated with Sudden Oak Death and attends many seminars on this important subject. Bob is a retired businessman from the San Francisco Bay area. For 20 years, he was Vice-President, Western Area Sales and Service, for the Bell & Howell Company’s Micrographics Division. He has experience in sales management and training, market research and forecasting, and policy and procedure planning. Bob graduated from Duke University in 1959 and attended graduate school at New York University. In the early 60s, he served in the U. S. Navy as a commissioned officer aboard the fleet oiler USS Hassayampa. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Bob married Lynda Youngberg in 1971. Together they have raised three children and are very proud of their six grandchildren.

Trustee: Ian Arnoff

Ian Arnoff grew up in McCrory, Arkansas, a small rural farming community between Memphis and Little Rock. He was educated at Vanderbilt, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, and at Harvard, earning an MBA in Finance and Economics. After serving in the Air Force Reserves, Ian worked for 14 years for First Tennessee, a large regional bank in Memphis. In 1978 he became Chief Financial Officer for First Commerce Corp in New Orleans. He was promoted to President/CEO in 1983, serving in that post until First Commerce was sold to Bank One in 1999. In 2000, Ian moved to Carmel, where his primary civic activities relate to public education reform and health care. He has three grown children.

Trustee: Blanca Zarazúa

Blanca Zarazúa maintains her own law practice in Monterey County, California. Blanca has been in practice since 1987 when she began working as Associate Tax Counsel with Bank of America in San Francisco, California; she is currently a Certified Tax Specialist. Prior to joining Bank of America, Blanca worked as a law clerk with the California Supreme Court in San Francisco. While still a student, she worked for the Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and Goodrich, Little, Riquelme & Asociados, a Mexico City law firm.

Blanca has involved herself in a wide variety of professional and community activities. She has served as Legal Counsel and President & CEO for the Monterey County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and is currently Chair of this organization. Blanca is a member of the California Bar Association and the California State Bar Tax Section. She has served on the boards of The Big Sur Land Trust; the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley; Monterey Institute of International Studies; Northern California Public Broadcasting; Chartwell School; the Girl Scouts of America; and Meals on Wheels.

In 2003 Blanca was appointed by Mexico’s former President Vicente Fox to serve as Honorary Consul of Mexico for Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. She also serves on the international board of advisors for the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Blanca is a graduate of Pitzer College of the Claremont Colleges with a degree in foreign languages. She earned an MBA from UC Berkeley; a JD from Santa Clara University; and an LLM from Golden Gate University. She has completed studies in Oxford, England, Rome, Italy and Guadalajara, Mexico.

Blanca was born at the original Carmel location of Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. Her father worked as foreman of the historic Odello Ranch in Carmel. As a child, Blanca resided in one of the small red houses along Highway One that still stands today.

Trustee: Lawrence J.  Chazen

Larry Chazen grew up in Iowa. He was educated at the University of Colorado where he earned a B.A. in Accounting and Law degree. His career focus has been as an investment manager and advisor. Larry is both a CPA and a member of the California Bar and, since 1994, has served on the Board of Noble Corporation – a Fortune 500 company. He is an owner of the Carmel Restaurant Group, which includes Grasing’s and Kurt’s Carmel Chop House restaurants. Larry and his wife Cece (who grew up in Pacific Grove) live in Carmel and have three children and two grandchildren. Larry enjoys hiking and travel.

Trustee: Judy Logan

Judy Logan grew up in West Los Angeles and attended the University of California at Berkeley for two years. After marrying her husband Gary, relocating to Palo Alto and having three sons, Judy returned to school and completed her B.A. at San Francisco University. Judy has been involved in education and environmental issues most of her adult life. She worked as a pre school and parent education teacher in Palo Alto and Cupertino.

Judy and Gary moved to Carmel from Portola Valley in 1999. Judy recently stepped down from the Carmel Foundation Board of Directors after six years of service to the community. During her tenure Judy served as Chair, Vice-Chair of Development and Vice-Chair of Governance and participated in the Carmel Foundation’s capital campaign to rebuild Trevvett Court for affordable senior housing.

Judy and Gary have been married for over 53 years and in addition to their sons, they have three daughter-in-laws and six grandchildren. Judy enjoys travel, hiking, golf, pilates, yoga and reading. Judy and Gary participate in the many cultural opportunities found in Monterey County, including the Jazz and Bach Festivals.

Trustee: Judy  Sulsona

Judy Sulsona was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Judy attended the University of Puerto Rico and graduated with a degree in Political Science, and minors in Economics and Spanish Literature. She participated in a two-year graduate program at the Universidad Autónoma Nacional de México (UNAM), with a focus on Geopolitical Studies and the Law of the Sea. Judy retired from her position as Executive Vice President of the Community Foundation for Monterey County in 2009, but has continued to consult with the Foundation and other nonprofit and public agencies in organizational and community capacity building and planning.

Judy has lived in Carmel Valley for twenty-seven years with her husband Bill Rawson. Both are avid readers and love music and traveling, particularly in open spaces and wilderness areas. She has served on a wide range of nonprofit Boards over the past 15 years.

Trustee: Mike  Thomas

Mike Thomas has worked for 40 years inside major corporations as well as in military, space and political sectors. Educated at the University of Parana in Curitiba, Brazil, Miami University in Oxford Ohio, The American Institute for Foreign Trade in Arizona, Central Michigan University and The University of Southern California, Mike’s educational diversity has been as broad and rich as his professional career.

Mike’s professional career has spanned from Asia to South and Central America, Wall Street and Washington DC. He served on the Eastern Test Range supporting the Kennedy Space Center and the Apollo moon launch program. He was selected by the Department of Defense to write the Operations Plan for the repatriation of POWs from North and South Vietnam, Laos and China. As the DOD Project Manager for Operation Homecoming, Mike led the operation from his headquarters in the Philippines, directing a mobilized team of 2860 military and civilian personnel. His military career culminated as the Executive Officer for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower, helping to manage a $50 B annual budget for the over five million DOD employees and coordinating HR related legislation with Congress, the Senate and the White House.

Mike’s business career included key assignments with Hoechst do Brasil, Air Products and Chemicals, Exxon Corporation, The Bank of New York, BankAmerica Corporation, and from 1987 to his retirement in 2005, Granite Construction Company.

Today, Mike serves as program director of Hartnell College’s Center for Sustainable Design and Construction helping the next generation of builders be well versed in ethics and values, environmental responsibility, constructional technology, and project management. As Founder and Senior Partner with the Monterey Institute For Social Architecture, Mike also helps a variety of client companies redesign themselves from good companies into great companies by helping them focus on both What Matters and What Works.

Mike’s extracurricular activities have included Past Chair, Construction Personnel Executive Group (CPEG), Past Chair Construction Industry Image Steering Group, Board of Trustees National Center For Construction Education and Research, President Pajaro Valley Performing Arts Association, Past President NTI Literacy, Chair, All Saints Day School Board, and the Executive Committee of the Industry Education Council of California. Married with 5 children ages 14-46, Mike lives and works in Carmel California where he pursues his passion of serving life and the long term viability of the planet.

Trustee: Andrew  Griffin

Andy Griffin, with his wife Julia Wiley, own and operate Mariquita Farm and raise vegetable crops in Watsonville, Aromas, and Hollister. Andy grew up in Carmel Valley on the University of California’s Hastings Natural History Reservation where his father was a research plant ecologist. Andy participated in the Future Farmers of America vocational agriculture program at Carmel High School and graduated from Carmel High in 1977. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of California at Davis in 1981. But Andy soon decided to become a famer as “philosophy is great food for the mind, but doesn’t do much for the belly.” Andy has worked on farms ever since, first as a farm worker, then as a foreman, later as a partner in Riverside Farms, and finally as co-owner of Mariquita Farm growing organic specialty vegetables, greens, strawberries, and herbs for their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members in Silicon Valley, the Peninsula, and San Francisco and for many restaurants in San Francisco. Andy and his wife Julia, and their two children, Graydon and Lena, live in Watsonville.

Trustee: Jeanne  Landreth

Jeanne Landreth was born and raised in Wisconsin. She attended Stanford from 1965-69. Jeanne met her husband Bill while studying overseas as part of her program at Stanford and they were married in 1970. Bill and Jeanne had two children, Kerry and Peter.

Jeanne taught 5th grade throughout her professional career in the Bay Area.
She volunteered as a docent at the Oakland Museum of California.

Bill was transferred to London so Jeanne and Bill raised their children in London.

Bill was then transferred to Chicago and Jeanne volunteered at the Shedd Aquarium as docent, teacher, and fundraiser.

The Landreths’ finally moved back to California and Carmel. Jeanne volunteered at the Monterey Bay Aquarium as a guide; served on Stanford’s Overseas Studies advisory board; and served for six years on the Community Foundation of Monterey County’s Board of Directors with appointments on the development committee, grants and programs committee, and the nominating committee.

Jeanne’s interest is in environmental issues. While harboring an early interest in the Sierra Club, for the past twenty five years, Jeanne’s interest has focused more on the inclusive programs of The Nature Conservancy and Big Sur Land Trust.

Jeanne’s enjoys her family, especially her grandchildren. She is interested in political issues and takes part in many activities including golf, hiking, skiing, cross-country skiing, reading, cooking, travel, and biking.

Trustee: Matthew W. Ottone

Matthew Ottone, a partner with Ottone Leach Olsen & Ray LLP, was born and raised in Salinas, California. He received his B.A. in Political Science from UCLA and a J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law. Mr. Ottone specializes in real estate, land use and business law. He has extensive experience in counseling multi-generational family businesses for the purposes of succession planning, handling large-scale commercial real estate developments and transactions, and advising small businesses in entity formation and general corporate matters.

Matthew currently serves on the Board of Directors of Second Chance Youth Services, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey County, and STAR Foundation of Monterey County. He has also served as a Board Member for the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce, Monterey College of Law, Palma High School, Alzheimer’s Association, and Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula. Finally, he has served his community as a member of the Monterey County Planning Commission and the City of Salinas Measure V Oversight Committee. He is married to his wife of 20 years, Stephanie and together have three sons, Nicholas (13), Jacob (11) and Andrew (7).