Beth spent most of her career in the computer industry, retiring in 2007 to become a teacher. At Hewlett Packard she was a lab director managing computer research in Cupertino and Palo Alto as well as in St. Petersburg, Russia. She managed software development labs and brought new computer technologies to market. Beth has a B.S. degree in computer science from San Francisco State University and a teaching credential from Mills College. After leaving Silicon Valley, she taught science to elementary school children in the Oakland school district and at the Chabot Space & Science Center. Beth regularly volunteers in Beaconsfield Canyon, one of FOSC’s restoration sites. Her past community service has included: docent at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden, California Native Plant Society member and volunteer, president of the board of directors for the Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden, and California Invasive Plant Council board member. Beth enjoys hiking, backpacking, knitting, cooking, propagating native plants, and spending time with her family.

Barry is retired from a career that has spanned many interests and institutions. He has pastored a parish as a Franciscan priest; earned a Ph.D. in and taught social ethics at the graduate level; directed a small foundation; was the director of development of and then finished up as the executive director of St. Anthony Foundation, a large nonprofit serving the hungry and the homeless in San Francisco. Born and raised in the Fruitvale district where he again lives, Barry has had a long interest in and love for Sausal Creek, from exploring the creek and its tunnels as a kid to now joining his daughters in creek clean-up efforts. He hopes to help FOSC extend its fundraising efforts to involve more of the community.

Rob is an ecologist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9, San Francisco where he has worked in the Wetlands Office for nearly 30 years. He focuses his energies on a wide variety of projects involving the protection of streams, rivers, oceans, and wetlands throughout the American West and Pacific Islands. Rob is an expert on stream fishes of the San Francisco Estuary and California. When not coaching girls' softball, Rob devotes much of his professional and personal time to native fish research and conservation. Rob has B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, in conservation resource studies and wildland resource sciences, respectively, and holds a Ph.D. from the Graduate Group in Ecology, UC Davis. Rob has been a Friends of Sausal Creek board member since 2010.   

Ricky became secretary of the FOSC Board of Directors in October 2012. She has lived in the Sausal Creek Watershed since 1988, especially enjoying and appreciating FOSC's superlative work in Dimond Park. It was seeing FOSC's effectiveness first hand that made her want to contribute her time to the organization. As a psychotherapist in private practice since 1975, Ricky has a deep-seated belief that a healthy psyche requires a healthy natural environment. You can read more about her at www.richellejacobs.com.

Eleanor is a veterinarian and is the co-owner of the The Grand Lake Veterinary Hospital. She practices a holistic approach to veterinary health care and is certified in veterinary acupuncture. Eleanor has long been active in her local community, and is a founding member of the Friends of Sausal Creek. She is an avid local historian and has played a key role in the development of the Dimond Canyon and Joaquin Miller Park trail system.

Steve is the assistant general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and is responsible for overseeing water system operations and planning for the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System. Prior to this position, he managed the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, a multi-agency effort to restore 15,100 acres of valuable habitat in South San Francisco Bay while providing for flood risk management and public access. In his spare time, he served as scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 203, which has been active in the Sausal Creek Watershed for many years.

Tim has been protecting and restoring urban creeks since 1980. In his youth, he spearheaded a drive to conserve 100 acres of oak woodlands and grasslands along Sacramento's Arcade Creek. After earning a B.S. degree in Environmental Policy and Planning from U.C., Davis, Tim served 27 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where he supervised the Wetlands Regulatory Program and the Bay Delta Program. There he helped renowned scientists formulate the "X2" salinity standards that underpinned the Bay Delta Accord of 1994, and he led the Interagency Vernal Pools Stewardship Initiative that conserved approximately 40,000 acres of rangelands across the Central Valley. Beginning in 2007, Tim spent four years at the nonprofit Sustainable Conservation as director of their Restoration on Private Lands Program. Tim enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter, and friends, and celebrating diverse activities and interests including backpacking, baseball, concerts, cooking, cycling, gardening, photography, traveling, and everything vintage.

Sean is a partner at a pre-eminent political and government law firm where he specializes in law and civil litigation in the areas of election, campaign finance, initiative/referenda, and governmental ethics and conflicts of interest. He is a graduate of Brown University and received his J.D. with honors from the University of California Hastings College of the Law. Sean joined the board in 2010 and helped establish the FOSC For the Future Fund, our endowment that, through the generosity and assistance of so many others, will help fund our future efforts.

Russell is a botanist and plant ecologist with over 20 years of experience working throughout California and the west. He has a B.S. in biology from Southern Oregon University and an M.S. in ecology from U.C. Davis. Russell has long been interested in vernal pool ecosystems, and he continues to be a volunteer docent at the Jepson Prairie preserve in Solano County. He also has a strong interest in native plant communities and rare plants—previously serving as the rare plant chair with the Sacramento Chapter of the California Native Plant Society and currently on the board of the Northern California Botanists. Russell lives in Oakland and works in the Wetlands and Oceans Section of the U.S. EPA’s Water Division in San Francisco. In his spare time, he enjoys birdwatching, hiking, canoeing and the performing arts.

Amba is new to FOSC but is excited to get involved. As a teaching assistant and a tutor for elementary and middle school students, she has developed a knack for working with youth and would love to tie this to her passion for the environment. Amba is looking forward to connecting Oakland communities to the natural environment by planning events and promoting awareness.

Hattie has lived in Oakland her whole life and first volunteered with FOSC as a middle schooler. She is involved with the youth climate justice movement and hopes to bring this background to her work with FOSC. As a student board member, she is most interested in taking an active role in restoration and outreach to involve more youth with the organization.

Mark is a tenured geography professor at Laney College, Oakland and an expert in the effects and eradication of invasive animals and plants on tropical islands. He has extensive experience in restoration programs ranging from the removal of rats and cats on Pacific atolls to enhancing populations of threatened seabirds and shorebirds, for which he received the Special Achievement Award from the Pacific Seabird Group in 2006. His management planning experience includes the master plans for several wildlife refuges for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, US Navy, and restoration programs for US Marine Corps bases. He is an award-winning author of over 20 nonfiction science books for children and is an illustrator and photographer. His photos can be seen at www.rauzon.zenfolio.com. Mark is a founding member of the Friends of Sausal Creek.

Harry is a retired City of Oakland Public Works administrator who originally established the Environmental Services Division within the city organization. He has been active with FOSC since its inception and was instrumental in creating the Native Plant Demonstration Garden in Dimond Park. Harry has been a board member since 2006. A former high school and college sports official, Harry is currently involved in the assignment of officials for the California high school basketball and football playoffs. He has a B.S. degree in recreation and physical education from San Francisco State University, an M.S. in recreation administration from the University of Illinois, and an M.P.A. in public administration from Golden Gate University.