SRT Board of Directors and Advisors
SRT is grateful for the diverse and skilled group of volunteer directors and advisors that support the work we do. They bring decades of knowledge and experience to guide the organization in its land protection, restoration and education goals.
Board of Directors
SCOTT SPEAR, President
Growing up, Scott lived in several areas in California, Nevada and Arizona where he witnessed, first hand, the change of the American west as it began its rapid development. This shaped his views on smart growth and open space, guiding his dedication to conservation throughout his life. Scott was involved with the Four Creeks Land Trust, now a chapter of SRT, and currently serves as SRT President, which he has done since 2000. As President, he brings to the organization leadership skills, consensus building, problem solving and a vision for an enhanced quality of life in our communities that embraces natural, wild and agricultural lands. He also brings to the Trust extensive knowledge of agriculture, as well as concerns related to loss of farmland and growth of the southern San Joaquin Valley. Scott is a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership program Class VII. He currently serves as a board member for the California Council of Land Trusts (CCLT). He also serves on the Leavens Family Ranch Board, Santa Paula, CA, as an outside director, which he has done since 2005. Scott farmed table and wine grapes for 20 years and later planted almonds, which he farmed until 2006. Scott has lived in Visalia for over 40 years.
BARBARA KIDD, Treasurer
Barbara, a Visalia native, has been involved with the Trust since 2002, because she believes that we all need to start taking responsibility for our environment and its resources. Barbara brings extraordinary business and accounting skills to assist with the financial management of SRT's funds and resources. She believes in caring for the people and the space around her as positively as possible, and enjoys working with all of the dedicated people at SRT who conserve our local lands. Barbara, a C.P.A., has owned and operated Accounting and Payroll Services in Visalia for over 25 years. She and her husband Donnie reside in Visalia.
JULIE ALLEN, Secretary
Julie brings to SRT over 30 years experience in the southern Sierra Nevada, where she retired as the head of planning for the Sequoia National Forest. She brings considerable knowledge and expertise in land and biological resource planning in both the public and private sectors of California, along with strong skills in negotiation and facilitation. Julie values conserving healthy natural systems across public and private lands, an interest and dedication she brings to all her land and resource management duties. She joined the board in 2002 because she believes that land trusts are an important, non-regulatory way to protect conservation values on private land. Julie and her husband Jim live in Springville where they manage their small ranch.
JILL CHERNEFF
After serving for several years on SRT's development committee and hosting events to introduce new donors to the organization, Jill joined the board in 2005. She brings a passion for integrating the needs of individuals, community and the natural world to create a sustainable environment. Jill, a self-employed anthropologist, holds prestigious positions as a research scholar with the UCLA Center for the Study of Women and as a research associate in the anthropology research and collections department at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Jill and her husband, Rocky Laverty, reside in Manhattan Beach and visit their Doyle Springs home in the foothills above Springville as much as they can.
JOHN COLBERT
John, a long time supporter of Sequoia Riverlands Trust's Kaweah Oaks Preserve, joined the board in 2005. He is currently the President of Greenleaf Farms in Kingsburg, where he manages almond, walnut, citrus and plum orchards. As a part of his job, John is constantly involved with land acquisition, title issues, easements and land stewardship. John also has a strong personal interest in land use issues, so he joined the board because SRT is an organization that breaks down the barriers between farmers and environmentalists, developers and civil servants. He believes everyone living in the Valley or doing business here can appreciate the benefits of open space, natural habitat and wild places, when the land is acquired voluntarily. John and his wife, Nan Mensinga, reside in Visalia, where they have lived for 25 years.
GREG COLLINS
Greg joined the SRT board in 2010. His history with the trust goes back much further though: he served on the Board of Directors for the Four Creeks Land Trust, one of the three land trusts that merged in 2000 to create Sequoia Riverlands Trust. Greg has over 30 years of experience in the planning field and 19 years of experience in local government. He served on the Visalia City Council and Visalia Redevelopment Agency from 1975 to 1991, presiding over the City of Visalia as it gained a reputation for innovative and progressive planning policies; from 1987 to 1991 he served the city as mayor. After a fifteen year hiatus from the city council, he was re-elected to serve from 2005 to 2009. Since 1981, Greg has also been the principal in the consulting firm of Collins & Schoettler, a public sector planning firm that provides a full range of planning services to cities and counties in the San Joaquin Valley.
KAROL AURE FLYNN
Karol brings many years of agribusiness experience along with her deep appreciation of the unique San Joaquin Valley-- historical, present and future. She is Executive Director, Food and Agribusiness Resarch and Advisory Group with Rabobank International, headquartered in New York, New York. Rabobank, established as a farmer-owned cooperative bank more than 100 years ago, maintains a AAA credit rating and specializes in servicing agriculture and agribusiness at all points of the value chain from producer to retail. Karol's research emphasis is the grains and oilseeds sector. Raised on a table grape farm in Earlimart, Karol returned after Stanford University and an MBA from UC Davis to work for a large fig and almond farming company outside of Fresno. She co-founded one of the first full-service precision farming companies in 1997, introducing GPS/GIS applications across the agricultural sectors in the western United States. Karol resides in southern Tulare County on the Flynn Ranch (est. 1874), which her husband Matt manages for the fourth generation.
ROB HANSEN
Rob has spent a lifetime studying the natural world around him and brings to SRT a solid big-picture view of the status, type, location and amount of habitats in our area of influence. He has brought his skills and talent to local land conservation efforts since before the protection of Kaweah Oaks Preserve in 1983. He believes the volunteers, members, partners and staff of SRT, through their common interests and dedication, can and do affect positive change in the arena of open space and wildlife habitat protection in our community. He previously worked as a land steward in charge of five Nature Conservancy preserves in Tulare and Kern Counties. Currently, Rob owns and is the principal biologist for Hansen’s Biological Consulting and teaches biology, human ecology and botany at the College of the Sequoias. Rob and his wife Debra live in Visalia.
DAVID HATCH
David Hatch joined the SRT board in 2009. He is an accomplished businessman, with a demonstrated career of improving operations, creating growth and maximizing profits within the highly competitive industries of homebuilding, food service and Medicaid billing. He’s also done exemplary community service work both domestically and abroad. SRT is lucky to have him on its Board Development Committee, to which he brings his keen business perspective, innovative ideas and aggressive determination. He first started working with SRT while serving as Division President at Centex Homes in Visalia. He joined the trust’s Board because of his great appreciation for the land and running, riding his bike and hiking in the foothills of the area. He is humbled by the beauty of our valley and cherishes the sight of the sun rising over the mountains, animals and critters running free, the green hills of spring, the brown hills of summer, and old fences and barns that were built by early stewards of the land. Though he is a business man who advances growth in our community, he equally understands the importance of environmental conservation. He joined SRT to help the land trust balance and protect the interests of our community so that future generations can continue to cherish their own childhood memories in the great outdoors, just beyond their own backyards.
CINDY MYERS
SRT welcomed Cindy to the board in 2008 as someone who believes very strongly in helping farmers become more effective leaders, not only in agriculture but also in their communities at large. Cindy's holistic approach to farming, land and the community was cultivated from an early age. She grew up on her family's 500-acre farm in Exeter and played an active role in its management. She went on to become the first and only female President of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation and retains her title as Chairperson Emeritus. Cindy is also a board member of the Visalia Breakfast Rotary and has been involved with the Sequoia Leadership program and the Visalia Education Foundation.
BRIAN NEWTON
Brian has a strong and deep connection to the lands and waters cared for by SRT. He brings devotion, longevity, stability and a 10-year history of commitment to the organization. Brian was a founding member of the Four Creeks Land Trust, now a chapter of SRT, and has served on its steering committee since 1993. His personal mission statement is "to save the world's environment two or three local projects at a time." He appreciates being part of an organization that is making a huge positive difference in the local quality of life. After 32 years of teaching elementary school (28 in Woodlake), Brian retired in June, 2008. He and his wife Judy have lived in Visalia since 1980.
KEN RICHARDSON
Ken joined the SRT board in 2008 as an Attorney at Dooley, Herr, Peltzer & Richardson in Visalia , CA. Ken's legal expertise focuses in the areas Water, Municipal Law, Environmental Law, Real Estate Law and Business Transactions. His experience with land use and planning, CEQA and NEPA compliance and water rights will be a great asset to SRT. In addition to holding a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Arizona College of Law, Ken also has a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Environmental Microbiology from the University of Arizona.
Advisors
- Gordon Bergthold
- Mike Chrisman
- Russell F. Hurley
- Jim C. Johnson
- Dennis R. Keller
- Philip B. Laird
- Ronald L. Olson
- Jane T. Olson
- Amy Pack
- Ron Paregien
- William Tweed