Sue Bell Yank
Executive Director, Clockshop
Sue Bell Yank is a writer, curator, educator, arts administrator with nearly 20 years experience in arts, entertainment, and public schools. She has worked for museums, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and artist residency programs, forming partnerships among communities, artists, and public spaces. Her expertise spans art with social impact, public art installations, cultural programming with community partnerships, digital marketing, and organizational strategy. She teaches at UCLA, writes on socially engaged art, and has consulted with nonprofits on audience development, strategic planning, and visioning in the arts. Yank holds a BA from Harvard and an MA from USC.

 
Ruth Coleman 
Executive Director, California Parks Hospitality Association
Ruth Coleman currently serves as the Executive Director of the California Parks Hospitality Association, representing concessionaires that operate in California State Parks. She is also a board member of LA River State Parks Partners, a non-profit cooperating association of California State Parks. From 2013-2020, Ruth helped launch Sustainable Growers, a non-profit dedicated to improving the livelihoods of women coffee farmers in Rwanda. As Sustainable Growers’ first Executive Director, Ruth oversaw the growth of the nonprofit, ultimately serving over 37,000 low-income women coffee farmers. Prior to joining Sustainable Growers, Ms. Coleman served for ten years as Director of the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

Adrien Contreras
Assistant Deputy Director of Park Operations, California State Parks
Adrien Contreras began his career with State Parks in September 2001. He spent the first 14 years of his career working for the Acquisition & Development Division, then moved to Park Operations in March of 2016. Adrien has been serving as the Assistant Deputy Director of Park Operations since June 2021.

 
Carlene Croisdale
Chief of Partnerships, California State Parks 

Carlene Croisdale Carlene Croisdale joined California State Parks as Partnerships Division Chief in June 2023. Prior to this role, she served at the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, beginning in June 2020. Before her state career, Carlene held various management positions in the hospitality and travel industry, including roles as a hotel manager on expedition cruise ships and in operations at Asilomar Conference Grounds.

 
Emily Doyle
Climate Resilience Program Manager, California State Parks Foundation
Emily Doyle is a Bay Area native with a passion for environmental conservation. She holds an M.S. in Geosciences from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from the University of Cambridge. For her graduate work, Emily reconstructed climate signals through the chemical analysis of Greenland and Antarctic ice cores and participated in field campaigns at both poles. She was a climate policy fellow with the Aspen Institute Tech Policy Hub, where she focused on the equitable expansion of green transit in Los Angeles. Emily was thrilled to join California State Parks Foundation in 2022 and use her expertise to help protect the parks that first sparked her interest in conservation.

 
Heidi Doyle
Executive Director Emeriti, Sierra State Parks Foundation
Heidi Doyle has produced hundreds fundraising and educational events during her career with four public lands agencies and, most recently, as the Executive Director of the Sierra State Parks Foundation. She has served on the boards of several successful non-profits and advised senior leadership with the California State Parks on both the Transformation efforts (2015-18) and the Strategic Plan (2018-2022). An elected official with the North Tahoe Fire Protection District, Heidi holds a BS from California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo) and has completed master’s coursework in public policy at George Mason University and UC Berkeley. Having lived on four continents, she brings a wealth of experience, talent, determination, and leadership to this discussion. The mother of three grown children, she lives in North Lake Tahoe with her husband and dog, Goldie.

 
Elizabeth Evans
Watershed Program Manager, California State Parks
Elizabeth Evans works to reconnect Californians to the environment and each other through her role managing the interpretive component of the Cannabis Watershed Protection Program. With degrees in Geology and Visual Arts, she is passionate about crafting audience-centered experiences that catalyze opportunities for exploration, reflection, and advocacy. Elizabeth has 21 years of experience working in interpretation across a variety of organizations including the National Park Service, non-profits, and public school systems.

Prior to joining State Parks in 2023, Elizabeth managed the interpretation program for Santa Clara County Parks where she developed innovative partner-rich programming around climate resilience and stewardship. Before that, Elizabeth managed programs and partnerships for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, interpreted the San Francisco Bay-Delta Model as a Park Ranger for the US Army Corps of Engineers, taught middle school Science and Art in Porterville, and spent 10 years interpreting iconic landscapes as a Park Ranger with the National Park Service at Golden Gate, Yosemite, San Francisco Maritime, Carlsbad Caverns, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, where she specialized in training and coaching.

 
Bri Fordem
Executive Director, Anza-Borrego Foundation & CALPA President
Brianna is a passionate strategic thinker with a drive to make positive change. Nature has been her guide as she has sought principals to rely on for integrity, resilience and decision making in all aspects of life and work. A graduate of Antioch University: New England where she received an MBA in Organizational and Environmental Sustainability in 2010; offering a deep focus on environmental and social justice, and business development through the lens of natural resources. After graduate school she began a career in sustainable food systems, working in urban farming for local restaurants and food sources for underserved communities. In 2014 she shifted to the conservation non-profit sector, supporting public lands and groundwater sustainability. She has served as regional chair to the California Foundation Water Initiative in the San Diego region and has supported the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Plan in Borrego Springs. As Executive Director of Anza-Borrego Foundation she stewards a 57 year partnership legacy, to preserve and protect the largest State Park in CA., Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Brianna was born and raised in California and has been playing in the Park since she was 14. She now enjoys taking her own children there, 9 and 7, to explore the wonders of state parks.

 
John Fraser
Capital District Superintendent of California State Parks
John Fraser is the Capital District Superintendent for California State Parks. In that role he manages the California State Railroad Museum, Old Sacramento State Historic Park, Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park, Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park, the State Indian Museum, and the State Capitol Museum. John came to the Capital District from State Parks headquarters, where he served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Director of Park Operations and the acting Chief of the Interpretation and Education Division. John cut his teeth as a State Historian, preserving and protecting the many historic treasures in the State Parks system. He is a Northern California native and has lived in the Sacramento area since 2004. 


Danielle Gerhart
Central Valley District Superintendent of California State Parks
Danielle Gerhart is the current California State Parks Central Valley District Superintendent, based out of Columbia, California. She graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in Recreation Administration and has worked for California State Parks for over 18 years in various capacities. Some of her favorites include greenhouse management for the natural resources program, historic interpretation and volunteer management in Columbia State Historic Park, concessions and revenue generation program management, planning, and project management. The Central Valley District incorporates 15 park units including the newest California State Park, Dos Rios, as well as favorites such as Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Millerton Lake State Recreation Area, San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area, Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park, and Railtown 1897 State Historic Park. Danielle appreciates a collaborative approach to problem-solving and team management to reach the many goals of California State Parks.


Brie Grossman
Cooperating Association Program Coordinator, California State Parks
Brie Grossman has been a Partnerships Analyst with California State Parks since 2018, bringing her 14 years of additional California State Parks experience. Brie received a BA in Geography from CSU Sacramento and brings expertise in Cooperating Association support. Brie enjoys supporting our districts and partners to ensure they have the necessary resources to build and strengthen the California State Parks and cooperating association relationship.

Paige Haller
Park Manager, Dos Rios
Paige Haller serves as the Park Manager of California’s newest state park, Dos Rios in Modesto, which opened in June 2024. Previously, she was the Public Engagement and Education Manager for California State Parks' Sierra District, overseeing the interpretation program, fostering community partnerships, and acting as the district’s public information officer. Her work in the Sierra District was preceded by a role as Nonprofit Program Manager in the Partnerships Division, where she facilitated partnerships with nonprofits, corporations, and government agencies.

Desi Harp
Event and Education Assistant, Sonoma Ecology Center
Desi Harp, a Sonoma native and educator, works with youth in classrooms and the field. A successful musician and Mishawel Wappo tribe member, she teaches and learns about her people's history. John, from Hawaii, has an economics degree and MBA. His career includes Army service (retiring as Colonel), business consulting, and manufacturing. Since 2012, he's managed Sugarloaf Ridge State Park for Sonoma Ecology Center, focusing on improving customer experience and ecological health. The Center operates Sugarloaf for the State of California.

Bonny Hawley
Executive Director, Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks
For over 15 years Bonny has served as executive director of Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks (Friends), where a dedicated team partners with California State Parks to operate dozens of parks and beaches. The Friends and State Parks team are working with the community to create California’s newest State Historic Park at the Castro Adobe in Watsonville, grow the park-equity field trip program Kids2Parks, and plan for the resilient recovery of parks damaged by climate-change-driven disasters. Prior to her non-profit career, Bonny had the honor of working on staff for elected officials, serving as Chief-of-Staff to Assemblymember John Laird and Assemblymember Fred Keeley and as Chief Aide to two Santa Cruz county supervisors. Bonny has an avid interest in local history. She wrote the introduction to the book Big Basin Redwood Forest: California’s Oldest State Park by Traci Bliss, co-wrote an article in the Museums of Art & History's History Journal entitled How Grassroots Community Activism Changed History at the Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park, and edited the book Castro Adobe in the 20th Century: From Earthquake to Earthquake.

Emily Henry
Associate Program Manager, Parks California
Emily joined the Parks California team as an Associate Program Manager in June 2021. In their role, they manage the organization’s overall grantmaking program and the implementation of projects across Parks California’s program areas. Emily has held positions at several Sacramento-area non-profit organizations such as the California Primary Care Association and Legal Services of Northern California. Their previous roles have included grants management, fundraising, project management, grant writing, and, most notably, the build-out and administration of several grant-making programs totaling more than $5 million.

 
Heather Holm
Chief of Interpretation & Education, California State Parks
Chief of the Interpretation and Education Division of California State Parks, Heather Holm has 22 years of experience in interpretation, having worked in various positions in California State Parks. As the Interpretive Planning and Program Section Manager for the Interpretation and Education Division for seven years, Heather managed statewide interpretive programs like Junior Rangers and the Summer Learning Program and supported districts with funding and interpretive project and program support. Prior to this, Heather served for ten years as a statewide PORTS: Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students ® Program Coordinator. She has also worked in various non-profit museums and archives doing collection work, research, and record processing.

Heather is passionate about supporting front-line interpretive staff and volunteers in their work and coaching and mentoring interpreters. Her work experience includes interpretive program development and facilitation, distance learning program development, project management, policy development, interpretive planning, intellectual property rights administration, and training development and facilitation. She has a Master of Arts degree in Public History from California State University, Sacramento.

 
Brenda Holmes
Executive Director, Mountain Parks Foundation
Brenda is a native Californian who grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. After earning a degree from San Francisco State University, she joined the Peace Corps and served in Costa Rica as an Adult Education Advisor.  

After returning to the San Francisco Bay Area, Brenda began her career in the insurance industry and served as president of a workers’ compensation claims corporation. She also became a Certified Integral Life Coach, served as a community mediator, and trained volunteers in crisis intervention.

In 2011, Brenda accepted the position of Executive Director of Mountain Parks Foundation where her work has focused on inspiring the next generation of stewards at Big Basin and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Parks. In 2023, she earned a certification in Ecotherapy from the Earthbody Institute and partnered with State Parks on an innovative new program, Redwood Rx.

 
Geoff Kish
Vice President of Programs, Parks California
Geoff Kish is the Vice President of Programs at Parks California and has worked to build the organization and its programs since its start in 2019.  Geoff works closely with park leadership to envision the future of state parks, and develops partnerships across all sectors that work to create equitable, climate resilient spaces where all feel welcome.


Ray Lennox
Colorado Desert District Superintendent of California State Parks
Ray Lennox serves as the Colorado Desert District Superintendent for California State Parks, overseeing Anza Borrego Desert State Park, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, and Palomar Mountain State Park. Ray began his career in 1996 as a seasonal employee on the Roads and Trails crew in the North Coast Redwoods District, steadily advancing through maintenance roles. During the 2007 wildfires, he assisted with the fire efforts at Palomar Mountain State Park, sparking his connection to the district. In 2008, he joined the Colorado Desert District team, where he has held roles including District Maintenance Chief and Acting Salton Sea Sector Manager.

Brent Marshall
Monterey District Superintendent of California State Parks

 
Rachel Norton
Executive Director, California State Parks Foundation
A graduate of Barnard College, Rachel Norton spent the first decade of her career as a journalist, working at Reuters, The New York Times, and CNET. Rachel discovered her passion for parks and outdoor education when working for the San Francisco Parks Alliance from July 2013 through April 2017, serving as Director of External Affairs and interim Chief Executive Officer. She joined California State Parks Foundation as Executive Director in May 2017. Rachel was elected to three terms on the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education, chairing the Budget, Student Assignment and Legislative committees and serving as Vice President and President. She left office in January 2021. She also represented Assembly District 19 on the San Francisco County Democratic Party Central Committee from 2016 to 2020. Rachel lives in San Francisco with her adult daughters Audrey and Jackie.

 
Armando Quintero
Director, California State Parks
Armando Quintero, director for the California Department of Parks and Recreation since September 1, 2020. An experienced parks professional with expertise in park operations, outdoor education, equity and access, and diversity and inclusion in hiring and retention, Quintero is an environmental scientist by training. Since 2015, he was the executive director of the Sierra Nevada Research Institute at the University of California, Merced, where he was also director of development from 2008 to 2014. He also served as a member and Chairman of the California Water Commission from 2014 to 2020.

Quintero held multiple positions at the National Park Service from 1976 to 1998, including chief of the Special Park Uses Group and district ranger at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, personnel staffing specialist for the National Park Service, park ranger and supervisory park ranger at the Point Reyes National Seashore and park ranger at the Sequoia National Park and at the John Muir National Historic Site.

Following his career at the National Park Service, he was an independent environmental educator and outdoor trip leader for a decade, from 1998 to 2008. He served on various non-profit boards including the Sequoia Parks Foundation and also served as an elected member of the Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors from 2008-2020. 


Julie Rentner
President, River Partners
Julie Rentner is president of River Partners, where she has successfully secured over $100 million in state and federal grant funding to acquire conservation properties and implement riparian and floodplain habitat restoration along major California rivers statewide. Additionally, Julie has developed and led stakeholder processes supporting the integration of flood control and ecosystem enhancement at the regional level, resulting in the development of several on-the-ground multi-benefit projects as well as the Mid San Joaquin River Regional Flood Management Plan. She joined River Partners in 2008 as a restoration ecologist based in the San Joaquin Valley. She completed the California Agricultural Leadership Program in 2015. She is also the President of Reclamation District 2092, and she completed her BS in Forestry at the University of California, Berkeley and received an MS from the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

John Roney
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Park Manager, Sonoma Ecology Center
John Roney has been the Park Manager at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park since 2012, focusing on enhancing the visitor experience and the ecological health of the park. The Sonoma Ecology Center, an environmental nonprofit with about 40 employees, operates the park on behalf of the State of California. Serving Sonoma Valley and the greater area for 35 years, the center is dedicated to education, research, restoration, and land management. Under John's leadership, the park has received several accolades, including the Grassroots Champion Award from the California State Parks Foundation in 2018 and the Park Partner of the Year award from CALPA in 2022.

Born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii, John graduated with a degree in Economics from Santa Clara University. He served four years as an artillery officer in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany. After earning an MBA with an emphasis on marketing and finance from the University of California, Irvine, he spent 15 years consulting for middle-market businesses at Salomon Smith Barney. John retired from the Army Reserve in 2014 with the rank of Colonel, having served in logistics, intelligence, and information operations.

 
Tim Schroepfer
President & CEO, California State Railroad Museum
Tim Schroepfer is the President and CEO of the California State Railroad Museum Foundation. Prior to his time at the Foundation Tim spent 20 years in the entertainment industry managing productions from small to large and working with some of the biggest egos on the planet. Tim holds an MFA in Producing from California Insitute of the Arts and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Alma Shaw
Bilingual Program Director, Sonoma Ecology Center
Alma works for Sonoma Ecology Center as Program Director at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. She plans, implements, and evaluates programming for the park in coordination with the Volunteer Coordinator, volunteers, and park staff. She additionally leads the Senderos Naturales program, a Spanish-language environmental education and recreation program for the Latino families of Sonoma Valley and beyond. Alma grew up in México and immigrated to the U.S. at 13. She graduated SSU with a B.A. in Communications, which reflects through her work connecting culture and nature.


Violet Smith
Violet Smith, State Park Interpreter I - Indigenous Programs, California State Parks
Violet is a California State Parks Interpreter in the Monterey District, where she specializes in Indigenous Programs. As a Rumsen Ohlone Tribal Community Council Member and Representative, she is fortunate to live and work in her ancestral homeland and participate in the revitalization of her Rumsen culture. After earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a decade working in mental health, she completed a master’s degree in integrative health studies and shifted her focus to Traditional Ecological Knowledge and cultural continuity. Recently, she has been building her knowledge of traditional land stewardship practices and dedicating her free time to apprenticing with master Ohlone basketweaver Linda Yamane. Personally and professionally, Violet aspires to increase Indigenous visibility, celebrate the beautiful heritage and diversity of Native peoples, and honor Indigenous wisdom to improve relationships with all people and Earth.

 
Chris Spohrer
Santa Cruz District Superintendent of California State Parks
From an early age, Chris developed a love for the outdoors and State Parks in particular, camping along the California coast in the family VW van. After graduating from UCSB with a degree in Environmental Studies, his career with Parks began as a volunteer for the Wildlands Restoration Team, pulling weeds in State Parks throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains.

After volunteering on a prescribed burn at Big Basin, he signed up as a seasonal in the Santa Cruz District in 1997, eventually promoted to Senior Environmental Scientist where he led the Santa Cruz District’s Natural Resource Management Program and regional Prescribed Burn Team as State Park Burn Boss for 8 years. Chris broadened his park experience as the District Services Manager in Santa Cruz taking on management roles for Real Property, Roads, Trails and Heavy Equipment, Interpretation and Cultural programs.

Chris stepped into the District Superintendent role in 2016 and continues to be inspired by the Santa Cruz team as they rise to the challenges of creating more climate resilient parks following the CZU Fire and recent coastal storm damage.

Austin Stevenot
Director of Tribal Engagement, River Partners


Marisa Warnock
Volunteer in Parks and Cooperating Association Program Manager, California State Parks
Marisa Warnock holds a Master's degree in Parks and Recreation Administration from Sacramento State. With a passion for community engagement and nonprofit management, Marisa has served on the board of directors for a local Sacramento nonprofit. Additionally, Marisa has a strong commitment to volunteerism and launched the first volunteer program at Sacramento State.

Randy Widera
Program Director, California State Parks Foundation
Randy Widera, Program Director, California State Parks Foundation - Randy graduated from Revelle College at the University of California, San Diego. Randy has worked in Outdoor and Environmental Education throughout California. In 1989, he founded the Web of Life Field (WOLF) School, which provides residential environmental and science education programs for over 3,000 students annually. Randy discovered the world of park support organizations and was recruited to lead the Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks (Friends) in 1999. In 2010, Randy moved on and established Blue Oak Nonprofits, a consulting firm that worked exclusively with nonprofit park partners and environmental education organizations to build capacity, strengthen partnerships and programs, and help in raising funds for their mission. Then, in 2019, Randy came to California State Parks Foundation. Randy lives in his hometown of Santa Cruz, California, with his wife Julie and three sons Denali, Ryder, and Zephyr.