Board of Directors
Tim Wendler, President
Tim is a professional environmental engineer, and is currently managing a national program of projects for an international petroleum client. He is the former chair of both the Hahamongna Watershed Park Advisory Committee and the Pasadena Recreation and Parks Commission. He is also an Advisory Committee member for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. He lives in Pasadena.
Paul Rabinov, Vice President
Paul has resided in La Crescenta for the past 25 years. He presently serves on the advisory board to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, representing both La Crescenta and Altadena. He is the founder of Crescenta Valley Clean and Green and the La Crescenta Trails Committee. Paul operates his own business, repairing flutes.
Matt DeVoll, Treasurer
Matt is president and CEO of Verticalive, an early-stage technology company involved in cloud computing; he serves AFC as a financial advisor. He previously served as vice president and general manager of a legal software division at Thomson Reuters, as chief marketing officer at the grocery delivery business PDQuick, and as vice president of sales and marketing for Protection One, a security company. Matt enjoys backpacking, alpine and nordic skiing, fly-fishing, and weekly hikes in the San Gabriel mountains.
Laura Garrett, Secretary
A lifelong environmentalist, Laura is Conservation Chair for the Pasadena Audubon Society, having served on its board since 2002. As a member of the City of Pasadena’s Open Space and Conservation Advisory Committee, she helped author the natural open space element of the city’s general plan. Laura teaches Rhetoric and Composition at Cal State L.A. She lives in Pasadena.
Tracey Alsobrook
A biologist, Tracey has worked in the environmental field for over 15 years in both the public and private sectors. Currently she works as an environmental project manager for Southern California Edison, overseeing one of the largest coastal wetland restoration projects in Southern California. Tracey is a former president of the Pasadena Audubon Society, and enjoys birding and wilderness photography. She lives in Altadena.
Tim Martinez
Tim Martinez is a student at Cal State University, Northridge, and an environmental leader. He serves as the outreach coordinator for the Arroyo Seco Foundation, leading hikes and trash cleanups, and lecturing on the history and traditional uses of the native plants of the Arroyo Seco. Tim is also an active member of the sustainability club at Pasadena City College. A lifelong Pasadena resident, Tim is passionate about preserving native habitat and creating a world free of plastic pollution.
Susana Reyes
Susana has had a wide range of experience working and volunteering in environmental fields. She currently serves on the Sierra Club’s national board of directors. Susana works as Director of Human Resources for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the largest municipal utility in the nation. She enjoys hiking and outdoor photography.
Frank Simpson
Frank has lived in Southern California for the past twenty-five years. His work as a landscape consultant and educator reflects his keen interest in California native landscapes. His past work with the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy included numerous land conservation projects in the San Gabriel foothills. He currently works as a landscape consultant on water-conserving landscapes in partnership with Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden and the Council for Watershed Health.
Advisors
Lyle Hatridge
Lyle is a lifelong educator, specializing in the development of middle-school students. He is also an ardent outdoor enthusiast. Lyle's dilemma is best captured by E.B. White's quip: "I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." Lyle is designing and implementing ecosystem educational cirricula for middle school classroom and field use on AFC properties.
Ginny Heringer
Ginny is a longtime hike leader for the Sierra Club and docent at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center. She has lived in Pasadena for 35 years and is a retired teacher from Pasadena City College. Ginny is developing volunteer programs for AFC.
Thomas Juhasz
Thomas is an endangered species biologist and environmental planner. His work on environmental issues has led him through California to Hawaii, the Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean. He currently serves as an environmental project manager for AECOM, working as coordinator for the California High-Speed Rail project. In his spare time Thomas enjoys horseback riding, and is working to earn a falconry permit.
Mickey Long
Mickey retired in 2011 from his position as natural areas administrator for the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, having spent 39 years working in the county's Natural Areas Division. As administrator, Mickey operated the Eaton Canyon Nature Center in Altadena, along with 18 other natural areas. He has taught college environmental biology and human ecology courses, and currently teaches bird identification, botany and ecology classes for the county's nature centers. Mickey is vice president and rare plant chair for the San Gabriel Mountains Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, as well as a past president of the Pasadena Audubon Society. He advises AFC in habitat evaluation and restoration and assists with public education.
Jim Osterling
A lifelong outdoorsman, Jim serves AFC as a land transaction advisor. He is involved in several local open space efforts, working on a project to provide trail access and a community garden on land he owns near Debs Park in Los Angeles, and on another project to create a park in Pasadena that would also serve as a memorial to the victims of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Jim is an Eagle Scout, and a member of two local hiking clubs. He has worked in the field of real estate finance for 33 years.
Anthony Portantino
As a member of the California State Assembly, Anthony has represented the state’s 44th district since 2006. He has championed environmental causes for years, receiving special recognition from the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club for his environmental advocacy and his work in preserving wilderness areas. Anthony has served as a member of the advisory committee to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and played an instrumental role in the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy’s acquisition of Rubio Canyon. Prior to his time in the Assembly, Anthony served for eight years on the La Cañada-Flintridge City Council, including two years as mayor. He lives in La Cañada-Flintridge.
E.J. Remson
E.J. is a senior program manager with The Nature Conservancy. During his nearly 12 years with the conservancy he has acquired 28 properties for conservation totaling about 46,000 acres, with a total combined value of over $86 million. E.J. has a background in commercial real estate development, and served as Planning Administrator for the City of Pasadena. He is an outdoor enthusiast, and particularly enjoys birding. E.J. assists AFC with conservation strategy.
Nancy Steele
Nancy co-founded the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy and served as president from its inception in 2000 until 2011. She is the executive director of the Los Angeles-based Council for Watershed Health, a center for watershed research and analysis. In her career she has held a variety of positions in California state government related to environmental protection. She has also served on the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Advisory Committee. In 2010 she received a Women in Business award from State Senator Carol Liu and State Assemblyman Anthony Portantino. Nancy lives in Altadena.
Marc Stirdivant
Marc is a senior administrative analyst for the City of Glendale's Community Services and Parks Department, where he serves as grants administrator and supervises trails and open space programs for the city's 5,000-plus acres of open space. Marc represents Glendale on the advisory committee to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. He is chairman of VOICE (Volunteers Organized in Conserving the Environment), a Glendale-based open-space and environmental advocacy organization. He is a former board member of the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy.
Liaison to the Altadena Community Center
Michelle Markman
Michelle serves as AFC's liaison to the Altadena Community Center. She worked in publishing for over 25 years, creating and publishing Nuestra Gente, which boasts the largest circulation of any Spanish-language magazine in the country. She has also worked in real estate investment and solar sales. She is a former member of AFC's board of directors, and lives in Altadena.
Staff
John Howell, Executive Director and General Counsel
John became AFC's first Executive Director in July, 2010, having served before that on the board of directors. He is also a practicing attorney specializing in real estate, business, and contract law. John represented The Nature Conservancy in acquiring 14 open-space properties, and the Trust for Public Land in acquiring three. He was a founding member of Open Space Now, an advocacy group for natural open space in Pasadena, and is a member of the Arlington Garden Advisory Committee. John is a lifelong Pasadena resident.
johnrhowell@earthlink.net