Our volunteer Board of Directors includes a group of highly committed volunteers and members who are critical to our mission.
Each year Directors are elected at the Annual Member Meeting, Potluck & Awards, typically held each June.
Members who wish to propose themselves or another member for election to serve on the Board of Directors shall express interest to the Executive Director or President.
Executive Committee
“When I retired to Inverness in 2009 I joined EAC to support the local grass-roots organization that strives to protect and preserve the natural beauty of West Marin. Saving our incomparable coastal environment for future generations demands the attention of all of us; I’m privileged to play a small part in the efforts that will always be needed.”
Bridger Mitchell, Ph.D | President
Committees: Advisory, Development & Executive
Term Expires: 2024
Bridger returned to Inverness after more than five decades of extended weekend family trips to visit his parents and sail on Tomales Bay. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His professional career has focused on anti-trust and telecommunications regulation, energy policy, and health care. He is a former director of the Inverness Association and has closely monitored Marin County’s coastal development proceedings for many years. Bridger lives with his wife Katherine, and they are actively involved in the West Marin community.
Ken Drexler, Esq. | Vice-President
Committees: Development & Executive
Term Expires: 2024
Ken is an estate planning attorney in San Rafael. He serves as Treasurer of the Marin Conservation League and the Secretary of the Paradise Ranch Estate Road Advisory Board in Inverness Park. He is a supporter of the Planning & Conservation League, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Sierra Club, among other environmental non-profits.
Cynthia Lloyd, PH.D. | Secretary
“I feel privileged to be part of such an impactful organization - one that has been working for almost 50 years to fulfill its mission to protect the unique lands, water and biodiversity of West Marin. By advocating for and educating about nature in a place that is not only a local treasure but also a national and international treasure, EAC recognizes that its role in the community is continuously evolving. As a Board member, I am committed to making sure that EAC stays true to its mission as we face the ultimate environmental challenge of climate change.”
Committees: Advisory, Development & Executive
Term Expires: 2026
Cynthia is a fairly recent homeowner in West Marin. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University. Her career has included a faculty position at Barnard College and research and management positions at the United Nations and the Population Council (an international NGO). In more recent years, her research had focused on the challenges facing adolescent girls in developing countries and she currently serves in several advisory roles to foundations/NGOs working on these issues. She moved to Berkeley from New York City in 2010 to be near her family. Since 2015 when she became a part-time resident of Point Reyes Station, she has undertaken the restoration of a seasonal wetland on her property (previously compromised by former owners in an unsuccessful attempt to subdivide the property). She has had a life-long love of nature and the outdoors (nurtured by her mother – a passionate admirer of Rachel Carson) and has resolved to spend her remaining years, for the sake of her granddaughters and all those of their generation, dedicated to issues related to the environment and climate change.
Patty Neubacher, treasurer
Committees: Advisory, Executive & Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival
Term Expires: 2025
A native Californian, Patty has lived in West Marin since 1986. She holds a BA in Social Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MBA from the University of California, Davis. Patty retired from the National Park Service after 33 years. Most recently she served as Deputy Regional Director for the Pacific West Region, a region that includes the states of California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Hawaii as well as the territories of Guam, Saipan, and American Samoa. In addition to supervising park superintendents, she had programmatic responsibilities for Budget, Finance, Contracting, Information Technology, Facilities Management, and Human Resources. She is the recipient of the Department of Interior Meritorious Service Award and the Distinguished Service Award. Prior to working for the National Park Service, Patty worked as a grant administrator for Planned Parenthood of Northern California, Human Resources Director for a computer company, and Program Manager for an educational consulting firm. Patty currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Public Lands Conservancy and the Fund for People in Parks.
“I have a passion for the protection and preservation of special places. Fortunately, my career in the NPS allowed me to nourish that passion for many years.
But clearly, places don’t get more special than West Marin. It has extraordinary international ecological significance and it’s also the place that I get to, gratefully, call home.
Being on the EAC Board affords me a chance to contribute to the protection of West Marin’s exceptional resources and landscape. I’m honored for the opportunity to work with an effective organization like EAC, with a brilliant staff, and a hardworking Board towards that end. “
Board Members
“Everyone has a responsibility to safeguard this treasured shared landscape, and to pass it on unharmed to those who come after us. EAC has been putting that responsibility into action for almost 50 years, and I hope my work here will help it continue for many years more.”
Terence CarrolL
Committees: Advisory & Duxbury
Term Expires: 2024
Terence has been a board member since 2007 focusing on land-use planning as a means to preserve natural habitat. He has been instrumental in our work around the Marin Local Coastal Plan (LCP), and Sea-Level Rise planning to ensure coastal wetlands, water quality, and natural habitats are protected in future County planning decisions. He is the co-founder and current President of the River Otter Ecology Project. Terence has long been active in protecting and conserving natural habitat in West Marin through land use planning and scientific research, including serving on the San Geronimo Valley Planning Group for three years and volunteering with Marin’s Salmon Protections and Water Network (SPAWN). Terence and his wife Megan Isadore have lived in West Marin since 1998.
Sarah killingsworth, esq.
“I joined the EAC Board in 2019, because I wanted to help protect the lands and wildlife I love. We are part-time residents of Inverness, and it is such a special place at the convergence of the Point Reyes National Seashore and Tomales Bay State Park. As a wildlife photographer, I spend many hours in our wilderness areas, and every time I am in the parks, I see first-hand the negative impact of human activities. As a community, we can and should do better. Donating your time or money to EAC is a way to ensure the grandeur and beauty of West Marin is preserved for future generations, and we can continue to advocate for conservation and educate our future environmental leaders.”
Committees: Advisory & Development
Term Expires: 2025
Sarah is an award-winning wildlife conservation photographer and filmmaker as well as a family law attorney and mediator. Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, she has lived in the Bay Area for over 25 years. She received her J.D. from Stanford Law School with distinction. She splits her time between Greenbrae and Inverness.
Sarah is a California Naturalist and the Keeping it Wild Youth Education and Outreach Coordinator for Project Coyote. She is also a member of the Board of the Coho Salmon Land Trust and recently served a four-year term as an elected Trustee of the Kentfield School District. Sarah also leads workshops with Conservation Kids, a nonprofit engaging youth with environmental issues through photography. She has volunteered with a number of local nonprofit organizations, including in Wildcare’s bird room. Sarah’s photography has been featured in local and national media, in print and online. She is passionate about sharing the magic of our wilderness areas with children, both by bringing the wild into classrooms and by getting our youth outdoors, to learn about their environment. Learn more at www.sarahkillingsworth.com or on Instagram @skwildlifephotos.
Gerald Meral, Ph.D.
“I have been a property owner in Inverness since 1986, and resident since 2003. I appreciate the native birds, wildlife, and plants of West Marin, and want to do everything possible to preserve and enhance them. EAC is the best way to do that.”
Committees: Advisory, Development & Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival
Term Expires: 2026
Gerald H. Meral, Ph.D. is the Director of the California Water Program at the Natural Heritage Institute (NHI), an international conservation organization focused on restoring and preserving aquatic ecosystems. He directs NHI programs regarding the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, California groundwater, and other related water programs. He previously worked for Governor Edmond G. Brown, Jr., serving as California Natural Resources Agency Deputy Secretary for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) for three years from 2011 to 2013. Dr. Meral was executive director of the Planning and Conservation League from 1983 to 2003. He served as deputy director of the California Department of Water Resources from 1975 to 1983 under Governor Brown. Dr. Meral holds a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Inverness with his wife Barbara.
“EAC must continue to collaborate with other organizations to inform our community about the multiple challenges of climate change and work to enact positive solutions. Sea-level rise is only one of several challenges we face locally. I am committed to helping EAC raise awareness and exploring solutions to climate change locally.”
mairi pileggi
Committee: Advisory
Term Expires: 2026
A Quaker and passionate feminist, Mairi is committed to taking personal and political action on climate change. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication and Media Studies with a focus on environmental communication and is a recently retired Professor from the Dominican University of CA. A founding member of the International Environmental Communication Association, Mairi co-authored Environmental Communication Pedagogy and Practice. She is deeply rooted in West Marin and has shared her love of our local environment with her students and colleagues. She is an avid baker and gardener, she loves reading mysteries, spending time with her family, and watching her neighborhood crows.
“I have been a resident of West Marin for forty years and treasure the wild beauty of our landscapes and the region’s amazing biodiversity. In my years living here I have become aware that one organization is doing more than any other to protect our wild and natural environments from incompatible and negative developments. That organization is the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin. I have been honored to be a financial sponsor of the EAC for many years.”
David Wimpfheimer
Committees: Advisory & the Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival
Term Expires: 2026
David Wimpfheimer is a biologist and naturalist with a passion for the birds and natural history of the West. During his thirty years of expeditions, in addition to teaching local classes for the Point Reyes Field Institute, Oceanic Society, and the California Academy of Sciences, he has led numerous tours to Mexico, Alaska, Scotland, and other regions for groups including the Smithsonian Institution, Wild Wings, and Road Scholar. Although the majority of David’s field trips are geared toward teaching and interpreting the language of the avian world, he is just as experienced in teaching the rich diversity of the greater natural world. More info is available at www.calnaturalist.com.
