Leadership Team
Our volunteer leadership team is drawn from a cross section of the San Francisco community. We are committed to improving this vital public place.
Fran Hegeler
Aquatic Park & Pier Project,
Chair
Fran is an open water swimmer and rower who starts every morning at Aquatic Park, year round. Her passion for the place combined with her marketing and communications background enable her to forge connections and support for the project. She is president of the South End Rowing Club and serves on its board.
Dan Hodapp
Aquatic Park & Pier Project Director, Planning & Design
Dan is an urban designer, planner and landscape architect for the Port of San Francisco and has designed several of the new public spaces along the San Francisco waterfront. He is also a huge fan of Aquatic Park and Pier, and what it means to the City.
Maureen Keefe
Aquatic Park & Pier Project, Director, Development
Maureen is a development, marketing, and communications professional with a track record of successful advancement for institutions such as the San Francisco Art Institute, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco,, and the Bay Area Discovery Museum. She is currently the Director of New Business Development at CCS Fundraising, a strategic consulting firm that partners with nonprofits to design and implementation major capital, endowment, and comprehensive campaign.
Peter Ross
Aquatic Park & Pier Project Director, Civic Outreach
Peter is the sole principal of Ross Financial, a municipal finance consulting firm that has advised on nearly $20 Billion of financial transactions for mostly California local governments. In addition to leading the civic outreach for the Aquatic Park & Pier Project, he serves as a Trustee for the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco and as a member of the True Blue Leadership Circle of San Francisco Baykeeper. Peter is an open water swimmer and past president of the South End Rowing Club.
Diane Walton
President, Dolphin Club
Diane is past president of the Dolphin Club. Born in Portland, Oregon, raised in Capitola, California, educated at Santa Cruz (BA 1973) and Eugene (Ph.D 1995), Diane's primary professional focus has been public policy. Her current commitment is to the wellbeing of the Bay, and we who work, swim, row and play in it.
Carol Walker
Aquatic Park & Pier Project, Founder
A retired businesswoman and active volunteer for City Guides of San Francisco, Carol founded Save Aquatic Park Pier Committee with a letter writing campaign in 2015 calling attention to the deterioration of Aquatic Park Pier. Her tenacious advocacy provides a foundation for this effort. Carol is a San Franciscan at heart with a grand passion for the waterfront and especially fond memories of Aquatic Park, the Maritime Museum and the Pier.
Sharaya Souza
Taos Pueblo, Ute, Kiowa
Advisor
Co-founder and Executive Director of the American Indian Cultural District, Sharaya is an ambassador for promoting equitable resource distribution to Native American communities, increasing Native visibility and political representation, and protecting and preserving tribal cultural resources in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tom Escher
Advisor
President, Red and White Fleet
Tom has invested his career and passion in the maritime related tourism industry. Tom started working on the San Francisco waterfront at age 13. In 1997, Tom obtained full ownership of San Francisco’s historic Red and White Fleet – a family business started in 1892 by his grandfather, Tom Crowley. Currently he serves as a Director of the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Business District. Tom is also a member of the Maritime Commerce Advisory Committee and the Fishermans’ Wharf Advisory Committee.
Darlene Plumtree Nolte
Advisor
CEO, San Francisco Maritime National Park Association
Five generations of Darlene’s family have enjoyed the natural and recreational benefits of the Aquatic Park. As CEO of the Park’s non-profit partner, her voice and support for this project have been pivotal. Darlene sees Aquatic Park and Pier as an overlooked urban treasure with the potential to become a world class destination.
David Brouillette
Advisor
Superintendent, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Dave is the immediate past superintendent of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, also known as Aquatic Park. His 40 years of park operations and facilities experience inform the perspective he brings to this project. Prior to this role, Dave served as the Superintendent for Point Reyes National Seashore and deputy superintendent at Boston National Historical Park for 10 years.
Cathie Barner, AIA
Advisor
Aquatic Park & Pier Project, Project Manager
Cathie’s decades-long career has been devoted to creating parks and public spaces from neglected urban sites and former military bases. She is inspired by the potential in Aquatic Park and managed the Vision Study. Her favorite past projects include Crissy Field restoration, Fort Baker conversion to Cavallo Point and Lands End renewal.
Maddie Callander
Aquatic Park & Pier Project, Administrator
Maddie is VP Accelerator & Portfolio at Boost VC, pre-seed startup accelerator in Silicon Valley. The Aquatic Park & Pier is her backyard. She has lived in the neighborhood for over 8 years and takes a walk on the Pier several times a week to take in the wind, the water, and the views. It’s magical whether she is by herself or with friends and family: the Pier is a place for reflection, celebration and inspiration. She hopes many future generations can feel this magic too.
Ebon Sean Glenn
Advisor
Operations Director, San Francisco African American Arts and Cultural District
Ebon combines his passion for the Bay Area with his business acumen to improve the quality of life for African American community, through advocacy and action. A regular visitor to Aquatic Park with his son, Ebon is excited to make this place better known and more welcoming to the city’s diverse residents.
Randall Scott
Advisor
Executive Director, FWCBD
As leader of the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District, Randall plays an important role in preserving and enhancing this multicultural waterfront neighborhood for tourists and residents alike. He sees Aquatic Park as a pivotal place of connection between the the city’s natural and commercial areas. His expertise guides and supports the project’s programmatic team.
Gregg Castro
Advisor
t'rowt'raahl Salinan/rumsien-ramaytush Ohlone
Gregg has been involved in preservation of his cultural heritage for nearly three decades, for both his late Mother’s rumsien Ohlone heritage, and on his late Father’s side, the since ended ‘Salinan Nation Tribal Council’ (serving two terms as Tribal Chair) and currently the non-profit organization, Salinan T’rowt’raahl. Gregg is a Co-Facilitator for the annual California Indian Conference, a 30+ year gathering about California Indigenous heritage. He is a writer and activist within the California indigenous community, focusing on issues of cultural preservation, protection, education and traditional practices.
Tamara Sokolov
Advisor
San Francisco Sea Scouts
Tamara runs the San Francisco Sea Scouts, and for the past 20 years has dedicated many volunteer hours per week to teaching leadership and seamanship skills to youth ages 11-21 in the Aquatic Park cove. As a former Sea Scout herself, she deeply understands the impact that having a close connection to SF's historic waterfront has on teens, and strives to ensure that financial hardship is never a barrier to access this important resource. Tamara also sits on the Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America, Golden Gate Area Council, and regularly serves on the Parish Council at neighboring Holy Trinity Cathedral.
Nancy Hornor
Advisor
Former Planning Division Chief, Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Nancy brings to this project a deep-seated connection to Aquatic Park, both through her regular presence there as an open water swimmer and Dolphin Club member and as a long-tenured employee of the National Park System. Nancy recognizes the potential to draw a broader cross-section of the city’s residents to this park.
Jim Chappell
Advisor
Trustee, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture
As former, long-time leader of SPUR, Jim has worked for decades on projects to enhance and increase public access to the city’s waterfront. He is a board member (and former chair) of Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture, and brings his professional planning and urban design skills to the Vision Study for Aquatic Park and Pier project.
Cheryl Reiss
Advisor
Communications Consultant
Cheryl has over two decades of expertise in stakeholder outreach, media relations, messaging, and content development. Cheryl has worked for organizations ranging from governmental agencies and tech companies to non-profits and elected officials. She loves to travel but when she’s home, Aquatic Park Pier is a favorite place to restore and renew.
Christy Rocca
Advisor
Associate Vice President, Youth Programs and Services
Christy’s decades-long career has focused on connecting children and youth with their natural and cultural environments— most recently for Crissy Field Center and the Park Youth Collaborative, both partnership projects of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, National Park Service and Presidio Trust. She is eager to help Aquatic Park and Pier be more welcoming for youth.
Gina Bardi
Director, Programming
Reference Librarian, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Gina Bardi is the Reference Librarian at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. She is also in charge of programming and events for the Research Center, including the Moby Dick Marathon and Blue Room Lecture Series. She also serves on the park's Acquisition Committee, The Safety Committee and the Social Media Committee. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, sketch comedy writing and exploring the hidden city with her husband (Ty) and dog (Sherman).
Jean Allan
Advisor
Legal Consultant & Open Water Swimmer
Jean is a third generation San Franciscan, a mostly retired lawyer and former professor, and a new board member of the Dolphin Club. She loves to swim and paddle in the Bay, and always marvels at the exceptional beauty of our urban landscape, especially along the northern waterfront. She is committed to increased and enhanced public recreational access at Aquatic Park and the Pier for generations to come.
Paul Roesler
Advisor
Board of Trustees Chair, San Francisco Maritime National Park Association
Dominica Donovan
Aquatic Park & Pier Project, Administrator
Dominica has been volunteering with the Aquatic Park and Pier Project for just over a year. She is an avid San Francisco Bay swimmer and lover of the ocean and the outdoors. Her career in public service began with the Peace Corps, followed by roles in the federal government in Washington, DC. She currently works for the City of San Francisco's Small Business Commission, and is thrilled to help make history by rebuilding Aquatic Park and its Pier.
Bill Wygant
Advisor
Past President, South End Rowing Club
Bill is past president of the South End Rowing Club, one of the oldest continuously operating institutions in San Francisco and was one of the original tenants when Aquatic Park was established in the 1930’s. Bill is committed to seeing Aquatic Park and the pier preserved for the enjoyment of current and future generations.
Lynn Cullivan
Advisor
Management Assistant, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park