Jim Sutton, Board President
The Sutton Law Firm
Jim Sutton has practiced law in San Francisco for over 15 years, specializing in political and election law, representing clients such as Mayor Gavin Newsom and District Attorney Kamala Harris. He graduated from Pomona College and Stanford Law School, and is a former Board member of the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and Enterprise for High School Students, and is a member of the Olympic Club. Jim and his wife Victoria are raising three children in the City's Richmond District.
Isabel Wade, Board Secretary
Founder of Neighborhood Parks Council
Dr. Isabel Wade, is the founder and former Executive Director of Neighborhood Parks Council. Wade created NPC in 1996 in an effort to "take back" the parks, which have suffered decline due to budget cuts. In 1993, Dr. Wade received one of the first national awards for excellence in the environmental field from Good HouseKeeping Magazine. She founded the State of California's Urban Forestry Program in 1977 under Governor Jerry Brown; was the first President of San Francisco Friends of the Urban Forest; founder of the California Releaf Program at the Trust for Public Land and a co-founder of the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park. Dr. Wade served on the Commission on the Environment for the City of San Francisco from 1994-1996. She has a doctorate in Environmental Planning from the University of California at Berkeley. For more information about Isabel's career, click here.
Christopher Guillard, Board Treasurer
Partner, CMG Landscape Architecture
Christopher Guillard is a founding partner of CMG landscape architecture, serving as the firm’s managing principal and directing many of the firm’s projects. Prior to founding CMG landscape architecture, he worked with Hargreaves Associates, serving as a project manager and designer on many of the firm’s award winning public open space and waterfront park projects. Chris’s passion and commitment to vibrant public space and sustainable environmental design has benefited projects such as Crissy Field, Treasure Island and the Crocker Amazon Playground, which he completed in collaboration with NPC. In 2001 he received the outstanding alumni award from the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech. He lectures and teaches on landscape urbanism and design.
Jan Chernoff
Casa Buena Vista Rentals
Jan served on the Board of Directors of Morrisania West (1985-2006), and the Board of Directors of Urban Resource Systems (1981-2007) which has been the launch pad for Friends of the Urban Forest, the AIDS Memorial Grove, and the current home of Neighborhood Parks Council. He is a member of the San Francisco Biodiesel Collaborative.
Anne Halsted
Anne Halsted is a devoted advocate for San Francisco’s waterfront, neighborhoods and social well-being. Through appointed civic positions and nonprofit leadership work, Anne has worked to safeguard San Francisco’s public spaces and improve the quality of life in the city. In addition to serving as a Trustee for the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association, Anne currently serves on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission, City Club of San Francisco Board, San Francisco Planning and Urban Research (SPUR) Board, Chinatown Community Development Corporation Board, North Beach Citizens Board, and the Goldman Institute on Aging Board. Anne has been honored with the Silver Spur Award by SPUR, the Women Who Could Be President Award by the League of Women Voters, the Eisenhower Award by Business Executives for National Security, and the Environmentalist Award by San Francisco Tomorrow. Anne holds a BA in Political Science from Duke University and is married to Wells Whitney, Ph.D. Anne and Wells live in the Telegraph Hill Neighborhood in San Francisco.
Mindelle Kershner
Tower Properties
Mindelle Kershner is a real estate agent with Tower Properties, President of Resourceful Systems, Ltd. Property Management, Board Member of the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Board Member of the Friends of Noe Valley, and Chair of the Noe Valley Emergency Preparedness Group.
Janan New
Executive Director, San Francisco Apartment Association
Janan New has served as Executive Director of the San Francisco Apartment Association (SFAA), a non-profit membership based organization, since 1993. She provides leadership in all aspects of the organization, including planning, program development and implementation, and membership development. Before joining the SFAA, she held Assistant Vice President positions at Ticor Title Insurance Company and Wells Fargo. Janan serves on numerous community boards and committees and is a registered lobbyist with the City and County of San Francisco.
Alfredo Pedroza
District 9 Liason
Alfredo Pedroza serves as the District 9 Liason in the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, as well as the Liason to the Latino Community. Prior to working in City Hall, Alfredo managed the ParkScan program at Neighborhood Parks Council. Alfredo is a native of San Francisco, and a graduate of the University of San Francisco.
Kelly Quirke
Kelly Quirke joins the NPC board after four and a half years as the Executive Director of Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) in San Francisco. FUF is a community-building organization that has planted more than 42,000 trees along the streets of every San Francisco neighborhood since 1981.
Kelly is also the former Executive Director of Rainforest Action Network (RAN). For over seven years prior to joining RAN, Kelly campaigned at Greenpeace, finishing his tenure there as the national coordinator of Greenpeace's U.S. Temperate Forest campaign. Before that, he worked on Greenpeace's Offshore Oil, Energy and Climate campaigns. As the national coordinator of Greenpeace’s public outreach and scientific area of the USA Climate Campaign, Kelly's work included educating and politicizing the insurance industry regarding the economic and environmental risks and realities of global climate change.
Kelly has served on numerous non-profit boards over the years, and is currently also on the board of directors of the Hunters Point Family, a community organization working with at-risk youth in San Francisco’s diverse and underserved Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. Kelly is active in the San Francisco Bay Area non-violence community, and has been a non-violence trainer for over 20 years. His activism has also included military non-intervention, needle exchange and AIDS-related issues.
Most importantly, he’s the father of 17 year old Casey and 2 year old Calliope.
Patty-Jo Rutland, Esq.
Associate, The Rutland Group
Patty-Jo Rutland is an acknowledged expert in project advocacy, strategic planning, and public policy development. She began her career in the California State Assembly, serving under then-Speaker Willie L. Brown, Jr. As the Deputy Administrative Officer of the Assembly Rules Committee, she oversaw the development of the Member Orientation Program, handled legislative bill assignments, and developed member and committee budget recommendations. In 1997, after 15 years of legislative service, Ms. Rutland accepted a position as the Regional Vice President for PRWT Services where she lead in winning for PRWT a public/private partnership with the City of San Francisco's Department of Parking and Traffic. In 2005, she was invited to join forces with The Rutland Group, where she focuses on client issues within San Francisco and neighboring Bay Area counties. Patty-Jo holds a BA from Fisk University and a JD from Lincoln Law School. She served on the San Francisco Child Abuse Council from 1997-2000, and as a member of the Mayor’s Fiscal Advisory Council from 1998-2002.
Greg Syler
Wells Fargo Bank Vice President - Market Compliance Specialist
Greg Syler has called San Francisco home for over 30 years. As a child he grew up on the Presidio and currently resides with his lovely wife and children within the Sunset District. He graduated from San Francisco State University with degrees in both Finance and Banking. For the past 15 years he has been working in the financial services industry, presently serving as Vice President/Market Compliance Specialist at Wells Fargo Bank.
Greg, along with other members of his community, serves with the group Friends of West Sunset Playground. The goal of this group is to rebuild and enhance the current West Sunset Playground to benefit everyone in the San Francisco community. Greg truly believes San Francisco is the most wonderful place to live and raise his family, and is committed to the enhancements of all its parks.
