Greenway Facts
The Southeast Greenway Campaign Team is comprised of Campaign Committee members, who determine the Campaign’s overall goals and plans, a Circle of Advisors who bring special skills, active volunteers who help with community outreach, fundraising, and events, and over 2000 supporters. Please join our team!
GREENWAY TEAM
The Campaign consists of a volunteer steering committee, a circle of advisors, and more than 2400 supporters. We are working to bring the community together to acquire, develop and care for the Greenway.
Bob Gaiser, In Memoriam
Bob Gaiser was a beloved and inspirational Co-Chair of the Southeast Greenway Campaign from 2016 to 2023. He brought 40 years of experience as a retired local government planner with two cities and two counties. In his 26 years with Sonoma County, he helped develop policies for water, biotic resources, urban boundaries, geologic hazards, gravel mining, noise and stormwater. Well known in the community, he was an avid bicyclist, traveler, photographer and musician. He loved to collaborate with others and use his experience to create community assets and changes. His friends on the Greenway Campaign miss him terribly and honor his memory by continuing his work.
Thea Hensel, Chair
Thea is a 2011 Fellow of the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy, is an active member of Impact 100 Redwood Circle and Sonoma County Forum and lives at Yulupa Cohousing. Before retiring, she had a long career in sales with the Wrangler Jeans Company, taught school and was a recruiter in the biotech industry. She has a BS from State University of New York, Oneonta, a Master’s in Education from NYU and an HR certificate from SRJC. Thea enjoys traveling with her adult daughter who teaches in the Bay Area, hiking, music and sharing all things food, wine and the arts with friends.
“It brings me great joy to work with dedicated people in this shared vision of a Greenway for Santa Rosa.”
Jim McAdler, Treasurer
Jim McAdler has been involved with the Southeast Greenway Campaign since its beginning. As Campaign Treasurer, Jim uses his skills as a retired city administrator and CPA. Jim grew up on the Tuolumne River near Yosemite and attended Cal Berkeley, but now calls Santa Rosa his home. He has many hobbies including hiking, backpacking, skiing, yoga, guitar and travel. His most precious times are spent with his wife Sandy and their children and grandchildren. The Greenway Campaign helps to nurture his love for open space and the great outdoors.
Grace Cheung-Schulman, Campaign Secretary
In addition to her work as Southeast Greenway Campaign Secretary, Grace is a member of the Marketing Communication Team. She generally oversees the production of the Campaign’s eNews and postings on social media accounts. She is also the Campaign’s official volunteer photographer.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, she holds degrees in geography, music, education, and business management from four different universities in Hong Kong, Canada, and the US. After retiring from her music education and nonprofit/arts management careers, Grace pursues her interest in photography, freelancing as a fine art and documentary photographer. Apart from volunteering as the Campaign’s official photographer, she has also volunteered as photographer for nonprofit organizations such as Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Redwood Empire Chinese Association, Homeless Action, Catholic Charities, Peace and Justice Center, Community Child Care Council, and North Coast Mac Users Group.
Grace is an animal lover and is into organic gardening as well as water and energy conservation. She sees the Southeast Greenway as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for citizen involvement in planning a Greenway for the benefit of the entire community for years to come.
Katharine Anderson, Recording Secretary
Katharine has more than 30 years of professional architecture experience, working in a variety of architecture firms primarily in design roles in projects as diverse as the monkey house for the San Francisco Zoo, new university, elementary and middle campuses and high school performing arts centers among others. In the last ten years, she has been working as a consultant to area firms. Ten of the projects for which she has been project designer have either won design awards or been published professionally. She earned a joint Masters in Architecture and Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. She has also taught as a graduate Instructor at the School of Landscape Architecture at the Academy of Art for 7 years.
In addition to her professional work, Katharine has been involved in the community including the Santa Rosa Design Review Board, the Santa Rosa Art in Public Places Committee, the AIARE Board and the Habitat for Humanity East Bay Board and Family Selection Committee.
Katharine enjoys dividing her time between work, art, music and family, including being a grandparent.
Steve Barnhart
Steve Barnhart has lived within a block of the Greenway since 1970 and is thrilled to be an advisor to the Southeast Greenway Campaign. He has done biological surveys and written background papers to explain the Greenway’s rich potential for restoration.
After attending UC Riverside and San Diego State University, Steve spent 41 years as a college professor, 37 at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC), where he taught biology, botany, and ecology. He has also consulted with local, state, and regional parks on vegetation management and restoration issues.
Steve and his wife Linda have three adult children, eight grandchildren and two great granddaughters.
Mitch Conner
Mitch got involved with the Southeast Greenway Campaign via his association with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) “Communities by Design – Sustainable Design Assessment Team” (SDAT).
Currently, Mitch acts as an advisor-at-large, architect/community planner attending SEG meetings and consulting with its leaders on an as needed basis. What excites Mitch about the Greenway is its key role as part of an east/west hike and bike connection system.
He has been a licensed architect in California since 1979 and a Sonoma County resident for about 40 years. Along with Peter Stanley, their firm ArchiLOGIX continues to emphasize inner city development and the opportunity to create meaningful placemaking opportunities. His love of community planning has enabled him to be involved in many participatory design grass-roots projects in the North Bay.
Roberta L. Delgado
A Sonoma County resident for over 35 years, Roberta has worked as a career and academic counselor for the California Employment Development Department, Sonoma County Social Services, and Santa Rosa Junior College.
Roberta’s appreciation for the healing influence of nature was instilled while growing up in a then-undeveloped North Orange County and reinforced by time spent in Santa Cruz, the Sierra foothills, and the Mendocino Coast. She is happiest while riding her road bike, hiking in a State or Regional Park, or walking along the Laguna, especially when she can also be gazing through birding binoculars.
Roberta was initially drawn to the Southeast Greenway by her late husband, Mark Spaulding. She joined the Campaign to continue Mark’s legacy, but soon realized her own desire to further the Greenway vision. She serves on a subcommittee that focuses on facilitating bicycle and pedestrian travel both within the Greenway and between the Greenway and other parts of our community. She enjoys any opportunity to tell people about the Greenway and the many benefits it will offer.
Peter Dellavalle
Peter is a geologist with 25 years of consulting experience. Environment Assessment has been the primary focus of Peter’s education and work. He has managed numerous site assessments and investigations including wetlands assessments, biological monitoring, archeological surveys, and hundreds of Phase I and Phase II environmental site investigations. Peter is a California Professional Geologist with a B.S. in geology and a minor in biology. He brings to his work a passion for natural history as well as a practical understanding of historic agricultural and industrial land use practices.
Peter assists the Greenway Campaign with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) mapping and analysis. He is passionately interested in bike transportation and is delighted that the Greenway will strengthen our local and regional network of trails. He and his family raise puppies for Canine Companions for Independence. They are currently raising their third puppy, Henderson.
Alexa Forrester
Alexa has been involved with the Greenway Campaign since shortly after her family moved to Santa Rosa in 2012. She teaches philosophy, with a focus on environmental philosophy and critical thinking, at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) and lives with her husband and two children in the Montgomery Village neighborhood.
The Greenway is important to her for numerous reasons, including safe biking and walking routes for her kids as they travel to school and friends’ houses.
Philip Frankl
Philip brings design and planning expertise toward the future development of the Greenway. Philip holds a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. As a landscape architect he has been involved regionally, nationally, and internationally with community design over the past 30 years. Philip’s experience with project entitlement, land development, design process, along with an understanding of natural systems and construction practices, will help enable the realization of the Greenway.
Philip says, “This corridor provides a unique opportunity to bring about transformative change to Bennett Valley and the greater Santa Rosa area. It’s exciting to think about the potential this project will have on strengthening social, economic, ecological, and other layers throughout this community.”
Trains, planes, cars, bikes, sailboats, horse, on foot – Philip loves to travel and experience different cultures.
Stephen Fuller-Rowell
As a member of the Team, Stephen is available when needed to give fundraising and environmental assessment advice. He now lives in Eugene where his focus is on the potential of Oregon’s forests to sequester carbon.
Stephen co-founded the Sonoma County Water Coalition and was named the Environmentalist of the Year for 2014 by the Sonoma County Conservation Council and the Sierra Club Sonoma County Group. As an avid cyclist, he enjoys riding his bike to most meetings he attends. Born in England, Stephen is a graduate of Cambridge University where he majored in 8th century Chinese poetry.
He is excited by the Southeast Greenway because he considers it to be one of the most effective ways he can contribute to our community response to climate change.
Vin Hoagland
Vin’s work with the Southeast Greenway Campaign focuses on bicycle and pedestrian use of the Greenway as he uses his bicycle for transportation whenever possible. Vin is a Professor Emeritus of Chemistry from Sonoma State University where he taught from 1969-2002. His education includes a BA in chemistry from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, and a PhD in biochemistry from Florida State University in Tallahassee.
Vin’s community involvement includes being the 3rd Supervisorial District member of the Sonoma County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and is a longtime member of both the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition and the Santa Rosa Cycling Club. Vin’s main vision for the Southeast Greenway is to have a bicycle/pedestrian path which will eventually link Spring Lake Park with downtown Santa Rosa and the west county.
Wendy Krupnick
Wendy has been involved in the Southeast Greenway Campaign since its early discussions. She has been professionally involved in farming/gardening management and education since 1978 and has a small farm, www.farmtrails.org/business/chiatri-de-laguna-farm. She is adjunct faculty in Sustainable Agriculture at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) and was coordinator for SRJC’s Shone Farm production market garden and orchards. In addition, she is a volunteer member of several agricultural and environmental organizations.
Wendy is interested in the Southeast Greenway’s potential for community gardens, farming opportunities at the historic walnut orchard and habitat restoration. Wendy loves gardening, hiking, native plants, being involved with community, and music.
Tanya Narath
Tanya has been involved in the Southeast Greenway Campaign since its launch, first as its fiscal sponsor in her former role as Executive Director of the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy, and currently as a member of its Marketing Communication Team. In her current role she helps maintain the Southeast Greenway Campaign website and prepares the Campaign’s eNews.
Tanya loves running the trails in Spring Lake and Annadel. She looks forward to the day when she can run from her house in west Santa Rosa to Spring Lake via the Santa Rosa Creek and future Southeast Greenway trails.
Janice Nicholson
“WOW!! What a great place to enjoy with our dogs! And a bike path right up to Spring Lake Park?”
That’s what Janice Nicholson felt when she first became aware of the Southeast Greenway. Janice, her husband and two canine kids live within walking distance of the future Greenway and have been impressed with how effective the Campaign Committee has been in promoting the Greenway vision.
Janice joined the Team in 2016 after retiring. Her background includes 25 years at HP/Agilent as a finance analyst and database administrator, and 12 years at the Sonoma Humane Society managing its donor database and assisting the Development Director. Janice has been pleased to help the Campaign with their administrative, database and fundraising work.
Janet commented, “Someday, you will see two very happy dogs walking me along a beautiful Greenway path!”
Jim Pedgrift
Jim’s work with the Southeast Greenway Campaign is focused mainly on outreach (“and whatever else needs to get done”). He grew up in Santa Rosa and has been actively involved in the community for the past 40 years. Jim teaches at Sonoma State University, and, for a time in 2014, worked as a Visiting Scholar in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana University in Bloomington. He believes that “without the Greenway Campaign’s citizen effort to create a beautiful Greenway for the entire community, the job would not get done. A once in a lifetime opportunity would be lost forever.”
David Petritz
David’s work with the Southeast Greenway Campaign focuses on land use planning, community outreach, and the Greenway’s immense eco-tourism potential. David’s career includes various pursuits related to land use sustainability and past employment involving municipal, regional and resort land use planning. His previous experience also includes reporting on land use/economic development issues in eco-tourism pioneer Costa Rica, his wife’s homeland. David’s education background includes an MPA (with a Community Development emphasis), and current involvement with the Congress of New Urbanism.
David is excited about the Greenway’s potential to provide the key missing link for an emerging pedestrian/bike/wildlife/biological corridor connecting the Sonoma Valley and the historic town of Sonoma with the confluence of the Russian River and Pacific Ocean.
Alan Proulx
Alan is a founding member of the Southeast Greenway Campaign, where he has focused on fundraising and community outreach. He has helped secure several grants for the Campaign through his proposal writing. Alan is a rockhound, and enjoys hiking, gardening, photography, travel and reading. He is excited about the Greenway because of the many benefits it will provide to the community, including easy access to open spaces and strengthening our network of trails. He envisions a Greenway that will offer children and young people recreational activities, outdoor education, and community building experiences.
Linda Proulx, In Memoriam
Linda was a founding member of the Southeast Greenway Campaign, a visionary and tireless leader for the project. She served as Campaign Co-Chair and led the Communications Team. Linda enjoyed advocating for a healthy and sustainable community in partnership with so many creative and dedicated Greenway volunteers.
The vision of a climate-smart urban Greenway with trails for walking and biking, community gathering places and gardens, and restoration of native habitat captured Linda’s imagination. She loved hiking on local trails with her husband Alan and knew that developing open space into an active transportation corridor would bring more people outside to enjoy our beautiful surroundings. As the Southeast Greenway moves forward toward planning and development, we honor Linda’s singular spirit, and for leading the Campaign with grace and tenacity.
Steve Rabinowitsh
Steve’s work with the Southeast Greenway Campaign involves strategy and coordination with local government agencies. Steve has been teaching Political Science at SRJC since 1987. He has Masters Degrees in Political Science and Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado.
Steve currently serves on the SMART Citizens Oversight Committee, and is the Chairman of the Sonoma County Community Foundation Community Investment Committee and is Chairman of the Santa Rosa Waterways Advisory Committee.
Steve served on the Santa Rosa City Council (1998-2006) and the Executive Board of the Association of Bay Area Governments during that period. He helped organize community support for the Prince Memorial Greenway and also led efforts to create the 1% For Art program of the City of Santa Rosa. He was a leader of the Steering Committee of the campaign that established the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation District and served on its Advisory Committee for over twenty years.
Steve sees the Southeast Greenway as an amazing opportunity to create open space, parks, community gardens and pathways in Santa Rosa.
Renee Riggs
Renee’s work with the Campaign focuses on the fundraising committee and on coordinating outreach efforts. She is also a member of Santa Rosa Together, whose goal is to get more residents engaged and improve the way we work together in the city. Before retiring, her professional experience involved parks, urban planning, outreach, public engagement, and project coordination. She holds a BS from the University of California, Berkeley. Renee moved to Santa Rosa from Dallas to be close to her daughter and two grandchildren who live in Rohnert Park.
Renee is excited about the Southeast Greenway because, “This project is a connector with people and places on many different levels; everyone and anyone can find something to like. The Greenway Campaign has smart leadership that has taken the time to build a solid foundation with community stakeholders.”
Marina Starkey
Marina works with the Marketing Communication (MarCom) team for the Greenway Campaign and brings expertise in strategic planning, branding and website development to the effort. She is the Marketing Director for TLCD Architecture in Santa Rosa, and enjoys the blending of community projects the firm is involved with and her commitment to this grass roots organization.
Marina has lived in Sonoma County for over 30 years and loves the outdoors, gardening, hiking and travel. When this Greenway is completed, she said she will be the first person signed up to organize a community garden!
Linda Weathers
Linda’s work with the Southeast Greenway Campaign focuses on administrative tasks and databases.
Linda moved to Santa Rosa from Anaheim, CA with her husband Jim in 2004, as new retirees. Initially, she volunteered with Bird Rescue and took Wine Studies classes at SRJC. Later, she worked for LandPaths as a volunteer in 2006, and then again as a part time employee from 2007 until 2013.
Linda says, “I believe the Southeast Greenway will enrich the lives of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County residents by reducing traffic, providing more safe routes to schools, and making alternative transportation more feasible. The plans proposed for the Greenway make sense and will provide improved living conditions for its neighbors and all of us in Sonoma County.”
Dorothy Claire Weicker
Dorothy puts her talents to work with the Campaign’s community outreach efforts. Dorothy worked in the Bay Area as a body therapist – Rolfer – both as a structural and movement practitioner for twenty-five years. She closed her professional career in 2002 and turned her attention to art, which has been a deep and continuous thread throughout her life.
In 2005, after 27 years in California, she moved to Vermont, where she enjoyed being one of the “original settlers” of Burlington Cohousing, until the challenging winter of 2013-14 inspired her to relocate back to California. Dorothy is excited about the Southeast Greenway because it is “a truly inspiring project and opportunity for the city.”
Tony White
Tony is a Professor Emeritus in History from Sonoma State University where he taught Latin American and Global Studies for 37 years. He has a BA in History from Stanford, an M.B.A. from UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in History from UCLA.
Since retiring, Tony has taught courses in the Lifelong Learning programs at SSU and Dominican University and organized five group trips to Cuba. He is also active in the North Bay Organizing Project, the North Bay Jobs for Justice and volunteers at the Redwood Empire Food Bank.
Tony’s work with the Southeast Greenway Campaign focuses on community outreach and promoting “this great opportunity to create a green corridor for safe walking and biking, recreation and community gardens.”