Tuolumne River Trust Board of Directors

The following are the current members of our Board of Directors

Eric Heitz, Chair

Eric Heitz fell in love with rivers, and met his wife Brenda, while training as a river guide with Echo Rafting. He currently works in the environmental field as the President of the Energy Foundation, which advances clean energy technologies in the and . He has two daughters, who are almost ready to float the Tuolumne . He has served on the Board since 1996.

Jerry Meral , Vice-Chair

Jerry Meral has served on the Tuolumne River Trust Board since its inception in 1981. He made the first kayak run on Cherry Creek, and the second from Lumsden Campground. He is a zoologist, with long experience in California water issues.

Susan Stern, Secretary

Susan came to know and love the Tuolumne on its Middle Fork at Camp Tawonga . After her children spent many summers at Camp, Susan served as President of the Tawonga Board which worked closely with the Tuolumne River Trust on issues of mutual concern. She joined the Trust Board in the mid-1990's. Now Susan and her family enjoy hiking in Tuolumne Meadows and near the headwaters on Mt. Dana as well as canoeing the lower river during salmon spawning season in the Fall.

Ross A. Carkeet, Jr.

Ross Carkeet joined the Tuolumne River Trust Board in 2003 due to his professional interest and commitment to the applied science of watershed management. In particular, his desire to assist the Trust in supporting the Clavey River and South Fork of the Tuolumne River under Wild and Scenic status. Carkeet's lengthy tenure as an Instructor of Forestry and Natural Resources at Columbia College , and as a Registered Professional Forester, has provided him with a challenging opportunity to promote the goals and objectives of the Tuolumne River Trust.

Harrison C. (Hap) Dunning

Hap Dunning is Professor of Law emeritus from the University of California at Davis . For many years, Hap has been involved in efforts to reform California water policy and water law, with a particular emphasis on improving arrangements for maintaining and augmenting river and lake levels.

Bob Hackamack, P.E.

Bob Hackamack has served on the Trust’s Board in vairous positions since its inception in 1981. He is a retired Chemical Engineer and Control Systems Engineer. Hackamack is also involved with the following organizations: Friends of the Tuolumne , Sierra Club, Restore Hetch Hetchy, Past Chair of the Sierra Club Tuolumne River Conference Task Force 1969-1995, and Hetch Hetchy Restoration Task Force 1987 to present.

Bill Maher is an active environmentalist and rafter. He was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for 12 years and chaired Public Works which dealt with traffic and the environment for 8 of those years. Bill authored the Toxins Bill, the Sunlight in the Park bill, the demolition of the Embarcadero and Central freeways among others and authored or co-authored virtually every San Francisco piece of water and energy conservation legislation from 1982 until 1995. He is a past president of the SF Board of Education and served as the Executive Director of the SF Department of Parking and Traffic. Bill has been an advisor to the Trust since 2004.

Len Materman

Len joined the Trust Board in 2007. He has served as a consultant to goverment agencies, businesses, NGOs and foundations since he and colleagues from a White House Task Force formed the nonprofit America's River Communities, Inc. in 2000. Currently Len is Stanford Coordinator for the Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development (CESD). Len serves as a U.S. State Department consultant to Eastern Europe on land use and tourism issues. He was Director of U.C. Berkeley 's Office of Government Affairs. Len has volunteered for environmental and education organizations in his hometown of San Carlos.

Marty McDonnell

Marty, owner of Sierra Mac River Trips in Sonora has spent many years navigating the Tuolumne rapids and guiding people down challenging whitewater courses. He is involved with the Clavey River Preservation Coalition and is a founding member of the Tuolumne River Trust. He has served on the board since 1981.

John Nimmons

John is an attorney and consultant specializing in energy law, policy, planning, and development strategies for sustainable energy resources, focusing on renewable resources, combined heat and power, district energy, fuel cells, and other emerging technologies, and on energy options available to public entities. He has been a Trust advisor since 2004. John is a former Director of the Earl Warren Legal Institute Energy Studies Group (U.C. Berkeley) and San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association Energy Task Force and a former Board member of the Pacific Energy and Resources Center .

Sue Ellen Ritchey

Sue Ellen Ritchey is a civic leader in the Modesto community. Professionally, she teaches high school students. She is also a member of the Modesto Symphony Board and past Secretary, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Gallo Center for the Arts.

Dan Sullivan

As a resident of San Francisco, Dan is aware of the special connection between San Francisco, the Tuolumne River and its water. Through his Sierra Club involvement, he was active in the Tuolumne Wild and Scenic Campaign twenty years ago. Dan is currently involved in participating at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission meetings related to the CIP (working alongside the Trust and others). Dan has a J.D. from Harvard Law School .