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SNC Region
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy is comprised of 25 million acres, all or part of 22 counties, 20 incorporated cities, 40 special districts and 212 communities.
A Short Video About
The Sierra Nevada Region
SNC Governing Board Bios
Mike Chrisman
SNC Board ChairGovernor Appointee Secretary, Resources Agency
A fourth generation Californian and San Joaquin Valley resident, Mike Chrisman was named California Secretary for Resources by Governor Schwarzenegger in November 2003. As a member of the governor's cabinet, Secretary Chrisman serves as his chief advisor on issues related to the states' natural, historic, and cultural resources. In leading the Resources Agency, Secretary Chrisman oversees policies, activities, and a budget of $6.4 billion and 16,000 employees in 25 departments, commissions, boards and conservancies. The issues run the natural resources gamut from conservation, water, fish and game, forestry, parks, energy, coastal, marine and landscape. Prior to his appointment Secretary Chrisman served as Region Manager for Southern California Edison Company from 1996 to 2003. There he managed all phases of company and customer business, and the political and civic activities in Edison's San Joaquin Valley service area. He served as Undersecretary for the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) from 1994 to 1996 during which time he provided leadership in the development and implementation of sound policy for the state's agricultural industry and consumers. Secretary Chrisman's lifelong commitment to family ranching proved invaluable in the development of policies to sustain the Central Valley's economy. In 1997, Governor Pete Wilson appointed Secretary Chrisman to the California Fish and Game Commission, where he also served as Chairman of the Wildlife Conservation Board. From 1991 to 1994 he served at the Resources Agency as Deputy Secretary for Operations and Legislation in the Wilson Administration. He was staff director of the Assembly Republican Caucus in 1991, advising members of the Legislature on environmental, water and agriculture issues. From 1986 to 1991, Secretary Chrisman served as Chief of Staff to former Assemblyman Bill Jones, managing the Central Valley member's State Capitol and district offices and specializing in agriculture, water and environmental issues. Throughout his career, Secretary Chrisman has been known as the 'go to' person to facilitate solutions for local and regional challenges. Often behind the scenes, he has been responsible for incalculable positive impacts throughout the region in many far-reaching ways. His commitment to the agriculture industry combined with his unwavering passion for protecting the state's natural resources, has established the foundation from which he has been able to provide bold and compassionate environmental leadership. Secretary Chrisman holds a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Education and a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy and Plant Science from the University of Arizona. He is an owner and partner of Visalia's Chrisman Ranches, a family ranching and farming business in Tulare County. He and his wife Barbara have two children and five grandchildren.
John Lloyd
Designated Representative
Deputy Director, Department of Finance John Lloyd was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in April 2005 as Deputy Director for Legislation at the California State Department of Finance. Prior to his appointment, John served at the Department of Finance as the Assistant Program Budget Manager for the Resources and Environment program areas, Health and Human Services, and Budget Operation Support. He also served as a Principal Program budget Analyst for K-12 Education and the non-correctional criminal justice program areas.
B.J. Kirwan
Governor's Appointment Public MemberRetired Partner
Environment, Land & Resources Department Education: JD, Univ. of California, Berkeley, 1971 BA, Univ. of California, Berkeley, 1968 Experience:
B.J. Kirwan is an of counsel in the Los Angeles office with more than twenty-five years experience. A member of the Environment, Land & Resources Department, Ms. Kirwan's experience is in the areas of air and water pollution counseling, permitting and enforcement matters and Proposition 65 matters. In addition, she represented companies and trade associations in rule-making proceeding throughout the state and secured regulatory approvals for development projects. Ms. Kirwan joined Latham & Watkins in 1989 as a partner in the Los Angeles office. Prior to joining Latham, she was a founding partner of McClintock, Kirwan, Benshoof, Rochefort & Weston and, before that, a partner at McCutchen, Black, Verleger and Shea. Before entering practice, Ms. Kirwan served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Francis C. Whelan, United States District Court for the Central District of California. Ms. Kirwan was actively involved in the environmental bar. She is a past Chair of the Environmental Controls Committee of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association. She has served as Vice Chair of the Air Quality Committee and Chair of the Environmental Quality Committee of the ABA's Natural Resources Section. Ms. Kirwan has been a member of the ABA's Standing Committee on Environmental Law and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Proposition 65 Clearinghouse. She has been voted by her peers to be listed in the Best Lawyers of America for the last 10 years straight and has been listed as one of the best environmental lawyers in Chambers USA since the publication's inception. In 2005, she was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to serve on the board of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. She served on California EPA Secretary Strock's Blue Ribbon Unified Environmental Statute Commission. She also is a member of the Governing Board of the California Chamber of Commerce and Chair of its Air and Waste Committee. She is a Board member of the Westridge School for Girls, Planned Parenthood of Pasadena and Sandyland Protective Association.
Bob Kirkwood
Governor's Appointment Public Member Bob Kirkwood, 69, of Palo Alto, has been appointed to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. He is the former director of government and education affairs for Hewlett Packard Company. Kirkwood serves on the boards of the Peninsula Open Space Trust and the California Advisory Board of the Trust for Public Land. He is a former member and chairman of the California Coastal Conservancy and a former member of the board of the Planning and Conservation League Foundation.
Carol Whiteside
Governor's Appointment Public Member Carol is from Modesto. She is founder and president of the Great Valley Center, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the Central Valley. Whiteside previously served as director of intergovernmental affairs in the Office of Governor Pete Wilson and as assistant secretary of intergovernmental relations at the Resources Agency. She is also the former mayor and a city council member of the City of Modesto. Whiteside is a member of the board of directors of the Public Policy Institute of California, the Sierra Health Foundation and the California Center for Civic Renewal.
Byron Sher
Legislative AppointmentSenate Rules Committee's Appointment Byron Sher was born and grew up in St. Louis. He graduated from Washington University before earning his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1952. He held academic teaching positions in law at Southern Methodist University, the University of Southern California, Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School, and was a Fulbright Research Scholar in New Zealand. As a professor of law at Stanford University, Byron specialized in consumer credit, consumer protection, and contract and commercial law. At Stanford, he was chairman of the Human Relations Commission and chairman of the Faculty Senate. Byron served two terms as Mayor of Palo Alto during his nine years on the City Council. He was elected to the Assembly in November, 1980, where he served for over 15 years. While in the Assembly, Sher served as chairman of the Criminal Law and Public Safety Committee and as chairman of the Natural Resources Committee. He consistently has been ranked as one of the State's top 10 legislators for intelligence and integrity by the nonpartisan California Journal magazine. Byron was elected to the Senate on March 26, 1996, in a special election to fill a vacancy in the 11th Senate District. Eight months later he was re-elected to a full four-year term, and in 2000 he was elected to a second full term. Byron was widely regarded as the Legislature's leading environmentalist and one of its foremost experts on consumer protection and government ethics. Sher was chosen to be the first chairman of the new Senate Environmental Quality Committee. Prior to this assignment, he briefly chaired the Senate Housing and Land Use Committee. He also chaired the Senate Headwaters Forest Task Force, and was a member of the following Senate committees: Budget and Fiscal Review (and Subcommittee No. 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection, Judiciary and Transportation), Constitutional Amendments, Education, Insurance, Judiciary and Natural Resources and Wildlife. Byron Sher is a California Commissioner on the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. He serves as a member of the Board, or Advisory Board of a number of environmental or energy organizations. For more than 45 years, Byron Sher lived in Palo Alto and Stanford, where he and his wife Linda raised three children. Byron currently lives in El Dorado County, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
John Brissenden
Speaker of the Assembly's Appointment Mr. Brissenden, 59, is the inn keeper of Sorensen's Resort in Hope Valley, a destination resort near Lake Tahoe. He was elected to the Alpine Board of Supervisors and served from 1989 to 1993. Mr. Brissenden is a member of the Conservation Alliance, the Sierra Nevada Alliance, the California Chamber of Commerce, the Sierra Business Council, and the Sierra Club. He also serves as a member of the California State Parks OHV Commission. Mr. Brissenden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz.Brian Dahle
North Sierra Subregion's Appointment
Supervisor, Lassen County No bio available
Steve Wilensky
South Central Sierra Subregion's Appointment
Supervisor, Calaveras County No bio available
Rose Comstock
North Central Sierra Subregion's AppointmentSupervisor, Plumas County
No bio available
Byng Hunt
East Sierra Subregion's AppointmentSupervisor, Mono County I am a health professional (pharmacist, retired) by trade, having practiced for over 40 years (27 years in Mono County). I was a Planning Commissioner for the Town of Mammoth Lakes for 3 years (1989-1992), a Town Councilman for Mammoth Lakes for six years (1992-1998), served as the Mayor of Mammoth Lakes (1995-1996), and have been on the Board of Supervisors (1999-present) serving two years as Chairman of the Board. I am married to Joanne (an ER nurse at Mammoth Hospital), and have three daughters and three grandchildren, all residing in the Eastern Sierra. I am an avid outdoorsman and mountain recreationalist, and sincerely love where I live and what I do. Great pleasure is derived from serving the needs of my neighbors and constituents, and I look forward to continuing our efforts to make Mono County one of the best places in the world to live, work, and visit.
Robert Weygandt
Vice-Chair Central Sierra Subregion's AppointmentSupervisor, Placer County Robert M. Weygandt, a member of the Placer County Board of Supervisors for the last 12 years, lives on the same foothills ranch in rural Lincoln where he grew up. He represents the western portion of the county, including Lincoln, Sheridan, most of Rocklin and part of western Roseville. He has lived in Placer County for 45 years. After graduating from Lincoln High School, he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in finance and management from the University of Southern California (go Trojans!). From 1979 to 2004, he was vice president, chief financial officer and part owner of WECO Aerospace Systems, an aircraft repair facility based in Lincoln. His other past experience includes service as a county planning commissioner, member of the county economic development board and community college instructor. Today, Robert is avidly involved in Placer Legacy?a program to protect land, water and open space within the county. He is an avid outdoorsman who admits to be a fanatic fly fisherman. Robert has a son Eric and a daughter Stephanie who both live and work in Placer County. He is a proud new grandpa - with granddaughter Haley, grandson Braden and another on the way!
Jon McQuiston
South Sierra Subregion's AppointmentSupervisor, Kern County Jon McQuiston represents Kern County's First Supervisorial District which covers both the northern and eastern portions of Kern County and includes the communities of Bakersfield, Delano, Ridgecrest, Shafter, McFarland and the unincorporated cities and regions of the Indian Wells and Kern River Valleys as well as the mountain communities of Glennville and Woody. The First Supervisorial District spans 2,538 square miles and is one of the largest legislative districts in terms of area in California. The First District is home to many of Kern County's vital economic industries, which includes agriculture, defense and aerospace and energy. The First District also serves as the home of the Naval Air Weapons Division, at China Lake. The Naval Air Weapons Division plays an integral role for our Nation's defense. The research, development and testing of airborne weapons at China Lake provide the tools that ensure a strong and effective military. Supervisor McQuiston was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1996. He was re-elected in 2000 and again in 2004 and is now serving his third four-year term. Supervisor McQuiston served as Chairman of the Kern County Board of Supervisors in 1999 and 2004. As a member of the Board of Supervisors, Supervisor McQuiston works to enhance Kern County's economy through efforts to promote the military defense capability of Eastern Kern. Supervisor McQuiston is also engaged in efforts to not only retain jobs, but also to create new jobs through economic development and diversification of local industries, particularly in the area of new technology. Supervisor McQuiston currently represents Kern County on the following boards and committees: California State Association of Counties, Kern Council of Governments, Kern County Air Pollution Control District, Quad State Coalition, and California Desert District Advisory Council, which he was appointed to by the U. S. Secretary of the Interior. Supervisor McQuiston was raised in rural Louisiana where he attended Quachita Parish High School. In 1968 Supervisor McQuiston enlisted in the U. S. Navy as an Airman Apprentice. He rose through the ranks to Chief Petty Officer and was later commissioned as a Naval Officer in 1978. He retired from the U.S. Navy in 1989. His military career was spent as an Air Traffic Controller and Air Traffic Control Facility Officer. Following his retirement in 1989, Supervisor McQuiston was the Head of the Land, Sea, Airspace and Environmental Management office at China Lake where he represented the U.S. Navy in the management of Navy special use airspace and the joint service R-2508 Complex which overlies much of Southern California. This role involved coordination of airspace and land issues with governmental agencies at the national, regional, and local levels. Supervisor McQuiston holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a Juris Doctorate from Ridgecrest School of Law. Supervisor McQuiston resides in Ridgecrest, California.
Beth Pendleton
U. S. Secretary of Agriculture's AppointmentU. S. Forest Service Beth Pendleton was selected as the new Deputy Regional Forester for Natural Resources. She replaces Bernie Weingardt who became the Region 5 Regional Forester. Beth will oversee the Ecosystem Planning, Ecosystem Conservation, and Natural Resource Management Staffs. Before her new position, Beth was on a 1-year detail as the Deputy Regional Forester for Operations in Region 10, Alaska. Prior to her detail, she was the Region 10 Director of Recreation, Lands and Minerals since 1998. Beth's Alaska experience also includes several years as the Team Leader for the Tongass Land Management Planning Team. Prior to her work in Region 10, she was a Program Manager and Program Marketing Specialist in the Washington Office Wildlife, Fish & Rare Plants Staff. Beth holds a B.S. in Wildlife Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont; a M.S. in Wildlife & Fisheries Science from South Dakota State University; and a M.A. in Journalism from the University of Wyoming. In 2003, she was accepted into the Senior Executive Fellows Program at Harvard University.
BIll Haigh
U. S. Secretary of the Interior's Appointment
U. S. Bureau of Land Management Veteran public land manager Bill Haigh has been named as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) new Folsom field office manager. Haigh completed a bachelor's degree at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1975. He began his BLM career as an environmental specialist in Sacramento in 1977. He went on to become the planning and environmental staff chief in the California Desert District from 1982 to 1988 before leaving government service to complete his law degree at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. He practiced law at a Sacramento law firm between 1992 and 1996. He returned to BLM as the West Mojave interagency planning team leader in November 1996 until June 2004. The planning process involved representatives from 120 stakeholder groups and over two-dozen agencies and jurisdictions to develop a conservation and land use plan for 9.3 million acres in the western portion of the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Kern and Inyo counties. Haigh will take over the leadership of the BLM's 31-person Folsom office with jurisdiction over public lands stretching from Merced County in the south to Yuba County in the north, with most of the acreage in the Mother Lode region of the Sierra Nevada. Haigh is married and has a thirteen year old daughter.
Mike Tollefson
U. S. Secretary of the Interior's AppointmentU.S. National Parks Mike Tollefson has been the superintendent (head ranger) of Yosemite National Park since December 2002. Tollefson's long career with the National Park Service includes the superintendency of Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. He served as a ranger in Katmai, Denali and Lake Clark National Parks and Preserves in Alaska, and Virgin Islands (VI) and North Cascades (WA) National Parks. He also has been in policy leadership positions in the NPS regional office in the Pacific Northwest. In 1995, he moved to Sequoia National Park where he focused on implementing the Giant Forest project.