Ventura Hillsides Conservancy Board of Trustees



		TIM COONAN, President, is a wildlife biologist for the National Park Service at Channel Islands National Park, where he has led the park’s island fox recovery program since 1999. Tim has studied island foxes and other fauna on the islands since 1992. Prior to that he worked for the NPS in Death Valley National Park, and in Arizona and Texas. Tim completed his undergraduate work at Notre Dame and graduate work at Northern Arizona University. Tim has recently volunteered as an advisor for VHC, focusing on biological studies on the Conservancy’s Ventura River properties.

		TOM WEISEL, Vice President, is a designer of medical implants and surgical instruments. He is president of Arch Day Design located in Ventura. Tom has been involved in various environmental causes over the years. He and his wife Kerry moved to Ventura in 2001 drawn by the open spaces surrounding the city including the hillsides and river valleys. Tom and Kerry with their son Kellin enjoy exploring new places and anything outdoors including hiking, beach-going, camping, skiing and expanding their native plant garden. Photo: Tim Davis


		BROOKE ASHWORTH was an environmental analyst with international law firms for over 16 years, specializing in hazardous waste management and environmental due diligence. She has also worked as an environmental consultant and land use planner. Brooke served as the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy's President from its inception in 2003 through 2006. She is a member of the City of Ventura Parks and Recreation Commission. Brooke holds a B.S. degree in Environmental Planning and Management from the University of California, Davis. Brooke and her husband have lived in Ventura for 20 years. Together with their son and daughter they enjoy hiking, bird watching, boating and the beach. Brooke is an avid hill walker and body boarder. She takes pleasure in a good book and gathering friends and family for a fine meal. Her interests in the natural environment and land use planning principles have come together in her passion for preserving Ventura's hillsides. Photo: Donna Foster

		ROBERT BARTOSH is an attorney with Ventura-based Hathaway Law Firm and a part owner of the Ventura Harbor Boatyard. You may also hear Bob singing and picking the mandolin with local group, The Catterwailers. A Ventura County native, Bob brings strong business and legal skills to the Board, along with a steadfast fervor for natural places. Photo: Stephen Svete

		GARY K. BEDNORZ is the California student recruiter for the University of New Mexico. He graduated from UNM with a B.A. in Economics and moved to Ventura in 1981. Gary has been our Boothmaster since the beginning of the VHC and heads up our Arroyo Verde Park Cleanup Campaign. Gary serves on the national environmental committee for the US Power Squadrons and teaches safe boating classes with the Ventura Power Squadron. Additionally, he does wildlife transport of sick or injured animals from the LA area to rehab centers in Ventura County. Gary is married to Karen and they have an adult daughter and two dogs: Betty and Martini. In his spare time he can be caught fishing, gardening or playing Frisbee.
		Photo: Tim Davis

		GERHARDT HUBNER is a Professional Geologist licensed with the State of California, with over 20 years experience in surface and ground water resource assessment, protection and management. Since November 2005, he has worked for the County of Ventura, Watershed Protection District, as Deputy Director of Public Works overseeing the Water and Environmental Resources Division. Prior to that Gerhardt worked for the State of California - Regional Water Quality Board involved with all aspects of surface and groundwater water quality programs, including streams, lakes and reservoirs, wetlands, and coastal marine/estuarine ecosystems in Ventura County, coastal San Luis Obispo County and all of Santa Barbara County. He currently is Chair of the Ventura Countywide Stormwater Program, a Commissioner on the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) Commission, and a Director on the California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA) Board. Gerhardt is a resident of Ventura, married with three children. He enjoys the outdoors including skiing, sailing, hiking and travel to foreign countries.

		JAMIE L. KING was appointed to the Board in 2008. A professional biologist for over ten years, Jamie currently manages the 600-acre Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve located in Santa Barbara County. Jamie is passionate about open-space conservation and the importance of protecting our precious resources for the public interest in perpetuity. Jamie received a Bachelor's degree in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution in 1997 and a Master's degree in Biology in 1999 from the University of California, San Diego. Her Master's thesis focused on the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) and its impacts on local arthropod species in southern California. Since 2000, Jamie and her husband Eric Smith have lived and worked in Ventura with their menagerie of small critters. They recently welcomed their newborn daughter Kell into their home. They are usually found reading, hiking, slowly restoring their 1920s cottage or playing a rousing bout of D & D during their time off.
		Photo: Tim Davis