The San Mateo County Parks Foundation is governed by a volunteer board of directors and has a small staff. Through grants and contributions from individuals, foundations and businesses, the Parks Foundation provides additional financial support for San Mateo County Parks’ recreational, environmental and educational programs and projects.
Mary DeLong, Chair
Ms. DeLong became active with San Mateo County Parks when she became a docent at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in 1995. She served on the board of Friends of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve for ten years including six as president. She came to the Foundation in 2012 after many years of volunteer service. She has been an advocate for ocean protection since 1988 working to stop any offshore drilling on the San Mateo coast and helping to ensure the Marine Life Protection Act was implemented. She has also been a Beach Watch volunteer for the Greater Farallones Marine Sanctuary since 2012. She and her husband live in Montara and enjoy hiking, gardening and photography.
Beverley Talbott, Secretary
Ms. Talbott hikes frequently and enthusiastically throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Her artwork has appeared in juried shows throughout the Bay Area. Before retiring from full-time work, Ms. Talbott held principal technical editor positions at Apple, Microsoft, and VMware and has subsequently worked as a consulting editor for Apple. She is a board member of the United Democratic Club of San Francisco and Vice President of the Alumnae Board of St. Catherine’s School in Richmond, Va. She also transports dogs for Pound Puppy Rescue and participates in local political campaigns.
Larry Stites, Treasurer
Over his career, Mr. Stites served as an officer in the US Army for some 35 years, was a public accountant, a financial executive with a major transportation company, associated with a private equity firm, and, for the last 15 years of his career, a financial consultant to entrepreneurial, privately held, and start-up companies in a wide range of industries. Since retiring, Mr. Stites has been an active volunteer with the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley, including as Treasurer, with the Trail Center as a trail construction and maintenance volunteer and Treasurer, and as a member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the Ross McKee Foundation. He especially enjoys hiking, biking, gardening, and travel.
Katy Coonan Rhoades, Director
Ms. Rhoades has devoted herself to improving the quality of life of people with disabilities. Her work on behalf of disabled people includes serving on the San Mateo County Commission on Disabilities, the Health Plan of San Mateo, the Meals on Wheels Coalition, New Beginning Coalition and the Second Harvest Food Bank. Katy has also worked with the California Children Services and the Far-West Wheelchair Sports Association.
Susan Eliot, Director
Ms. Eliot is a Bay Area native and an avid hiker. Her professional experience has included product management positions at Netscape, Yahoo, Realtor.com and VolunteerMatch and she currently works in business development for Benetech.org. Susan enjoys being involved in her community and has held several board positions on local education foundations.
Ann Kapoun, Director
Ms. Kapoun has been passionate about the outdoors ever since growing up near a forest as a child and using it as her playground. She is an avid conservationist, hiker, backpacker, and loves riding her bike in San Mateo County. Ann started a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity to help families with children with disabilities. She has more than two decades of leadership as a biotech executive in Research and Development advancing over ten drug discoveries through clinical development.
Justin Knowles, Director
Mr. Knowles lives in Hillsborough and is a business executive at the Oracle Corporation. He enjoys mountaineering, hiking, kayaking, and mountain biking. He also serves as a board member of the Trail Center, a frequent San Mateo County Parks partner, where he regularly leads volunteer crews to build hiking trails.
Deanna Kung, Director
Ms. Kung, a San Francisco native, has led teams in several software and cloud computing firms in Silicon Valley, including Salesforce.com and Yahoo. She was also a Wall Street Correspondent during the early Internet days. Currently, she guides entrepreneurs in market entry and manages a real estate investment fund. On weekends you can find her trail running in one of our county parks and volunteering with her son for Young Men’s Service League.
Jan McFarland, Director
Ms. McFarland is a long-time coastal resident of 45 years having raised two children in Montara, a small hamlet on the coast. She was an elementary school teacher for over twenty years and has volunteered for many different organizations such as an Año Nuevo State Park docent, a Fitzgerald Marine Reserve docent, and since 2016, a Beach Watch volunteer. She likes to think of herself as a citizen scientist.
Jessica Meng, Director
Ms. Meng has a 20+ year career in entrepreneurial and commercial leadership roles at biopharma and diagnostic innovators Genentech, Myovant Sciences and Veracyte. She and her adventurous family are frequent visitors of San Mateo County Parks. They love the breathtaking array of outdoor adventures the Parks offer: from bay hikes, ocean tidepools to camping under the redwood groves. Jessica also volunteers and fund-raises for the Hillsborough Schools Foundation, Life Science Cares and is a Girls Den Leader for her local scout troop.
Michele Beasley, Executive Director
Ms. Beasley was born and raised in San Mateo County and has spent her career working to foster sustainable and equitable communities. Her love for the Bay Area’s natural beauty took shape as a fifth grader visiting Jones Gulch and was solidified during early morning rowing sessions out of the Redwood City port. Prior to becoming the Executive Director of the San Mateo County Parks Foundation in 2015, Michele was Greenbelt Alliance’s Regional Director in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Michele has also worked as an advocate for the homeless in Contra Costa County and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, West Africa supporting ecotourism efforts in the late nineties. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Saint Mary’s College of California. Contact: Michele@SupportParks.org
Leslie Holzman, Membership and Communications Coordinator
Ms. Holzman is an Arizona native who has been fortunate to live in various parts of beautiful California before happily settling in San Mateo County, where she loves to hike and enjoy our abundant open spaces. She has a professional background in public art administration and real estate lending, and has been an active volunteer with Peninsula Food Runners, Second Harvest Food Bank, the Peninsula Humane Society, and in the Burlingame schools. Since 2018, she has also served on the Burlingame Parks & Recreation Commission.
Cristina Vila Ruiz, Program Coordinator
Ms. Vila Ruiz is a native Spanish speaker who has lived in the Bay Area for over eight years. Throughout her career, she has worked as a scientist, educator, and non-profit administrator in the environmental sector, developing a deep appreciation for the potential of green spaces to bring people together. Cristina actively engages with the Latinx community, ensuring that programs are culturally responsive and accessible. She thrives on building relationships and fostering collaboration among diverse groups. In her role as Program Coordinator, she emphasizes partnerships with health and sustainability organizations to enhance community awareness and participation in San Mateo County Parks. Cristina is passionate about creating inclusive programs that not only educate but also empower community members to connect with their environment.