Marin Women's Hall of Fame

     Angeles Arrien is a cultural anthropologist, award-winning author, educator, and consultant to many organizations and businesses. Raised bi-culturally and first generation of a Basque immigrant family from the Pyrenees mountains of Spain, Angeles discovered as a young girl, her deep interest in teaching and in learning about other cultures, because of her own bi-cultural experience. With family in both the Basque communities of Idaho and Spain, she eventually pursued her interests in diverse cultures and international work through an advanced degree in Anthropology and Folklore at UC Berkeley. This allowed her to learn about cross-cultural and indigenous traditions, and explore the commonalities of Perrenial Wisdoms encompassing spiritual and religious traditions, societal mores, and universal values.

     As a young woman travelling around the world as part of her studies, teaching and research, Angeles developed a lifelong commitment to finding the common ground between people and communities. She feels it is important to bridge differences and optimize the creative opportunities and points of unity found in diversity, by revealing the “universal wisdoms” that transcend culture, history, or family conditioning. Angeles has remained committed for over 45 years to the pursuit of these universal and perennial wisdoms, and in disseminating them through her national and international work, in a sustainable manner so they will be preserved for generations of the future. Her lectures, courses, and writings, bridge cultural anthropology, psychology, comparative religions, conflict resolution and mediation skills.

     She has written seven books, which have been translated into thirteen languages. Her award-winning books include: The Signs of Life (Winner of the 1993 Benjamin Franklin Award), and The Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom (Winner of the 2007 Nautilus Award for Best book on Ageing). Angeles is most known for her book, The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Healer, Teacher and Visionary, from which her programs, keynotes and workshops draw most extensively, to enhance the personal and professional development of others. Through her Fold-Fold Way programs, and lifelong love of nature, she has provided 3-day 3-night solo wilderness experiences for over 6000 people of all ages.

     Angeles has taught in the University of California system at Berkeley, Los Angeles, Irvine, Davis, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco. She has been an associate professor at three Bay Area graduate schools, the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), John F. Kennedy University and the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. While at CIIS, she co-designed and implemented the Social and Cultural Anthropology Doctoral program, and received their Distinguished Teaching Award. Since 1988, she has received three honorary doctorate degrees in: Philosophy; Transpersonal Education; and a Doctorate of Divinity. For many years, she has been an international advisor and past Fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences. She is currently a core faculty with the End-of-Life Counselor Training (EOL) program sponsored by the Metta Institute, which trains and supports professionals who wish to work in the field of hospice and palliative care in a compassionate way.  

     Angeles is the also the Founder and President of the Foundation for Cross-Cultural Education and Research. The Foundation supports the preservation of cultural heritage of Indigenous Traditions worldwide; sponsors multi-cultural bridging and collaborative projects between countries, professions, generations and faiths. Additionally, it honors international elders as invaluable mentors and wisdom-keepers; fosters the development of emerging youth leaders worldwide; and supports environmental sustainability through the conservation of heritage seeds, reforestation, and has sponsored the development and dissemination of over 200 water wells in countries in need. The Foundation’s outreach has positively impacted people and communities in 27 countries, and has provided over 400 scholarships worldwide to youth and elders.

     Angeles Arrien’s work has been featured on CNN, and is currently used in medical, academic, and corporate environments. Within the medical community, she has consulted with: the Institute for Health and Healing at the California Pacific Medical Center; the Kaiser Permanente Group; Sutter Community Hospitals; and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. 
    

     Keynote addresses, workshops and presentations to name a few, have included:  The State of the World Forum; Wharton Business School; International Women’s Forum; American Leadership Forum of Silicon Valley; Hewlett-Packard Labs; and the National Organizational Development Network Conference. Her expertise to work with diverse multi-cultural issues, mediation, and conflict resolution, has been used by the International Rights Commission and the World Indigenous Council. Requests for her organizational and international skills have taken her expertise to: Bali, China, Indonesia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Spain, Denmark, Hawaii, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, South Africa, Mexico and Canada.

     Angeles enjoys living with her sister in a hundred year old house, in nature-full Sonoma County. As vast as the depth and breadth of her expansive and far-reaching lifelong work, Angeles is best known for her personhood, depth of character, compassionate engagement, skillful and astute communication abilities. She is a wonderful storyteller, with a delightful sense of humor, creative outlook on life, and is beloved by her students, colleagues, friends and family. She remains committed to walking the spiritual path with practical feet, and to making the world a better place by leaving a legacy of increased cultural and spiritual tolerance and understanding for generations of the future.

     Teveia Rose Barnes has known from early childhood that she wanted to be an attorney.  A self-described skinny kid with large glasses from San Antonio, Texas, she was the one who all the other children would approach to settle disputes.  As a youngster, she was considered extremely studious.  She came into her own in college, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1975 from Rice University, as a triple major in economics, German studies and political science.  Upon graduating from Rice, Ms. Barnes attended and graduated from New York University Law School in 1978.

     She practiced law in New York at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett from 1978 to 1983, and from 1983 to 1986 she practiced at Sage, Gray, Toss and Sims.  From 1986 to 1999, she served as Associate General Counsel and Senior Vice President at Bank of America.  Ms. Barnes demonstrated her ability to influence women when she launched the Bank of America’s diversity initiative for women and people of color.  She always remained unassuming and humble in her leadership.

     In 1999, Ms. Barnes accepted a public service calling at the request of former president Bill Clinton.  Clinton appointed Ms. Barnes as Executive Director for Lawyers For One America. (LFOA).  LFOA is a non-profit organization commissioned to work with a collaboration of lawyers and organizations to promote diversity for women and lawyers of color in the legal profession and to provide pro bono legal services for the working poor and underserved communities.  Under Ms. Barnes’ leadership, LFOA produced Bar None: Report to the President of the United States on the Status of People of Color and Pro Bono Services in the Legal Profession, and the video, “Bending the Arc Toward Justice.”

     Ms. Barnes’ full time service to LFOA ended in 2001, when she yielded to the call of public service, to serve as the Executive Director to the Bar Association of San Francisco.  In addition, she maintained oversight of the Association’s Volunteer Legal Services Program, the largest comprehensive pro bono service provider in San Francisco.

    Ms. Barnes is now dividing her time between LFOA and private practice at the law firm of Foley and Lardner LLP in San Francisco, as a partner in the financial institutions and the bankruptcy practice groups.  Still, she is propelled by her passion to volunteer.  She has served as a board member at Equal Rights Advocates.  Equal Rights Advocates is one of the most well-established women’s legal advocacy groups, whose mission is to protect and secure equal rights and economic opportunities for women and girls through litigation and advocacy.  

     Ms. Barnes currently serves as Chairman of the Board of On Lok, Inc., which provides .  On Lok Lifeways, a nonprofit program specifically designed to provide total long-term care for the elderly. On Lok’s comprehensive health plan includes full medical care, prescription drugs, home care, adult day health, transportation, and more, thus allowing its member to remain at home for as long as possible.

     She also served on the Board of Trustees for Rice University, including serving as Chairman of the Audit Committee, the California Minority Counsel Program, the American Conservatory Theater Board, and the Board of the Branson School.

    Ms. Barnes has spoken widely at national and regional bar associations, law schools,  universities and law firms and major corporations promoting diversity and pro bono legal services to the working poor, while taking time to mentor young women lawyers and lawyers of color.

     In 2004 Ms. Barnes was presented with the prestigious Margaret Brent Award from the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women for her “steadfast advocacy and gender diversity crusade.”  Other recipients of the Margaret Brent Award include Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Conner and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  She was also recognized in 2005 with the Marin County Human Rights Commission’s Martin Luther Kin Jr. Humanitarian of the Year Award..

     Teveia Barnes is devoted to her husband, Alan Sankin, also a major volunteer at LFOA, their two sons, Aaron and Zachary, and Aaron’s fiancée, Nicole Velasquez.

Introduction: In January 1964, the San Francisco Chronicle named Joan Linn as one of thirty-five business people chosen as “Bay Area Leaders Who Made Their Mark in 1963.” After a long professional public relations, sales promotion, and advertising career representing agricultural industries, Joan married Don Bekins in 1964 at age 34. With their infant in a packpack and leading their toddler by the hand, Joan started walking with Elizabeth Terwilliger in 1967.

     For many, Joan Linn Bekins’ name is synonymous with that of Elizabeth Terwilliger. Joan was the energetic volunteer who was the “woman behind the woman.” She publicized and nominated Mrs. T for numerous awards (including President Reagan’s volunteer award) to direct public attention to Mrs. T’s important work with children. In 1970, she launched the Terwilliger Nature Guides to help Mrs. T lead school field trips, the non-profit Elizabeth Terwilliger Nature Education Foundation in 1975, and theTerwilliger Guild in 1984.

    While education chairwoman for Marin Audubon Society’s Board of Directors in 1972, Joan obtained corporate funding to produce and distribute three habitat films featuring Mrs. T showcasing her renowned teaching methods. Joan produced two more award-winning films in 1976 and 1978. She now distributes free DVDs nationally through the non-profit Terwilliger Nature Education Legacy, founded in 2004 by Mrs. T’s children. This effort represents Joan’s 38 year volunteer dedication to this film project. To date, seventy million children have met Mrs. T via film in classrooms throughout the United States!

     In 1979, Joan was successful in obtaining Buck Trust funding for the fledging ETNEF organization. This enabled the volunteers to have an office in Tiburon and hire staff, but the effort was still volunteer-driven with expanded recruitment and training programs for new Terwilliger Nature Guides. NatureVans, filled with taxidermied birds and mammals, traveled to schools in eleven Bay Area counties.

    Joan edited and published books, naturalists’ site guides, and records for children and adults to reach new audiences. Talented as a volunteer publicist, photographer, grant writer, and fundraiser, she also collaborated closely with the Marin County Superintendent of Schools, environmental and conservation groups.

     Joan emphasizes, “I could not have achieved this without the support and talents of other women - - many with young children - - who also contributed their time and enthusiasm to enrich childrenʼs lives with an understanding and appreciation of Nature. I am, today, blessed with their friendship, of both Terwilliger Nature Guides and the women of the Terwilliger Guild. We shared a very special camaraderie. We had a passion and Mrs. T was our inspiration.”

     Joan inspired volunteers, and for some was a role-model; she was recognized in 1980 as Marin’s “Volunteer Activist of the Year.” She offered women opportunities to explore video production, event planning, library research, archives, newsletter writing, production, graphic art, schoolyard ecology, early education, senior and special needs programs, that provided hands-on experience. For some, these became their career choices. By 1995, the Guides had led tens-of-thousands of children on school field trips and the Guild had raised over $100,000.

     When the Terwilliger office was in her home from 1975 through 1979, Joan provided women reentering the job force an opportunity to gain real world business experience through a CITA-funded program. The women did clerical work, helped with direct mail campaigns, and filled mail orders for an assortment of educational Terwilliger materials Joan produced, “Sights & Sounds of the Seasons,” “Mrs. Tʼs Coloring Book,” a record album from the sound track of the films, a song book, and “A Naturalistʼs Guide to Richardson Bay Sanctuary.
Joan inspired other women to join her to help Mrs. T lead school field trips, and was the first volunteer president of the Terwilliger Nature Guides after spearheading the group’s formation in 1970. Joan actively recruited docents each year and developed a well respected training course for them to learn about plants, marine life, birds, insects, etc. that empowered women to feel comfortable about teaching groups of children, their teachers, and accompanying parents on walks. Many women, like Joan, had careers before having a family and brought their expertise to the programs. Joan encouraged volunteers to spread their wings and schoolyard ecology, early education, senior and special needs programs evolved.

     When it was apparent that some schools could not fund chartered buses for field trips, Joan and other Nature Guides launched the first Terwilliger Nature Van in 1981. Habitat scenes were painted on the outside and children learned food chain concepts by placing magnetic creatures in the habitats. Inside were taxidermied creatures for multi-sensory, interactive experiences. This effort helped the non-profit to expand the numbers of children served annually from 6,000 to 65,000, when two additional vans were put on the road to cover eleven Bay Area counties.

     Joan found that there were many women who believed in educating children about nature, although they were not interested in becoming Guides. To leverage their talents, in 1984, Joan formed an auxiliary, the Terwilliger Guild, that staged “Fandango” fundraising events to help support school programs and again offered opportunities for women to develop new skills and friendships.

     Her dedicated commitment to nature education has had a positive effect on the lives of children throughout Marin, and the nation, as well. An advocate for open space, she chaired an ad hoc committee in 1999 to fund and reinstate the Marin County Open Space district naturalist-interpreter position.

    The films are still in high demand. Joan mails VHS and DVDs free to school librarians throughout the United States on behalf of the non-profit Terwilliger Nature Education Legacy. This significant program for young children is nationally applauded for awakening a curiosity and appreciation of nature and the natural world. It is also part of the curriculum in some universities to demonstrate effective teaching methods.

    She is an award-winning nature photographer, and since 2000, when she turned 70 years old, she has had numerous Bay Area solo exhibitions of her work that benefit non-profits. She also writes a newspaper column, “Wildflower Watch,” illustrated by her photographs.

     Other recognition: Chevron Texaco “Conservation Award” 2002; CINE Golden Eagle Award, Washington, D.C. 1973; John Muir Award National Education Film Festival, 1974; elected Fellow in the Explorer’s Club, 1986; represented the U.S. in the International Wildlife Symposium, member of the Consultative Committee, 1984-1988.

     Joan’s special moments: “Sharing what I learned from Mrs. T with my two children, and now with my grandchildren.”

     Born in Iowa, the third oldest of ten sisters and brothers, Joan Capurro says she comes from a typical Midwestern family - spiritually wealthy and financially poor but is anything but “typical.”

    Her banking career began as a page at Wells Fargo’s head office in San Francisco at age nineteen. She moved to Marin County in 1962 with her new husband, Bob.  She then went to work for Crocker Anglo Bank in 1963 as a bookkeeper and worked her way up to Area Market Manager in San Rafael. After working at a Savings & Loan in San Anselmo for two years, in 1990, she was hired as one of the managers at the new Bank of Marin.  She wholeheartedly believes her current job, as Bank of Marin Community Relations Director is the ideal job; as the bank’s philosophy, values, and mission match her own beliefs.

    Joan experienced many challenges in her career, which gave her the resiliency to keep working hard to prove her worth. Russell A. Colombo, President and CEO of Bank of Marin promoted her to Senior Vice President in 2007, giving her validation. When the news was announced at the monthly Bank of Marin staff meeting, Joan got a standing ovation. She believes that too often, these valuable signs of recognition are missed in the business world.

    Joan feels her most valuable contribution to the Marin community and Bank of Marin employees is her mentoring and networking skills.

    Her work hours are long since she turns no one away.
She has never turned down a request to meet with people who want to discuss a possible project, their career, fundraising, or what they might need to start a business or non-profit organization. She thrives on helping people who want to learn, to advance in the workplace, and make things better for the community.

    Because Joan has been a banker in Marin for over forty years, she knows most everyone and has worked on more committees than she can remember. Though often mistaken for Jan Wahl, since they both wear colorful hats, neither one mind the mistake for they both is strong women fully involved in the local community and making a difference.

    Joan hopes to write a book one day about her experiences in banking - her many rewarding relationships with customers and employees but also her own experiences with discrimination. She has a special empathy for women trying to advance in their careers, since she herself was told by a manager early in her career that she couldn’t be a bank officer because it was a “man’s job.”

Current community involvement:

• Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership-Nominating Chair
• Community Action Marin-Prosperity Partners
• Dominican University-Women, Leadership and Philanthropy Council-Chair Sponsorship and Membership Committee
• San Rafael Chamber of Commerce-Governmental Affairs Committee, co-chair Leadership Institute
• Rotary Club of Ross Valley-co-president (and 2nd woman in club)
• United Way-Community Investment Committee
• Workforce Investment Board–Nominating Chair

Prior service in Marin organizations:

• American Banker’s Association-chair-women’s committee
• American heart Association – celebrity waiter fundraiser
• American Cancer Society – committee member
• American Red Cross – board chair
• Marin County School Volunteer’s-past chair
• Marin Forum – past president – joined in 1987
• Matrix – fundraising committee member
• Novato Youth Center fundraising & emcee
• Salvation Army-1st women board chair in Marin
• San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce - board chair twice
• San Rafael Chamber of Commerce – Past Board member and Auctioneer
• Sunnyhills Children’s Center – fundraising committee 14 years

     Krystyna came to California in 1987. She was born the eldest daughter of a Polish immigrant and RCA factory worker and was brought up with old fashioned solid work ethics and a business tool her father impressed upon her, which was ‘make what you want from others easy for them to provide".  

     After one short year and losing her corporate job during the dot com bust, and with nothing more than a telephone and an idea to create a company, Krystyna and her future husband launched one of the early U.S. visual effects studios, Matte World, being the second visual effects company serving motion pictures based in Marin County. In the male-dominated movie industry and with Industrial Light & Magic as her neighbor, this was gutsy. She was gutsy and unwavering in her vision to create this company and sustain it. She was the heart of the company often referred to as "The Mother of Matte World".

     Matte World began its legacy of producing images of lasting significance for film, against the odds of competing with local giant Industrial Light & Magic for a particular type of visual effect, when it made contact with HBO and secured it's first contract for the seedling company. Within one year of establishing her new company, Krystyna won her first Emmy for Outstanding Visual Effects for an HBO movie!

     Krystyna became the first woman in Marin County, and possibly the first woman in the United States, to own a visual effects company, producing special effects for film. She is among the very first women to be a credited Visual Effects Producer in film as well. She is unique in having created, owned and operated a company – while being its producer of visual effects at the same time.  This from a woman who re-invented herself to fulfill a financial need while having no prior background in the 'biz' or the production of visual effects.

     As an entrepreneur, Krystyna ran her company for 19 years as a Visual Effects Producer and Executive Producer and has shown excellence in the field through her contributions to 84 films, numerous commercials, a Michael Jackson video and projects for The National Park System and The New York American Museum of Natural History.

     Krystyna’s company was the first in the film industry to apply radiosity rendering (a certain computer software based technique of lighting objects in an architectural model) to motion picture film, in Martin Scorsese's "Casino".
 
     Krystyna has worked on such notable films as Tim Burton's "Batman Returns", Francis Ford Coppola's "Braum Stoker's Dracula", Martin Scorsese's "Casino", James Cameron's "Titanic" and David Fincher's "Zodiac".

     She leaves a legacy that will last for generations to come, immortalized by film and digital medias.

 FILM AND TELEVISION AWARDS and NOMINATIONS:

• Emmy for Outstanding Visual Effects - "By Dawn’s Early Light", 1990
• Nominated for Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and BAFTA Awards for Achievement in Visual effects - "Batman Returns", 1992.
• Gold Plaque for Best Special Effects, Chicago International Film Festival - "The Utilizer", 1996.
• Nominated for BAFTA for Achievement In Special Visual Effects for "The Truman Show", 1999.
• Nominated for Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Visual Effects In A Special Venue Project For "Greece: Secrets of the Past", 2006.
• Nominated for Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Visual Effects In A Motion Picture for "Zodiac", 2007.

    In addition to visual effects work, Krystyna produced the televised science fiction film, "The Utilizer," which won  “Best Visual Effects” at the Chicago International Film Festival.

     Krystyna contributed to the production, research and licensing of images for a comprehensive book about visual effects matte paintings authored by her former husband and Mark Cotta Vaz, 2002, called, “The Invisible Art: The Legends of Movie Matte Painting.” The book received the ‘Outstanding Book on Film’ Award from the Theatre Library Association of New York and ‘Golden Pen Book Award’ from Theatre Technology.

     Krystyna was also a featured contributor to the book, “The Power of Miracle Thinking”, by Randy Peyser 2008,  endorsed by 3 New York Times best selling authors, Marci Shimoff from “The Secret,” Caroline Myss, and Terry Cole-Whittaker.

    While still in high school Marilee Eckert felt a calling to help youth keep their lives on track. She grew up on a small horse farm in rural Pennsylvania, her free time spent trail riding in the Blue Ridge Mountains. In a nearby town was a well-known residential treatment program for teens struggling with drug addition. Books had been written about the program, and the stories of teens who changed their lives through the program piqued Eckert’s interest. She decided she wanted to be a change agent helping people improve their lives.

    During her senior year in high school, her mother died of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Eckert started college that year but was too distraught and dropped out before completing her first semester. For the next two years she worked at various jobs and struggled emotionally. Then one day she received what she calls “a letter from God.” The letter was from the university stating she had been re-admitted and when to report for the next semester’s classes. Eckert had not re-applied but the letter made her stop and think about her future. She returned to college, finished her Bachelor’s degree and went on for a Master’s in Counseling Psychology.

    According to Eckert none of this would have been possible without the support of many magnificent women who came into her life just when she needed them to help her along the way to her success. “I stand on the shoulders of many strong women who have guided me on the path I continue to follow today,” she says. “It is my responsibility to pass that on to those who come behind me.”

    Eckert has spent her entire career helping youth develop their lives in positive ways. She taught children with learning disabilities in New York City, guided university students navigating the transition to independence and directed an inner-city youth employment program in Oakland, CA. During ten summers working at Girl Scout camps she developed her passion for protecting the environment and a deep love of the out-of-doors. “Blue skies, green trees and crisp fresh air make me a better person,” she says.

    Since 1992, Eckert has combined her passions for youth development and environmental conservation as the leader of Conservation Corps North Bay (CCNB). Eckert grew the fledgling organization into a $7 million operation that now serves hundreds of youth annually in three corps-owned facilities in San Rafael, Novato and Cotati. The program philosophy and structure designed under Eckert’s supervision supports struggling young people who want to get their lives back on track. Through this program, thousands of disenfranchised youth have received an educational work experience that connects them to their communities and teaches them to become voices for a just and fair environment. In the process, the young workers have improved Marin County’s environment, school curriculum, parks and open spaces.

    Knowing that biological diversity is critical to a healthy ecosystem, Eckert applies that same principle in her organizational model. She initiated a charter school at the corps so that participants can earn a high school diploma. She instituted a formal Corps-to-Career program that tracks and supports youth for two years after they leave the Corps. She added programs to serve a larger and a more diverse group of youth, from middle school students through college graduates. Rather than being overwhelmed by the wide diversity of life experiences of the corpsmembers, Eckert welcomes the challenge of helping young people build and maintain a work community of mutual respect. This, she believes, contributes to the positive life transformations reported by so many corps graduates.

    Eckert does not limit her focus to local efforts. She is a leader in the youth development and service corps movements in California and nationally, as well as a global visionary who believes that all our decisions and actions have an impact that ripples around the world. “Driving our cars here in Marin County affects the lives of people across the globe. Auto emissions are creating a hole in the ozone that is turning parts of Africa into desert. Increased droughts and flooding combined with the AIDS epidemic are decimating African communities, leaving millions of orphans in countries with no resources to take care of them.”

 
     The awareness of this crisis led Eckert to her decision to adopt four daughters from Ethiopia, which she calls the most rewarding part of her life. “There is nothing more satisfying than watching my children flourish and grow into uniquely beautiful, talented and loving people,” she reflects. ”I have nothing but gratitude for all I have been given.”

  Remmy Kingsley remembers the moment, years ago, when she spotted a mushroom growing through the macadam in her driveway. "I was awed, “ she says. “Right then I saw the power of nature."  That moment set the stage for a lifetime of environmental activism.

    Born Rembert Brimm 87 years ago in Providence, R.I., Remmy’s early responsibilities when her mother was ill, created the woman she was to become – an activist and champion not only of the human condition but also of the environment and how we connect together.

    In the 1970’s, Remmy was a pioneer in environmental education, helping to form Marin County's Environmental Forum and leading her own organization, Natural Science Education Resources (NSER), which trained docents for Audubon Canyon Ranch and designed classes for teachers and students - among them a training program showing Mill Valley teachers how to teach ecology in the schoolyard- funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. She taught schoolchildren about the interconnectedness of plants and animals in classes at the Richardson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in Tiburon.

    She holds a degree in Chemistry from Cornell University and one in Environmental Ecology from San Francisco State.

    She and three other female environmentalists founded their own company, Madrone Associates, to furnish environmental impact reports for developing companies, a new necessity in a nature conscious world. One such report was for the Larkspur Ferry Terminal.

    In 1944,after graduating from Cornell University with a degree in Chemistry, and while working for the National Defense Research Committee in Washington, D.C., she met her future husband, Paul Kingsley, also a chemist.  The two moved to Ross, their present home, in 1962. They have two children, Bruce, an anesthesiologist in Phoenix, father of a boy and girl, and Judy, a management consultant and mother of twin sons.

    In 1993 she produced a standing room only conference at the College of Marin honoring the spirit of older women.

    In 2008 Remmy was honored as one of the Magnificent Women of Marin by Search for the Cause, an organization dedicated to identifying environmental risk factors for cancer in Marin County.

    Today, Remmy leads an older women's drumming group, the Druid Drummers. The group meets weekly at her home in Ross and occasionally performs for groups such as Wind Chimes, an Alzheimer facility.

    Remmy Kingsley began with the environmental movement that swept the nation in the 70's and 80's and influences our lives every day and remains committed to protecting the environment.

    The Marin Women’s Hall of Fame honors Catherine Munson for her past efforts to preserve the Marin County Civic Center, acquire land for permanent open space and create the Point Reyes National Seashore.

    Catherine Munson grew up in a little town in central Nebraska during the depression. Her childhood was simple but she enjoyed an excellent basic education and an outstanding music education. This foundation gave her the tools for a rich and rewarding life. 

    She graduated from the University of Nebraska with a double masters degree in microbiology and biochemistry. She met her first husband, Bill Munson, there. They lived in Chicago before moving to their dream city, San Francisco. When they purchased an Eichler home in Terra Linda, it was the 200th house in this brand new community. They wanted to help shape the destiny of this new community. They were also committed to public recreation in Terra Linda. 

    Catherine went to work for Joseph Eichler. She also worked with Caroline Livermore to raise money for construction and physically worked to build Pixie Place at the Marin Art and Garden Center – the first preschool playground in Marin County.  She was pivotally involved in preserving the Frank Lloyd Wright Civic Center, the acquisition of permanent open space and the Pt. Reyes National Park.

    When Bill died in 1967, she continued working for Joseph Eichler and to support her 3 daughters. She formed Lucas Valley Properties in 1967 and has directed this firm prosperously ever since. Her daughter Shelley has been a principal for almost 30 years.

    In 1975 she married Bud Sthymmel, her real estate mentor.  They traveled the world when not working intensely and enjoyed great happiness with his 3 boys and her 3 girls. 

    Her real estate career includes developments such as Pacheco Valley, Sunrise Pointe, Quarry Mountain Estates as well as five industrial condominium projects, McInnis Park Golf Center and various commercial projects. She continues to be the premier representative of Eichler homes, having sold over 3,000 of these iconic midcentury modern residences.

    She has served on the Board of the Marin Symphony almost continuously since 1965, and has endowed the concert master chair. She has been treasurer of Wednesday Morning Dialogue for 20 years. Her service on the Frank Lloyd Wright Civic Center Conservancy also spans 20 years and her service on the Marin History Museum Board spans the same time.

    A major focus has been her role in founding the Marin Community Bank, later Business Bank of California. Currently she is vice chair of Alta Pacific Bank in Santa Rosa. Her interest in two philanthropies over shadows all others:

The first is Project Amigo – an educational project in Southwest Mexico. She has served as president of the Board for 10 years.  Their efforts have resulted in 26 indigenous children being currently enrolled in the University of Colima, Mexico. 15 have graduated including 2 lawyers and one practicing physician. Started by many Marin County Rotary Clubs,  currently there are over 300 kids in the project from preschool to graduate school.    

    Her second passion is for the Buck Institute for Age Research.  She is currently vice Chair of the Board. She is devoted to basic research into causes of aging and to results which will extend the healthy life span.

    Catherine is an enthusiastic pillar of Marin County, involved in conservation, the arts, and the preservation of Marin County’s history.

     For the better part of 30-years Jean has voraciously tackled mounting social crisis that many find too daunting to even acknowledge.  The courage and tenacity she has shown confronting homelessness, suicides & court corruption in Marin has had rippling and lasting effects.

     In 1989 Jean began to take notice that Homelessness was on a fast rise, its evidence being seen in more places with more frequency. She began talking publicly about what she was seeing and was approached by a Marin County Supervisor to serve on the newly formed Commission on Homelessness.  

     Jean went on a quest to understand the reasons for homelessness and to develop long term solutions.  

     Over the next 6-years, Jean’s passion to educate our community would lead her to Chair the Commission on Homelessness; head both the San Rafael and Novato Task Forces; serve on the board of St. Vincent DePaul’s dining room and ultimately found the New Beginnings Fund for Homeless and serve as it’s president.  She took a look at other major city approaches to homelessness and attended national conventions on the issue, applying what she learned here in Marin.

     In 1996, Jean co-chaired a capital campaign raising $3.3 million for an 80-bed residential/job training center, a project providing permanent solutions.

     She convinced the IJ to become a media partner in the campaign leading to 60-articles on homelessness.   As a result, readers contributed approximately half a million dollars toward the new center.  On opening day more than 2-thousand people visited the New Beginnings Center.  It was the first homeless facility built on a decommissioned military base and now serves as a national model.

     In 2001 Jean co-chaired The Next Key capital campaign, an addition to New Beginnings campus.  32-units of affordable housing, a large culinary academy and a public venue room designed to make the entire facility financially self-sufficient.  The facility went up in 2008 with the full support of the police chief, city council and bordering residents.

     Jean’s 30-years of reforming Marin’s approach to social issues are of lasting significance.  She is recognized throughout Marin as a leading advocate, the one to turn to for sweeping change, even dubbed a “Tipping Point” because of her ability to bring consensus and to motivate others.

     Prior to the aforementioned, she used those attributes in the area of suicide prevention, volunteering on the 24/7 crisis hotline and becoming a member of the Coroner’s Psychological Autopsy Team and still serves on the Suicide Prevention Advisory Board.

     For 7-years she served as board member for Senior Access, helping restructure and increase programs and facilities to provide safe, clean and fulfilling day care services for frail and ill older adults.

     Jean also spent 5-years on the board of the Marin Political Action Committee.  In the initial stages of the AIDS epidemic, she helped develop a “Report Card” for local and state politicians making their voting records on such matters public.

     Currently, the Board President of the Helen Vine Detox Center, she first  raised $250,000 to remodel the center, increasing public beds from 12 to 26.  This board has encouraged the development of compassionate and successful programs designed to aid in their permanent recovery.

     An appreciation and love of the arts led to her involvement on the boards of the Marin Arts Council and Alter Theater and she put emphasized putting the spotlight on the diversity, variety and talent of the artists in our midst.

     Jean’s current focus is on encouraging judicial excellence in the court systems throughout California.  She is the president and co-founder of the Center for Judicial Excellence.  CJE is working with state, local and national leaders to facilitate necessary changes.  

     In all the above commitments, Jean stressed educating the public and/or the clients.  Developing an awareness, an acceptance and a compassionate response for those dealing with the aforementioned critical problems has been her goal.

     Jean , her husband Ray, son Jeff, and daughter Stephanie moved to Marin in 1963.  Their lives have been enriched by the addition of daughter-in-law, Amy, son-in-law, Bill Boland, and four grandsons, Dominic, Cameron, Scott, and Joshua.

     Jean’s education includes a B.A. in History, Magna Cum Laude, a B.E. in Education, University of Cincinnati, and a M.A. in Psychology, Dominican University.

Julie Castro Abrams is the CEO of Women’s Initiative for Self Employment, a non-profit which provides education, training, and microloans to women-owned small businesses and transforms the lives of low income, high potential graduates.  Under Ms. Abrams’s direction, the training-based, micro lending program has generated a return of $30 to the local economy for every dollar spent.  Julie is responsible for the organization’s expansion from three to eighteen training locations throughout the Bay Area, including an expansion to Novato.  Through her leadership, the organization has increased the number of women trained and receiving microloans by tenfold, and generating an estimated $480 million social return on investment.

Julie has been profoundly affected by social and economic inequality since she was a little girl.  She quickly identified a life path that embraced the Judaic-Christian-Muslim traditions of service, sacrifice, and encouraging strength and transformation among the most marginalized community members.

Julie is a passionate advocate and clear that Women’s Initiative provides the most effective poverty-reduction strategy that exists.  She believes that economic power is at the heart of the search for equality and social justice and she has worked on behalf of women, children and various communities of color her whole life.

A leader in non-profit sector for twenty years, Julie has advanced degrees in social work and social policy from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, and speaks both nationally and internationally on U.S. economic development, microenterprise and microfinance, anti-poverty strategies, and women’s issues.  She joined Women’s Initiative in 2002, after spending more than a decade heading non-profits in the Chicago region.

While leading Women’s Initiative, Ms. Abrams received the Community Leader of the Year award from Leadership California, named among San Francisco’s “Most Influential Women”, and recognized by the San Francisco League of Women voters as a “Woman Who Could Be President.”  She has also been named the SBA Business Advocate of the year, awarded Oakland’s Women of Greatness, Human Rights Award from the Commission on the Status of Women and the Women of Color Action Network Award.  Under Ms. Abrams’s leadership, the Urban Institute Best Practices Foundation, the Equal Rights Advocates, and Cisco Innovation in Technology have recognized Women’s Initiative.

Ms. Abrams is on the board of the National Council of La Raza and she is a member of the advisory board for OneCal Bank. 

Julie shares a bilingual home with a devoted husband who was born in Mexico, two wonderful children who she adores, and has foster parented abused and neglected Marin children. 

Since 1973 Linda Jacobs Davis has worked and volunteered for numerous local and national nonprofit organizations on a diversity of issues.   

Born in Coral Gables, Florida after her parents left Philadelphia to start their life together, Linda was raised in a family where both parents worked and volunteered; her mother active in the Jewish congregation and her father with youth sports. 

As a teenager, Linda grew increasingly interested in social issues, beginning with the green party, civil rights, and the women’s movement. 

Fiercely independent from an early age, Linda rebelled against establishment, rules and gender bias; refusing to stand for the national anthem during high school, questioning why boys couldn’t have hair longer than their ears, arguing over rules set on clothing restrictions and wondering why women were not paid equal to men and were not represented in leadership positions – business and political.

At the University of South Florida, Linda studied dance, art history and women’s studies earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts.  It was there that Linda began studying the subject of transformation and leadership and where she met her husband. They moved to San Francisco in 1978 to work for Werner Erhard and the EST organization, a program that inspires its participants to make a difference for people in all walks of life, bringing to the forefront the ideas of transformation, personal responsibility, accountability and possibility. 

While traveling the U.S. as a volunteer seminar leader she learned of an organization dedicated to changing the lives of youth at risk.  The Breakthrough Foundation was a nonprofit that produced breakthroughs in communities and more importantly in the lives of young people age 10-20, all of whom either had a history of violence, drugs and crime or were headed in that direction. During her seven-year tenure there she created a funding stream to scholarship all youth who participated, transforming and saving the lives of many by breaking their gang attachment.   

In 1987 Linda’s husband died suddenly.   Struggling to find herself, Linda left her job and opened an art gallery in San Francisco, incorporating her education and love of art.  However, being out of the nonprofit sector didn’t last long.  In 1989-1990 Linda married again, delivered two sons (one two days before the Loma Preieta Earthquake) closed the gallery, and spent a year fulfilling the ‘bucket list’ of her best friend who died of a brain tumor. 

Having lost both a spouse and best friend forced her to think about life, death, and what happens in between.  This painful time turned into an empowering experience that re-focused and directed her to a life of service.

Realizing that nonprofit work was a worthy and righteous profession, Linda moved her career to Marin, serving as the development director for Marin Child Care Council and then Development/Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood of Marin, Sonoma and Mendocino.  In 1996, Linda was hired as the CEO of the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce where she completed a six-year program and earned a certificate from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management and was recognized as an Accredited Chamber Executive by the Western Association of Chamber Executives.

In 2002, Linda became the CEO of the Center of Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership.  The mission of the Center is to develop a vital and engaged community dedicated to building and sustaining quality of life by enriching and strengthening volunteerism and nonprofit organizations, enhancing community leadership and involvement and promoting the impact and value of the nonprofit sector.

Besides raising two sons, Linda says that her most inspiring work comes through volunteering, whether with youth sports, education, advocacy, environmental restoration, disaster relief, or social services.  Her favorite was when her family went to New Orleans along with 28 youth and adults from their Congregation to demolish and rebuild homes after hurricane Katrina. Linda said,  “I saw how our labor impacted the lives of the devastated home owners, neighbors and the community while enriching the lives of the volunteers and most importantly opening the eyes and ears of our sons to the world while teaching and modeling for them the importance of giving to those in need”.  

Linda has served on committees with Points of Light Foundation, Hands-On Network, California Volunteers and Volunteer Centers of California.  She is on the board for the Marin Economic Forum, California Association of Nonprofits, Marin Interagency Disaster Coalition, Marin School to Career Partnership, American Red Cross Leadership Council and a member of the Marin Forum, California Association of Nonprofits Policy Council, and California Management Assistance Partnership.

Born in Los Angeles and raised by a strong and loving grandmother who believed and lived the axiom that compassion for others is a gift to oneself, was one of the first of Barbara’s many gifts.

As  a Stewardess for United Air Lines she met her future husband.  They settled in Marin County where their seven children grew up, a gift. The children were raised in Lucas Valley which they consider a gift.

Volunteering focused on the schools…hot dog days, library and Little League and the Swim Team and “Another Mother for Peace”.  As the children grew, time opened for some ventures outside the home…proprietor of San Anselmo Antiques, a re-entry woman at Indian Valley College and a Docent at the De Young Museum. Not all at once, however.

After divorcing she and a friend opened an interior design studio. She also found a new community at St. John’s church and while there served on the Vestry, led adult classes and chaired the annual Christmas Boutique. 

St John’s had become involved in the Canal Community at the time the “Boat People” were coming from the Far East and she became the St. John’s representative to the Canal Ministry.  Beginning as an ESL volunteer, she volunteered as Secretary and then served on and chaired the Board. Another gift.

In 1999 a newspaper article gave her the idea of starting Image for Success. Through the gracious support of Mary Donovan at CalWorks and Homeward Bound at the beginning, and then the support and donations of the Marin Community, Image has grown to where Image has provided two- week wardrobes for over 8000 men, women and children.

Barbara is also a member of Clipped Wings (former UAL Flight Attendants) and on the Board of Marin Charitable.

Her grandmother’s gift of compassion” has been a gift that has kept on giving to Barbara.

Dr. Denise Lucy is one of Marin’s progressive educators. She has consistently demonstrated academic leadership and vision in the formation of degree programs and strategic partnerships providing unique educational and community engagement in Marin County. Her commitment to educational equity has been unwavering during her 30 years in higher education.

Denise believes that education is the great equalizer in society. This philosophy has inspired and guided her throughout her exemplary higher education career, as well as in her community service.   Marin County has benefited from her commitment to help others, positively impacting the lives of her students, employers, and our community, through myriad educational programs.

She held a variety of management positions, both at the University of San Francisco and now at Dominican University of California.  At Dominican she served as Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of Liberal and Professional Studies and Director of Pathways. Prior to Dominican, she served the University of San Francisco’s College of Professional Studies as Associate Dean.

Currently, Denise is Professor of Business Leadership and a scholar in the areas of small business enterprises in the global market place. She is an expert in leadership and organizational change, and founding Executive Director of the Institute of Leadership Studies, a leadership development center. 

Under her direction, Dominican’s well-received Leadership Lecture Series, a cooperative project with Marin’s own Book Passage, has welcomed luminaries including former Vice President, Al Gore and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, finance guru, Suzie Orman and our fellow Marin Hall of Famer, Isabel Allende, to name a few.

As a community leader and member on local boards, including serving as Chair of Marin Education Fund, now named 10,000 Degrees, she has positively impacted the lives of others. Marin employers benefited from various business outreach programs, and the general Marin community through her myriad efforts at partnership formation and bridge-building. Her partnership with the Marin Women’s Commission helped form the Women’s Leadership Summits advocating for the rights and needs of women and girls.

The University of San Francisco has awarded Denise the Edward Griffin Award for Outstanding Service in Education and well as its Merit Award. Dominican University of California has recognized her many contributions by presenting her with the Presidential Medallion and the Sr. Aquinas Nimitz Distinguished Service Award. Denise was also a recipient of the Magnificent Woman of Marin Award 2007.  She earned a B.S. from Michigan State University, an M.S. from California State University, Fresno, and an Ed.D. in Organizations and Leadership from the University of San Francisco.

Few people affect the greater public good than Dolores Nave, affectionately known as Dolly. At age 20, Dolly was a widow with two children.  Dolly's first husband was lost in the Korean War. In 1955, Dolly married Rich Nave. Rich and Dolly raised eight children. With her eight children involved in athletics and recreational activities, Dolly had firsthand knowledge of available park, recreation facilities and facility use requirements. Dolly soon set out to improve our parks.  Since beginning these projects in 1982, Dolly can single handled be credited with more public park improvements than any other private citizen of our time.

Dolly volunteered at Albert Park for 35 years working with the kids. Dolly created jobs for teenagers who needed school credit in the school work program at San Rafael High School. Dolly was called the "Angel of Albert Park."  With tireless fundraising efforts and in kind donations, Dolly was able to accomplish upgrades to Albert Park, making Albert's Park a state of the art recreation facility. Dolly's efforts lead to a new press box, public address system, new surfaces for entry and bleacher areas,  resurfaced tennis courts and path, new roof for stadium, new infield, new sand turf, new batting cages, new warm-up and pitching mounds, automatic irrigation systems, new drainage lines, handicap access restrooms, repaved the parking lot etc.

Dolly was the project manager for the construction of the Marin Community Fields. This project created seventeen acres of public playing fields providing softball, baseball, rugby, and soccer.   Also, the Marin Community Fields project constructed a thousand seat amp-theater for performing arts and Redwood High School Graduations. 

Over the last forty years Dolly has been at the forefront of several projects at San Rafael High School.  In the 80's, as project coordinator Dolly raised funds to grade and add two new electronic scoreboards for softball and baseball.   In addition, Dolly replaced the surge and filter tanks for the pool and refurbished the decks.   

In the 90's, as the Alumni Project Coordinator, Dolly started a new long term project to paint the entire school. The initial phase was completed and every year since  another phase of the paint project has been completed. Dolly initiated, "Save Night Football" campaign, resulting in the installation of state of the art football lights at Miller Field. Dolly's fundraising efforts lead to the replacement of the infrastructure at the main gym, football, baseball and track fields. Also, installed a tank for the swimming pool to save water and operating expenses.  In addition, completed the installation of new all weather track surface including drainage, side curbs, fencing and high tech sports track surface. In 2000, as the project coordinator, all weather track surfacing was completed.  San Rafael High School was the first High School in Marin County to have an all weather track.

In 1993, Dolly was a founding board member and construction chair of The Marin Bocce Federation at Albert Park. In 1994, Dolly's efforts led to the completion of the first phase, six state of the art world class synthetic Bocce ball courts in the United States.   The Marin Bocce Federation now provides recreation to over 1000 players per week. Marin Bocce was named the most Beautiful Public Bocce Facility in America and received the Presidential Renew America Award for Environmental Achievements. 

Dolly received many awards for her outstanding accomplishments and efforts.  In 1988, Dolly was awarded, Citizen of the Year for San Rafael. In 1989, Dolly was awarded the Marv Lechner Award from San Rafael High School.  In 1991, Dolly was awarded Women of the Year for the third Senate District for the State of California.  In 1993, Dolly was inducted in the Marin County High School Athletic Hall of Fame for special recognition.  In 2010, Dolly and Rich were inducted in the Wall of Honor at San Rafael High School.

Dolly would be the first to tell you that she did not do this alone. Such accomplishments can only be realized with the full cooperation of concerned local government, school districts, civic minded local business and motivated citizens.  Dolly was a true volunteer, never receiving any compensation for any of her projects.  Dolly provided millions of dollars in funding and in kind donations for many school fields, parks and recreation sites.

Born in Neptune New Jersey, Maureen was the 10th of 12 children. When she was young, her family moved to Southern California, where she attended school. As a child, Maureen had a brief modeling career–her claim to fame was being featured as one of the Northern Tissue girls. In her teenage years, Maureen showed early entrepreneurial promise, from bagging and selling sand to tourists in Newport Beach, to walking the sands of Santa Monica selling popsicles from a cooler. While a student at California State University, Chico, Maureen worked in leadership at the Residence Halls, Student Activities and New Student Orientation. Moving to Marin after College, Maureen worked at The Alcoholism Council of Marin, Centerpoint, and The California Health Research Foundation.

Maureen has built her career ensuring that young people have a strong voice in public policy and community leadership.  She is nationally and internationally recognized as a leading authority in the fields of Youth Philanthropy, Leadership and Development. She had a dream of starting a non-profit organization before the age of 30.

In 1989, inspired by three Marin County teenagers who helped envision an organization that truly put young people at the center, Maureen founded the Youth Leadership Institute (YLI). After incubating for a few years with support, coaching and guidance from Dr. Andy Mecca of the California Health Research Foundation, YLI became incorporated in 1991.

In 1994, Maureen was the youngest professional recipient of the National Association of Alcohol & Drug Administrator’s Career Achievement Prevention Award. The award recognized her national leadership and innovation in the field, and championed the merits of her work here in Marin as a model for communities around the country.

Maureen has navigated the waters of numerous institutions and systems, and knows well that achieving community change means doing the difficult and time-intensive work of building coalitions, cultivating allies and identifying clear objectives—all while having the political savvy, sharp intelligence and flexibility to adapt these objectives to the changing dynamics of the community.

Beyond her commitments at YLI, Maureen served as Chairperson of the California Youth Development Collaborative, and has Chaired numerous Boards, National Task Forces and Commissions on Health, Education and Youth Leadership. An early pioneer in Youth Philanthropy, Maureen started a program in Marin that became a model for many community foundations across the U.S.

In 1996, she started a social enterprise at YLI providing research, training and technical assistance across the U.S. to replicate many of YLI’s model programs and strategies. In 2003, the Youth Council Model, designed by Maureen, received the National Exemplary Program Award from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMSHA).

Maureen is active nationally as a speaker, writer and advocate for the role of young people in public policy, social and community change. She has taught university courses, published numerous articles and contributed to several books. She received the State of California Governor’s Award of Recognition for developing programs that empower young people, a Congressional Award of Innovation for her youth leadership work and in 1996, received an Exemplary Leadership Award from the Office of the President of the United States.  

In 2009, she received the California Friday Night Live Leadership Legacy Award. She has testified before the US Congress, the California Legislature and multiple County Boards and Commissions. In 2008, Maureen was selected by the Center for Volunteer and Non Profit Leadership for the Excellence in Leadership Award. In 2009, She presented testimony and training to the Parliament of New Zealand and traveled the country speaking and providing training and strategy work with the Ministry of Youth Development and over 25 NGO’S.

She is a Board Member for the Bay Area Chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance and The Center for Volunteer and Non Profit Leadership. A graduate of Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management, she and holds an MBA in Strategic Leadership from Dominican University of California.