Brian is an Assistant Principal at Stanley Middle School in Lafayette. He's been active in education for over a decade and is a campus champion for green schools and environmental issues.

A past president of Sustainable Lafayette, Wei-Tai is focused on helping Lafayette become powered by 100% solar and wind energy. He is also active as a volunteer public speaker on climate change solutions, having been trained by The Climate Reality Project. Professionally, Wei-Tai works in the renewable energy industry, most recently as COO of Amber Kinetics, an early stage energy storage company. He lives in Lafayette with his wife Violet and kids and can often be found working on his compost pile and vegetable garden. 

​Julia is an East Bay native and works for the Planning Department of the City of Lafayette. Additionally, Julia was recently trained by Al Gore through his organization “Climate Reality Project” to be a leader in the field of climate change and spread information about what steps need to be taken in order to save our planet. In her free time, she loves hiking around the Bay Area, dancing, and traveling.

Michael Cass was born and raised in Lafayette and he holds a BA in Communication from Saint Mary’s College of California and a Certificate in Land Use & Environmental Planning from the University of California, Davis.  He has spent more than ten-years as a planner with the City of Lafayette, where he currently is the staff liaison for the Environmental Task Force.  Michael is also a member of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce Green Committee and East Bay Energy Watch Strategic Advisory Committee.  Michael is an avid outdoorsman and on weekends he can regularly be spotted running in East Bay parks.

As a mother of two young boys growing up in Lafayette, Nikki and her husband Aron have an interest in keeping this world for future generations to enjoy.  Nikki loves being active, including biking around town and being in the fresh air.  Nikki and Aron try to have a small footprint and teach their children to care for the world. They have chickens and a garden with many fruit trees and the idea that if they are going to give their plants water, the plant should give food back.

Nikki works as a financial controller for a local hedge fund business, and before that, did small business bookkeeping around the Bay Area for 15 years.  She is also a Pilates and group fitness instructor and loves to talk to people and help them live better lives through health and nutrition. 

​

Erika is a 13-year resident of Lafayette. She spent the last 16 years producing the California State Parks Foundation’s annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup, during which her environmental awareness and eco-consciousness greatly expanded. When opening Metro Lafayette with her husband Jack in 2007, she spearheaded efforts to green the business, including food scrap recycling, use of eco-friendly cleaning products, recycled teak and 3FORM tables, low-flow toilets and energy-efficient lighting, biodegradable to-go packaging, and sourcing ingredients from local, sustainable farms and vendors. For the past three years, Erika has served on the Green Schools Committee for Happy Valley Elementary and Stanley Middle School and she is the parent representative for the Lafayette School District Green Team. In her spare time, she works tirelessly to encourage environmental ethics in her two sons.

Fundraising Director

Former Co-Chair of Sustainable Food Committee, Tip of the Month Coordinator
Linda Riebel, Ph.D., is a psychologist who maintained a private practice for 25 years before retiring in 2007 to devote herself to writing and volunteering on environmental issues. As a faculty member at Saybrook University in San Francisco, she helped create the certificate program in sustainability and teaches courses in ecopsychology and sustainability. Linda is also on the board of SaveNature.Org, a San Francisco nonprofit that helps save rainforest and coral reef. Linda is the author of "The Green Foodprint: Food Choices for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet" (available at www.thegreenfoodprint.com and at Amazon) and a frequent speaker on sustainable food that is healthy for person and planet.

Board Member from 2008-2014 (part of founding Board)

Former Secretary and Co-Chair of Sustainable Food Committee, Natural Resources
Alison is leading Sustainable Lafayette’s efforts to help identify and preserve Lafayette’s open spaces and natural resources.  Alison originated in the “green” country of New Zealand and brought her passion for the outdoors to Lafayette.  During and after a career in higher education administration, she volunteered for the Lafayette Parks Trails and Recreation Commission and has now served for 16 years (chair for three years).  She has also been on the Open Space Committee for two years, and a member of the Sierra Club for 20 years.  Alison loves to hike and coordinates the informal Lafayette Hiking Group.  Alison raised two kids in Lafayette and taught them the joys of walking/biking to school, hanging their laundry to dry, growing vegetables, composting, and recycling.

Board Member from 2011-2014

Former Chair of Earth Day Festival & Volunteer Director
Tina is using her 20+ years of experience as a Human Resources Manager, and her passion for food and sustainability, to find rewarding ways for residents to volunteer.   Tina began a life-changing journey with food when she discovered what’s really going on with our food supply.  Her family has embraced growing their own food, purchasing grass-fed beef, finding pastured chicken and eggs, supporting local farmers, and choosing organic.  Because of these interests, Tina became involved in the Lafayette Farmer’s Market and now administers the market’s very popular Facebook page.   Tina and her husband Jeff have three young children and are committed to the nightly ritual of family dinners.

Board Member from 2011-2014

Former Secretary and current Project Director of the Lafayette Community Garden
Janet has lived in Lafayette since 1982, where she and her husband Ramsay have raised three children. Her background is in healthcare and education. She was motivated in college to explore man’s relationship to resources and the biodiversity of our planet by then forward thinking professors Paul Ehrlich, Colin Pittendrigh, Donald Kennedy and lecturer Jane Goodall. Since then, she has worked to try to help students understand some of the same lessons. Janet has taught at Campolindo, Mills, UCBerkeley and Acalanes High School. She recently retired from Acalanes, where she taught chemistry and developed a district environmental science curriculum. Janet is currently a member of Lafayette’s Environmental Task Force and has helped organize Lafayette’s Earth Day events.

Board Member from 2008-2013 (part of founding Board)

Former Co-Chair of Waste Diversion Committee
As a recent graduate of UCLA (political science and history major), Kendra is bringing a younger perspective to the Sustainable Lafayette Board and hopes to involve more students in our programs.  She discovered her interest in environmental issues during her senior year when she took various classes on environmental legislation and sustainable cities development.   In 2011, Kendra helped organize a "Backyard of Tomorrow" for the annual Earth Day Celebration, then over the summer worked as an intern to research Lafayette's sources of waste, compare our programs to other counties, and lay the groundwork for Lafayette to reach a 75% waste diversion goal.  Kendra grew up in Lafayette, attended Acalanes High School and plans to attend law school.

Board Member from 2012-2013

Vali Frank spent 15 years as an attorney working for the USEPA on a variety of environmental issues including the federal Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act, with a specialty in the overlap between federal Indian law and environmental protection.  In addition to working for EPA, she's also worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council and California Indian Legal Services, as well as WashPIRG and ConnPIRG.  She has two daughters in the Lafayette schools and like many other Lafayette residents, enjoys backyard chicken keeping and gardening.  She's interested in many sustainability issues, but particularly local foods and smart growth issues.

Board Member in 2013

Former Treasurer and Green Schools Committee Chair,  2008-2012
Barbara is a 20 year resident of Lafayette. Before leaving the corporate life in data processing to take time to raise her kids, Barbara worked with her Fortune 500 clients to implement paperless accounting, human resource reporting and paychecks, taking some clients from 40 boxes of paper every week, to zero. Now working part-time as a property manager, she chairs the Lafayette School District Green Team and works with school green teams in the district to implement and share ideas. "Getting the kids to think green is the future". She has always composted and had a family garden. They enjoy sharing their produce with friends and neighbors who do the same.

Board Member from 2008-2012 (part of founding Board)

Former Secretary
Kim Curiel is the Garden Instructional Specialist at the Burton Valley Elementary Garden Classroom where she has the awesome job of teaching children about sustainable agriculture and gardening.  Her home, a solar-powered strawbale house, is a dream come true for Kim and her husband, Fred, and has been featured on Green Home tours in the past.  A few years ago, Kim helped launch and run a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in Clayton called Happy Farms. A regular at the local farmer's market, Kim also grows some of the family's food, as well as raising chickens for eggs.  Her four daughters are sustainability enthusiasts and Kim learns more from them each day.

Board Member from 2008-2012 (part of founding Board)

Former Co-Chair of Waste Diversion Committee
Karen is principal and founder of POM Resource Group.  She is a LEED AP, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional, with over 20 years of experience in campus planning and facilities management.  Karen has lead and directed a wide range of sustainability-related projects. Under her leadership, Mills College was awarded LEED platinum from the United States Green Building Council.  Karen earned an MBA from Saint Mary’s College, a BA from San Diego State University and completed course work in design and architecture from the University of California at Berkeley. Karen is a fifth term Planning Commissioner for the City of Lafayette and an active member of the Saint Mary’s College Sustainability Committee. Karen is a 22 year resident of Lafayette with two grown boys - Gene and Dominic, an avid gardener and oil painter.

Board Member from 2011-2012

Former Director of Business Development
Rebecca moved to Lafayette with her family five years ago – drawn here by the town’s sense of place and community, good schools, and beautiful landscape. Rebecca is the President of Sustainable Strategies, a business consulting practice that helps large and small companies integrate sustainability into their values, strategies and market offerings. She founded and led Organic Exchange, a global non-profit focused on expanding organic agriculture around the world, and led the Business and Environment Program at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR). The Calahan Klein family sustainability practices include eating organic and local foods, conserving energy and water, recycling and composting at home, as well as driving a hybrid car, walking, and biking as much as possible. Rebecca became involved with Sustainable Lafayette through the trial farmers market and took the lead presenting survey results and a proposal for a permanent market to the City Council.

Board Member from 2010-2011

Former Chair of Education Committee
Greg is a 20-year resident of Lafayette. His passion for sustainability and the environment goes back to his days as an undergraduate at UC Davis in the early 1980s when he focused his studies on economics and public policy related to energy and the environment. He works as an energy economist for a Lafayette-based employee-owned international consulting firm called Global Energy Partners. Greg’s work at Global involves conducting technical, economic and financial assessments for electric utilities throughout the world. In his nearly 25 years of experience in this field, Greg is involved in strategic planning assessments, program design, and regulatory support for energy efficiency and demand response initiatives. He has directed studies for dozens of electric utilities that focus on innovative and cutting-edge approaches to utility-sponsored energy efficiency programs. Greg also serves on the Holy Planet Task Force at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Lafayette, where he advises on various projects at the church to reduce energy and water usage, and educate the congregation on easy ways to save energy.

Board Member from 2008-2010 (part of founding Board)

Former Earth Day Festival Chair
Becky Shafi works for AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah where she is an active member of the Greenlight Initiative Committee. This group works to advocate for the use of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles and transportation issues relating to emissions reductions, ridesharing and public transit. Becky also works on the employee environmental action team, and advocates for corporate social responsibility initiatives. Currently Becky serves on the Board of Directors of Go Solar Cooperative, Inc and is a member of the women’s leadership group Leadership California. Becky is also active in the Lamorinda peace and justice group. Becky is passionate about reducing her carbon footprint and helping others to do the same. She writes a Blog called “Global warming isn’t funny.” Read it at www.globalwarmingblog.squarespace.com.

Board Member from 2008-2010 (part of founding Board)

Former Co-Chair of Green Schools Committee
Ann has lived in Lafayette with her husband Ray and their twin daughters for 11 years.   She is a partner with the San Francisco law firm Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass.  Ann was drawn to sustainability issues by her daughters' passions for the same.  After watching "An Inconvenient Truth," the family decided on a simple action plan: learn more about the problems facing the environment, identify specific steps that they could take to help make a difference, work together to take those steps, and finally to explore ways to help educate other about what they had learned. Luckily, Ann and her daughters found a group a like-minded girl scouts and formed a group proudly known as the "Eco-Warriors."  Ann and the girls have worked on many projects, including partnering with The Climate Project to organize a community event called “Climate Change - Kids Making a Difference” that drew about 150 people. What Ann learned in this process is that kids care deeply about the earth and, if given the information and the opportunity, can and will do amazing things to help preserve and protect it.

Board Member in 2010

Former Vice President and Technology Director
Michael moved to Lafayette with his family in 2008 with a desire to be part of a green community. A quest to meet like-minded people led him to Sustainable Lafayette where he took the lead on building a relationship with the new Library & Learning Center and organizing our participation in the grand opening. With two children just starting elementary school, it is important for him to educate his children and the larger community on how to lead a sustainable lifestyle. He has seventeen years experience in high tech partnership development and marketing, most recently with Google, Inc. where he managed their largest partnerships. A meeting with Al Gore while at Google gave Michael the impetus to get more active in sustainability and environmental issues. In between consulting work and green community action opportunities, he is playing with his kids, tweaking various green and energy conserving projects around the house, and pursuing his passion for winemaking.

Board Member from 2010-2013

Co-Founder, Former Local Business Chair
Bart co-founded Sustainable Lafayette with Steve Richard in early 2007. Bart has been a leader in waste reduction for the past 20 years and is a widely recognized waste and transportation expert in Contra Costa County. He currently works as a senior program manager at the Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority. Bart volunteers on the city of Lafayette's Environmental Task Force and is the chair of the Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Bart also chairs the Chamber of Commerce Green Committee and has helped organize Lafayette's Earth Day Festival the past three years. At home Bart is actively working to reduce his family's environmental impact by installing solar panels, riding his bike to work and around town, composting, and a host of other activities.

Board Member from 2008-2014 (part of founding Board)

Steve co-founded Sustainable Lafayette with Bart Carr in early 2007 and has led Sustainable Lafayette's efforts.  Steve is a sixteen year resident of Lafayette and has continuously worked to reduce his family's environmental footprint since watching Inconvenient Truth in 2006. This effort has included installing solar panels, CFL & LED lights, new appliances, low flush toilets, riding his bike, using a push mower, transitioning to native plants, and a wide range of other upgrades. Steve is utilizing his 18 year background in high-tech marketing and management at companies like Hewlett-Packard, Netscape, and Lotus to help promote sustainable practices across the community. Steve was a member of Lafayette's Environmental Task Force and Chamber of Commerce Green Committee from 2007-2014.