Kathren Murrell Stevenson
Executive Director, Board Member |
Kathren Murrell Stevenson joined Resilient Neighborhoods in 2023 and stepped into the Executive Director role in April of 2024. She comes to us with a background in plant ecology, environmental conservation and restoration, education, and nonprofit management.
Kathren’s years working as a field ecologist included vegetation monitoring of global climate change plots in Rocky Mountain National Park and working with volunteers to set up global climate monitoring plots in the Sierra Nevada as part of the GLORIA mountaintop monitoring project. As an educator, she taught college-level courses in general biology, ecological restoration, and the environmental humanities for Mills College, Santa Rosa Junior College, and the California Institute of Integral Studies. As a nonprofit leader, she served as the Restoration Program Director for the Friends of Sausal Creek and applied her management skills guiding education-based nonprofits through periods of transition in the roles of Operations Director, Co-Director, and Executive Director. Kathren holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in Biogeography/ Botany and a Ph.D. in Plant Ecology from the University of California, Davis. In her free time, she enjoys hiking in the hills of the North and East Bay and working on creative writing projects. |
Jennifer Hammond
Program Associate |
Jen joined our team after serving as the Executive Director for Sustainable Fairfax where she focused on bringing community together to reduce waste, conserve water, compost food waste, and learn about a variety of sustainability topics. She was a lead organizer for large community events including Fairfax Streets for People and the Fairfax Craft Faire. Sustainable Fairfax was recognized for its contributions to the Fairfax community and won the Bank of Marin's Spirit of Marin business award in 2015. Jen enjoys building strong partnerships to support a resilient community and a healthy environment. She received her MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School. She enjoys the strong sense of community in Fairfax where she lives with her partner, Brian.
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Board of Directors
Tamra Peters
Founder, Board Member |
Since the first Earth Day in 1970, Tamra Peters has dedicated her career to environmental protection. Before founding Resilient Neighborhoods in 2010, she worked with organizations including The Nature Conservancy, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Rainforest Action Network. She also served as the Executive Director for San Francisco Friends of the Urban Forest. Tamra was the Executive Director of Resilient Neighborhoods for 13 years.
Throughout her career, Tamra has received numerous awards; she was inducted into the Marin Women's Hall of Fame in 2022 and in 2024 was honored by the Marin County Board of Supervisors for her significant contributions. She has served on several boards, including Earth Share and Sustainable Marin. She was the president and trustee of the Strong Foundation for Environmental Values for 18 years. Tamra holds a degree in Business Management and Psychology from Antioch University, along with a master's degree in Organizational Development from the California Institute of Integral Studies. She has been a resident of Marin County for over 30 years. |
Cory Bytof
Board Chair |
Cory is the Sustainability Program Manager for the City of San Rafael. He co-authored and is responsible for implementing the City’s Climate Change Action Plan 2030, which is being used as a model by the other cities in Marin. Cory also helped form the anti-litter coalition San Rafael Clean, and as a member of the City’s Emergency Operations Center, developed and manages the City’s Emergency Volunteer Center. In addition, Cory is past-chair of the Marin Climate Energy Partnership, a consortium of local governments and public utilities working together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Marin County. Cory has a degree in Interdisciplinary Social Science from San Francisco State University. He lives in San Rafael with his wife and has one adult daughter. In his free time he writes musicals and enjoys traveling, cultural exchange, and adventures in nature.
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Robert Brown
Board Co-Chair |
Bob Brown has spent over 30 years as a planning manager and director in progressive Bay Area cities like Palo Alto, Berkeley, and San Mateo. He specializes in transforming downtowns into pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use centers, promoting environmental protection and enhancing public involvement. As Community Development Director in San Rafael for 13 years, he also served as the Sustainability Coordinator, authoring the city's Climate Change Action Plan, and creating the stringent BERST model green building ordinance, for which he received a Leadership in Sustainability Award. Additionally, Bob teaches in the Sustainable Practices Certificate Program at Dominican University. He advocates for local government as a catalyst for sustainable practices and is a regular speaker at various planning organizations. He holds a degree in environmental biology from the University of Santa Clara, a Master's in Urban Planning from San Jose State University, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.
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Grace Carter
Secretary |
Grace holds a J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law and practiced law for 39 years, specializing in complex litigation and arbitration, including insurance, securities, energy, and healthcare. After retiring in 2021, she provided legal consulting for low-income clients in the Bay Area.
In addition, Grace has been active in fundraising and has served on the boards of various organizations, including the Western Center on Law & Poverty and Raising a Reader, as well as the foundation boards for Archie Williams High School and Ross Valley Schools. After she graduated from the Resilient Neighborhoods program in 2021 with the "We Mean Green" team, she began volunteering with us, becoming an Ambassador in 2023, and joining the Board in 2025. Grace enjoys hiking, gardening, and yoga. She and her husband recently moved to Novato and are eager to explore local trails nearby. |
Richard Jensen
Treasurer |
Richard Jensen retired after working in the financial services industry for over 40 years in several prominent financial institutions. He is now a Business Management Consultant to nonprofits in Marin County, providing strategic and marketing planning advice with a focus on goal formation, fundraising, board governance and financial control. In addition to his consulting work, Richard serves as Treasurer on the Boards of Marin Link and the Marin Conservation League. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Central Marin, past president of the Marin County Library Foundation Board, and past commissioner of the Marin County Free Library.
Richard received his BA in Economics and MBA in General Management from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He is on one of the Resilient Neighborhoods’ Winter 2025 Climate Action Teams and looks forward to graduating from the program in March. |
Leslie Stone
Board Member, Chair of Resilient Neighborhoods Ambassadors |
Leslie holds a BA in Design from UCLA and has dedicated her career to environmental education. For over 40 years, she was the principal of Leslie Stone Associates (LSA), believing in education's power to inspire informed choices about our lives and the planet. As an activist and designer of educational exhibits in California's parks and trails, she has influenced millions of visitors to appreciate and preserve wild places.
Leslie has been a national spokesperson for women’s economic development and environmental education. She served as the founding board president of LA Harvest, supporting community gardens, and the National Association of Women’s Yellow Pages, promoting women-owned businesses. She also designed the LA Green Pages to help people find eco-friendly products and served on the boards of the Women’s Building and the Women’s Foundation. |
Advisory Council
Cecilia Zamora
Executive Director, Latino Council 
Ellie Cohen
CEO, The Climate Center Resilient Neighborhoods Team: Decarbonistas 1, 2018 
Sarah Wotherspoon
Managing Director, Wealthspire Resilient Neighborhoods Team: C-4 Corporate Center Carbon Crunchers, 2012 |
Christine O'Rourke
Sustainability Coordinator, Marin Climate and Energy Partnership; Principal at O'Rourke and Associates 
Joanne Webster
CEO, North Bay Leadership Council 
Stephanie Moulton-Peters
Marin County Board of Supervisors Resilient Neighborhoods Team: Greenwood Carbon Scrubbers, 2012 |
Damon Connolly
California State Assemblymember Resilient Neighborhoods Team: Frank Lloyd Wright-the-Planet, 2017 
Kim Scheibly
Executive Director, Zero Waste Marin Resilient Neighborhoods Team: Global Guardians, 2023 |
Ambassadors
Alison Pence
Alison has eliminated dairy and beef from her diet and makes smoothies with pea protein. She planted a vegetable garden, a pollinator garden, and got Cash for her Grass!
She loves educating others about native plants.
She loves educating others about native plants.
Amy Sinclair
A graduate of the 2020 team "Carbon Neutral Zoomers," Amy takes great pleasure in hosting RN's Annual Clothing Swap and continues to take actions to improve her home.
Anne-Christine Strugnell
Anne-Christine Strugnell took an RN workshop in 2016 and it inspired a big change in her life. She transitioned away from her day job and took up volunteer roles in environmental nonprofits. An RN ambassador and speaker, she enjoys presenting at RN events and coaching people one on one about ways to live more lightly on the planet.
Deirdre Fennessey
Deirdre graduated from the Resilient Neighborhoods workshop with the Carbon Cap Crusaders team in 2018. Since then she has continued to find ways to live more lightly on this Earth. She is an Ambassador for RN and a new recruit to the Local Task Force for Zero Waste Marin.
Julie Carlson
Julie Carlson attended a RN workshop in 2018 where she learned how much our individual choices really do matter. RN ignited a passion to share sustainable lifestyle choices with her social and religious organizations. Julie believes combating climate change is a collective responsibility and enjoys being part of the RN graduate community who continue to take personal actions, share our achievements and advocate for local and national transformation. We are all in this together.