CSMC Board of Directors

Born and raised in Sacramento, CA, Cathy was inspired by her first experience of Earth Day (1971) in Davis, CA. She helped to establish two community stores, the Sacramento Natural Foods Coop, and the Chico Natural Foods Coop, and she then joined a work collective that ran a natural foods business and lived communally. After three years struggling to go “back to the land,” she returned to college to study plant science (UC, Davis, BS and MS degrees). She retired from a 25-year career in plant cell biology that included starting and running her own plant biotech company, Summit Plant Labs.

She has pursued an encore career in music therapy since 2003 (Colorado State University, Master’s in Music). While a music therapist in Austin, TX, she served as board member and officer of the Capital Area Parkinson’s Society for 2 ½ years. She enjoys organic gardening, outdoor adventures, music, and the beauty of the Central Coast with her husband and grandchildren.

Laurie moved permanently to Monterey in 2015 after living part-time in her second home in Pacific Grove since 1995.  Laurie has a B.S. in Systems Analysis and Business and an MBA.  Her career has been spent with software companies HP and Adobe Systems where she held a variety of management, executive, and professional roles in a number of functions; Customer Support, Human Resources, Marketing, Executive Education, and IT.  Her role before retirement as a Business Solutions Analyst brought to bear her skills in working in cross-functional teams and database technologies to develop efficient processes and systems.  Outside of work, she is most comfortable in the kitchen, cooking and preparing food.  Her passion for the environment was sparked in reading books and participating in a ‘Be the Change’ environmental awareness program.  She went on to attend an intensive permaculture design two-week course during her work sabbatical.  Laurie is Co-chair of Sustainable Monterey aiming to apply her passion, skills, and experience in business systems, food, and permaculture practices to address the multi-faceted challenge of climate change and protecting our planet.

After moving to Pacific Grove, Colleen became involved in the effort to label GMOs in our food system by leading the Prop 37 “Right To Know” ballot initiative for Monterey County. As a result, she became involved with Sustainable Pacific Grove and has worked on the single-use plastics ordinance, reduction of pesticides, climate action, and many other initiatives. Colleen served on the Pacific Grove Beautification and Natural Resources Commission (BNRC), and currently serves on the Board of Communities for Sustainable Monterey County.  Colleen is a Community Emergency Response Team member (CERT) and volunteers for the City of Pacific Grove.

A native of Texas, Catherine moved to the Monterey area in 1998.  She retired in 2013 after 32 years in Information Technology and now devotes much of her time to volunteering for several nonprofits.  She joined Sustainable Seaside in 2009 and has served as chair since 2016. Catherine received a B.A. in Business Computer Information Systems from Midwestern State University in Texas and an Associate of Arts in Computer Science from Long Beach City College.  She has held the position of board president for the Monterey Peace and Justice Center since 2015.  She joined Veterans For Peace, Chapter 46 as an associate member in 2017, and currently serves as board secretary.  She also publishes the digital Weekly Peace Calendar, a project of the Peace Coalition of Monterey County. 

Ellen first joined sustainable organizations upon returning to the U.S. in 1994. After living in Japan in the 70′s and Hong Kong, China, and Tibet from 1985-1994, she began to understand food as medicine, health, and life, and dependent on the quality of air, water, and soil, balanced with sunlight. Her volunteer efforts are focused on restoring balance to our planet, the relationship to nature, and ensuring the perpetuation of our planet for future generations.  She is a member of the Sustainable Carmel Steering Committee, Central Coast Sanctuary Alliance, CERT certified volunteer, Sustainable Pacific Grove Community Garden, Monterey Peninsula Volunteer Service, Women’s Council of Realtors, NAR, CAR, MCAR, Professional Women’s Network, the American Massage Therapy Association, and the Zero Balancing Health Association.

Karen has been a Del Rey Oaks resident since 1997 with her husband, Dirk Harris. Her BS in marine biology from Texas A&M at Galveston first brought her to the Monterey Peninsula in 1983, when the Monterey Bay Aquarium was being built. She was employed at Monterey One Water (formerly Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency) for 28 and a half years, working as a lab analyst, an industrial waste inspector, and, for 17 years, as the agency’s community relations specialist. She was on the board of the Water Awareness Committee of Monterey County, Inc., for many years, including serving as chair. She managed several Water Awareness Day community events at the Monterey County Fairgrounds and Del Monte Shopping Center. In addition, she has been a volunteer diver at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for over 30 years and performs feeding shows in the Kelp Forest. Helping connect people to make things happen is her passion. Ask her about sustainable shrimp culture!

Robin has a background in geology, residential construction, archeology, wastewater plant operations and urban and regional development with an emphasis on the community participation and community outreach components of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. (NPDES). She has done extensive bicycling including commuting, courier, and touring. She has successfully pushed for the inclusion of a bicycling green way to be included in the future growth area of the City of Salinas. She has also been involved in obtaining state funding for a restoration project on Santa Rita Creek managed by the Central Coast Wetlands Group. She is a founding member of Sustainable Salinas and Salinas Neighborhood Council.

She is currently directing the Santa Rita and Bolsa Knolls Watershed Group to bring awareness to the needs of the urbanized areas of the Santa Rita Creek Watershed. This group conducts community projects that include community native plant garden installation at Santa Rita Park, annual Santa Creek Fair, storm drain stenciling, and other project s to demonstrate best practices for property owners to prevent pollutants from entering the creek and for creating native plant habitats. The group also aims to develop community environmental activism through its projects.

She has a B.SC. in Geology with minors in anthropology and biology, Masters in Regional and Urban Planning.

Janette Leonidou co-founded, and for twenty years directed, the Silicon Valley law firm Leonidou & Rosin. She is a past president of the San Mateo County Legal Aid Society and a former Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) volunteer. Janette semi-retired in 2021 to pursue environmental work. She is excited about the use of trees and other plants, as well as regenerative practices, to help slow climate change and support healthier communities.  She lives in Monterey with her husband and son.

Tom retired and moved permanently to the Monterey Peninsula in 2012 after a 30 year career in management positions in the computer hardware industry. Tom holds a B.F.A. degree from Drake University and a MBA from Golden Gate University. He serves on the Board of Land Watch Monterey County. He is on the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) Advisory Committee and Saltwater Intrusion Working Group. Tom volunteers at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve and is an avid hiker with the Monterey Bay Area Hiking Group.