Calendar
Event Information:
-
Thu25Feb20217:00 pmOnline / Registration required
HVNA Election Meeting
Join us on Thursday, February 25th at 7:00 p.m. for the HVNA Election Meeting.
Please use the link below to register for the meeting. You must be a member in good standing to attend the meeting and vote. If you're not sure of your membership status, then register and we will verify it and let you know your status. We will take a verbal vote, so be prepared to have your camera on and be able to unmute.
The deadline for membership renewals and registration for the meeting is 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 25th to allow time for our verification process.
Finally, please have patience, it'll take a little longer to admit everyone into the meeting as we verify voting status. If you have questions or need assistance, send us a message at membership@hayesvalleysf.org. Thank you!
Election meeting registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYlf-CtrjMiGdfuqvTLhIbCVI_IMP8EX5q4
2021 HVNA Board of Directors | Nomination Slate Bios
President | Jen Laska
Jennifer moved to San Francisco with her husband, Joe, in 2016. They quickly fell in love with Hayes Valley’s abundant performing arts venues and lively restaurant scene. Jennifer organized the Shared Streets program on Hayes Street last year, helped fundraise to install long term lights on the Hayes Street trees and recruited volunteers for several community projects. She looks forward to continuing these projects, continuing to meet more and more neighbors and continuing to work with the city on issues street cleanliness and homelessness. She’ll also work to improve community outreach in 2021.Vice President | Mark Stephenson
Mark and his wife Angela moved to Hayes Valley 4 years ago from the Peninsula. Has two recent graduate sons who are now working and live in Austin (Apple) and Georgia (US Army). Mark works in San Francisco for an AI for Contracting start up, is a UCLA graduate and has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern. Mark led a “Clean Octavia” community group working with HVNA Members, DPW & FUF to remove weeds and trash. Mark looks to contribute to the growing trash disposal problem and make Hayes Valley a beautiful place to live for all.Treasurer | Sarah Young
I am happy to ask for a second term as Treasurer of the HVNA. It took a while to get into the rhythm of this new responsibility, and I feel like I have gotten the hang of this over the past six months or so. It does take care, time and research, but I am pleased to be able to offer these things to HVNA. Also, I have so much liking and respect for the other hard-working members of this board who have powered through in this difficult and completely different kind of a year! My goals for the next year would include figuring out a way to store and organize HVNA records so that they are accessible to future boards.Recording Secretary | Trent Berry
A resident of Hayes Valley for 22 years- the entire time he has lived in San Francisco- Trent is the founder and current co-administrator of the Hayes Valley Society Facebook page, soon to be in its 10th year and sporting over 1700 members. When not tirelessly evangelizing on behalf of the world’s greatest neighborhood, Trent leads a double life working for an investment management software firm as well as being the owner of Dreamrack Studios where he produces, engineers and mixes music for international artists as well as his own local projects.Corresponding Secretary | Barbara Early
Barbara is a 30+ year resident of San Francisco, and relocated to Hayes Valley six years ago. She has served on HVNA board for thee terms, first as Recording Secretary and currently as Corresponding Secretary. Prior community volunteer experience includes serving as Secretary on the board of a community organization in her old neighborhood, volunteered at the Board of Supervisors, and other volunteer efforts in the arts both as a performer and behind the scenes. Barbara has worked in the real estate industry for more than 15 years; prior to that, she also worked in marketing, and in arts administration at SFMOMA and small theaters in San Francisco. She is currently a volunteer site manager at Hayes Valley Art Works, a community creation space featuring an art gallery and garden. Barbara is also a singer, actor and artist in her spare time. Her goal is to support Hayes Valley as we live through the pandemic, and hopes to support residents, businesses, and the arts community and help develop a stronger sense of community through art and community activities in the neighborhood.Carolyn Press Chatham | Membership Secretary
Carolyn Press Chatham is passionate about giving back to the Hayes Valley community, as she plans to stay in Hayes Valley with her family long-term. She has been an Associate Board member of HVNA for the past year, participating in monthly meetings and actively engaging with community members by running the HVNA Instagram account. She has lived in Hayes Valley for two years, with her husband (Andrew), two kids (Truman, 2 and Arden, 2 months), and dog (Pixel, 8 year old maltese poodle). She works at Bain & Company, managing a career advisory program. She joined there in 2015, after spending five years in various roles in the People Operations department at Google. As a Board Director for Alonzo King Lines Ballet, she serves on the Executive, Governance and Internal Affairs committees. Until recently, she was also a member of an advisory board for the Global Fund for Women, and a member of the Battery Powered philanthropy group.Member at Large | Jason Henderson
Jason Henderson chairs HVNA's Transportation and Planning Committee ( T & P) and also serves on the city's Market & Octavia Community Advisory Committee (MOCAC). He is a Professor in the department of Geography & Environment at SF State University and has studied and written about transportation politics in Atlanta, San Francisco, and Copenhagen. Jason's primary modes of transport are cycling, walking, and public transit.Member at Large | Nico Bremond
Nico Bremond moved to San Francisco from Oakland to study Sociology and African American Studies in 2010. While at USF he linked with organizations that were focused on community engagement and service like Brotherhood Connection and The Ester Madriz Activist Scholars. While doing service learning at Collective Impact’s local afterschool program, Magic Zone, he had finally found his calling. After graduating in 2014, he was hired at Collective Impact to run the Teen and Middle School program, located at the historic Ella Hill Hutch Community Center. 6 years later, he along with Collective Impact have built a strong and sustainable relationship between USF’s McCarthy Center, The San Francisco Human Rights Commission, and The Mayor’s Youth Employment Initiative: Opportunities for All, to help close the economic and education gap that has plagued inner cities like San Francisco. With his team at Collective Impact, Nico has developed an easy-to-use case management tool to help foster young people’s goals and aspirations in life. Over the years, in association with San Francisco’s Community Safety Initiative, he has been providing young people of color with the opportunity to fulfill their potential as entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders of society by offering paid internships, mentorship, and pathways to employment, including job readiness, career training, and apprenticeship for participants ages 13 to 24. Collective Impact focuses on equitable access to these opportunities through workforce connection, support and job resources for both job seekers and employers alike. Grateful for an amazing opportunity to work with a community similar to the one he grew up in, Nico makes sure that every child is loved and supported in this rapidly changing city.Associate Member | Ryan Powell
Ryan Powell is a Southern California native who moved to San Francisco in 2009, and has been living in Hayes Valley since 2014. Currently Ryan is pursuing a Master's Degree in Urban and Public Affairs at the University of San Francisco and is focusing his studies on Transit and Social Justice issues. Over the last year he has held the position of legislative fellow for Supervisor Preston's District 5 office, where he has worked on the Page Street bike lane improvements as well as the page street Slow Streets implementation.Over the summer of 2020 Ryan worked as a Research Associate for San Francisco's Local Agency Formation Commission investigating the implications of a city sponsored Delivery Cooperative to mitigate the issues with on-demand delivery apps and the problems associated with their payment and benefit structure for their employees. Currently his recommendation for the City to invest in a pilot cooperative is being implemented with the hopes that by the end of 2021 there will be a San Francisco Delivery Worker Cooperative to compete with the on-demand apps that pervade the industry.
As a Board Member of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, Ryan hopes to bring to the board a focus on improving pedestrian and bike safety within Hayes Valley as well as improving the lines of communication between residents of Hayes Valley, the District 5 Supervisor's Office, and local Transit Agencies.
Associate Member | Ariel Mendez Penante
My name is Ariel Mendez-Peñate and I am excited to be considered for the HVNA Board. I was born and raised in Marin County, received a BS degree from University of Santa Cruz in Geophysics, and am currently working at an education non-profit. I have taught both math and science at the middle school and high school levels. My wife and I made Hayes Valley our home in 2017 and look forward to raising our two kids in this amazing neighborhood. I have enjoyed being involved at the committee level at HVNA and look forward to making an impact and advocating for all residents.Associate Member | Madeline Howie
Associate Board Member Elect Madeline Howie is a 5 year San Francisco resident & Hayes Valley neighbor since 2019. An Artivist Artrepreneur, also known by her burlesque persona RedBone, began to investigate her radial impact upon our most recent uprising. She found hayesvalleysf.org and began the investigations. Since then Madeline has volunteered with Shared Spaces, Hayes Valley Art Works and now the Equity & Inclusion Committee. With a deeply rooted family history in SF, she has a passion for San Francisco's historic culture of enmeshed Art, Nightlife, & Social Justice.Associate Member | Dena Emmerson
Dena Emmerson has been a Hayes Valley neighbor for three years and has been involved with the Neighborhood Association for nearly as long. As the former Treasurer she modified and increased transparency of the accounting spreadsheets by migrating documentation to Google Drive. In her spare time she loves biking and walking around the city and trying as many restaurants as possible. As an Associate Board member she hopes to assist with Membership: expanding accessibility to all neighbors, welcoming new members to the community, and organizing membership data.Associate Member | Vladimir Vlad
Vladimir grew up in Hayes Valley and attended French American International School as well as the San Francisco Ballet School. He has a background in architecture and urban design and is passionate about local transportation and planning issues within the neighborhood. He is an active member of HVNA's Transportation & Planning committee.Associate Member | Andrew Seigner
My name is Andrew Seigner. I'm a lifelong resident of California, twenty years in the bay, and the past five in Hayes Valley. I've spent the last year as an HVNA associate board member, where I've been responsible for managing the hayesvalleysf.org website and Twitter account. My primary priority has been to use these platforms to help inform and support equity in our community. Another priority has been modernizing our website and membership management.I've also been a member of HVNA's Transportation & Planning committee. I'm particularly proud of HVNA's work on the Shared Streets program, which opened up Hayes Street to people and bikes, an important step in normal times, made even more significant during COVID. Many HVNA members, including myself, volunteered many hours to make that program possible.
My primary goal this year will be to further automate HVNA's online communications and membership management, allowing members to more easily check the status of their memberships. I also want to continue HVNA's work in promoting equity in our community, recognizing the historical context that Hayes Valley exists in.
Associate Member | Fr. John Porter
I was born, reared, and educated in the San Francisco Bay Area and am a 3rd generation San Franciscan. I went to San Francisco State University, 1961-65. After university, I chose to enter Religious Life (Franciscan Order, in the Episcopal Church), and lived on Long Island, NYC, the United Kingdom. In the monastery, I was ordained deacon and priest. In the early 1990s, I left Religious Life in order to provide care for my mother, who by then lived in Walnut Creek. After her death, I moved back to San Francisco and went to work as Executive Director for a non-profit charity that provided support and care for the sick and the poor.I retired from my work in 2003 and continued, however, to volunteer priest at the parish church, here in Hayes Valley, the community where I grew up (Church of the Advent, 261 Fell St). When our new parish priest arrived 6 years ago, my partner and I began to attend the monthly community meetings at the H.V. Rec Center. Eventually, through volunteer work, I was asked to become an associate board member, my second term just now completing. We have lived in Hayes Valley for 17 years and, at this moment, are preparing to take ownership of our apartment in a 3-unit TIC on Ivy Street.
I have been very pleased to volunteer my time to HVNA as possible, because the work it does to create healthy and diverse community among us is very important. I am very pleased to be asked to stand for election again.