Park District Announces 2019 Board of Directors Officers

February 6, 2019

Park District Announces 2019 Board of Directors Officers

The East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors has inducted new leaders for 2019. Ayn Wieskamp of Livermore will serve as president; Ellen Corbett of San Leandro will serve as vice president; Dee Rosario of Oakland will serve as treasurer, and Colin Coffey of Hercules will serve as secretary. The additional Board members are Whitney Dotson of Richmond, Dennis Waespi of Castro Valley, and Beverly Lane of Danville. Leadership positions rotate annually.

Ayn Wieskamp was elected to the Board in 1999. As Board President, she will serve as chair of the Board’s executive committee. Wieskamp previously served on the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District Board, the Livermore City Council, the Alameda County Recycling Board, and the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency. Director Wieskamp’s term expires in 2022.

Ellen Corbett was elected to the Board in 2016. She will serve as chair of the Board’s operations committee. She was the majority leader of the California State Senate, representing the 10th District, 2006-2013. Previously she was a member of the California State Assembly, a San Leandro City Council Member and Mayor of San Leandro. Director Corbett’s term expires in 2020

Dee Rosario was elected to the Board in 2016. He will serve as chair of the finance committee. He has served on the Alameda County Parks, Recreation and Historical Commission; the Board of Directors for the Friends of Sausal Creek; the Regional Parks Association Board of Directors; the Oakland Fire-Safe Council Board; and co-convened the California Alliance of Retired Americans. Director Rosario was the Park Supervisor at Redwood Regional Park prior to his retirement in 2013. Director Rosario’s term expires in 2020.

Colin Coffey was elected to the Board in 2018 after being appointed in January 2017 to fill the vacancy of Diane Burgis, who was elected to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in November, 2016. He will serve as chair of the natural/cultural resources committee. He is a long-time Regional Parks Ambassador along with his wife, Mila. He served on the Park District’s Park Advisory Committee twice, first 2001-2009 and second 2012-2017. Director Coffey’s term expires in 2022.

Dennis Waespi was elected to the Board in 2014. He will serve as chair of the legislative committee. He was a supervisor at the Park District for 36 years before retiring in 2016. He has also served on the boards of the Castro Valley Sanitary District and Hayward Area Recreation and Park District. Director Waespi’s term expires in 2022.

Whitney Dotson was elected to the Board in 2008. Prior to being elected to the board, he served as an appointed member of the Park District Park Advisory Committee. He is the president of North Richmond Shoreline Open Space Alliance, and vice chair of the Community Advisory Group monitoring the cleanup of Campus Bay and UC Berkeley Richmond Field Station. He has also served as president of his neighborhood council, where he now serves as vice chair, and as the associate director of the Neighborhood House of North Richmond. Director Dotson’s term expires in 2020.

Beverly Lane was elected to the Board in 1994. A former Danville Mayor and Councilmember, Lane has led efforts to establish the Iron Horse Regional Trail, the Calaveras Ridge Trail, and Sycamore Valley Open Space Park. In 2008-9 she served on the Community Advisory Committee reviewing reuse plans for the Concord Naval Weapons Station where a 2,500-acre regional park is planned. Lane is a published author, columnist, and curator of the Museum of the San Ramon Valley. She was the founding president of the Museum of the San Ramon Valley and is a past president of the Contra Costa County Historical Society. Director Lane’s term expires in 2022.

The board meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month. Members are elected to four-year terms and are elected by district to represent different geographic areas of the East Bay.

The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest regional parks system in the nation, comprising 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and 1,250 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and nature learning. The Park District receives more than 25 million visits annually throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.