Mission Creek Conservancy
Est. 1983
Board of Directors
We are governed by a dedicated, dynamic group of environmentalists, historians,
and community leaders.
Ginny Stearns, President
Ginny is an environmental artist and project director of the the Conservancy’s efforts to develop and maintain wildlife support plantings in the harbor’s Huffaker Park over 15 years. Her plans for the Huffaker Gardens, featuring bird and butterfly focus areas and interpretive signage, are scheduled to be part of the soon-to-be renovated shoreline park. Stearns’s design for bird perch piles in the creek waters will offer both safe perching sites for aquatic birds and opportunities for creek visitors to view them. She has also worked with student groups learning about Mission Creek wildlife. Most recently she developed a project with the San Francisco Friends School where second graders create signs that enliven the park and educate the public about local wildlife and creek history. ​
Sarah Bertram
Sarah lives on Mission Creek with her husband and two young children. She is a leader within the floating home community. Sarah has a deep appreciation for the Conservancy’s environmental restoration. She spent nearly a decade working promote solar power policies across the country to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. She is passionate about building upon the Conservancy’s track record of chronicling and sharing Mission Creek’s history - the longest standing community in Mission Bay - with its new neighbors. In neighboring Dogpatch, Sarah serves on the board of her kids' preschool, Friends of Potrero Nursery School, which is located in a portion of the historic I.M. Scott building, the oldest public school building in San Francisco.
Peter Snider
Peter Snider is a retired stage hand with Local 16 I.A.T.S.E. He first moved to San Francisco to join the SF Mime Troupe working both on stage and off. He went on to contribute to the Bay Area’s growing creative community with such organizations as the Pickle Family Circus, The Farm, The Neighborhood Arts Program and S.C.R.A.P. Peter has been a life long avid sailor and admirer of open waters. He first moved to Mission Creek in 1982. He is a passionate activist for conservation efforts and social equities. Peter hopes to build a collaborative bridge between the Creek community and the growing neighborhood that will nurture the growth of a vibrant culture as well as a communal appreciation of the precious water and the shoreline.
Philip DeAndrade
Philip DeAndrade is a long-time board member, community leader, and friend of Mission Creek. For the past decade, he has served as President for Mission Creek Harbor. Philip also supports Mission Bay by serving on the University of California’s Community Advisory Group. Philip started Goat Hill Pizza, a legacy business in San Francisco, on Potrero Hill more than forty years ago and has overseen its expansion to multiple sites across town.
Chris Carlsson
Chris Carlsson is the co-director of Shaping San Francisco, curates the digital archive of San Francisco history at FoundSF.org, and helped produce the 2nd edition of "Vanished Waters: San Francisco's Mission Bay." He is a daily bicyclist and pedestrian and decade-long ecological activist.
Carmen Mendieta
Carmen demonstrates her love of the ocean and its inhabitants by learning from fellow board members, participating in the stewardship of Mission Creek, and sharing the abundance that has graced her life. Some of those life gifts have come from working with elders in the nonprofit sector and other teachings were gained through service as a volunteer in many grassroots endeavors.