The Guadalupe-Nipopomo Dunes Center's Board of Directors

Become a Board Member

For more information on how our Board of Directors supports and serve the Dunes Center, please contact us at: admin@dunescenter.org

New Board Member Application
Would you like to serve on our Board of Directors? You can download a pdf of our application here. Once completed you can mail it to our office at:

Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center
PO BOX 339
Guadalupe, CA 93434

The Dunes Center Board of Directors

President
Frances Romero Frances has been a Senior Planner/Project Manager with Urban Planning Concepts, Inc., a planning and land use consulting firm in Santa Maria for over 7 years. She is a graduate of the University of Redlands. Frances has lived in Guadalupe since 1997 and has been involved in the community as a Recreation Commissioner (1997), Interim City Clerk (1998), Fifth District Park Commissioner for Santa Barbara County (1999-2005), Dunes Center Steering Committee (2002-2004), Chair of the Guadalupe Planning Commission (2007-2009), and the Dunes Center Board of Directors since January 2010.

Vice-president
John Deacon John Deacon is our newest Board member, joining the Board in early 2012. While earning a post-graduate degree in Ecology from Brigham Young University he spent a couple of summers working on Forest Service projects and became an avid “Birder”. He served as one of the founding members of the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District Community Advisory Council and is currently one of the five Hearing Board members for the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District. John has a long history with the Dunes dating back to the 1980’s when he worked with Clarence Minetti and Supervisor Toru Myoshi to stop illegal offroad vehicle activity on the Santa Barbara County side of the Guadalupe Dunes.


Directors
David Hosking - Secretary David Hosking is a local middle school teacher and has taught for the past 21 years. In addition to his classroom responsibilities, for 15 years, Mr. Hosking served as a Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) advisor. Most recently Mr. Hosking served on the state sponsored California Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI) final review committee. His experience in the classroom teaching science is an immeasurable resource for the Dunes Center education programs.
John Karamitsos My name is John Karamitsos. As a life-long Central Coast resident, I have been enjoying the local beaches and coastline since I was a young child. I have been actively volunteering with the Dunes Center for the past decade or so, and am especially proud of my service on the Board of Directors since 2006. For the past 22 years, I have been employed in the Planning Department of the County of Santa Barbara. I am married with four young children, and one of our favorite family activities involves trips out to the dunes.
Greg McGowan Greg is a Principal Ecologist with the international consulting firm, ARCADIS. He is the discipline leader for the company’s Ecosystem Sciences and Restoration practice within their Technological Knowledge and Innovation program. He specializes in the assessment, planning, and implementation of projects with complex regulatory issues and diverse ecological assessment and habitat restoration needs. A graduate of Cal Poly, Greg has lived on the Central Coast for more than 27 years. He has been involved with the Dunes Center since 2000 and is passionately committed to helping future generations develop strong science, critical thinking, and communication skills.
Jules Reuter III - Treasurer Jules has been a resident of Guadalupe since 2004. Currently retired after a 21 year career as a Television Video Editor in Los Angeles, Jules selected the central coast to pursue his passion for nature photography and fine wine. He works part-time at two local wineries and leads photography hikes for the public into the Dunes on a seasonal basis. He has displayed his work at the Dunes Center since 2003, and brings an artists' perspective to his service on the Board of Directors.

Nathan Eady
Nathan is a Project Manager and director of the Santa Maria office for SCS Engineers, a land use, environmental, and engineering firm. He’s lived and worked on the Central Coast for last six years after relocating here from San Diego. In his spare time Nathan is an avid hiker and backpacker, a passion that he applies to community service by assisting in trail maintenance programs throughout the Central Coast. One of Nathan’s favorite summer hikes includes the long walk from Guadalupe Dunes to Point Sal.


Advisors to the Board
Christina Holenda	Robin Hayhurst
Barbara Hauck	Mike Multari