The Board of Directors of San Bruno Mountain Watch
Davin Chan serves as the secretary of the board of directors. Davin is an associate engineer at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency with a Master’s degree in Structural Engineering from Santa Clara University. Davin lives in Daly City and is passionate about ecological restoration and connecting local communities with San Bruno Mountain.
Reina Kahn serves as the vice chair of the board of directors. Reina is a Geospatial Analyst with a Master’s degree in Geospatial Information and Technology from the University of Southern California. Reina has been a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer and served in Jamaica and Guatemala developing GIS programs in rural communities. She has also worked with the CA Department of Food and Agriculture in its invasive weed and mitigation program. She currently works at a company that supports FEMA with their community mapping needs. Reina is interested in using her GIS skills in an environmental capacity developing and supporting habitat conservation and awareness. Her passion for San Bruno Mountain stems from her experience living in Brisbane and hiking the mountain daily. She enjoys the quiet respite of the mountain amidst the urban landscape.
Ann Kircher is a Biologist with a B.A. from Washington University and a M.A. from Duke University. Ann spent her academic career teaching at the College of Alameda. She is interested in native plants, horticulture, and environmental activism. Her passions for San Bruno Mountain are protecting the natural environment, restoration of damaged areas, acquisition of adjacent natural areas, and inclusion of people in the surrounding communities into the wonders of the Mountain.
Thomas Lambert is a retired accountant who previously served for multiple years as the treasurer of the board of directors. Tom lives in Brisbane near the mountain’s forested canyons and enjoys hiking the trails close to home.
Emma Lewis is the chair of the board of directors. Emma is a judicial law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She graduated from Berkeley Law in 2024 Order of the Coif with a certificate of specialization in environmental law. She previously worked for the City of South San Francisco, launching and overseeing the Sign Hill Stewards Habitat Restoration Project. Emma was also an AmeriCorps member with the Bay Area-based nonprofit Grassroots Ecology and worked to restore watersheds through volunteer programming. She is passionate about sharing the unique ecological stories of San Bruno Mountain with its surrounding communities.
Frida Pensamiento works as a sustainability specialist for the South San Francisco Scavenger Company. Her passion for ecological conservation and restoration stems from previously studying environmental science at UC Santa Cruz. She plans to carry this enthusiasm into caring for San Bruno Mountain and strengthening the important connection between humans and nature.
Michele Salmon was born and raised in Brisbane, California on the flanks of San Bruno Mountain on the street where she still lives. In the 1960s, Michele‘s parents played a major role in thwarting plans to scrape off the top of the mountain for a new city and her father served on Brisbane’s first City Council. Her deep connection to the mountain inspired her degree in Biology at San Francisco State University. After graduating with Honors, her love of adventure took hold. Living briefly in Thailand, working a season at a ski resort, sailing across the Pacific, and traveling far and wide - most recently to Mongolia - fueled both Michele’s desire to travel and her passion for the environment. She has worked almost 40 years in Direct Marketing, but continues her lifelong love of San Bruno Mountain and commitment to the environment. Michele currently also serves on Brisbane’s Open Space and Ecology Committee, is a constant advocate for our environment, and was even featured in a documentary about the Endangered Species Act. “I’ve been so lucky in my life. Making those deep connections with the land and the people both here and in other very different places profoundly changes how one views the world. I live for that moment, that epiphany, of sudden or great revelation that comes with the realization of how connected we all are to each other and to Mother Earth no matter where you live.”
Stuart Schillinger retired from the City of Brisbane after an exceptional twenty-one years, fulfilling multiple roles including Finance Director, Administrative Services Director, and Assistant City Manager. During his tenure with the City, Stuart was also at various points the lead staff liaison for a number of advisory bodies: the Open Space and Ecology Committee, as well as the Parks and Recreation Commission.
Danny Yanow serves as the treasurer of the board of directors. Danny is a recently retired middle school history teacher who taught in South San Francisco at Westborough Middle School and served as the president of the teachers union. Prior to joining the board, Danny collaborated with San Bruno Mountain Watch on field trips and volunteer events to San Bruno Mountain for his students and volunteered at the Mission Blue Nursery.