Denise, a founding board member, served as the first treasurer for 15 years. Her involvement with the lagoon began as a volunteer patroller, before a full time ranger was assigned to the reserve. In addition to her duties as president she continues her commitment as a docent, leading school groups on walks at the reserve. Denise has plenty of experience in the field of education; she teaches biology at the San Elijo campus of MiraCosta College. She and her husband and sons are Cardiff residents.

Celesd began her association with the conservancy by first becoming enchanted with the lagoon and its inhabitants. What started out as her being dragged along on birding and photography trips by business partner, Heather Kinch, soon turned into a love of the beauty and serenity of this "natural treasure" and a desire to get involved. Membership led to art donations, marketing consulting and finally the duo being asked to co-chair the publicity committee for SELC's 20th Anniversary "Birds of a Feather" event.
 
Celesd comes to SELC with over 25 years of sales, marketing and entrepreneurial experience. She is also co-owner of Heather KiNCH Studio, Winged Light Gallery and Red Raven Publishing. In keeping with their sense of respect and responsibility for the environment and their commitment to making a difference, Heather & Celesd donate a percentage of sales from their enterprises to support the conservancy's efforts.
 
Celesd lives in Encinitas with her extended human and animal family.

Sally Foster joined the Board of the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy in December of 2007. Sally is the Dean of the San Elijo campus of MiraCosta College, a site which borders the reserve. She helped SELC sponsor the first Lagoon Lecture Series, which raised awareness in our community about the reserve, its geology, its history, the plants and birds that live there, as well as the issues we will face in the future as we continue to protect and restore it. Sally serves on the board of the Coastal Community Foundation. A native of Michigan, Sally earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan and then moved to California where she earned an M.A. in Psychology at Chico State. She has lived in Encinitas since 1978, and she has two sons who are away at school. It was her younger son's Environmental Impact Study, done for a biology class in high school, that got Sally and her family particularly interested in the San Elijo estuary. Her son chose a site next to the lagoon for his year-long study. He would visit his site several times a month, recording the seasonal changes in the levels of flora and fauna, and paying special attention to the human related impact to the estuary.

Scott Griffiths

Pastor Bill Harman

Pastor Bill's interest in the Conservancy stems from his environmental concerns and expressing those concerns in our local setting. He has been a supporter of various national conservation groups including the Sierra Club and other wildlife foundations.  Pastor Bill decided upon retirement to concentrate all these various concerns into support for the SELC. He feels that, as a retired Lutheran pastor, part of his Christian faith calls upon him to be concerned for God's creation.  Pastor Bill hopes his presence on the Board can help to make the SELC better known in our area, and that he can contribute to its educational goals.   He graduated from Wittenberg University, Springfield, OH in 1961, the Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago, IL and received his Master’s in Theology from the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA. He completed post graduate work in Islamics and African Culture at the Hartford Seminary Foundation, Hartford, CN in 1967. Pastor Bill serves as part time teacher and Development Director at the Grauer School which has worked closely with the Conservancy over the years. He has been married to Patricia since 1965 and they have two sons and two granddaughters.

Mark Huffman, longtime Conservancy supporter, joined the board in 2007. Mark is a National Wildlife Federation Habitat Steward and on the team to certify the City of Encinitas as a Community Wildlife Habitat. A San Diego native, Mark moved to Encinitas in 1995 and works professionally as a CPA and financial planner. He is an avid cyclist, surfer, and birder with a passion for landscaping with native plants.

Kevin is a founding board member of the Conservancy and served as its president from 1991-2001. He is a land use and environmental attorney and managing partner of Johnson and Hanson, LLP, with offices in San Diego and Sacramento, specializing in representing citizen and environmental groups. Kevin is vice president of the Planning and Conservation League (PCL), a statewide environmental organization that maintains a lobby staff in Sacramento. PCL is responsible for developing and passing over $22 billion in statewide bond measures benefiting the environment. Kevin is also a former board member and was the first president of Water for California, a statewide organization dedicated to reforming state water policy and practices. He is a frequent speaker on land use issues and is an expert on the California Environmental Quality Act, the state's premier environmental protection law.

Peter Johnson has been changing the world one taco at a time at Las Olas Mexican Restaurant in Cardiff with co-owner Dave Murphey since 1981 (and Carlsbad since 2004). He sponsored and installed the educational panel "Dining at the Lagoon" with a view of the west basin. Check it out next time you're at Las Olas in Cardiff. It's his commitment to quality, value and close proximity to the lagoon that make him a valuable addition to the board.

Peter moved to the San Diego area in 1970 and has been an active participant in community organizations ever since. He has served on the board of directors of the YMCA; was president of the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce; served on the subcommittee for the City of Encinitas Sand Replenishment Project; and currently sits on the board for TERI, Training Education & Research Institute, an Oceanside-based nonprofit offering educational programs for children and adults with developmental disabilities.
 
The father of two young children, Peter is a physically active participant in life, surfing, bicycling, golfing and bird watching to name a few of his outdoor sports. in the future as we continue to protect and restore it.  

Linda Jones, Ph.D.

Jim was originally a county park volunteer and has been a Director of San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy since 1989. He served as the secretary of its Board of Directors from 2000 through 2005. 

He spent most of his business career raising capital for environmental protection, pollution prevention and control and waste management projects and businesses. He also was the first executive officer of the California Pollution Control Financing Authority and presided over the Council of Pollution Control Financing Agencies.

Jim is an alumnus of Northwestern University, New York Institute of Finance, and the University of West Los Angeles School of Law.

He was the instructor of the “Project Financing” course at UCLA Engineering Extension, and lectured on environmental project financing at UCLA, USC, UCSD and the Practicing Law Institute. He also chaired the Budget and Finance Advisory Committee for the City of Solana Beach, where he and his wife, Carol, have lived overlooking the lagoon since 1987.

Bob started his involvement at San Elijo Lagoon in 1988 as a county park volunteer patrolling the reserve and picking up trash. He has served on the board since then and as president 2003-2006. He spent his professional career as a mechanical engineer at Convair/General Dynamics designing airplanes and Atlas launch vehicles and the last decade of his career with General Atomics involved in the design and operation of equipment used in the transportation of radioactive materials. Bob and his wife have resided in Solana Beach since 1966.