Russian Riverkeeper Board
Doug Lipton, Ph.D.
President
Doug is an environmental scientist who founded Lipton Environmental Group after serving for 10 years as a Principal Scientist at a large environmental consulting firm in the SF Bay Area. He received his doctorate from U.C. Berkeley in environmental chemistry and did post-doctoral worked at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories, where he focused on contamination issues in Central Valley wetlands. He continues to work on wetland restoration projects in the SF Bay-Delta and provides extensive pro bono work on environmental issues within the Russian River watershed. Doug has served on several local non-profit boards including Sonoma Land Trust, Dry Creek Valley Association, and the Healdsburg Jazz Festival. Doug lives with his wife and two boys on a 15-acre farm in Dry Creek Valley where they grow a wide variety of fruits, nuts, flowers, and produce.
Virginia Strom-Martin
Vice President
Virginia is a former assemblymember having served the 1st Assembly District from 1996-2002. She taught elementary school in Santa Rosa for 23 years prior to her election.She is currently an education lobbyist. Virginia has lived on the Russian River in Duncans Mills for 32 years and is a 5th generation North Coast resident. Her wish is to see that our precious and life-sustaining environments remain pristine for generations to come.
Charles Rullman
Treasurer
Charles is a former investment banker and Partner in a LA based, middle market, private equity investment firm. After a 33 year career, he and his wife, Linda, retired and relocated to Healdsburg in 2006.
Jib Ellison
Secretary
Jib is founder and CEO of Blu Skye Sustainability Consulting, a boutique strategy consulting firm based in San Francisco, California. He works with senior leaders from Fortune 100 technology, waste management, entertainment, CPG and agriculture companies in the development and implementation of their sustainability strategy. Jib and his family reside in Healdsburg.
Kathy Tierney
Board Member
Kathy Tierney joined Sur La Table in April 2004 as Chief Executive Officer, bringing a rich background in business and international experiences to the Company. In 2008, she transitioned from CEO to Executive Director of the Board. Kathy worked at The Nature Company for a decade as the Executive VP of Marketing. As CEO of Smith & Hawken for seven years, she quadrupled sales and grew the catalog company into a multi-channel retailer. In 2001 she served as the CEO of Fitch North America, a global branding firm, providing consulting for Fortune 500 companies.
Ms. Tierney entered the Peace Corps in 1968, trekked the Himalayas in 1999 and climbed to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2000. She earned a BA in English from Dominican College in California. She holds a lifetime teaching credential from the University of California and an Executive Strategic Marketing Certificate from Harvard.
Michael Volpatt
Board Member
Michael Volpatt lives in Guerneville and is the co-founder of Big Bottom Market, a unique gourmet deli and marketplace. He is also the owner of Larkin/Volpatt communications, a full-service public relations firm serving clients in the technology, publishing and healthcare industries. Somewhat "new" to Sonoma County, Michael has gotten very involved in working to make his town even more beautiful than it already is. While he splits his time between Guerneville and New York City, he is an advocate for the Russian River and loves living and working in Sonoma County.