Board of Directors Fiscal Year 2019-2020

Executive Officers

Win Bowen, Board Chair

Winston’s non-profit experience includes eight years on the Mendocino Land Trust board, six as president and 4½ years of those years also as acting Executive Director. While in Los Angeles he served 18 years on the board of Friends of the Observatory (FOTO), supporting Griffith Observatory, including five years as President, plus posts such as chair of the master planning committee, then the renovation and expansion committee and finally the architectural selection committee. FOTO led a $93M renovation and expansion of Griffith Observatory, completed in 2003. Winston graduated from UCLA and spent two years in the Army, one in Vietnam. He did one year of graduate work at the University Of Missouri School Of Journalism and worked 21 years at Pacific Bell. He is currently active with The Krenov Foundation and joined the Community Foundation board in October 2015.

Paula Cohen, First Vice Chair

After graduating from UCLA with a BA in Anthropology, Paula Cohen began a career in the health care field by managing medical record departments in hospitals including the Kaiser facility in Santa Rosa.  Relocating to Mendocino County in 1999, she was employed by the Public Health Department to transition its Fort Bragg clinic to a private non-profit known today as Mendocino Coast Clinics.  She was the founding Executive Director there for 21 years retiring at the end of 2015.  Currently Paula serves as a Commissioner for the Partnership Health Plan of California and is a Board Member of the Cancer Resource Centers of Mendocino County.

A.R. “Buck” Ganter, Second Vice Chair

In 2016 Buck Ganter retired after 23 years with the Mendocino County Probation Office, having served since 2013 as Chief Probation Officer. During his tenure Buck facilitated project support for such non-profit organizations as Ford Street, Drug Court, and the Mendocino County Youth Project. Prior to his service to the county he was an independent Chevron station owner/operator for 16 years. A fourth-generation (at least) Mendocino County resident, beginning in 2003 Buck served on the Ukiah Unified Board of Education for eight years in various capacities including President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. In 2002 he was on the committee formed to start the Alex Rorabaugh Center, and currently sits on committees for the Tatum Banks Scholarship for Ukiah High School students and the Mendocino/Humboldt Redwood Company Scholarships, as well as on the St. Mary’s Catholic School board. Buck is also active with the Ukiah Lion’s Club, focusing on youth sports activities.

Buck holds a Bachelor’s degree in sociology from Chico State. He lives in Ukiah with his wife Barbara, a 28-year veteran of the Ukiah Unified School district, and they have three adult children and two grandchildren.

Jim Taul, Treasurer

Jim has lived near Boonville with his husband, Dave Hopmann, since 2005. He has been active in Anderson Valley's Health Center, Ambulance Service, and Theatre Guild. He is retired from a career of over 20 years at Kaiser Permanente designing its pricing, payment, and finance systems. He studied English at Kenyon, architecture at MIT, and economics and probability at Stanford. Jim has served 15 years on boards of small theatres in San Francisco including roles as President and Treasurer. For six years he served as an Anderson Valley Regional Advisor to the Community Foundation for its Community Enrichment Grants. He joined the Community Foundation board in 2017.

Gayle Greene, Secretary

Gayle was born and raised in Mendocino County. She is a retired NCDIQ accredited interior designer and former part owner in a custom motorcycle manufacturing company.  After 22 years residing at Lake Tahoe followed by 7 years in Reno, Gayle returned to Mendocino in 2008 and has been actively involved in volunteer work throughout the county.

Greg Nelson, Past Board Chair

Greg is part-owner, President, and Secretary-Treasurer of the Nelson Ranch, and is manager of bulk and on-premise wine sales for Nelson Family Vineyards. He is also a Mendocino County Planning Commissioner, and has served as County Farm Bureau President. Among his elected offices, Greg was a Ukiah Unified School Board Trustee from 1977 to 1990, serving as President in 1980 and 1984. Greg earned his B.S. degree in Agricultural Business Management from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and was in Class XI (1981) of the California Agriculture Leadership Foundation graduate program. He served on the Community Foundation board in various capacities from July 2002 to June 2014 and rejoined the board in September 2015.

Board Members

Judith Bailey

Judith Bailey has lived in Mendocino County for 60+ years. She met her husband Bill, while attending Napa Community College. After Bill graduated from Florida State University, they returned to Laytonville to start their family. In 1975 they started Bailey's, a mail order business that sells professional work gear and equipment. Following her husband’s death, she became President of Bailey’s. She is a community philanthropist and considers the Community Foundation a sophisticated yet simple way to honor the past and protect the future of Mendocino County.

Monte Hill

Monte is a retired financial advisor having spent nearly 29 years with various firms.  He holds a BS in Pharmacy from the University of Pacific and spent 15 years as a pharmacist.  He also enjoyed 3 years as a winemaker for Parducci Wine Cellars.  Monte is very active in the community serving on the boards of the MendoLake Credit Union, Grace Hudson Museum Endowment Fund, MPIC, Senior Center Endowment Fund and the Community Foundation Finance Committee.  He still has a passion for winemaking and serves on the Coro Mendocino Consortium board.  Monte was born and raised in Sebastopol, CA and moved to Ukiah at the beginning of 1965.

Jim Mayfield

Jim Mayfield is the President/Owner of Rainbow Ag, America's Country Store with locations in Ukiah and Lakeport. A graduate of Ukiah High School and Humboldt State University, Jim enjoys giving back to his community and he has served as a board member on many community and economic development organizations. Jim and his wife Babbie, a schoolteacher, live in Ukiah and have two grown children.

Kathy Wylie

Kathy Wylie has over 20 years of experience in the education field in Mendocino County, and almost as many years as the owner of Wylie Real Estate Company. In addition, she served five years as elected union president of the Mendocino County Federation of School Employees as well as her current tenure as Mendocino County Grand Jury Foreman. She also served as a Planning Commissioner in Butte County from 1993-1995. Kathy’s expertise in education, business, and public service make her an ideal addition to the Community Foundation’s board.

Kathy holds a Masters in Special Education from Arkansas State University and a business degree in Strategic Planning and Management from Dominican College. Her other education positions include Campus Administrator at College of the Redwoods, Executive Director of Three Rivers Charter School, and Business and Graphics/Animation instructor at Mendocino High School. Kathy lives in Albion with her husband David and three dogs.

Philip Thomas 

Not Pictured - Philip Thomas is a coastal Californian from birth. He has lived in Boonville since 1974. Philip graduated from the Midland School near Santa Barbara and Occidental College in Los Angeles. He was an elementary teacher for 40 years, spending more than half his career in Kindergarten. He was a labor negotiator for 35 years. Philip has sat on both public and private boards of directors for 30 years. His favorite snorkeling spot is in Hawaii. He is blissfully married to Evette, his wife of 35 years.

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