Board of Directors
Haden Ongaro – Board Chair
Executive Managing Director-Market Leader, Newmark Knight Frank
Haden has been in commercial real estate for the past 27 years. He began his career in 1986 where he worked in the Marin office of Grubb & Ellis. In 1995, he was a founding member of Orion Partners, Ltd, a commercial real estate firm which focused in the North Bay markets. During his tenure with Orion Partners, Haden was the company’s Top Producer and helped Orion Partners grow into the largest commercial real estate services provider in the North Bay.
In 2010, Haden joined Cornish & Carey Newmark Knight Frank as a Senior Vice President and Managing Director where he was instrumental in establishing their new offices in Marin and Santa Rosa. Haden’s career has been focused on the successful negotiations of major commercial real estate sales and leases which includes many of Marin County’s highest profile transactions – Hamilton Landing, Belvedere Place, 4000-4040 Civic Center Drive, 75-88 Rowland Way, 100 Wood Hollow and Fireman’s Fund.
Karen Hawkey
Board Treasurer
Karen Hawkey recently retired from full-time work, after more than thirty years in banking. During most of those years was a Vice President and Bank Manager. In connection with this work graduated from the Professional School of Banking at the University of San Diego, CA.
During her career she has been an innovator in employee and business development, customer service, and analytics. Worked successfully in client expansion, loan and deposit production, and established brand profile using business plans and stressing community involvement.
As a member of the business community, she introduced Wakeup San Rafael business networking group while managing Opus Bank, in downtown San Rafael and has served ten years on the Marin Economic Forum and San Rafael Chamber of Commerce. Hosted numerous training and marketing events, some of which were credited as continuing education for attorneys and CPAs. Through her business tenure served on numerous boards of directors throughout California in efforts to benefit child and senior welfare, the environment, and to promote affordable housing. As a leader, she is passionate about team building and particularly about improving results while conserving resources.
Currently she is employed part-time in the pro-shop of the McInnis Park Golf Center, and volunteering with the Marin Economic Forum, MarinLinks, and Novato Baylands.
Garry Lion – Board Secretary
Senior Partner, Lion Interactive
Garry currently serves as the Secretary on the MEF Board and has served on MEF since its founding. He was a 12-year City Councilmember and five-time Mayor or Vice-Mayor of Mill Valley. Garry has been a long-term advocate for business interests including being a CEO member of the Bay Area Council, creating a Business Task Force and Business Advisory Board in Mill Valley to improve economic vitality, and working with the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce Board for over a decade. He currently also serves as the Business Community Representative on the Marin Operational Area Disaster Council & Citizen’s Corps (DC3) and is Chairperson of the Marin County Flood Control Zone 3 Advisory Board.
Garry is a co-founder and senior partner with Lion Interactive, a strategic website development firm, since 1999. Previously, Garry was a senior executive and practice leader for 27 years with global management consulting practices at A.T. Kearney, Arthur D. Little Inc., and Arthur Young & Co. He is a graduate of Stanford University (BSME), Harvard Business School (MBA) and Stanford Advanced Management College.
Chief Administrative Officer, Kaiser San Rafael Service Area
Dr. Armika Berkley was recently elected to the MEF Board of Directors. She currently serves as the Chief Administrative Officer for the Kaiser San Rafael Service Area which include San Rafael, Novato, and Petaluma Medical Centers.
Dr. Berkley is a seasoned leader known for driving innovative organizational change and delivering exceptional performance. Her strategic advisory skills, ability to build trust and credibility across all levels of an organization, and passion for helping others are several of her most notable leadership characteristics.
Prior to The Permanente Medical Group, Dr. Berkley was Chief Executive Officer & President of Cooper Green Mercy Health System, holding accountability for operations and performance, achieving remarkable results in productivity, revenue growth, and employee engagement. Armika’s experience also includes leadership roles at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and Christ Community Health Service.
Dr. Berkley holds a Doctor of Science (DSc) in Health Services Administration and Leadership from University of Alabama Birmingham, a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Behavioral Studies.
Senior Vice President and Commercial Lending Regional Manager, Tri Counties Bank
Charlie is a Senior Vice President and Commercial Lending Regional Manager for the Tri Counties Bank. He is responsible for managing the Tri Counties Bank San Rafael / Marin County Loan Production Office. His banking groups focus on developing commercial lending relationships with companies that have annual revenues from $10 million to $100 million. Charlie has over 25 years of commercial banking experience where he has developed and managed relationships within many different industry segments including manufacturing, distribution, professional firms, construction, and real estate investment. He holds a B.A in international Studies from Vassar College and an M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis. Charlie lives in Mill Valley with his wife and three kids.
Superintendent/President for Student Learning & Success, College of Marin
Jonathan Eldridge, Ed.D serves as College of Marin’s 11th Superintendent/President. He came to the College in 2013 and most recently served as the College’s Assistant Superintendent/Vice President for Student Learning & Success. Dr. Eldridge supports a diverse group of faculty, staff, and administrators to create a truly coherent and integrated educational program for students. His commitment to student success is rooted in recognizing historical and systemic disparities in opportunity and outcomes and ensuring resources are directed at eliminating those disparities. At College of Marin Dr. Eldridge has developed, expanded, and nurtured partnerships with 10,000 Degrees, Canal Alliance, Marin Community Foundation, Marin County Office of Higher Education, all local school districts, Sonoma State University, Dominican University, Marin Economic Forum, and many others to allow the College to deliver more fully on its mission of providing equitable opportunities and fostering success for all members of our diverse community.
Dr. Eldridge received a bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in Political Science from Central Washington University, graduating from CWU’s William O. Douglas Honors College. His master’s degree is in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Colorado State University and his doctorate is in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California. In addition to working at the University of Washington, he has also served as Dean of Students at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon and Vice President for Student Affairs at Southern Oregon University. These experiences at flagship, land grant, private, and regional institutions have proved to be invaluable in informing his work at College of Marin.
Dr. Eldridge served on the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Board of Directors from 2005-2007, United Way of Jackson County (Oregon) Board of Directors from 2007-2012, and is currently on the Boards of Directors of 10,000 Degrees and the Marin Economic Forum.
Executive Vice President, Chief Lending Officer, Redwood Credit Union
Ron Felder is Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer for Redwood Credit Union. In this position, he is responsible for directing the Accounting, Finance and Credit Risk Management activities for the credit union.He also oversees Redwood Credit Union’s Human Resources, Recruiting and Training divisions. He joined Redwood in June 2013. He is a member of CUNA’s Finance and Lending Councils and has served on CU Direct’s Advisory Council as well as the Board of Governors of the San Francisco Chapter of the California Credit Union League.
Mr. Felder has over 32 years of experience in finance, lending, credit and risk management. Prior to joining Redwood, he spent 4 years as Chief Credit Officer with Patelco Credit Union with responsibility for all consumer and member business lending programs. He also served as a director on the boards of Prime Alliance Credit Union Servicing, LLC and Prime Alliance Solutions, Inc.
Prior to joining Patelco, Mr. Felder spent 4 years with Charles Schwab Bank where he managed the bank’s lending product portfolios including product strategy, development and profitability.Prior to joining Schwab Bank, he was with Providian Financial Corporation for more than 9 years where he held several senior level positions in Credit, Collections, Corporate Risk and Marketing.
Prior to joining Providian, Mr. Felder spent 6 years at the California Higher Education Loan Authority in various positions relating to consumer credit and finance.
Mr. Felder has a BS in Business Administration with a Financial Management concentration from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He lives in Mill Valley, California with his wife Nancy, where they raised their three children.
Justin Kudo
Senior Strategic Analysis and Rates Manager, MCE
Justin is the Deputy Director of Accounts Services for MCE, coordinating billing operations and account services, analyzing customer impacts, building data models, and providing expertise on PG&E programs. Over the last six years, Justin has worked with PG&E to ensure proper integration of the two programs, including maintaining customer access to services and improving billing and messaging. In particular, Justin works closely with impacts for solar customers and the future of Net Energy Metering Policies.
Prior to working with MCE, Justin worked as a political consultant specializing in renewable energy development and policy, serving clients including Florida Power & Light, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the California Solar Energy Industries Association. Justin also was a Planning Commissioner and Chair of the Human Relations Commission for the City of Davis
Zachary Kushel
Founder & Managing Partner, Marin Sonoma Impact Ventures
Zach’s professional experience spans from Wall Street to Washington, DC to Silicon Valley to putting down firm roots in the North Bay.
In April 2020, he founded Marin Sonoma Impact Ventures (MSIV), a movement reshaping the North Bay startup ecosystem to help local entrepreneurs build the next great North Bay company and seed the next generation of prosperity for the Marin + Sonoma community. In December 2022, MSIV announced the final closing of MSIV Fund I, a $6.6 million investment vehicle and the North Bay’s first regional venture capital fund.
Previously, Zach served on the executive team as Head of People & Corporate Operations at SmithRx, a San Francisco based startup company in the pharmacy benefits management (PBM) space. Prior to SmithRx, Zach was Head of Business Development at Glassdoor, the world’s most transparent jobs and careers community, in Mill Valley and served tech-icon Cisco in San Jose building partnerships with the global public sector and advising the company’s senior executives on public policy matters.
Zach also worked in fixed income sales at Citi’s New York City trading floor, co-founded video opinion startup company eyeponti, and has a wide range of political experience that includes the U.S. Senate, The White House, and the late Senator John McCain’s 2008 campaign for U.S. President.
Zach earned his Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and completed his undergraduate studies at Cornell University. A native of New Jersey, he now calls northern California home and resides with his wife and two sons in Corte Madera. In April 2021, Zach was honored for his work related to MSIV as part of the North Bay Business Journal’s ‘Forty Under 40’ awards.
Kathryn Lowell
Vice President, Government Affairs, BioMarin
Supervisor Eric Lucan
Marin County Supervisor, District 5
Eric Lucan was elected to the Marin County Board of Supervisors in 2022 representing District 5 which includes the majority of the City of Novato and the unincorporated communities of Bel Marin Keys, Loma Verde, Black Point, Green Point, Rush Creek/Atherton Corridor, and Indian Valley.
Prior to serving on the Marin County Board of Supervisors, Eric served on the Novato City Council for 11 years, with three rotations as Mayor, and served as Chief Marketing Officer for Mike’s Bikes for eight years.
In addition to serving on the MEF Board, Eric serves on several other Boards and Commissions including the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) District, Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM), Marin Transit, First Five Children and Families Commission, and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Priority Setting Committee.
Eric has a Master of Business Administration from Georgia State University. As a Novato native, Eric has deep roots in the community and knows both Novato and Marin County well. Eric and his wife Kiley reside in Novato and are proud parents of their two children, Noah and Selah.
Mary O’Mara
Executive Director, Marinlink & Co-Executive Director, Marin Arts
Mary Mariani O’Mara is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Marinlink. She has grown MarinLink from an idea to an effective nonprofit and fiscal sponsor umbrella for more than 100 Marin County based projects. She brings her teaching experience in both schools and nonprofits, and business acumen to create infrastructure and support for MarinLink community based projects, programs, and initiatives. She is currently a Core Adjunct with National University. Mary grew up in Marin County and is a graduate of San Domenico High School, San Francisco State University, and she holds an MBA in Strategic Leadership from Dominican University of California.
Betsy Ricketts
Executive Director, Government Affairs, Ultragenyx
Mary Sackett
Marin County Supervisor, District 1
Mary’s early career was as a lawyer, where she represented healthcare professionals with The Goldman Law Firm in Tiburon. She has been an active member of the San Rafael community, serving on the Vallecito Elementary Site Council, Safe Routes to School, San Rafael Harbor Rotary Club, and she serves on the Marin County Bar Association Board of Directors. In 2017, Mary took her civic engagement to the next level when she began working as an aide to Marin County Supervisor, Damon Connolly. In June 2022, Mary Sackett was elected to her first term on the Marin County Board of Supervisors and took office in December 2022. Mary is committed to listening to residents, taking meaningful steps to fight climate change, creating affordable housing, addressing homelessness, closing gaps in our transportation system, and maintaining a sharp focus on our disaster preparedness, and equity goals. Mary has a B.A. from the University of Iowa in Geography and a J.D. from West Virginia University
Jeff Scharosch
General Manager, Spinnaker Restaurant
Jeff has been actively involved in the Hospitality restaurant business for over 20 years with the past 15 years being in Sausalito as a general manager of the Spinnaker Restaurant. Additionally he is an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco Hospitality Industry Management Program.
Coy Smith
CEO, Novato Chamber of Commerce
A long and successful history of fundraising and working with non-profit businesses, plus management experience are among the talents that Coy Smith brings to his position as CEO of the Novato Chamber of Commerce. He has been the CEO of the Novato Chamber since 2005. He received his credential as an Accredited Chamber Executive Graduate in 2007 from the Western Association of Chamber Executives. Coy serves on the Economic Development Commission of the City of Novato, and on the Board of Directors of Superior Chamber Executives of Northern California.
Prior to work in the Chamber field, Coy was employed in several capacities in the recycling industry forever 25 years where he received several state and national awards for his work. During that time he worked for the private sector, government agencies and the non-profit sector in various management capacities to implement recycling programs and policies. Coy was one of fifty individuals in the United States to be selected by President Bill Clinton to serve on a task force to develop a National Recycling Policy. He is one of the founders of the Novato Charter School and has served on numerous local state and national Boards of Directors over the past thirty years. Coy has a BS degree from San Jose State University in Environmental Studies with a minor in Communications. He lives in Petaluma with his wife and two sons.
Joshua Townsend
Director of Community and Client Affairs with Craig Communications
Joshua Townsend is Director of Community and Client Affairs with Craig Communications. He specializes in strategic planning, economic growth, governmental affairs, and business relations. He has mentored staffs to be innovative in their community involvement and problem solving abilities, and has cultivated relationships through collaborations with non-profit organizations, local governments and corporate clients – while serving on a number of business organizations’ boards of directors.
Prior to this role, Joshua managed PG&E’s Economic Development Department, specializing in the retention and expansion of commercial and industrial customers while promoting job growth. Earlier in his tenure, he was the Government Relations Manager for the North Coast region at PG&E. He has also served as District Director for State Assemblyman (now Congressman) Jared Huffman, managing staff and implementing the local strategic plan. He has worked for a number of national public relations firms including Burson-Marstellar and Public Strategies, and served as the Communications Director for Steve Westly’s State Controller campaign in 2002. As a Communications alum from the University of Arizona, he enjoys a variety of sports and coaches youth in his free time.
