Who We Are
Staff
Jessica Shaefer
Executive Director
×Jessica Shaefer
Executive Director
Along with a deep personal connection to the Bolinas community, Shaefer brings a wealth of experience leading arts programs and fostering partnerships that support artists, celebrate creativity, and engage diverse audiences.
Shaefer has previously worked with Gray Area for Google, where she led an international program commissioning large-scale art installations. Previously, she led public programming and partnerships at Meta Open Arts. She has also worked with Sites Unseen, producing public art installations and activations in downtown San Francisco, and with Creative Time in New York City, helping to bring groundbreaking public projects to national attention. She is currently a member of the board of directors of Artadia and The Lab.
Leah Vermulen Lopez
Director of Operations
×Leah Vermulen Lopez
Director of Operations
Leah Vermulen Lopez Following a 12-year career as Sr. Vice President at Tiburon Research Group in San Francisco, she founded LVL Research, an independent equity research boutique. During her 15 years in San Francisco, Leah leaned into her Art History/Business degrees advising local artists and fashion designers and is excited to be putting the credentials back to use in West Marin.
As a mechanism to “celebrate” the epic light of coastal fog and to keep up with the growing body of artwork from her young daughter, Leah is currently working on her own fine art eco-photography. Prior to joining the staff, Leah sat on the Board of Directors from 2018 - 2025 and served as Board President (2023-25). She hopes to contribute to the continued success of the Bolinas Museum by bridging gaps in community and engaging more youth.
Elia Haworth
Director of History & Permanent Collection
×Elia Haworth
Director of History & Permanent Collection
For several years before joining the staff of Bolinas Museum, Elia Haworth volunteered and curated several exhibitions for the museum. In 1999 the museum director Dolores Richards asked Elia to be her assistant for a month. That was 19 years ago and today she holds the institutional memory of the organization. Elia has worn many hats at the museum including curating more than 100 exhibitions and gathering Bolinas community history. Elia supported herself as an artist in many mediums before joining the staff. Her creativity is inspired by nature and natural history. She has lived in coastal Marin for 47 years.
Kirston Lightowler
Registrar & Visual Materials Archivist
×Kirston Lightowler
Registrar & Visual Materials Archivist
Originally from West Marin, Kirston Lightowler is a writer, curator, publisher, and archivist. She has twenty years of experience as an archivist working with rare books, audiovisual materials, and special collections—in both small museums and large academic institutions. Kirston founded Epidote Press in 2014, an independent publishing imprint based in Inverness, CA. Epidote Press is devoted to publishing historical texts, as well as art and writing concerned with landscape and the poetics of place. When Kirston is not at the museum or the press, you can find her hiking, swimming in the bay, or foraging for thimbleberries.
Noelle Hiam
Curatorial & Development Associate
×Noelle Hiam
Curatorial & Development Associate
Noelle Hiam is an artist living in Bolinas. Her work has most recently been centered around clay, but is also concerned with textiles, weaving, and food.
Kayla Hansen
Administrative Assistant & Community Outreach Coordinator
×Kayla Hansen
Administrative Assistant & Community Outreach Coordinator
Kayla Hansen is a writer and painter based in Point Reyes Station. A lifelong arts enthusiast, she attended Berkeley Rep School of Theater, where she developed her creativity and honed her skills as a playwright and costume designer. These experiences fostered a deep love for young people and led her to yearn for a world in which more young people across various backgrounds have access to the transformative power of art. In this spirit, Kayla facilitates field trips as part of her role as community outreach coordinator. In her free time, you’ll find Kayla dancing, reading, or at the beach with her dog Violet.
Board of Directors
Marialidia (Mols) Marcotulli
President
×Marialidia (Mols) Marcotulli
President
Dr. Marialidia (Mols) Marcotulli is an avid surfer, often seen riding one of her custom single fin displacement boards on a left-breaking wave. She is an advancement entrepreneur, technology advocate, innovator, curator, and art collector. Born in Rome, Italy and raised in Venezuela, she comes from a long heritage of car racers, engineers, architects, and artists. Mols received her Ph.D. 2019, in Community, Liberation and Ecopsychology, with a focus on the human relationship with water.
Judy Penner
Vice President
×Judy Penner
Vice President
Following a 20 year career in the Fashion Industry, Judy has focused her attention on assisting philanthropic organizations to reach their full potential and serve their community. Judy served on the Board of the Pasadena Art Alliance, for 14 years, recently as President - raising grant money for upcoming artists, exhibitions and institutions in greater Los Angeles. Judy, her husband George and two children are excited to be a part of the Bolinas community. Their appreciation for art and architecture led them to restore and update an historic farmhouse close to town.
Judy is looking forward to supporting the Bolinas Art Museum and continuing to help foster its exceptional reputation.
Sara Brody
Treasurer
×Sara Brody
Treasurer
Sara is a partner with Sidley Austin LLP, where she heads the Northern California litigation practice and is the global co-leader of the Securities and Shareholder Litigation practice. Sara, her husband, two children, and their dog have been part-time residents of Bolinas and frequent visitors to the Bolinas Museum for over 15 years. She is also on the board of the Legal Aid Society in San Francisco. Sara joined the Bolinas Museum Board in 2014 and serves on the Finance & Governance Committee.
Eileen Sheldon
Secretary
×Eileen Sheldon
Secretary
Eileen has maintained an active role as a volunteer and board member at a variety of organizations in the Bay Area. Her earlier career was spent as a high-yield research analyst in New York City. A move to London, England provided an opportunity to work in the arts where she spent time interning in the Director’s Office at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Her experiences at the V&A helped inspire a passion for collecting and enjoying art.
Eileen lives in Marin with her husband and two boys. They love time spent in Bolinas and recognize it as the perfect place to retreat as a family.
Starrs Arnot
Board Member
×Starrs Arnot
Board Member
Born and raised in Marin, Starrs has enjoyed its beauty and its artistic community all her life. Growing up surrounded by artists and creators, she is a passionate art appreciator and collector. At Smith College Starrs studied Art History, along with East Asian studies, before living and working in China in the 1990s. She has traveled the world both for work as a camera assistant on movies and for pleasure, though if you ask her to name her favorite place she is likely to say the Big Mesa, where she and her family have spent as much time as possible for the past ten years.
Starrs loves the Bolinas community, and the museum, particularly the history room, which tells the stories of so many interesting people and times. She is honored to be joining the museum board and to be helping continue the legacy of art in West Marin.
Lara Deam
Board Member
×Lara Deam
Board Member
Lara Deam is an entrepreneur and philanthropist based in Mill Valley and Bolinas. She is the founder of Dwell magazine, a highly influential publication that redefined modern home and architectural design by making it more accessible to a broad audience. Beyond publishing, Deam has been an active supporter of the arts, architecture, and environmental conservation. Today, she is passionate about psychology and promoting the concept of partner acceptance through The Center for Partner Acceptance. Her care for community informs her approach to fostering meaningful connections between art, design, and the public.
Theresa Donohue
Board Member
×Theresa Donohue
Board Member
Terry has been a resident of West Marin for 30 years. She is best known for her extensive work as a sales and rental agent for Bolinas Real Estate.
Terry earned a BA in Literature from SUNY at Oneonta, and then attended St. Nicholas School of Theater in Chicago while working for various stock/options brokerages on the CBOE trading floor. The early ‘80’s found her involved in innovative theatrical productions of the Chicago scene as actor, director, stagehand, and/or costume designer. She moved to Stinson Beach in 1986 and produced a number of community theatrical events like The Bong Show, Cirque du Lagoon, and three Stinson Beach Haunted Houses. She also co-coordinated the capital campaign to move the Stinson Beach Library to its current location and refurbish the Bolinas Library. While raising her son, Taran, her day jobs included a managerial apprenticeship with The Point Reyes Jeweler then as Director of Volunteers and Assistant to Bolinas Museum’s then Executive Director, Dolores Richards. In 2001, after she embarked on her real estate career, she was invited to join the Museum Board in 2003 and is a member of the Curatorial Committee.
Thanks to the museum, she produced Bruno and Darlene Frascone’s Mainstring Theatre Marionette show at the Peace Barn (2001), and curated two popular exhibitions: :Going Origami: From Art to Math to Science + Beyond” (2009); Barry McGee “Leave it Alone” with Clare Rojas “Together at Last” (2010).
Terry has been a licensed EMT during her entire time in West Marin joining first the Stinson Beach Volunteer Fire Department then, for the last 15 years, the Bolinas Volunteer Fire Department.
Katie Geminder
Board Member
×Katie Geminder
Board Member
Katie Geminder is a product and design leader with a background in pioneering social media and technology platforms. She has held key leadership roles at Facebook, Apple, and other influential tech companies, shaping user experiences at a global scale. She worked at Zynga, where she played a leadership role in product design and user experience. A resident of Bolinas, with a deep appreciation for innovation and the arts, she brings strategic insight to projects that blend technology, creativity, and social impact.
Chrysanthe Gussis
Board Member
×Chrysanthe Gussis
Board Member
Chrysanthe Gussis is an investor and advisor to early stage companies. She has deep finance, operational, legal and business strategy experience shaping new industries, new business models, and new asset classes, and scaling high volume, high growth businesses. She has particular expertise in financing strategy with businesses whose products reduce carbon emissions. Additionally, she serves on several corporate, government, non-profit and advisory boards.
As an early hire at SolarCity during an 8-year period of year-over-year doubling in growth, Chrysanthe helped make solar energy cheaper by developing scalable, lower-cost financing. She played a key role in SolarCity’s growth from a small startup to a transformative energy platform and publicly traded company, deploying gigawatts of solar assets across the United States. She also has 20 years of experience in a wide range of financings, partnerships, acquisitions, and consumer, commercial, and corporate transactions.
Chrysanthe splits her time between San Francisco and Bolinas with her husband and 6 year old daughter. During her free time, among other things, she paints large abstract canvases. A student of art history and ancient archeology, art has always been a part of her life. She loves the changing exhibitions at the Bolinas Museum, and the community it has brought to her life. She has served on the Board since 2016.
Randolph Rush
Board Member
×Randolph Rush
Board Member
Randolph Rush is a retired endodontist. He and his artist wife Donna have maintained a home in Bolinas since 1975. They spend their free time traveling and flyfishing. He has been involved with the Bolinas Museum since its beginning. Randy joined the Board in 2010. Randy serves on the Finance and Governance committee.
Scott Trattner
Board Member
×Scott Trattner
Board Member
Scott Trattner is a creative leader, designer, and advisor known for his work in brand storytelling and digital experiences. As VP of Global Creative at Airbnb, he has played a foundational role in shaping the company’s brand, blending design, technology, and a deeply human approach to storytelling. Before Airbnb, he served as Executive Creative Director at Apple’s advertising agency. Trattner has served on the boards of the San Francisco Art Institute and UCLA, where he earned a BFA in painting and an MFA, respectively. An avid surfer, Scott recently purchased a home in Bolinas, where he has spent time and cultivated relationships since childhood.
Nancy Tully
Board Member
×Nancy Tully
Board Member
Nancy Tully is a retired family law attorney. She has enjoyed being part of the Bolinas community for over 50 years. Her husband, Herb, is a 5th generation Bolinas resident and has great memories of spending time with other "summer colony" families. Nancy has been member of the Bolinas Museum Board sine 2000. She currently serves on the Development Committee, and has helped plan the annual Art Auction, July 3rd Cocktail Party, and other memorable museum events.
IN MEMORIAM
JOHN (JACK) WILLIS LADD JR. (1940 – 2025)
We are deeply saddened to share that long-time Bolinas Museum supporter and Board of Directors member, Jack Ladd (84), passed away in January, surrounded by his wife Adrienne, their son Joseph, and daughters Alexandra and Jessica.
Jack, a life-long learner, led a rich and varied life even before settling in the Bay Area. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a BA in history and later earned an MBA from Stanford University. His career began with Time-Life and Time magazine in New York City, followed by a move to Tokyo, where he managed Time’s Asia circulation desk. In 1975, Jack founded Ladd & Associates, a marketing software and consulting company in San Francisco. He also bought a home overlooking the ocean in Bolinas, where the family spent much of their time.
Jack shared a passion for golf with his wife and son. He served as President of the Presidio Golf Club in San Francisco and could often be found practicing golf strokes from his Bolinas deck. The Ladds were avid travelers and had recently enjoyed a joyful family gathering for a wedding in Europe.
Jack was also deeply committed to his Bolinas community, where he had many friends. In addition to supporting Bolinas Museum and attending nearly every exhibition, he was a long-time member of the Bolinas Rod and Boat Club and served as board chair for the Point Reyes Bird Observatory.
Jack will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.
Read the obituary published in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Advisory Council
Robert Bransten
Businessman & Art Collector
Natasha Boas
Contemporary Art Curator, Writer, and Art Advisor
Mark Buell
Developer & Former Board Member
Marilyn Burns
Former Board Member & Mathematics Educator
Ralph Camiccia
Former Board Member & Former Bolinas Fire Chief
Roger Peacock
Former Board Member and Architect
Sally Robertson
Collection Committee Chair
Artist & Former Board Member
Liz Robinson
Collection Committee member
Former Board Member & Librarian
Linda Samuels
Former Executive Director & Arts Professional
Jeffrey Sellon
Businessman
Aenor Sawyer
Former Board Member & Physician
Dieter Tremp
Artist & Former Board Member
Kirsten Walker
Former Board Member and Construction Management ExpertTHANK YOU!
Bolinas Museum wishes to gratefully acknowledge and thank all new and renewing members and donors who contributed between January 2022 and August 2023. This list represents annual membership contributions and donations combined. Although we only have space to list memberships, donations, in-kind gifts, and foundation gifts and grants at the $100 level and above, every member and donor makes a difference. Whether through the donation of funds, time, goods, or services, it is due to the generosity of every one of you that the museum can collect, preserve, and exhibit the art and history of coastal Marin and present exhibitions and events that provide cultural enrichment and inspiration to our community and visitors alike.
SPECIAL BENEFACTORS
Starrs and Will Arnot
Johanna and Tom Baruch
Katie Beacock
Kelley Berg and Nancy Goler
Nate and Maria Bosshard
Sara Brody and Robert Gailey
Marilyn Burns and Jeffrey Sellon
Cape Split Trust
Carla and David Crane
Lara and Christopher Deam
Natasha Dvorak and Peter Rive
Joe Gebbia
Alyce Gottesman
Chrysanthe Gussis and Jason Rosson
Jennifer and Josh Hatch
Sandra and Charles Hobson
Pamela and David Hornik
Nancy Hult Ganis and Sid Ganis
Leslie and Hal Kruth
Adrienne and Jack Ladd
Jessica and Sam Lessin
Jean Loo and Tom Dawson
Vera Louie and Bill Braasch
Joan and Robert McGrath
Nicholas Monsma and Steven Short
Anne and John Page
Lauri Paul and Mark Hamilton
Judy and George Penner
Donna and Randolph Rush
Elizabeth and William Shea
Eileen and Chris Sheldon
Nancy and Herb Tully
Robin and GeoffreyStrawbridge
Carlie WilmansBENEFACTORS
Jennifer and Chris Brahm
Daphne and Robert Bransten
Katherine Gimla Carraher
Suzanne and Bruce Degen
Cristina di Grazia
Candra Docherty
David Doyle
Susan Frank
Christine and Curtis Gardner
Barbara Gloger
Louisa and Drew Gloger
Bianca and Graham Green
Melinda Griffith and Aenor Sawyer
Wendy Jaffe and Bruce Lowry
Janet Jennings and Jeff McPhail
Harriet Kossman
Kirsten Kuhlmann and Doree Friedman
Michael Light and John Lum
Deborah Manetta
Claire Molesworth and Nathan Siedman
Mr. William and Mrs. Margaret Moorhouse
Renee and DJ O’Neil
Doris Ober
Kitty Okamura
Lauren Pollak and Dieter Tremp
Tracy Power and Kenneth Seeger
Elisabeth and Scott Roberts
Stuart Russell and Loy Sheflott
David Sheff
Janine Shiota and John Sierotko
Michelle and Alan SullivanPATRONS
Hannelore Barnes and Bruce Pflaum
Nancy and Joachim Bechtle
Robin Borelli
Tracy Bosworth Bosche
Steven Brock
Chrissie and Brooks Crawford
Sharon and Steve Edelman
Ronnie and Larry Ehrlich
Olivia Erschen and Steve Starkey
Ann and Donald Fragale
Teri and Dan Fruchtman
Kimberly Goosherst and Shervin Kheradpir
Lizelle Green
Carol and Dexter Hake
Alfred Harrison
Charlene Harvey
Cynthia Hiponia
Marty Krasney
Jordan Kurland
Sharky Laguana
Billie and Sandy Magid
Marialidia Marcotulli, WithitGirl
Marla Miller and David Kremer
Aggie and Walter Murch
Pam and Howard Nurse
Judy and Michael O’Shea
Joshua Robison and Michael Tilson Thomas
Beth and Rob Setrakian
Judith Shaw
Helen Sirica and Paolo and Danny Speirn
Eileen Spitalny
Deb and Jack Sylvan
Carry and John Thacher
Kirsten Walker
Paul Weaver
Lyn and Adam Werbach
Marian and H Ward Wolff
Elaine and Don Wood
April Wolcott and Ted Wright
Kimberly Wright-ViolichSPONSORS
Marcia Barinaga and Corey Goodman
Nancy Bertelsen
Nick Bogle and Gail Reitano
Barbara Boucke
Terry and Ralph Camiccia
Joyce Clements, Lucy Reid, and Susan Robinson
Jane Cooper
Jason Crichfield
Shelly de Greeve and Jake Sullivan
Linda and Jerry Elkind
Virginia and Will Felch
Susan and George Fesus
Jeffrey Fraenkel and Frish Brandt
James and Claudia Harrison
Kathie and Remick Hart
Sherry Hirsch and David Richman
Sandy and Nick Javaras
Aïda Jones
Katherine and James Kirkham
Judith Selby Lang and Richard Lang
Emily and Peter Luchetti
Stephen Martin and Douglas Schmidt
Nancy McCarthy
Cheryl and Albert Minvielle
Walter Murch, Jr.
Nina and Fred Oliai
Wayne Poulsen
Anne Rand
Patsy and Charlie Raven
Kristen St. John and Steven Parkes
Erin Scott
Cailean Sherman and Robert Sherman III
Jane and Don Slack
Ginger and Rik Smith
Sausalito Woman’s Club
Nikola Tede and Joseph Ferraro
Mary Tiscornia
Marilyn Waldman
Elizabeth Weber
Laurellee and Suzanne Westaway
Ashley White
Cyndi and Hep Wilkins
Sandra Willingham
Nancy ZacherFRIENDS
Liz and Van Adams
Lorraine Almeida and Allen Gregg
Judy and Robert Aptekar
Donald Bird and David Young
Fariba Bogzaran
Rose and Roy Borrone
Lynnette and Jerry Bourne
Jim Brogan
Christa Burgoyne
Pam and Jim Campe
Craig Chapline
Suzanne Ciani
Nanci Clarence
Rachel Cleaveland
Alice Corning
Carol Cotton
Hali Croner
Christine and Jonathan Cunha
Gilles Dechambure
Jill Denney
Frederick Dern
Gloria and Robert Donohue
Terry Donohue
Fredrica Drotos
Kathleen Foote and Tom Silk
Hilary and Tyler Foster
Sarah Galender Meyer
Juliet Gilbert Messimer Gede
Karen Gray
Trudy Greenlaw and Phil Binley
Maureen and Francis Greicius
Joanie Griffin
Susan and Harry Hatzell
Stephen Hudner
Jacqueline Hutton
Gina Inez
Prital and Simon Jeffery
Glenda and Imants Krese
Pamela LeeBobbi Likover
Toni Littlejohn
Frank Mainzer and Lonnie Zwerin
Gene Marchi and Travis Smith
Monica Martin
Pamela Martori and Bob McCaskill
Cindy Testa McCullagh
Stephanie Mellin
Michelle Mongan
Jill Moore
Judith T Morissey
Linda Mornell and Stockton Buck
Harriet Moss
Penelope Narayan
Nicolette and Bill Niman
Joan Okasako and Douglas Schmucker
Eloise and Ted Pollock
Kari and Edward Pope
Caren and Jim Quay
Sally Robertson
Linda Samuels
Jack and Betty Schafer
Sisters of Saint Dominic
Carroll and Libby Stevens
Inez Storer
Victoria Swift
Judith Teichman
Nancy and Josiah Thompson
Kamala Tully
Kim Tully-Sutton
Michael Valan and Molly Burke
Leah Vermulen Lopez and Ricardo Lopez
Carmen Violich-Goodin
Kathleen and Ker Walker
Tanis Walters
Matthew Werdegar and Monique Schaulis
Cathy Willis and Peter Rowson
Hilary Winslow
Sonya Yu
Sanford ZweifachFOUNDATION GIFTS & GRANTS
CrankStart Foundation
Gruber Family Foundation
Kelson Foundation
Koogle Foundation
Marin Community Foundation
McBurney Foundation
Page Foundation
The Park L Loughlin Charitable Foundation
Pledgeling Foundation
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Springcreek Foundation
West Marin Fund
William K. Bowes, Jr. FoundationIN-KIND DONORS
Rue de Reve
Rotoscope Wine Chez Panisse
Dostal Studio
Galaxy Flower Lab
Carol Griffin
Keith Hansen
Hog Island Oyster Company
Lioco Wines
Parkside Cafe
Sally Robertson
Small Work JB Blunk Estate