Leadership
Board of Directors
The members of the Conservancy’s Board of Directors are drawn from a broad cross-section of Santa Monica and Westside residents. Working through its committee structure, and with limited contract administrative support, the Board and a cadre of dedicated volunteers are responsible for conceiving and executing all Conservancy programs.
Mario Fonda-Bonardi, AIA – President
Principal of Fonda-Bonardi & Hohman Architects, specializing in residential design. Member and former chair of the Santa Monica Planning Commission. Former member of the Third Street Historic District Community Participation Committee.
Nina Fresco* – Vice President
Member and former chair of the Santa Monica Planning Commission. Former chair of the Civic Working Group, formed to advise Council on options for the future of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Previously served three terms on the Landmarks Commission. Santa Monica historian.
Judith Meister – Treasurer
Former Beach and Pier manager for the City of Santa Monica and current member of the Los Angeles County Beach Commission and a consultant to the City for the 2028 Olympics. Active in local schools and chair of the Santa Monica-Malibu School District Advisory Board.
Morgan Sykes Jaybush – Secretary
Director of Hospitality at Omgivning, a Los Angeles-based architectural firm focused on adaptive reuse. Advocate for architectural preservation and adaptive reuse throughout Los Angeles County.
Catherine Conkle
Project Designer at Sheridan Group, a premier commercial furniture dealer based in Los Angeles. Chair of the Preservation Next and Preservation Resource Center committees. Master of Interior Architecture degree, Cal Poly Pomona, 2020.
Carolyne Edwards
Director of the Quinn Research Center, an educational resource promoting the study and research of Black Family History and Culture in the Santa Monica Bay Area. Retired teacher, Santa Monica Unified School District.
Albin Gielicz
Marketing specialist with focus on strategic partnerships, strong communications, and product performance. Civic minded community leader and small business supporter with broad network of relationships throughout many sectors in Santa Monica.
Jordon Johnson
Jordon Johnson is a marketing strategist and graphic designer at Omgivning, an adaptive reuse architecture and interior design studio dedicated to revitalizing existing buildings and extending the life of the built environment through thoughtful design. His work focuses on connecting communities to the cultural and architectural histories embedded in place.
David Kaplan
Principal of Kaplan, Chen, Kaplan Architects. Specialist in historic preservation. Member of the Conservancy’s Advocacy Committee. Former Chair, Santa Monica Airports Commission.
Ruthann Lehrer*
Architectural historian. Long-time member of the Conservancy’s Advocacy and Program Committees. Served three terms on the Santa Monica Landmarks Commissioner. First Executive Director of the Los Angeles Conservancy. Former President, California Preservation Foundation.
Steven Warnick
Steven Warnick is Communications Director at Holly Street Studio, an architecture practice focused in the civic realm. With a decade of marketing experience in the AEC industry, Steven is drawn to the stories embedded in the built environment and the communities that bring them to life.
Ken Breisch* – Board Member Emeritus
Former City of Santa Monica Landmarks Commissioner, architectural historian, writer and Associate Professor Emeritus in USC’s School of Architecture. Founder and Director of the USC Graduate Programs in Historic Preservation.
Doris Sosin* – Board Member Emeritus
Doris Sosin was a co-founder of the Conservancy and served continuously on the Board from 2002-2022. Founder and past chair of the North of Montana Association. Former Curator of Textiles at the Skirball Museum. Former Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Commissioner. Ms. Sosin passed away in 2022.
Tom Cleys* –Â Board Member Emeritus
Co-founder of the Conservancy, its first president, and long-time treasurer and fundraiser serving from 2002-2024. Member of the Santa Monica Urban Forest Task Force, former board member of Friends of Sunset Park, retired Vice President of Asset Management at Mesa West Capital.
* Founders
Staff
Melina Castorillo, Communications Associate and Media Contact
melina@smconservancy.org
Advisory Council
Judy Abdo – Former City of Santa Monica Mayor and Council Member.
Mike Deasy – Chairman, co-managing director and managing broker, real estate firm of Deasy Penner Podley.
Michael Folonis, FAIA – Design principal and founder of Michael W. Folonis Architects.
Alison Rose Jefferson, Ph.D. – Historian, author and lecturer specializing in the history of the African American experience in Southern California during the twentieth century great migration and Jim Crow era.
Christy McAvoy – Founding principal of Historic Resources Group who remains actively involved with Hollywood Heritage, California Preservation Foundation, the National Trust and the L.A. Conservancy
Greg Morena – Entrepreneur, Chairman of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, Board Member Heal the Bay & Santa Monica College Foundation. Founder & Chairman of Athletes 2 Entrepreneurs (NPO) and Co-founder & President, Blue Wave Democratic Club.
Nicolo Rusconi – Hotelier, Entrepreneur, Co-founder of BLVD Hospitality, Historic Restoration specialist, Owner of The Georgian Hotel, Developer of LA’s Ace Hotel + Soho Warehouse + citizenM, Board Member of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, avid outdoorsman, and aspiring horticulturalist.
Susan McCarthy- Former City Manager of Santa Monica and Marion Davies Beach House docent.