Baykeeper Board of Directors

Alpha Buie – Secretary
Alpha is a long-time advocate and educator working with at-risk youth in San Francisco, particularly in the Bay View Hunters Point neighborhood. She founded the San Mateo County nonprofit Peninsula Omega Youth Club in 1991. Having worked with the City & County of San Francisco since 1987, Alpha currently serves on the American Bar Association’s Commission on “Youth at Risk” for Council on Racial and Ethnic Justice. A Bay Area resident for more than twenty years, Alpha was born and raised in Olive Branch, Mississippi and earned a degree in Education from Central Mississippi College. She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Susan Cleveland-Knowles, J.D. – Chair
Susan is a Deputy City Attorney with the City of San Francisco. She works in the land use division, representing the mayor, board of supervisors, planning commission, planning department and other city agencies. She received her J.D. from Stanford Law School, and an undergraduate degree in international economics from Georgetown University. Prior to law school, Susan spent four years in the Czech and Slovak republics working with emerging environmental organizations. She lives in Sausalito.

Brian Drue – Treasurer
Brian is a founding partner of Corporate Diligence Specialists, LLC, (“CDS”) a financial consulting firm providing due diligence and advisory services to private equity firms and strategic buyers on mergers & acquisitions transactions. Prior to the formation of CDS, Brian was in the Transaction Services group at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP in San Jose and Coopers & Lybrand, LLP in Los Angeles. Brian graduated with honors from University of California at Santa Barbara. He has served a variety of nonprofits over the years, with a primary focus on environmental advocacy and youth assistance and education.

Doreen Gounard
Doreen is Harbor Manager and a resident of Galilee Harbor, an affordable, cooperative, floating community of Maritime Workers & Artists on the Sausalito waterfront. With her husband, Marc, she helped construct their home – a 33ft sailing catamaran Imani. Aboard Imani, they completed a circumnavigation of the world between 1999 and 2004 while homeschooling their two children. Living aboard for the last 17 years has given Doreen a unique perspective of our local and international waters. She currently serves on Sausalito's Parks and Recreation Commission. Doreen received her BA in Communications from American University in Washington, DC.

Francesca Koe
Francesca is a dive instructor and expedition leader holding advanced teaching qualifications from both PADI and DAN. An avid freediver and oceans advocate, Francesca co-founded the tsunami relief project, Paavima.org. When she’s not in the water, Francesca directs strategy and communications for a nonprofit organization and manages editorial content as the senior editor for Deeperblue.com, where she contributes articles on diving safety across all disciplines. In 2007, Francesca was appointed to the Board of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association; and in 2009, she was elected as the V.P. of the U.S. Apnea Association. Having played a leadership role in establishing Marine Protected Areas off the North Central coast of California, Francesca also contributes as a member of the state’s Department of Fish & Game science dive team, which is dedicated to conducting underwater surveys & monitoring.

James A. Kuhns
Jim, retired Chairman and Managing Director of Independent Consulting Resources, Inc., a compensation and organizational consulting firm, has more than 40 years of consulting and management experience. Formerly a Principal at Sibson & Co. and Kwasha Lipton, where he retired as a Partner, Jim has been CEO of Olanie, Hurst & Hemrich; a Partner at Hewitt Associates and VP of Personnel at American Express. Jim has served on the Baykeeper Board for ten years – first, from 1993 to 2001 and, after several years on our Advisory Council, again beginning in 2006. In addition to his long-time leadership at Baykeeper, Jim has served on numerous other nonprofit boards and advisory councils over the years, with a focus on environmental education and the arts.

Marina Moreno
Marina joined the Baykeeper Board after retiring as Vice President of Worldwide Sales at Macromedia. Marina grew up in Argentina where she spent many years swimming where the tidal Rio de la Plata meets the Atlantic Ocean. As an avid surfer, Marina brings a passion for water quality and first-hand knowledge of the Pacific Ocean's near shore marine environment. 

William A. Newsom, J.D., Ret. Justice
Bill is a retired state appellate justice and a long-time environmentalist. As an attorney, he represented many environmental groups and has served on numerous boards, including Lahontan Regional Water Board, Mountain Lion Foundation, Earthjustice, Sierra Legal Defense Fund and Wildlife Conservancy. Bill is the 2005 recipient of our Dorothy Reed Environmental Leadership Award.

Leo P. O'Brien, J.D.
Leo served as Baykeeper's Executive Director from 2003-2006 and as the organization's Legal Director and San Francisco Baykeeper from 1999-2002. Leo holds a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan. Prior to being employed at Baykeeper, Leo litigated to protect California’s forests and endangered species.

Owen O'Donnell, J.D.
Owen is a real estate developer in San Francisco. He is one of the founders of Pacific Primary, one of the finest pre-schools in the country, and was a board member of Youth Advocates, which provides social services to local runaway youths in San Francisco. He practiced law in San Francisco for 18 years and has worked in the securities industry since 1987 with several small, local brokerage firms. Owen holds an undergraduate degree in Politics and Economics from Yale University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School.

Robert M. Reed
Bob is the Vice President and General Manager of Reed & Associates, where he assists clients with marketing and business development strategies. Bob has more than twenty-five years experience working in industrial and municipal water treatment and has served on the state's Department of Water Resources Water Recycling Task Force. He holds a degree in mining engineering from Pennsylvania State University. Bob's sister, Dorothy Reed, served for many years as a Baykeeper Board member, before passing away in 2003.

Jeff Russell, J.D.
Jeff is the co-founder of a real estate development firm that focuses on sustainable, green, infill development. He previously practiced land use and environmental law in San Francisco and San Diego. A water enthusiast, Jeff swims in the Bay nearly every day and enjoys surfing and exploring California’s coastline. Jeff holds a J.D. from the University of Southern California and received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University. He also serves on the board of San Francisco Urban Community Housing Corporation.