Board of directors

Doug Greer, President

Professor of economics at SJSU and the University of Maryland.
Visiting professor: UC Berkeley and University College, Galway Ireland.
Consultant on Antitrust Economics
Publications: Five books and about 50 articles, notes, and reviews.
Courses taught include Environmental Economics
Degrees: PhD, MA, Cornell University; BS, University of Oregon
Fulbrights in New Zealand and Ireland

Interests: Conservation, Wildlife preservation, Environmental education, Watercolor painting, Kiwanis

Carolyn Tognetti, Secretary

Carolyn Tognetti is a third-generation Gilroyan, retired business owner and manager, and married with four children and 9 grandchildren. Tognetti and her husband are partners with Don Christopher in Garlic World south of Gilroy on US. 101.  She managed the store from 1986 until 2000 and they now lease the business. Her husband and son are row-crop farmers in the Gilroy area.

Tognetti’s community service activities have been many and varied.  They are as follows:

• Gilroy Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Council, 1986 - 1988
• Gilroy Visitors Bureau Advisory Council, Chair, 1998 and 1999
• Gilroy General Plan Update Committee, 1997 - 1999 (Chair of the Growth and Resources Sub-committee)
• Citizens for Balanced Growth, 1993 -2001
• Save Open Space – Gilroy, 2001-Present
• Santa Clara County Agricultural Conservation Easement Project Taskforce, 1999
• Santa Clara Valley Water District Environmental Advisory Committee, 2005-2009
• Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan Stakeholder Committee, 2006 – Present
• South Valley Environmental Collaborative, 2008 – Present

 
Carolyn Tognetti is very interested in the protection and preservation of Santa Clara Valley’s remaining open spaces and agricultural lands.  Her participation on the Silicon Valley Land Conservancy’s Board helps achieve those goals.

Terry Mahoney, Chief Financial Officer

Terry has twenty eight years experience working in the power generation industry. Twenty seven of those were at the Geysers Geothermal site, where he started as a mechanic and progressed up to General Manager. The Geysers, located in the Mayacamas Mountains on the Sonoma and Lake Counties’ border is the largest geothermal field in the United States. Calpine operates 15 geothermal power plants there, generating up to 725 megawatts of renewable "green" power or about 40 percent of the geothermal energy in the US. Geothermal power plants take advantage of a natural, clean energy source - steam from the earth's interior - to produce electricity. At The Geysers, Calpine captures steam in the geothermal reservoir and pipes it to generating units. The steam spins a turbine that drives a generator to produce much-needed electricity for the California power market. Concern for the environment has always been a strong priority at the Geysers, an example of this is for the ninth year, the Geysers will be receiving an award from the California Department of Conservation for Outstanding Field Lease and Facility Maintenance. This award recognizes operators that enhance safety and environmental protection above and beyond what is required. Having recently been moved to his new position as General Manager of the Calpine South Bay Plants, he wants to ensure that same level of environmental stewardship exists and grows within these facilities. The project is in the process of “adopting” a portion of Coyote Creek, which runs nearby three of the four sites. As a board member of the Silicon Valley Conservatory, he will help ensure that the lands under the oversight of the conservatory continue to be properly managed. He also sees a value in the Conservatory providing some funding to promote the awareness’ and preservation of the environment. This fits well inline with the values of Calpine, who prides itself as a producer of clean, fuel-efficient, reliable electricity . Strong managerial skills which includes managing budgets, working with many outside groups and a good understanding of regulatory concerns makes him a good fit for the board.

Damon Beck

Growing up in California’s rural central valley exposed Damon to numerous outdoor activities as a child.  His outdoor childhood activities of play, discovery and rights of passage helped guide my decision to pursue the study of the environment.

Damon has worked for Silicon Valley Power since 1997.  His first job assignment was performing home energy audits for residents in Santa Clara.  After a few years of home energy audits, he was promoted to Key Customer Representative, which managed the accounts of SVP's top 25 energy users in the industrial and commercial groups.  Currently, he is the Compliance Manager for SVP's Power Generation Group and manages the regulatory compliance and health and safety programs for three hydro electric facilities and three natural gas powered facilities. 

Interests: bicycling, native plants, hiking, wildlife

Megan Fluke

Megan Fluke is a Bay Area native with a passion for sustainable living and community engagement.

She graduated from San Jose State University in May 2008 with a degree in Environmental Studies. During her time at SJSU, she served as the Director of the Environmental Resource Center and as an intern with the Silicon Valley Land Conservancy. After graduation, she was hired as Community Director for GenerationEngage Silicon Valley where she worked to engage young adults in their community and the political process.

Megan is a graduate of Community Leadership San Jose, which identifies emerging leaders within the Silicon Valley metropolitan area and exposes them to a broad range of issues vital to the community. She currently serves on the organizations’ board of directors.

After a year of serving as a member of their Executive Committee, she was hired by the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club as the Grassroots Organizer for the Building Climate-Friendly Communities Campaign. In her new position, Megan is working to increase public support for vibrant, walkable, transit-accessible communities in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

Dennis Kennedy

Dennis has served in a variety of capacities in public service, in community organizations as well as in professional and business organizations. Most recently he served as Mayor of the City of Morgan Hill, retiring in December 2006 after serving as Mayor for nearly twelve years.

Dennis earned his bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering from Santa Clara University. He also served as a lieutenant in the army, fulfilling his active duty and reserve requirements in Texas, California and Germany. Dennis is a registered professional Mechanical Engineer and retired from IBM after 25 years. He is also a member of the Silicon Valley American Leadership Forum.

Mr... Kennedy moved to Morgan Hill in 1976 and entered local politics in 1977. He served three terms on the Planning Commission, two terms on the General Plan Update Committee and was elected to the City Council in 1990. He is now active in a variety of non-profit organizations and provides consulting services to clients throughout the State.