About Us

Cynthia Murray is CEO, North Bay Leadership Council (NBLC), an employer-led public policy organization which represents the leading employers in the North Bay. NBLC’s goals are regional prosperity and sustainability. Previously, Murray served eight years on the Marin County Board of Supervisors and seven years on the Novato City Council.

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Larry Kennings is an environmental planning consultant with 52 years of experience, 45 of which have been in Marin County.  He received a Master’s Degree in City Planning from Harvard University’s Graduate School of design.  He is currently serving Marin County as a sworn member of the Parks and Open Space Commission.  He was a Founding Director of the International Association of Public Participation.  Larry also was a Founding Director and President of the Alumni Association for the University of California’s College of Environmental Design.  

Katie joined Housing Crisis Action as a part-time staff in 2017. Katie is passionate about civic engagement and supporting impact-driven organizations with partnerships, development, advocacy, and storytelling. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from Dominican University of California in San Rafael.

Diana Conti has been a Trustee of the College of Marin since 2009. She has directed a broad variety of nonprofits for more than three decades and is currently CEO of PARCA, which serves people with developmental disabilities. She was the founding board president of Brilliant Corners, which provides housing and services for special needs and low-income populations.

Jeff Bialik is a full-time retiree and longtime Marin County resident committed to advocating for the common good, especially affordable housing. He is a Trustee of the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael Support Charitable Trust and active with the Marin Organizing Committee and Marin Interfaith Council. He is the retired executive director of Catholic Charities San Francisco and previously held administrative and/or teaching positions with Dominican University of California, Golden Gate University, and the University of Notre Dame. He holds an MBA from UC Berkeley and a BA from the University of Washington.

Linda M. Jackson is Program Director of the Aging Action Initiative and serves as a trustee on the San Rafael Board of Education. She is a certified transportation planner, and has over 25 years experience with the Transportation Authority of Marin and the City of San Rafael. Jackson holds an M.S. and M.A. from the University of Texas in Austin and a B.A. from Wellesley College. 

Joanne was appointed President and CEO of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce and took office on May 1, 2014. Prior to her appointment, Joanne was the Director of Marketing and Community Promotion. Joanne’s skills include strategic planning, marketing and public relations, budgeting, community outreach, volunteer leadership, team building, board development, membership, and program and event implementation. Her specialties include business advocacy, connecting leaders and influencers and building coalitions.