Meet the Team

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

As an executive director, policy advocate, and former farm owner, Rebecca Spector has dedicated her career to creating a safer and healthier world for both people and wildlife by advocating for clean water, air, and food.

With over 25 years of experience in the Bay Area's food and farming community, Becki has worked extensively as an environmental advocate and as a co-owner of the first organic-certified farm in Half Moon Bay. Her background includes spearheading numerous policy initiatives to secure funding for farmers and advance environmental protections in California. She is a co-founder of the California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN) and on the board of directors of the National Organic Coalition. She holds a M.S. in Environmental Policy from the University of Michigan.

Becki is passionate about preserving agricultural land, promoting regional food and farming, and safeguarding wild and open spaces for the habitat they offer wildlife and the beauty and joy they bring our communities.

CONSERVATION MANAGER

Diana Roberts grew up in the Bay Area and has always had a passion for the environment.

She attended UC Santa Cruz and graduated in 2019 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She joined the team in 2019, as their Operations Assistant, after interning for the organization the summer previous. She is passionate about land preservation, sustainable agriculture, and enhancing the beauty of the Tri-Valley for generations to come.

COMMUNICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Victoria Tichy is a versatile marketing and communications consultant who joined the team in January of 2021.

Victoria holds two degrees from the University of California, Santa Cruz; Business Management Economics and Environmental Studies. She also held leadership in an environmental education student organization during her time in college.

Victoria has a love for backpacking and international travel. Her longest hiking trip was 120 miles on the John Muir Trail. She is also passionate about leveraging her skills and expertise to make a positive impact on the world around her.

STEWARDSHIP ASSOCIATE MANAGER

Tyler Gargiulo grew up in the southmost part of the Bay Area and is an avid outdoorsman. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2019 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a minor in Environmental Design with an emphasis in sustainable planning.

Tyler has spent the last two years working at other land trusts including the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority and the Peninsula Open Space Trust serving as the Community Engagement Intern.

He is eager to continue working at an organization preserving lands that provide food, recreation, and areas for wildlife.

OPERATIONS ASSISTANT

Born and raised in Livermore, Haley has a deep appreciation for the Tri-Valley’s natural beauty. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Advertising from the University of Oregon in 2021, where she honed her skills in communication and creative strategy.

Haley currently works part time as the Administrative and Event Assistant for Livermore Downtown Inc., where she organizes community events, facilitates communications with the City of Livermore, and manages social media. She is excited to bring her expertise in operations, community engagement, and event coordination to her role at Tri-Valley Conservancy.

Making a meaningful difference through her work is extremely important to Haley. She feels the Conservancy’s mission is urgent in today’s climate and is eager to contribute to the preservation of the region she calls home.

In her free time, Haley enjoys reading, exploring Sycamore Grove, and spending time with her cat, Winona.

Board Chair

Scott Akin joined the Board of Directors in January 2019 as the representative of the City of Livermore.

Scott is a life-long resident of the Bay Area who retired in 2022 after a 35-year career in local government and resource management. During his career, Scott led numerous fisheries and aquatic habitat restoration projects and worked to preserve endangered species habitat in both the Mount Hamilton and Santa Cruz Mountain ranges.

Scott is an avid hiker, kayaker and backpacker and when he isn’t out enjoying nature’s beauty, he can be found in his garden or cooking for his family and friends.

“During my career, it became clear to me that preserving land through purchase or conservation easements is almost always preferable to restoring land once it’s been degraded. I’m so proud of the work that TVC has done to preserve agriculture and open spaces in the Tri-Valley area.”

Vice-Chair

Jennifer Yeamans joined the Board of Directors as the Appointee of Alameda County in 2019 and currently serves as Treasurer. She manages grants and other projects for the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA), the Tri-Valley’s public transit provider. Previously she worked for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission on long-range regional planning projects, including development of the region’s first coordinated transportation and land-use blueprint, Plan Bay Area.

Jennifer holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. She lives in Livermore with her husband and their two children.

Treasurer

Jim Folta retired from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2021 after 32 years of service. He managed optics processing for the National Ignition Facility laser system. His teams developed technologies for large (40 cm), high-quality, damage-resistant laser optics including innovative methods to repair laser-damaged optics. Production of high fluence laser optics was critical to enable achieving fusion ignition in 2022. Previously, Jim was Deputy Program Leader at LLNL for the Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography program in which he lead the multilayer coating group for optics and masks. He has worked extensively in microfabrication, thin film deposition and etching, and micro-electro-mechanical systems. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

He is active in the Tri-Valley Conservancy, the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center, and other charitable organizations.

Jim enjoys adventure travel, fitness, hiking, cooking and enjoying local restaurants, wineries, and live performances.

Secretary

Gina came to the Tri-Valley 37 years ago and has lived in Livermore since 2001. The community’s appreciation for science and the arts, and its commitment to preserving open space and our unique agricultural assets are what drew her to making her home in Livermore.

Gina has a PhD in Physical Chemistry, and worked as a Laser Scientist and Program Director for 25 years at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Her work included over a decade on the National Ignition Facility. Gina was a member of the Livermore City Council in 2021 serving as Vice Mayor in 2022. Previously, she served for six years on the Planning Commission and was a member of a wide range of local and regional committees and advisory groups. The breadth of her experience across many areas involving land use, asset and resource management, and climate action will inform her work as a member of the TVC Board.

Gina loves to travel, and hike and is an avid photographer and gardener.

Lou Astbury is a retired executive with 30+ years in agribusiness for multi-billion-dollar companies. As an advocate for agriculture, Lou served as Co-Chair of the Western Plant Health Association. He also served on the boards of other Ag based trade associations including as a founding trustee of a foundation providing grants for school garden programs.

After moving his family to Pleasanton 20+ years ago, Lou developed an appreciation for the beautiful hills and open space. He was active in the successful “Save Pleasanton Hills” initiative protecting scenic ridgelines.

A UC Master Gardener volunteer, he has also served on the Bond Oversight Committee for Pleasanton schools. Lou’s hobbies include racket sports and home brewing with his family.

Best began his career working in the field of environmental remediation as subcontractor for the Department of Energy and Department of Defense before moving to the residential construction business in 1997 with Shea Homes and has been with Shea for over 25 years.

Through decades working in land, Mr. Best believes that all communities should be well rounded with the right proportion of land for housing, jobs, parks, schools, and agriculture. When all these land uses are intelligently integrated it results in a highly desirable place to live, and a thriving sustainable community.

Best has lived in Livermore, CA for the past 20 years.

After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in Electrical Engineering, Charles moved to Livermore to join the Special Projects group at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory developing computer operating systems.  After a few years at LLNL Charles worked at a number of technology companies in Silicon Valley including MIPS Computer System, Silicon Graphics, Yahoo and Atheros Communications, first as an operating systems developer, and then with increasing levels of executive responsibility.

Charles was born and raised in rural West Virginia and fondly recalls spending summers on his grandparents farms.  He is an avid cyclist and enjoys riding on the country roads in Livermore.  If you see a cyclist on Patterson Pass or Tesla Roads, and they wave at you as they pass by, it is probably him.

Charles loves the rural character of the Livermore Valley, where he lives with his wife Tina, and is very interested in enabling and encouraging economically sustainable agriculture so that future generations are also able to enjoy it. 

Tammy Reus joined the TVC Board of Directors in 2019 as the appointee of Friends of Open Space and Vineyards. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from San Jose State, and a law degree from UC Davis. Early in her career, Tammy worked as an attorney for the Sacramento County Superior Court evaluating a number of environmental cases. This kindled her interest in land-use law and environmental protection. Most recently, she was a senior legal analyst at the Office of the State Public Defender.

Now retired, Tammy volunteers with several grassroots political groups. She believes Livermore’s wine country and open areas are precious resources which must be protected. In her spare time, Tammy loves to visit local wineries and Livermore’s many walkable open spaces. She lives in Livermore with her husband Jim, dog Lad, and cats Jiji and Kiki.

Cynthia Ross joined the Tri-Valley Conservancy Board of Directors in January of 2020 but has been supporting TVC for many years. She has also been active in the Livermore wine region for over 20 years. She has a passion for preserving lands and supporting the area’s viticultural and agricultural communities. She enjoys nature walks and loves visiting the great wineries and restaurants in the Livermore area. Cynthia lived in Livermore for 40+ years before moving to Brentwood a few years ago. She is still very involved in the Livermore community, currently serving on two other Boards of Directors - Las Positas College Foundation and the Wine Quality Alliance - in addition to TVC.

Mark and Maria Triska have lived at Triska Crane Ridge Vineyards since 2004. They grow wine grapes for Darcie Kent Vineyards and have a 4-acre truffle orchard. Caddis Winery also is located in their wine shop there.

They are members Mark is past President of the Livermore Chamber of Commerce; members of the Livermore Valley Wine Community (Mark is past President of the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association); and Mark currently serves on the Livermore Valley Arts board.

Mark and Maria love living in the Tri-Valley region and have made Livermore their home for the past 40 years.

After graduating from the University of Redlands with a degree in Political Science, Harrison joined Darcie Kent Vineyards in 2013, where he began his career in the wine industry as a Cellar Hand during the harvest season. Following the harvest season, Harrison served as Tasting Room Manager and Director of Sales, overseeing distribution across 30 U.S. states.

In 2016, Harrison transitioned to his family’s winery, Wood Family Vineyards, where he now leads all on-site operations, wholesale sales, deliveries, special events, and promotional programs.

Having moved to Livermore in 1998 after his family purchased an 18-acre vineyard property, Harrison has deep roots in the local community. He is passionate about wine tasting, traveling (having visited 48 countries), and improving the town he calls home.

His dedication to Livermore extends beyond business, as he actively works to make the area a better place for future generations. Harrison currently serves as the ambassador connecting the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association to the Tri-Valley Conservancy.