Sempervirens Adds Girl Scouts CEO, Law School Dean to Board

Sempervirens Fund, California’s oldest land trust devoted to preserving the area’s coast redwood forests, announced this week its appointment of Marina H. Park, CEO of Girl Scouts of Northern California, and Jacqueline B. Wender, Senior Assistant Dean for Administration at Santa Clara University School of Law, to its Board of Directors.

Park brings a history of nonprofit leadership and youth engagement to Sempervirens Fund. Since 2007, Park has served as CEO of Girl Scouts of Northern California, based in Oakland. Under her leadership, the Girl Scouts partnered with Sempervirens Fund to protect two camp properties in the Santa Cruz Mountains—Camp Butano Creek and Skylark Ranch—through the sale of conservation easements, protecting 412 acres of coast redwood forest, including more than 1,420 old-growth redwoods.

That easement fit in well with Sempervirens Fund's current big project of creating a "Great Park" in the Santa Cruz Mountains by connecting existing public lands and working forests to one another. The Great Park planning area comprises 198,000 acres, of which 99,000 have already been protected. Sempervirens has targeted another 39,000 acres as its priority for acquisition. That would be on the order of magnitude of Redwood or Zion National Parks. It would be created 

“I grew up in Northern California and love hiking through redwood forests,” said Park. “Through my work at Girl Scouts, thousands of girls experience the majesty of the Santa Cruz Mountains each year.

Bay Area native Jacqueline Wender brings extensive experience in policy, governance and finance to Sempervirens Fund. Wender also brings an understanding of the academic and young professional communities.

Prior to serving as Senior Assistant Dean for Administration at Santa Clara University School of Law, she was Assistant Dean of the School of Engineering, Executive Director of Stanford University’s Overseas Studies Program, Assistant to President Gerhard Casper, and Associate Provost for Program Development and Facilities Planning. Wender received her B.A.in Drama from Stanford University. She completed the ARETE Leadership development Program at Santa Clara University, and the Management Development Program at Stanford.

“I cannot imagine anything more important to the long-term future of the Bay Area region than the protection of the redwood lands of the Santa Cruz Mountains,” said Wender. “These mountains define our landscape, protect our environment, and preserve our quality of life. The vision of the Great Park, preserving lands from Skyline to the Monterey Bay, inspires me to support Sempervirens Fund. I am honored and delighted to join the Board of Directors.”

Prior to joining the Girl Scouts as CEO, Park was an attorney with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, an 850-lawyer international law firm, where she was elected to three successive terms as the firm-wide Managing Partner. Park graduated from law school at the University of Michigan and earned her B.A, with honors, from U.C. Berkeley. In 2006, and each year from 2008 – 2012, theSan Francisco Business Times has recognized Marina with the Most Influential Women In Business Award.

"I look forward to working with Sempervirens Fund to create the Great Park and to ensure that all people have the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate these beautiful spaces.”

Founded originally as the Sempervirens Club, the Sempervirens Fund has preserved over 34,000 acres of redwood forests since 1900, when it purchased 3,800 acres of spectacular old growth redwoods that established Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California's first state park.

“We are thrilled to welcome Marina Park and Jacqueline Wender to the Sempervirens Fund Board of Directors,” said Sempervirens Fund President Diane Talbert, in announcing the appointments. “Both Marina and Jacqueline are deeply dedicated to protecting the redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains. They each bring strong organizational and fundraising experience, and an important link to engaging the next generation in our work.”