THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Governed by the valley it serves.
C.R.E.W. is led by a volunteer board with deep roots in the Ojai Valley.
Collectively, this board brings experience in fire service, trial law, education, finance and operations at Patagonia, land conservation, and marine biology. One even worked on a C.R.E.W. crew in high school.
OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
Sandy Buechley
Sandy retired from Patagonia after 37 years in Finance and Information Technology management. She served as president of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy and on the boards of the Rotary Club of Ojai and the Ojai Music Festival.
VICE PRESIDENT
John McNeil
John retired as Assistant Fire Chief after more than 30 years with the Ventura County Fire Department. He started as a seasonal wildland crew member and rose to oversee the Emergency Services and Operations Bureau.
SECRETARY
Mary Bergen
Mary is a marine biologist who moved back to Ojai in 2000 to manage her family's ranch. She evaluated ocean impacts for state and federal agencies and ran an avocado orchard until 2017.
TREASURER
Martha has served as CFO of Patagonia, CEO of Griplock Systems, and CFO of AndMark Management. She started her career as an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers and served on the Outdoor Industry Association board.
Martha Groszewski
DIRECTORS
Becky taught science at Nordhoff High School for 14 years and served as principal at Chaparral High School for five. She built the district's Environmental Field Studies program and teaches at Valley Oak Charter.
Becky Beckett
Bill taught environmental education before retiring from business. He has spent more than a decade on land preservation and trail building across the Ojai Valley, including Luci's Trail at the Valley View Preserve.
Bill Brothers
Peter grew up in Ojai and worked for C.R.E.W. as a teenager. He served 12 years as a US Coast Guard officer, earned his MA from Columbia University, and now leads Keep the Sespe Wild.
Peter Deneen
Roger has lived in Ojai for 35 years. His career started in 1972 at climbing gear maker Chouinard Equipment. He retired from Patagonia in 2002 and joined the Upper Ojai Search and Rescue team.
Roger McDivitt
Atticus graduated from Nordhoff High School and CSUCI. He is field rep for State Assemblymember Steve Bennett and a trustee and past president of the Ojai Unified School District board.
Atticus Reyes
Bill founded Slaughter, Reagan & Cole, LLP and has practiced trial law for 40 years. He served the Upper Ojai Search and Rescue Team for nearly four decades and over 500 missions.
Bill Slaughter
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Bret Bradigan · Ned Clark · Jim Little · Stefanie Coeler · James E. Clark II
Rob Brokaw · Greg Lepine · Diane Cross · Patrick Loughman · William Shanbrom
Willi Coeler · Tony Thacher · Allan J. West · David Vadnais · Alicia Stratton
GOVERNANCE
How the board operates
Policies on file
Ten voting members, all independent. The secretary records and distributes minutes from board meetings. The board receives the draft Form 990 for review and comment. The president and treasurer review it in detail, and the treasurer signs it.
The board reviews the executive director's performance annually and sets compensation for the following year. No board member receives compensation from the organization.
The board maintains a written conflict of interest policy, a whistleblower policy, and a document retention and destruction policy. Board members sign a conflict of interest disclosure annually. If a concern arises, the board investigates and takes corrective action, up to and including requesting resignation.
Current and prior-year Form 990s, annual reports, and governance documents are available in the Document Library
501(c)(3) public charity · Tax-exempt since 1995 · EIN: 77-0374392
INTERESTED IN SERVING ON THE BOARD? CONTACT DEREK POULTNEY AT DEREK@THECREW.ORG.