THOMAS BASSETT: Thomas Bassett is President of the Board of Directors of The Ruth Bancroft Garden. He is a landscape architect, registered in California. He is a Graduate of Willamette University and the University of Oregon and worked for some of S.F. Bay area’s most prestigious design firms before starting his own company in Walnut Creek. He is a member of the Design Review Commission for the City of Walnut Creek. He has been active in leadership positions in Walnut Creek and San Francisco. He serves on The Garden’s Building Committee.

ANTONIA ADEZIO: Antonia is the President and Executive Director of The Garden Conservancy. The Ruth Bancroft Garden was the inspiration for the formation of a national Garden Conservancy. Their mission is to help save America’s garden masterpieces.

RUTH BANCROFT: Ruth is the Garden Founder: Through research and a keen eye for design, she has developed this exceptional three acre “dry” garden which has been heralded by horticulturists all over the world. Chosen as the first garden for preservation by the national Garden Conservancy, it has become a teaching center for professionals, children and the general public, promoting the doctrine of beauty with less water. She graduated from The University of California. Her course work was in architecture and education. In addition to her garden, she has been a supporter of The San Francisco Opera and the California Symphony. Ruth is the widow of Phillip Bancroft, the grandson of Hubert Howe Bancroft, who compiled a collection and wrote his own collection of the great histories of The West.

NINA BANCROFT-DICKERSON: Nina is a graduate of Wellesley College. As a daughter of the garden founder, she grew up on what was once the Bancroft farm and has seen The Garden grow and develop from the beginning. As a community leader, she has served in official positions in many organizations including Monte Vista High School Keynoters, Camp Fire Boys and Girls, The PTA and as President of The Equestrian Center of Walnut Creek. Her professional work has been in the area of Social Services. She is a member of The Garden’s Development Committee.

GRETCHEN BARTZEN: Gretchen is currently the very successful Director of Development and Parent Relations at The Seven Hills School. She directed a successful 5 million dollar capital campaign for them in 2003. She has increased volunteer involvement, annual giving, and the school’s endowment. Her teaching background and participation in various organizations indicate she will bring skills to the Board’s goal of raising visibility in the community, as well as increasing financial support.

DARLENE CIMINO-DEROSE: is a Senior Managing Director with Montague DeRose and Associates, a privately-owned municipal consulting firm. She received a B.A. degree from Stanford University and a Masters in Public and Private Management degree from the School of Organization and Management at Yale University. Darlene also serves as a student mentor for the Yale School of Management, and has participated for several years as a judge or mentor for the National Business Plan Competition for Nonprofit Organizations, sponsored by the Goldman Sachs Foundation. She is the new Chairman of The Garden’s Finance Committee.

ANNETTE GELINAS: Annette is the Executive Operations Director for The PMI Group, Inc., headquartered in Walnut Creek, CA. Since starting with PMI in 1987, she has managed marketing communications, produced educational training videos, directed the production of award-winning annual reports, and led the redesign and implementation of a new corporate logo. She is a graduate of St. Mary’s College with a B.S. in Biology. She is actively involved with a wide variety of community and philanthropic organizations. She has helped to organize events for Habitat for Humanity, The Danny Foundation, and the Bay Area Council. She serves on The Garden’s Development Committee.

GAIL GIFFEN: A mother of four, Gail has had a successful career in real estate investment and also owns two Bay Area pizza restaurants. Her hobbies are duplicate bridge and theatre; she is a big supporter of Playhouse West. Gail is an addictive sculpture collector and enjoys sharing this passion with her friends. She serves on the Development Committee and the Host Committee for the Annual Sculpture in The Garden Show.

BRIAN HIRAHARA: Brian graduated from Northgate High School in 1983 and the University of Southern California in 1988 with a B.A. in Business, Real Estate / Finance with a Certificate in Real Estate Development. Brian is President of BH Development (“BHD”); a Walnut Creek based real estate Development Company that specializes in retail development. BHD’s most notable project is The Corners, which includes Tiffany & Co., Pottery Barn Kids, The Apple Store, Tommy Bahama, and Va de Vi. Brian is a resident of Walnut Creek and is very active in the local community. He is a Past President of the Board of Directors for the Walnut Creek Downtown Business Association (“DBA”), where he previously served as Secretary of the Board. He has served on the Walnut Creek Economic Development Strategic Plan Advisory Group and the Locust St. Redevelopment Committee and is a recent graduate of Leadership Contra Costa. Brian is also a Regent at St. Mary’s College and serves on the College’s Corporate Advisory Council for the School of Education. Brian serves on The Garden’s Building Committee.

BILLIE HOPPER: has a B.A. degree in Anthropology from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in Public School Administration from Ohio University. After a ten-year career in elementary education, she worked in a variety of supervisory and managerial roles for Bechtel, a large engineering and construction company, for 25 years. Billie has completed numerous courses in Ornamental Horticulture at Diablo Valley College, and was a docent at the Nature Conservancy’s Jepson Prairie Preserve for several years. Billie has been an active volunteer at The Garden, helping organize garden records, supporting events and providing general support to the garden office.

NATALIE INOUYE: Natalie was born and raised in Los Angeles and received a B.A. in Child Development from Cal State L.A., and more recently, a paralegal certificate from CSUH. She stayed at home to raise 3 daughters who are all now in college (two at UC Irvine and one at S.F. State).   While they were at Northgate High, she was on the PFA Board, and took an active part in fundraising.  She served as Prize Chair and Co-Chair of Grad Night, as well as Live Auction Chair for Northgate's annual Crab Feed.  For two years, she served as Editor of the PFA Newsletter.  She is currently on the Boards of the Walnut Creek Fountain for Youth and the Wellness City Challenge.  Starting in January 2007, she will be the new Site Director for the Walnut Creek Girls Golf organization.  She is very much interested in preserving the history of Walnut Creek, and the Ruth Bancroft Garden is a unique educational institution that should be nurtured and improved for future generations.

ROSEMARIE KRAMER: As an enthusiastic and talented volunteer, Rosemarie has already proven herself. She worked closely with Dawn Marie on our recent very successful annual dinner. She secured and promoted the auction items which added so much to the enjoyment of the guests, as well as to the bottom line. She volunteered to chair the 2007 dinner and has already been busy at work on this. She is committed to the success of all things associated with the RBG. She also volunteers for the California Symphony and John Muir Hospital.

BARBARA LOEBEL: works in sales as an Account Executive for the Contra Costa Times. She holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies from California State University at Sonoma. Barbara has had a career as an independent sales rep, small business consultant and business coach. She is also the Secretary of the Executive Board of Directors for B’nai Tikvah synagogue in Walnut Creek, and has participated for several years on the Board of Directors for Walnut Acres Daycare. Barbara will be helping the garden with fundraising and special events.

JAMES MILLS: Jim serves on The Garden’s Development Committee. He has a BS from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard. His career began with television marketing and promotion in New York. He worked for Citicorp in project finance, structuring and distributing large commercial real estate transactions for domestic and off-shore clients. Currently he is the Senior Director, Product Marketing, for Leap Frog School House in Emeryville. He is the VP of the Board of Trustees and chair of the Development Committee for Seven Hills School in Walnut Creek.

PATTI PAULSON: Patti is a graduate of George Washington University. She is a Master Gardner, Chairman of the Development Committee, docent for the Ruth Bancroft Garden, community volunteer, fund raiser and a former member of The Board of Trustees of The Athenian School in Danville, CA.

TED PORTER: Ted is the Executive Vice President of Specialists in Health Insurance Services in Walnut Creek. Ted has been very involved with the Walnut Festival and is the new president of their Board of Directors. He sees many ways that the garden can be affiliated with other Walnut Creek events to increase our visibility in the community. Ted is joining the board in January 2007 with the understanding that, for this first year, his commitment to the Walnut Festival takes precedence.

BONNIE RANDALL: Bonnie is a graduate of Kent State University in Ohio and is the CFO for Randall Planning and Design, Inc. She is a travel writer and has authored four books. She had a long term career in management for Etna Life and Casualty. She is a Gardner and has volunteered for Garden Clubs and served on the committee and chaired The Ruth Bancroft Garden’s garden tours.

GREG RANDALL: Greg is a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in Landscape Architecture. He opened his own firm in 1993 and is the principle architect for Randall Planning and Design, Inc. Greg has published a book with John Hopkins University Press, “All American City.” It is about the planning and development of Park Forest, Ill., the first community for retired G.I.’s after World War ll. Both Greg and Bonnie Randall serve as Directors for The Garden as a team. They are members of the Finance Committee. Other institutions they serve include The Children’s Hospital in Oakland and The Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C.

MAYNARD “BUD” ROTERMUND M.D: Dr. Rotermund is President of The Board of Directors for The Ruth Bancroft Garden. He holds a medical degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Bud practices medicine in Walnut Creek, CA and is currently on the Advisory Board of Hospital dela Familia, a philanthropic organization doing surgical trips to remote villages in Guatemala. He serves on the Board of Symposia medicus, a non-profit organization putting on medical/nursing meetings in North America. His interest in environmental issues includes membership in Solar Cooking International.

MARY LOUISE WILLIAMS: Mary Lou is a person with many garden connections; Master Gardener, President of the Rose Society, former Board member of The Markham Arboretum in Concord. She has attended RBG Seminars and plant sales. She participates in various community organizations. Her background and interests make her a valuable Director who thinks creatively about The Garden, propagation, our plant sales and our stated mission.