BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2023 FPA Board of Directors
Back row (L-R): Ken Smith, Wayne Gibb, Tim Sergent.
Front row (L-R): Kelly Percich, Christa Moné, Lucy Hardcastle, Alicia Chazen, Kristie Cannady, Stephanie Kiriakopolo. Missing: Joanie Blechel
Lucy Hardcastle
President
I grew up in Southern California but always loved visits along the Russian River as a child. One of the best decisions I’ve made landed me in Forestville back in 1989 where I married a teacher from Forestville School and never looked back. I’ve worked in nonprofits most of my adult life, 33 years with a hospice program.
One of the most important lessons from my parents was to give back to the community you care about. I’ve done that through volunteering for the FPA, putting up the pink signs for Town Halls, helping write the grant and raise money for the acquisition of the downtown Oaks Preserve, volunteering as a “food fairy” for Food For Thought, serving as the Secretary for the Chamber of Commerce Board, writing the column for Forestville for the Gazette and serving as a Municipal Advisory Council member for our 5th District Supervisor.
It’s a joy to live in this beautiful space on the planet and I’m proud to serve on the FPA Board as it’s President.
Joanie Blechel
Vice President
I am an original River Rat, born in Oakland, California, who spent all of my childhood summers along the Russian River. My father was a Bay Area high school teacher and my mother a real estate dabbler, which led to our family of nine owning and running the River Theatre every summer for 10 years. What wonderful memories we created. Eventually my family sold the theatre and purchased an old apple ranch on Laguna Road. This is where my love of Forestville took root.
My husband, Jeff, a retired architect with TLCD, and I purchased a 114 year old Forestville farmhouse (can you say money pit?), near downtown, almost 30 years ago. My two daughters attended Forestville Elementary and El Molino High (Lions Forever), and I recently retired after 25 years of teaching at Forestville School.
My husband, Jeff, is one of the original Town Square planning group members who helped the group navigate the evolution of the Town Square through the many challenges facing it. As Jeff became too busy at TLCD to continue his volunteer work with the group, I was asked to step in to participate in the Forestville Planning Association.
Together we have witnessed the many iterations of the Downtown area and are so grateful to be part of helping to realize the potential of the Town Square as a legacy for Forestville forever.
Kristie Cannady
Treasurer
Hi there! My name is Kristie and I am a local board member who brings my passion for helping others to my role as Treasurer for the Forestville Planning Association. I am committed to working tirelessly to make my community a better place, both professionally and in my time off.
Currently, I work as the Communications Manager at Food For Thought, but I have also spent years serving on the board of the Sebastopol Educational Foundation. I am proud to say that I am a co-author of the We Are Resilient approach, an open education resource provided by Dovetail Learning to help people strengthen their resilience.
My family and I moved to Forestville in April of 2021, and we have been amazed by how welcoming the community is. I especially love attending the Tuesday Farmers Market, enjoying the downtown dining, and meeting new people while taking a stroll through the park.
I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as Treasurer for the Forestville Planning Association and look forward to making a positive impact in the community that I now call home.
Stephanie Kiriakopolos
Secretary
As one enters Forestville the town sign reads “Forestville, The Good Life” and I had the fortune of a childhood in Forestville. Memories of my mother picking me up from Forestville Elementary school on horseback, plenty of outdoor adventures and good neighbors. From this special small town I ventured off for a university education at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), earning dual degrees in B.S Biology and B.S Environmental Studies, then San Francisco State University (SFSU) for a M.S. Ecology and Systematic Biology.
I have worked as a research specialist, focused mainly on the restoration and conservation of our marine and coastal ecosystems for various government and academic institutions, including NOAA, SFSU, UC Davis, Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC).
Even though I now live abroad, Forestville (where I still have family) holds a forever special place in my heart. In January 2021, I joined the Forestville Planning Association bringing to the table my experience with large project management, construction, policy, and ecology. I am excited to join this dedicated team in this final phase where the concept, and planning for a downtown community space is now entering its final phase of realization. For “When you plant public space, you harvest public health” (The Commons Series by artist Gretta Louw).
Alicia Chazen
Board Director
Alicia is a relative newcomer to Forestville, and is so grateful that she and her partner, Lonnie, discovered this amazing town. Alicia grew up in Marin/SF, earned a BA in Architecture from UC Berkeley, and spent her early adulthood renovating a home in Bernal Heights (SF). Ready for a change of pace, she and Lonnie moved to Sonoma County in search of quiet nights and warmer summers. Alicia is excited to be a part of the FPA and the wider community, and is looking forward to deepening her roots and offering her project management skills in service to the greater good.
Wayne Gibb
Board Director
Wayne Gibb has lived in Forestville since 1980 and has been a relieved refugee from Southern California since 1969.
He holds a BS in Economics from UC Irvine and, following a layover in the MBA program at UC Berkeley, earned an MS in Journalism at the University of Oregon.
For 17 years, he was head of communications for a Santa Rosa-based human services nonprofit operating throughout Northern California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii, responsible for press relations, editing and publication design. Subsequently, he ran his own firm to help attorneys tell their clients’ stories through courtroom displays, photography, research and witness interviews, among other services.
He served for over 30 years as a founding director of Forestville’s Russian River County Water District, helping to rebuild a failed private water system, this time under public ownership. Today, the district serves 1,200+ households nestled along the Russian River, from Mirabel Road west to neighborhoods just beyond Hacienda Bridge, with clean, affordable water and fire protection.
Besides being a self-described cycling junkie, he currently engages in a Sisyphean climb to become fluent in French.
Kelly Joyce-Percich
Board Director
It is my pleasure to serve the community by joining the Forestville Planning Association. I was born and raised in Santa Monica and relocated to Placer County as a preteen. I have a bachelor’s degree in Recreation Administration from California State University, Chico. I spent 25 years managing operations for both private and semi-private golf courses, amusement parks and hotels. My husband’s career in the wine industry brought us to beautiful Sonoma County where we have raised our 3 daughters, one who currently attends Forestville Academy and two who are now young adults. After spending a decade in Windsor, we found our forever home here in Forestville and fell in love with the small-town charm and magical surroundings.
I developed the Forestville CA & Local Families Facebook group to improve communication between the community. I’m a firm believer that every voice/opinion matters and am passionate about ensuring voices are heard.
Additionally, as a new grandmother (Grammy), I understand the importance of creating an enriching community environment for future generations to enjoy.
Christa Moné
Board Director
Raised mostly in Southern California, Christa received her BA in Long Beach, CA. After many years of work in horticulture and farming throughout the U.S. and Europe, Christa came to Forestville in 2012 and fell in love with the town and countryside. It is here in Forestville that she met her husband, began her landscape design business, and started her family. Christa intends to raise her family here and to help the community however she can.
Tim Sergent
Board Director
Tim Sergent moved to Sonoma County in 1988 after serving in the U.S. Army Infantry in Panama. He studied at Santa Rosa Junior College before transferring to U.C. Berkeley where he earned a degree in Social Science with a focus in social and economic development. Upon graduation, Tim moved to Washington D.C. where he worked as a staff assistant on the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Tim went on to work in the Clinton Administration as a Congressional Liaison to the House of Representatives for the Secretary of Defense. He acted on issues of humanitarian relief, peacekeeping, nuclear disarmament and the Department of Defense Budget Authorization process.
Tim returned to Sonoma County in 1998 where he was a founding member of the Forestville Planning Association. Tim earned his Education Specialist Credential at night from Dominican University and began teaching at Monroe Elementary School in Santa Rosa. For the past six years Tim has enjoyed teaching English, Algebra and Gov/Econ at Maria Carrillo High School. Tim is happy to be back on the FPA board after a ten year absence and looks forward to lending a hand as so many people do in our great town of Forestville.
Ken Smith
Board Director, Member of the Downtown Park Planning Group
After architecture schooling at Stanford (’64) and U.C. Berkeley (’67) and apprenticeship in San Francisco firms I chose the soul-nurturing environment of Sonoma County to start my own architecture practice. I have designed community-serving buildings such as the Russian River Health Center and a number of organic land-sensitive homes throughout the County. I completed the Sonoma States’s Green Building Professional Certificate Program in 2005.
I feel passionate about living more sustainably on our precious Planet Earth. We created a National Wildlife Federation “Habitat Backyard”, share a large vegetable garden with our neighbor, and now use a clothes line on sunny days. I feel very grateful that my values are shared by many in this gem of a community called Forestville which I have lived in these last thirty-two years.
(See photos of other FPA Volunteers: Volunteer Archives)