Dave was raised in Los Angeles and escaped to the Central Coast in the 1980s.  Dave has always enjoyed the outdoors, and has hiked in many beautiful places around the world.  Being on the Central Coast with its wide-open spaces and plentiful hiking trails is like living in heaven, and Dave has long appreciated the…

Erik Justesen is a Landscape Architect and Urban Planner with RRM Design Group, where he served as President and CEO from 2006 to 2025. Throughout his career, Erik has been dedicated to creating vibrant, sustainable communities and stewarding the natural and built environments that make the Central Coast such a special place to live. A…

Jay Beck is a Regional Commercial Relationship Manager at American Riviera Bank and has close to 30 years of experience in his field. Jay has served as a board member and volunteer for numerous non-profit organizations and other community focused organizations, including the Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo, the San Luis Obispo Repertory Theater,…

Joan has lived on the Central Coast since 1977. She started with Pacific Bell as a long distance operator. After the break up of Ma Bell, she started working at Call America where she met her husband, Jeff. They married at the beautiful Mission in downtown San Luis Obispo. They lived together in Shell Beach…

Joel Sheets joined The Land Conservancy Board in 2019. He is a retired scientist who moved to San Luis Obispo with his family in 2014. He earned a Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of California, Irvine, CA. He spent over 30 years working for Dow AgroSciences, having various research roles as Research…

John and his family moved to San Luis Obispo in 1978 after escaping from the Los Angeles area!  He was raised in Clearwater, Florida as one of the first pioneer families to homestead in the area in the 1860’s.  John spent his young years exploring the gulf and undeveloped areas of the county. “During college…

Rob DeGraff has led community improvement projects on the west coast for over 30 years. He developed progressive policies to address a wide variety of public issues in Portland, Oregon. After retiring to SLO in 2008, he sought opportunities to utilize his professional expertise and passion for the outdoors. As the Vice President for Public…