Dr. Brenda Flyswithhawks, Ph.D. (She/Her Ghigau ᎩᎦᎤ)
Board President
Dr. Flyswithhawks is a citizen of the Tsalági Eastern Cherokee Nation, Qualla Boundary
Reservation, Cherokee, North Carolina and currently makes her home in Santa Rosa on the territorial land of the Southern Pomo people. She is of Bird Clan by birth and is a traditional dancer, singer, drummer, and storyteller. Dr. Flyswithhawks adheres to her traditional Tsalági teachings and believes that all Native people are in a coming home process…a coming home to their traditional way of life.
She is a Professor of Psychology, Past Department Chair of the Behavioral Sciences Department, and Past President of the Academic Senate at Santa Rosa Junior College. She retired in December 2019 and is currently serving as a part-time professor and Past President of the Academic Senate.
Prior to Santa Rosa Junior College, Dr. Flyswithhawks was the Director of the Behavioral Health Department at the Sonoma County Indian Health Project and maintained a private clinical practice in Santa Rosa. She has been scholar in residence or visiting professor at universities throughout the United States and world. Dr. Flyswithhawks has also served as Co-Director of the National S.E.E.D. Project (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) at Wellesley College.
She has served as Treasure and Board of Directors for the Sonoma County Indian Health Project and the Ya-Ka-Ama Board of Directors. She is embraced and loved by local Sonoma County tribes and is referred to by many as “family.”
Dr. Flyswithhawks is a cultural bearer, water protector, and environmental cultural educator working to bridge western and traditional science. She serves on the Native Advisory Council at Pepperwood Preserve and is currently partnering with a team of local western wildfire biologist and scientist to educate and assist in the rethinking of wildfire, science, and climate through an Indigenous lens. She reminds us that we come from the land and works daily to educate all on how to be in relationship and better stewards of the land we inhabit.
It is Dr. Flyswithhawks intention and commitment to work with LandPaths Board of Directors to facilitate better relationship with the land through the programs it offers and the people who steward it.
Janal Cruz
Board Vice-President
Janal Cruz (she/her) was born and raised in Sonoma County. Growing up she explored the landscapes of West County and developed a deep appreciation for the diversity of the land. She was first introduced to LandPaths at a volunteer day at Bayer Farm and instantly appreciated the commitment to stewarding the land and inspiring individuals to build community around them. Ever since then she has been a supporter of the organization. Serving on the board is an amazing opportunity to serve both the organization and the community.
She values community and the strength diversity can bring to them. This led her to obtain a B.A. in American Multicultural Studies from Sonoma State University. As Head of Operations at Patagonia Provisions, she is able to apply her values to her daily work.
A proud mother and wife, she loves spending time with her family and friends, gardening, cooking, sharing food and attending community events.
Kalyanee Mam
Board Secretary
Born in Battambang, Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime, which claimed the lives of over 2 million people, Kalyanee Mam (she/her) and her family were displaced from both their land and their home. Kalyanee has spent most of her life trying to understand the root cause of war, destruction, and displacement and how she can return home again. After spending years living with families in the forests, on the lakes, and countryside of Cambodia, and observing and documenting their way of life, she understands how intimately connected this life is to the land, forests, and water and the neak ta or land and water spirits that protect them. After living in Sonoma County for over a decade and walking the coasts, paddling on the river, and trudging through redwood forests and oak woodlands here with her husband David Mendez, Kalyanee discovered that her path to home was waiting for her, right here on this land. As a board member, Kalyanee hopes to share this path of discovery and healing with others like herself, whose hearts are also waiting and ready to come home.
Kalyanee Mam is a Cambodian-American filmmaker whose award-winning work is focused on art and advocacy. Her debut documentary feature, A River Changes Course, won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and the Golden Gate Award for Best Feature Documentary at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Her other works include the documentary shorts Lost World, Fight for Areng Valley, Between Earth & Sky, and Cries of Our Ancestors. She has also worked as a cinematographer and associate producer on the 2011 Oscar-winning documentary Inside Job. She is currently working on two new feature documentaries, The Fire and the Bird’s Nest and Ceremony.
Stacy McKee
Board Treasurer
Stacy McKee (she/her) was born in Santa Rosa, CA. Growing up in rural northwestern Sonoma County gave her a unique perspective of what nature has to offer. The deep appreciation for the outdoors is a way for her to ground herself and she aligns with LandPaths in wanting others to have similar experiences.
She was introduced to LandPaths through the Exchange Bank Community Relations Officer during a visit to Bayer Farm. During her visit she was inspired by each garden plot and the open space feel in the middle of the southwest Santa Rosa neighborhood. Seeing families take pride in their plots gave her a glimpse into each family’s heritage and pride. During this visit she also learned about other outdoor education LandsPath offers and was inspired to get involved. She values the outdoor experience and wants others to experience the wonders of nature.
Stacy’s academic accomplishments reflect her dedication to continual growth. She earned both an Associate of Arts degree and an Account Clerk Certificate from Santa Rosa Junior College in 2000 and went on to complete her Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Accounting from Eastern Oregon University in 2014.
Professionally, Stacy has been in the Accounting field for over 20 years. She currently oversees the Exchange Bank’s Finance Department which consists of financial reporting and accounting operations. She continues to drive process improvements and support regulatory compliance. She also plays a key role in mentoring and developing the Finance team, helping to ensure the Bank’s continued financial strength and operational excellence.
Adam Kahn
Director
Adam Kahn (he/him) grew up in Basking Ridge, NJ. As a child, he and his younger brothers attended Earth Force Camp each summer at the Environmental Education Center of Lord Stirling Park. As a teenager, Adam became a counselor at the camp before leaving to go off to college. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.
In 2020 Adam and his wife, Cassidy Blackwell, moved to Sonoma County from San Francisco. To get to know their new home better, they embarked on a three-day wild foraging trek with LandPaths’ TrekSonoma. This course served as much more than a geographical introduction and reignited a kinship with the natural world that Adam had nearly lost after spending his entire adult life in dense urban environments.
Professionally, Adam is a world-leading technologist. He has spent the last three years as a leader in Cruise’s Engineering team, taking the company from a few hundred engineers to many thousands, and advancing from the experimental stage to safely launch the world’s first fully driverless commercial fleet of self-driving cars. The cars, currently driving themselves around San Francisco, Phoenix, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Dubai, and Japan have delivered riders, groceries, and meals for the needy, accumulating many millions of miles safely navigating the world’s urban landscapes without anyone in the driver’s seat.
In 2022, his team was named by Fast Company as “one of the most innovative team’s of the year“. He also recently took on new responsibilities as leader of the WebViz team. This tool visualizes what the robot car is sensing and thinking, allowing humans to interact, understand, and make improvements. Prior to this job, Adam has led other technology teams at Venmo, Salesforce, and a machine learning startup that was acquired by Google. Adam spent much of 2012 and 2013 living and working in Tokyo and volunteered to help Japan recover from the 2011 Sendai Earthquake disaster.
In 2022, Adam received his UC California Naturalist Certification through the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods program. His capstone project was directly interrelated with LandPaths, as he volunteered to take students from Santa Rosa Middle School’s Restorative Justice program on nature walks and ended the day teaching them to make their own pizzas, complete with toppings foraged from their walk. He also volunteered with 4H to display proper habitat restoration and encourage peaceful co-existence of agriculture with the natural world.
Hilda Shum
Director
Hilda Shum (she/her) is an active hiker, nature enthusiast, and artist. Her first impression of Sonoma County was
seeing Christo’s stunning Running Fence Project at sunrise. The early morning light filtering through the billowing white screen silhouetted against the rolling hills south of Valley Ford created such a visceral image that she vowed to live in Sonoma County one day. Since then the area has never ceased to amaze, from the open space, farmlands and spectacular coastline to the people and culture of food and hospitality. Hilda has been a board member of arts and education organizations and is interested in creating opportunities for people to engage with nature in our surrounding area and beyond.
Brad Sunshine
Director
Brad Sunshine (he/him) is an avid outdoor enthusiast, from white water rafting guide in college to rock climbing in Colorado, hiking, and biking all over. One of his favorite activities is recharging via early morning bicycle rides through western Sonoma and Marin Counties.
Brad was a sales engineer in Silicon Valley and became interested in solar power while trying to reduce his family’s impact on the environment. His interest led him to relocating to amazing Sonoma County to join the solar industry where he currently is assisting with the transition to renewable energy by working on large solar and energy storage projects around North America.
He has also been active in several non-profits; he tutored for and was on the board of The Reading Program while an engineer in Silicon Valley. In addition to his volunteering for COTS and Friends of the Petaluma River, through his passion for the outdoors and the environment he came to know LandPaths and their tremendous team. He participates in various activities for LandPaths including fund raising, various stewardship events, kayaking the Russian River and anywhere else they need an additional hand.
Brad has a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree from Auburn University, a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from San Jose State, and was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.
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Our mission is to foster a love of the land. Your generosity empowers our work throughout the year, making our impact possible. LandPaths is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Tax ID 68-0328590.
