Our Board of Directors is comprised of a variety of local activists, organizational leaders, and young professionals interested in a wide range of environmental topics throughout the County.
Michael Wellborn,
President
Michael is a public policy consultant and retired land use planning manager / Zoning Administrator with the County of Orange. Mike is a graduate of the College of Natural Resources at U.C. Berkeley and is the President of the Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks. He also serves on the Boards of Directors of the California Watershed Network and the Orange County League of Conservation Voters. Throughout the years, he has also been a member of the Housing and Community Development Advisory Board for the City of Fountain Valley, and has served as a Planning Commissioner for the Talega Valley Planning Authority. He was the public co-chair of the California Watershed Council Integrated Planning Workgroup, the co-founder of the Santa Ana Sucker Discussion Group, and helped establish watershed restoration programs throughout Orange County.
Gloria Sefton,
Secretary
Gloria Sefton is a long-time environmental advocate. She is Vice President of Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks (FHBP) and co-founder of the Saddleback Canyons Conservancy, established in 2001 to preserve Orange County’s rural canyons. Through conservation activism, she has helped protect several hundreds of acres as natural open space in the canyons. Gloria has received environmental leadership awards from the Sierra Club, Orange County League of Conservation Voters, FHBP, Sea & Sage Audubon, and the California State Senate and Assembly. Gloria is a graduate of Whittier Law School (summa cum laude) where she was selected as a Donald G. Hagman Student Scholar in land use law and received awards for merit, leadership, and service. She holds undergraduate degrees from CSUN in Biology and Chemistry, and currently practices law in the life sciences industry. She has authored numerous editorials and articles on the environment, land use, and climate change.
Manny Kiesser,
Treasurer
Manny Kiesser is an avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast. He is an occupational and public health professional and recently retired after over 25 years with The Walt Disney Company. Manny previously served on the board of FHBP from 2007-2013 and on the board of Inside the Outdoors Foundation from 2007-2022. He is passionate about environmental justice and engaging families and children in nature, especially from underserved communities. Manny is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and holds a MA in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University and an MPH in Global Health from Loma Linda University.
Julie Coffey,
Board member
Julie Coffey is an avid birder and ecologist with a love of Orange County’s unique natural heritage. She currently conducts research on UC Irvine’s natural reserves with a focus on solving pressing conservation problems. She grew up in rural NH with parents who were leaders in local land preservation movements, which prompted a lifelong dedication to preserving natural areas. She is a graduate of the Rubenstein School at UVM and has worked on a variety of field research and water quality projects across New England. In 2016, she came to CSULA to pursue an M.Sc. looking at the ecological response to invasive plant management along the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park. She loves advocacy as a way to meet new people and build community and spends her free time exploring California’s beautiful places.
Jack Eidt,
Board member
Jack Eidt has been on the Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks Board since 2006, is Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia, an online news magazine dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. Jack is an award-winning novelist, urban planner, and environmental advocate. In addition to writing regular articles for WilderUtopia, he has published opinion/editorials in various periodicals, including the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, EcoWatch, CommonDreams, Voice of OC, LA Progressive, CityWatch LA, and CounterPunch, and has been featured on Pacifica Radio, NPR, and public television. Jack is a co-founder of a local climate change organization called SoCal 350 Climate Action, and serves on the board of the Biodiesel Coop of Los Angeles.
Kimberly Leeds,
Board member
Long time educator, naturalist interpreter, scout leader, and environmentalist, Kimberly Leeds brings education, nature mentoring expertise, years of advocacy and board experience with OC Wild, NAI Region 8, Aliso Viejo Community Association and Laguna Audubon 1. She spent seven years with Laguna Canyon Foundation as their Volunteer Coordinator and Education Director overseeing the training and coordination of stewardship & public events, school programs, and hikes helping to preserve, protect, enhance and promote the South Coast Wilderness. Kimberly joins our board with enthusiasm for Orange County’s open spaces, her joy of sharing its magic with others, and her need to advocate for preservation and protection of wilderness.
Theresa Sears,
Board member
Theresa is a community leader who has been involved in land use, conservation, and regional public benefit issues in Orange County since 1992. Her leadership skills have helped with the following efforts: Barham Ranch (which was threatened by development is now part of Santiago Oaks Park), Sully Miller (where two ill-conceived projects have been stopped), East Orange & Santiago Hills II (the proposed urban sprawl has been reduced and contained), Ridgeline (including a legal victory before the State Supreme Court to uphold planning law & voter rights), Orange County Fairgrounds (now preserved for future generations), and the 301 (h) waiver (which forced OC Sanitation District to stop using the waiver for sewage treatment). As a solutions-oriented activist, her leadership in grass root efforts has supported the public’s right to know and petition their government, community engagement, legal remedies, and direct democracy. She joined the Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks board in 1999 and has hosted the Quarterly Meetings with the OC Parks Director since 2008.
Tina Thompson,
Board member
Tina Thompson became involved with park issues as a long time-volunteer at the OC County Zoo, which at the time was suffering from neglect. She credits FHBP with helping it get the attention it needed and now it is thriving. She has been involved in land use issues since 2005, advocating for responsible development in the east OC foothills. She is currently editor of the Foothills Sentry newspaper, serving 43,000 residents in Orange, North Tustin, Villa Park, and the canyons.