Meet Our Board

Our projects are as diverse as our talents. Our Board of Directors, Advisors, and Staff have experience as educators, administrators, fundraisers, financial advisors, counselors, project managers, and are, of course, avid outdoor enthusiasts.

George Barnett, Board President

A former Eagle Scout and Assistant Scoutmaster, Mr. Barnett graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering.  He is a former member of the National Rifle Association, is married to his first wife, has three adult sons, and one grandchild.  He is a retired executive of a private international oil company.  His experiences include design engineering & construction and operations of refineries, chemical plants and oil field facilities in Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Far East.  He was the chief executive of major petroleum product manufacturing and retail companies in South East Asia, the Far East and in China. George is an active member of the Trails and Parks sub-committees of the Alpine Planning Group, an officer of the Alpine High School Citizens Committee and chairman of Supervisor Jacob's Revitalization Sub-Committee for active parks and recreation in Alpine.

Timothy Todaro, CFA, Vice President

A partner with Rice Hall James in San Diego, Mr. Todaro is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He has recently created an endowment fund for the land trust and to ensure that the land trust has sufficient funds to manage the organization and the conservation lands we acquire. Mr. Todaro is an avid cyclist and rides both on the road and trails in San Diego's back country. Mr. Todaro has been effective in attracting major donors to the land trust and is the Chair of Back County Land Trust's Finance and Investment Committee.

Ann Pierce, Treasurer

Ann is the 2008-2009 president of the Alpine Union School District Board of Trustees; she has been a resident of Alpine for more than 25 years and has been actively involved in local schools since 1989. In 2005, Ann enrolled as a graduate student at SDSU in the School Counseling program, which is focused on the needs of a diverse, multi-cultural student body. In Summer 2005, she was chosen to be a collaborator in the Native American Scholars & Collaborators Project (NASCP). NASCP prepares Master's level graduate students in counseling and specialist level graduate students in Psychology who are committed to serving Native American students. She graduated in 2007 with her Master’s in School Counseling, and a PPS credential. Believing that our young people are our most valuable natural resource, Mrs. Pierce continues to work with students and teachers to promote the use of Wright's Field for educational enrichment and service learning, while expanding the land trust’s efforts to educate students further east in our neighboring mountain communities.

Linda Richards, M.S., Secretary

Linda Richards became an Alpine resident in 2002 when her husband took a job as manager of the local U.S. Forest Service office, moving from another great place, Flagstaff, AZ. Their two grown sons have flown the nest. Linda works as a freelance health and medical reporter, has been published in both consumer and professional publications, and writes for a Wall Street market research firm. She graduated from Columbia University's School of Journalism in 1995, and before that worked as a health educator, and as a park ranger at the Grand Canyon National Park. Since coming to Alpine, Linda has become active in Supervisor Dianne Jacob's Revitalization Committee, CHIRP, and three Alpine Planning Group subcommittees: Trails, Communications, and Recreation, Parks and Conservation.

Charles David Stout, Ph.D., Director

Research Scientist at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Dr. Stout, together with his wife Yolaine, is a founding member of the Back Country Land Trust Board of Directors. Dr. Stout is an accomplished molecular biologist, with a specialty in crystallography. Dr. Stout is additionally the Back Country Land Trust's principal public funding grant writer, securing the number one and number three rankings for the Wright's Field acquisition through the California Department of Transportation's competitive Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program (EEMP). Dr. Stout leads research relative to the flora and fauna on Wright's Field and additionally serves on the Finance Committee.

Laurie Hallihan, Alpine

Originally from Chicago, Laurie Hallihan has been an Alpine resident for 6 years. Laurie has been a State Farm Insurance Agent for 18 years and is currently serving as President of the Board of Directors for the Alpine Chamber of Commerce. Laurie is the San Diego representative for Border Collie Rescue of Southern California and is mom to Border Collies Midge and Cutter, and their new little sister Starlight, a kitten.  Laurie has joined the BCLT Board because "in an atmosphere of high growth, it's important to keep a balance with open space, to have places that are beautiful and untouched."

Summer Interns

Leila Reilly served as BCLT's 2004 summer intern as a third-year law student at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. Ms. Reilly is an avid outdoor enthusiast and assisted the land trust with research on nonprofit, contract, and preserve management issues.

Michelle Melton served as BCLT's 2002 summer intern. Michelle was a third year law student at the University of Denver in Colorado and worked primarily on BCLT's Binational Conservation Corridor project.