Board of Directors

Access Humboldt's goal is to be accountable and to maintain the high ethical standards for governance.  Individual and organizational members vote on the election of Board Members.

Our Board is designed to represent the broad base of community interests as reflected in the variety of nonprofit organizations and institutions serving Humboldt County, as well as access producers and persons with knowledge and expertise related to the mission of Access Humboldt. The By-Laws state that six Directors are elected by the membership, two Directors are Appointed Directors chosen by the majority of the Board, and seven are Designated Directors representing the Humboldt County Office of Education, Humboldt State University, College of the Redwoods, the League of Women Voters of Humboldt County, Northern California Association of Nonprofits, the Mayors’ Select Committee (representing the Cities of Arcata, Eureka, Fortuna, Blue Lake, Ferndale and Rio Dell), Eureka City Schools, and the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. We are honored to have a 100% giving board. 

Elected board members serve 3-year terms (2 terms max). Designated members serve up to 6 1-year terms.

Rev. Molly Cate - Chair 

(League of Women Voters)

Reverand Molly Cate is a member of the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters Humboldt County, a humanitarian educator and the spiritual leader of Unity Church of the Redwoods in Eureka, CA. She has a Master’s degree in Consciousness Studies from Holmes Institute School of Consciousness Studies in Santa Rosa, one in Sociology from the University of California, Davis, and several certificates in Cross-Cultural Competence. She is passionate about bridging the barriers between people holding clashing belief systems.

Michele Fell - Vice Chair (Elected)

Jane Callahan - Secretary (Elected)

Jane Callahan has worked in the nonprofit sector for her entire career. Areas of expertise include nonprofit development and management, community building initiatives, fundraising and strategic planning. She has a background in international media development, public health, evaluation and public policy. She is a graduate of HSU and lives in Eureka, CA.

Gregg Foster - Treasurer (Appointed)

Gregg Foster is a Humboldt County native and is currently the executive director of the Redwood Region Economic Development Commission (RREDC).  Gregg served on the Board of Conveners for Access Humboldt during the development of the cable franchise agreement that led to its creation.  RREDC has also been involved in the development of broadband infrastructure in Humboldt County, providing advocacy and leadership since 2000.  It was a key leader in the development of Humboldt County’s second fiber optic line, completed in 2011.

Cyril Oberlander (Humboldt State University)

Cyril Oberlander is the University Library Dean at Humboldt State University since July 2014. Previously, he served as the Director of Milne Library at the State University of New York at Geneseo since 2011, and as the Principal Investigator of the Open SUNY Textbook Project, a multi-institution grant and libraries funded open textbook publishing initiative. Prior to that, he served as the Associate Director of Milne Library at SUNY Geneseo and as an internal consultant to the IDS Project, a 75 library cooperative in New York, since 2008. He also served as the Director of Interlibrary Services at the University of Virginia Library from 2005-2008, the Head of Interlibrary Loan at Portland State University from 1996-2005, as well as various roles in Access Services at Portland State University since 1987.

Dr. Keith Flamer (College of the Redwoods)

Dr. Keith Flamer was named President/Superintendent of College of the Redwoods effective April 11, 2017. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from Eastern Washington University, a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Eastern Washington, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University.

Jay Tilgman (Elected) 

Jay Tilghman, Film and Digital Media Mentor for the MARZ Project, a core youth-centric program of the Ink People Center for the Arts. Acting director of the Eureka-Kamisu Sister City Association since 2013.

Brenda Pérez  (Elected)

Brenda Pérez is an indigenous immigrant woman from Chalchicomula Mexico, guest in Wiyot land. She’s an accomplished author and Master in Latin American Studies, International Relations, and Social Policy, graduating at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). During Fall 2017, she was a guest researcher at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research at Humboldt State University. In 2018, she spearheaded the passage of the Humboldt County Sanctuary Law for Immigrants. She is the host of two bilingual radio shows and chief editor of the magazine, La Semilla which promotes immigrants rights. Brenda Pérez is currently the Executive Director of Centro del Pueblo. 

Patty Hecht (Humboldt Asain and Pacific Islanders) 

Patty Saito Hecht is one of the Founding Mothers of Humboldt Asians and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI). As a volunteer Healing Circle for Change facilitator with Tsuru for Solidarity, her Nikkei roots connection runs deep. She enjoys playing with Humboldt Taiko under its patient and generous leader Gary Ronne. 

Dan Pambianco (Elected) 

Dan Pambianco's most recent role was serving as Marketing Content Manager for Eddy Alexander working with the City of Eureka staff on tourism initiatives.

Other recent work includes a three-year stint as Senior Grants Specialist for St. Joseph Health, Humboldt County. He helped generate funding for medical initiatives and equipment, including the a grant for a new medical residency program and a new perinatal substance disorder project.

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, he secured and managed grants for the Humboldt County Emergency Operations team. In 2022 he played a key role for the Economic Development implementing the Small Business Restart and Recovery grant program and other initiatives.

His past includes being part of the Department of Marketing and Communications at Humboldt State University as a communications specialist while being a lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. 

During his first 22 years at the university, he served as Assistant Athletic Director. 

Dan served as the media director/consultant for the United States Olympic Track & Field Trials in 2000 and 2004 and was photography coordinator for the USATF Championships in 2014 and 2017.

Chris Cooper (Humboldt County) 

Chris Cooper is the Director of Library Services for the County of Humboldt since November 2020. Chris got his first library job as a page with the Newport Beach Public Library when he was 16.  He started with HCL as Branch Manager of the Fortuna Library in 2001, earned a Master in Library Science from San Jose State in 2006 and served as Supervising Librarian for the Fortuna, Garberville and Rio Dell Libraries, from 2011-2015.  In 2015, he moved to Idaho to serve as the Director of the newly constructed, Nampa Public Library.  In 2017, Chris and his wife Susan decided to return to Humboldt County to be closer to family.  Before assuming his new role at HCL, he served as an Associate Faculty Librarian at College of the Redwoods, and as Assistant Director of Library Services for the Humboldt County Library.

Pam Powel (Mayor's Select Committee Designee) 

Doug Lee (Humboldt County Office of Education) 

Aaron Donaldson (Elected




Former Board Members (As of January 2021)

Dr. Armeda Reitzel 

Helen Andrews

Rob Arkley

Jason Beaver

Elizabeth Blessing

Jenny Bowen

Barbara Bryant

Jim Carlson

Vanessa Christman

Patrick Cleary

Kathleen Cloney-Gardiner

Paul DeMark

Cathy Dickerson

Seth Frankel

Margaret ‘Peg’ Gardner

Barbara Groom

Rick Gustafson

Nick Wilczek

Charlie Heinberg 

Jim Hoff

Harold Horne

Michele Hutchins

Lynn Hubbard 

Rick Jordan

Simona Keat

Shawn Kohrman

Richard Leonard

Chag Lowry

John McBrearty

Eileen McGee

Steve McHaney

Shelley Mitchell

Cheryl Nicholson

Amy Nilsen

Elaine Weinred

Stacey Young

Heidi Terbrack

Joseph Pawlick

Leigh Pierre-Oetker

Sean Quincey

Paul Rodrigues

Rollin Richmond

Monica Rivera

Phil Smith-Hanes

Don Smullin

Bob Steffen

Steve Stratton

Michael Twombly

Jessemyn Tunnell (Reid)

Marcel van Dissell

Amanda Windsor

Mary Beth Wolford

Victor Zazueta

Maura Eastman

Jan Kraepelien

Janet Luzzi

Board Documents

Board Member Job Description

AH Board Member Job Description.docx

Letter to Applicants

AH Board Letter to Applicants.docx

Board Member Application

AH Board Application 2014-15.docx

Bylaws of Access Humboldt updated 04-2020

Copy of Copy of AH By Laws proposed revisions 4-22-2020.docx

Board Meeting Minutes