Friends of Balboa Park
Board of Directors 2016
Chair
Pat Caughey, RLA
As President and Principal Owner of Wimmer Yamada and Caughey (WYAC), Pat Caughey has over 30
years’ experience in landscape architecture. He has been the National President for the American
Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) in 2007, and is the immediate past Chair of the ASLA Council
of Fellows. In 2013, Pat was awarded the ASLA President’s medal for his service to society.
Pat continues to give back to the community by serving as a director on the La Colonia De Eden
Gardens Foundation, as a member of the San Diego Rotary Club 33, and as past director for the National
ACE Mentoring organization which focuses on educating youth to career opportunities in the design and construction
professions.
Recent projects under his direction include the historic police headquarters, Alga Norte Community Park in Carlsbad, the
Unconditional Surrender sculpture next to the Midway, Mesa College Math and Sciences classroom building, and the new
NOAA-Southwest Fisheries laboratory in La Jolla.
Chair-Elect
Tom Scott, Ph.D
Tom Scott has loved Balboa Park since arriving on the west coast in 2000--its natural beauty,
its fanciful ornateness, its enthusiastic use by locals and tourists alike. Tom and his wife
Bonnie moved to San Diego from the University of Delaware where they had been on the
faculty for 30 years. Tom served as Dean of the College of Sciences at SDSU, then as Vice
President for Research and Graduate Dean. He also broadcast a weekly commentary on KPBS
in which he explored a range of scientific topics.
Tom is a neuroscientist conducting research on the sense of taste and the brain's control of eating. He and
Bonnie have three grown children and six grandchildren. Tom holds a B.A. degree from Princeton and a Ph.D.
from Duke.
Treasurer
Kenneth C. Tranbarger
Ken has been visiting San Diego since the 1970’s and has been a resident since early 2001. For the last
forty-eight years, since Ken and Mary were married, city parks have been important to his family. Their
children and grandchildren enjoy many aspects of Balboa Park every time they visit.
As an Electrical Engineering graduate of Columbia University, Ken had a thirty-seven year career in
Finance and Business Planning with IBM. That career took his family to New York City, Paris, Hong Kong,
Chapel Hill and Beijing. He retired in 2002 and set a goal to give back to the institutions that provided his family with
enrichment and enjoyment throughout his career. St Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, located on the west side of Balboa Park,
was the first institution for which Ken volunteered. He is a past president of the Rotary Club of Torrey Pines and is a
member of the Zoological Society, the USS Midway, and uses his Balboa Park Explorer pass frequently. In his spare time,
Ken enjoys pursuing genealogy and photography, following sports car and F1 racing, and traveling with Mary.
Since joining the Friends Board in 2005, Ken has served as the chair of Kiosk Committee (since 2006), and Project
Committee (since 2013) and Treasurer (since 2013). Friends provides for Ken the ideal vehicle to help preserve, protect
and promote Balboa Park.
Secretary
Elizabeth H. Carson, J.D.
A community volunteer, Elizabeth “Libby” Carson has extensive experience with non-profit organizations.
She served as president of the Junior League of San Diego and the La Jolla Civic Center Corporation and on
the board of the La Jolla Country Day School and Francis Parker School. She was a member of the
Committee for Equity in Student Placement, the Task Force to Raise Graduation requirements for the San
Diego Unified School District, and the Board of Visitors of USD Law School.
Mrs. Carson is a founding director of LEAD San Diego and has served on the Board of Directors of the San Diego
Community Foundation, Children’s Hospital, and the Red Cross. She is the recipient of the Salvation Army Women of
Dedication award and the Junior League Spirit of Volunteerism award and has been listed in Who’s Who of American
Women.
Mrs. Carson is a graduate of Vassar Collage and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Founder
Betty Peabody
Community Volunteerism has played a large role in the life of Betty Peabody. Although a native
Oregonian, since moving to San Diego in 1969, she has been a volunteer in Balboa Park for 45 years. She
has served on the Board of Directors of the Museum of Man, Central Balboa Park Association, Balboa Park
Expo 2000, San Diego County Crime Stoppers, The Wednesday Club, The Thursday Club, and the Youth
Tennis San Diego Foundation.
She is former President of Caridad Internacional, the Klee Wyk Society, House of Hospitality, and Friends of Balboa Park
(formerly the Balboa Park Millennium Society). Betty is co-founder of P.L.A.N. (Point Loma Acts Now).
Her chairmanships have included Mercy Ball, the Grand Reopening of the House of Hospitality, and co-chair with her
husband, Homer, of the U.S. Medical Tennis National Convention, the World Medical Tennis Society Convention, and
the Magic Lantern Society of the U.S. and Canada Convention.
Awards include being named 2015 Mrs. San Diego, Woman of Dedication, The Betty Peabody Perpetual Award of San
Diego County Crime Stoppers, the Blue Knight Award by the San Diego Crime Commission, the District Three
Community Spirit Award, and Resolutions from the California State Assembly and the City and County of San Diego.
Betty is author of “Woman Physicians in Early San Diego.” Homer and Betty Peabody enjoyed traveling extensively and
she states the most exciting travel experience was a sabbatical to do pulmonary function studies on the cannibals in the
Solomon Islands – where she was the first white woman to enter many of the villages.
Betty was widowed in December 2005, but together with Homer they have four children, five terrific grandchildren and
seven special great grands.
Jack Carpenter, FAIA
A retired Architect practicing with fellow Rotarian Neil Larson for 25 years. Jack is a Past Board member
and President of San Diego American Institute of Architects; past Board member and Chair of St Paul’s
Senior Homes and Services; founder of and 10 year Chair of the San Diego Council of Design Professionals
and long time consulting architect to the San Diego Zoo. Jack organized the 2012 public workshop on the
Plaza de Panama where the plan and the alternatives were presented to an audience of 100. He instigated
and supported the San Diego AIA Balboa Park Entry Design Competition.
His family has lived in San Diego since 1964 and has been coming to the Park and the Zoo all those years.
Dean M. Crowder, MBA
Dean Crowder has served as a professional and a volunteer in San Diego nonprofit organizations for a
number of years. He has been a member of the Friends’ Board of Directors since 2001, serving in various
capacities.
A fourth-generation Californian, he is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, the Goizueta
School of Business at Emory University, and an executive program at the Harvard Business School He
served as Chief Executive Officer of Sharp Memorial Hospital and Sharp HealthCare prior to retirement.
He is a member of the San Diego Rotary Club. He lives in Point Loma and enjoys the frequent use of his Balboa Park
Explorers Card.
Patricia “Pat” Fleming, APR
Pat Fleming retired in 2002 after 26 years with San Diego Gas & Electric and 7 years with the Harvard
Business School where she was employed in Public Relations, Governmental Affairs and Regulatory
Affairs. She is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). Among her
activities with PRSA, she chaired the committee which developed the annual Eva Irving Community
Service Award to recognize outstanding volunteer efforts for non-profit, philanthropic or public service
organizations. She has worked on several Special Award Committees as part of PRSA’s annual Bernays
Awards and has also advised the Public Relations Student Society at San Diego State University.
Among her other volunteer activities she has served on the public relations and the curriculum committees for the Osher
Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and has also been a tour leader for UCSD’s
visitor’s program.
She holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Louisiana State University in New Orleans where she majored in Business
Administration. Ever since she moved to San Diego in 1976 and discovered Balboa Park, she has considered it “my park”.
Cindy Goodman, Ed.D.
Cindy Goodman serves on a number of boards and committees in the arts, health care, social services and
education, including serving as president of both Patrons of the Prado and The Charter 100. She was
Scholarship Chair for the Rotary Club of La Jolla, helps support the San Diego Youth Symphony and serves
on the board of the Friends of Balboa Park.
Cindy received her doctorate in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, her
graduate degree from the University of Hawaii and her undergraduate degree from the University of
Michigan. She and her husband love to travel, having visited over 120 countries.
George Hardy, J.D.
George Hardy grew up in a military family and lived all over the world. He worked with the US
Department of Justice and had a 36-year career as a litigator. He arrived in San Diego in 1978 and has
lived on the eastern edge of Balboa Park since 1979. Through the years he has spent countless hours
enjoying the many splendors of San Diego and Balboa Park – as a runner, a cyclist, a tennis player, a
steward of the San Diego Crew Classic, a member of the San Diego Zoo, a singer in multiple choruses, a
founding trustee and lifetime member of the Spreckels Organ Society, and a fan of productions at the San
Diego Musical Theater and the Old Globe.
George is on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Diplomacy Council and is a frequent lecturer to the international
delegations on “rule of law” issues. George is also the past president of the Board of Trustees of the Spreckels Organ
Society and during his tenure restored the Spreckels Organ to its position as “the World’s Largest Outdoor Pipe Organ.”
Jim Hughes, J.D.
Jim, a San Diego Rotarian since 1991, has been a stalwart of the Friends’ luncheon committee for the past
decade, helping us produce the program for many successful Millennium Awards luncheons!
Jim was born and raised in Pasadena, a city rich in architecture, parks, and community beautification. He
initially came to San Diego to attend law school, presuming to follow in the footsteps of his father and
grandfather and become a career FBI agent. He took a job during his first year in law school in the legal
support industry, and consequently founded his own company providing services to lawyers. He went on to
graduate from law school, never took the bar exam or practiced law, but followed his natural “seat of the pants business
man instincts” to grow Hughes Attorney Service to a company with 98 full-time employees. Jim retired from his
company after 28 years, and has been managing Hughes Heritage Plaza and the RTC, commercial complexes that he
owns, leases, and maintains. Notes Jim of his interest in Balboa Park: “ I have come to know Balboa Park deeper than its
stunning beauty, and I know the park can use all the TLC that the community can muster. I look forward to being on the
Friends’ board and being part of the leadership that looks out for the entire park.”
Todd Kinnear, J.D.
Todd Kinnear is senior counsel at Gresham Savage Nolan & Tilden, PC in their litigation practice group.
His practice focuses on advising and representing companies, officers, directors and other individuals in
complex business and employment related disputes. He has received Martindale-Hubbell’s AV
Preeminent Rating, the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program’s Distinguished Service Award and the
San Diego Magazine’s Top Lawyer in 2014, 2015, and 2016 recognition.
Mr. Kinnear graduated from the University of San Diego, School of Law, magna cum laude and received
his Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude from San Diego State University. He now lives in Point Loma with his wife
Andria and two children, all of whom regularly visit the park.
Maureen Lamberti, MA
Maureen Lamberti, who brings a fresh perspective to the Friends Board of Directors, joined us in March of
2007 after having chaired the Friend’s 2006 Millennium Awards Luncheon.
Born in Pennsylvania and raised in Pittsburgh, Maureen attended Seton Hill University where she graduated
with a B.A. degree in English Literature. She taught English and History in Pittsburgh and Boston, where
she started her family. Maureen attended SDSU where she received her Masters Degree in
Telecommunications and Film. Her strong interest in documentaries led her to work as a video and documentary producer.
She received an award from the ITVA (Independent Television Association of San Diego) for a medical documentary and
received acclaim at the Breckenridge Film Festival in the 1990’s.
Many organizations have benefited from Maureen’s civic and volunteer activities on behalf of children’s health and
education. Maureen supports the arts and theater in San Diego and served on the San Diego Visual Arts Foundation Board
where she worked on several fundraisers and served as a judge for the student film selections from local area colleges.
Neil Larson, AIA
Neil has had long term involvement in professional, business, church and public service Board of Director’s
interests. His architectural experience resulted in the design of commercial, institutional, medical, military,
religious and recreational projects such as the San Diego Zoo Panda Exhibit. The process of architectural
design has taught him the need for observation and collaboration. Extensive traveling beyond our National
Parks to Europe and India and points between causes an examination of values. San Diego live theaters,
including the Old Globe, continues to influence his outlook on the human condition.
Neil's enthusiasm for Balboa Park centers on the Park's contrasting duality of iconic displays of nature and the built
environment that transcend everyday life of the users. The ever present issue for the Board of Directors is how to
sensitively balance the tradition of Park preservation and the need for high quality design improvement.
Jaikaran Singh, J.D.
Mr. Singh is an attorney and partner at the international law firm of Dentons US LLP. He is a frequent
speaker and author on issues relating to case management, discovery, class action litigation, and consumer
protection laws, including California’s Unfair Competition Law and Consumer Legal Remedies Act. He
has received both the Martindale-Hubbell® AV Rating - the highest peer review rating for ethical
standards and legal ability and the Wiley W. Manuel Pro Bono Services Award. He is the Managing Editor
for the Journal of Corporation Law and involved in many pro bono and community related activities.
Mr. Singh received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity University and his Juris Doctor with Distinction from the
University of Iowa.
Marvin Spira
Marvin Spira is a member of the Board of Directors of The San Diego Shakespeare Society, The Food
Policy Institute of Rutgers University, and serves on several committees related to the Arts in the San Diego
Area. He is president of Marketing Consultants, International and continues his career in marketing with
clients from the United States, Europe and the Far East. He has worked extensively with not for profit
associations and has received his certification in Association Management from The American Society Of
Association Executives in Washington, D.C.
William Virchis
Bill Virchis has loved Balboa Park since he was in an Old Globe performance as a boy. His interest in
Education and the Arts is kept alive through his professional affiliations with many Arts and Advocacy
groups including the San Diego Foundation, the San Diego Shakespeare Society, the Screen Actor’s Guild,
and the San Diego Arts network. He is the current CEO of Virco Enterprises, and is the Artisitc Director of
Teatro Mascara Magica at The Old Globe. He has been involved as an Actor, Director and Producer for
productions at state, local, and international theaters.
Ray Waite
Ray retired to San Diego in 2001. He owned and operated Qualex, Inc., a specialized construction business
in Chicago for 40 years with projects in most of the States, including 10 buildings for the 2002 Winter
Olympics in Salt Lake City. He has served as a member of the board and then as vice-president of Habitat
for Humanity in Arizona for several years and has 40 years of experience as an officer and president of
several large condominium homeowners associations. He is a long-time donor to the San Diego Zoo and
Fleet Science Center and recently was a donor to the Balboa Park Centennial Entry Design Awards
Program.
Ray has long been interested in seeing the conservation and preservation of the facilities at Balboa Park and the zoo.
He feels they are great assets to the city and would like to make a contribution to making them even greater assets in the
future.
Lucy A. Warren
Lucy has recently co-authored a book on California native plants, The California Native Landscape. Long
fascinated with plants and horticulture, she is a former editor of California Garden magazine. She wrote a
gardening column on edible plants for the San Diego Union Tribune, as well as for other gardening
publications. A long time UCCE Master Gardener, she is a member of the boards of San Diego
Horticultural Society and Pacific Horticulture Society. She participates in many horticultural organizations
and is now particularly interested in the replanting of Bird Park in Balboa Park with native plants. She
serves as the chair of the Friends of Balboa Park Horticulture Committee.
Ann Wilson, MBA
Ann grew up in Point Loma. Her parents took her to Balboa Park from a very young age. During her
elementary school years, she took ballet class through San Diego Park & Rec in Balboa Park every Saturday
morning. In junior high school, Ann’s mother took her to a performance at the Old Globe’s Shakespeare
Festival and Ann fell in love with Shakespeare and the Old Globe. She remembers purchasing student
tickets for Saturday matinees for 50 cents! She joined the Board in 2009 and recently finished her 2 year
term as chair of the board.
Ann received an AB degree from University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from University of California, Los
Angeles. She retired from her CPA practice in 2014 after over 30 years in the profession. She enjoys traveling, reading,
hiking, quilting and entertaining friends and family. She has four adult children and five grandchildren.