Board of Directors

David P. Wessel, AIC, FAPT, Board President
Principal
Architectural Resources Group

Mr. Wessel specializes in the documentation and conservation of historic building materials and architectural finishes. As a principal of ARG, he directs conservation projects and oversees the in-house conservation laboratory. Mr. Wessel’s projects include the award-winning exterior restoration of the Mark Hopkins Hotel and the facade restoration and complete window replacement for the Art Deco-style 450 Sutter Street building. Mr. Wessel is a professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation and a Fellow of the Association for Preservation Technology.

David Cannon, Vice President and Issues Committee Chair
Counsel
Bingham McCutchen

Mr. Cannon litigates a wide range of complex and high-stakes matters, including contract, intellectual property and securities fraud cases. He handles all phases of litigation, has resolved numerous cases through mediation and has significant trial experience. Prior to joining Bingham, David served as a judicial extern for Chief Judge Marilyn Hall Patel of the Northern District of California. In 2007, he served as an assistant district attorney in the Misdemeanor Trial Unit for the City and County of San Francisco, trying six cases and winning every one.  He also holds an master’s degree in architectural history from the University of Virginia.

Scott Haskins, Vice President and Development Chair
Principal
Sierra Maestra Properties

With twenty-five years of experience in the real estate industry in the Bay Area, Mr. Haskins has been involved in a number of historic building renovations. Mr. Haskins first became interested in historic preservation while researching the Hotel Nacional in Havana, for a study on the emerging hotel industry in Cuba in the early 1990s. Mr. Haskins received his bachelor’s degree in Finance from the San Diego State University and his master’s degree in Real Estate from The University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Carolyn Kiernat, AIA, Secretary
Principal
Page & Turnbull

As an architect with Page & Turnbull, Ms. Kiernat leads the firm’s Architecture Studio and is responsible for some of the its most complex rehabilitation projects, including the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio of San Francisco. Carolyn’s work focuses on the entitlements process for historic structures and strives to balance multiple levels of regulatory requirements with the goals of innovative building re-use and sustainable design. She maintains a high level of community involvement, serving on the Board of Directors for AIA San Francisco and as a member of the Sausalito Historic Landmarks Board.

Alicia Esterkamp Allbin
Principal
Pacific Waterfront Partners

Ms. Allbin is a principal with Pacific Waterfront Partners, LLC, a local real estate development firm specializing in urban infill, historic renovation, entitlements and public-private partnerships.  She has comprehensive experience in entitlements, marketing, lease analysis and negotiation, market research, public outreach and communications.  Ms. Allbin holds a master’s of business administration degree from the University of San Francisco. She is a member of SPUR, the Housing Action Coalition, ULI, BOMA and CREW, and is on the Board of Directors for SF Made.

Bruce Bonacker
Owner
Bonacker Associates

Mr. Bonacker is a California architect and, since 1982, the owner of Bonacker Associates, a San Francisco-based architectural, planning, and interior design firm primarily producing residential design in the City. His interest in the built environment and in empowering his community led to his work in the Glen Park Neighborhood Association, the San Francisco AIA, the San Francisco small business advocacy community and the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition as well as serving as a prior Heritage board member. Before coming to San Francisco, Mr. Bonacker also served as a VISTA volunteer in Upstate New York.  He graduated from the School of Architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Kathleen Burgi-Sandell
Vice President/Regional Asset Manager
The James Campbell Company

Mrs. Sandell has twenty-five years of real estate experience including expertise in developing value enhancement strategies and maximizing asset performance.  Mrs. Sandell manages a portfolio of U.S. commercial properties in all asset classes. She works occasionally on historical properties including the block renovation of Two and 48 Stockton Street. Mrs. Sandell is a member of the Urban Land Institute and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

Jeff Gherardini, AIA, LEED® AP
Construction Manager
Plant Construction Company

Mr. Gherardini has over fifteen years of construction and design experience. He has worked at architecture firms on the east & west coasts and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Niger, West Africa where he built sustainable housing. At Plant Construction Company, he is responsible for business development and the overall success of each project, some of which include the Fairmont Hotel, Ahwahnee Lodge and Walt Disney Family Museum. Jeff holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis and a master’s degree in architecture from U.C. Berkeley.

Nancy Gille
Founding and Advisory Partner
W3 Partners, LLC

Ms. Gille has more than 25 years of direct experience acquiring, managing, leasing, and disposing of commercial real estate, with a focus on West Coast office buildings. As an advisory partner at W3 Partners, which she founded  with Diane Olmstead and Susan Sagy, Nancy oversees asset management and marketing activities. Ms. Gille is a member of BOMA-San Francisco’s Political Action Committee, as well as a member of the Past Presidents Advisory Council of CREW-San Francisco. She received a Bachelor’s degree from University of San Francisco and a M.Sc. in Management as a Sloan Fellow at  London Business School.

Nancy Goldenberg
Historical Architect/Architectural Historian
Carey & Co. Inc.

A native of San Francisco and with more than thirty years of experience, Ms. Goldenberg has worked on preservation projects including the recently-completed Noe Valley Library rehabilitation, the adaptive reuse of the old jail at the Marin County Civic Center and the repair of the state capitol’s south portico. Architectural history projects have included a National Register nomination of the South San Francisco sign, and ongoing work at the Nevada Test Site, encompassing historical assessments, surveys and architectural stabilization of cold war structures. Nancy holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the U.C. Berkeley and a master’s degree in architectural historic from Cornell.

Frederic Knapp
Principal
Knapp Architects

Mr. Knapp is a registered architect in California and Arizona and has twenty-four years of experience in historic preservation, new construction, planning, analysis and entitlements. His special interest in historic preservation lies in districts, campuses, military bases and similar properties where the significance of individual resources is tied to a larger whole. Mr. Knapp meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for architecture and historic architecture. Mr. Knapp is also a published author (Hotel Renovation Planning and Design, McGraw-Hill, 1995).

Benjamin Ladomirak
Owner
Teevan Restoration

Mr. Ladomirak has been protecting, restoring and renovating buildings for the last three decades after helping his grandfather as a child.  As the chairman of Heritage’s House Committee, he oversees improvements to the historical Haas-Lilienthal House.  Mr. Ladomirak is the president of San Francisco-based Teevan Restoration, which he owns and operates with his business partner and wife, Jesse.  Mr. Ladomirak and Teevan have been the recipients of multiple industry awards including a national recognition by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry for the restoration of 2450 – 17th Street.  Mr. Ladomirak holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.

Arnie Lerner
Principal
Lerner & Associates Architects

For the past twenty-eight years, Mr. Lerner has practiced architecture within the architectural, preservation and accessibility communities in San Francisco. Before starting his private practice more than twenty years ago, Mr. Lerner served as a staff architect at Heritage. Projects for which Mr. Lerner received California Preservation Foundation design awards include the McMullen House restoration, accessibility modifications to the Alameda County Court House, and accessibility and restoration modifications to the Del Mar Theater in Santa Cruz. Mr. Lerner earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture at the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Design.

Chandler McCoy, LEED® AP
Associate Director of Planning
Presidio Trust

At the Presidio Trust, Mr. McCoy directs planning efforts for historic rehabilitation, landscape rehabilitation and other park planning. He is a founder and board member of the Northern California chapter of Docomomo-US. He received architectural conservation training in Rome at ICCROM in 1992, and is a licensed architect. Mr. McCoy received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Virginia and his master’s of architecture degree from Columbia University.

Patrick McNerney
President
Martin Building Company

Patrick McNerney has over twenty-five years of construction, design, and development experience. As the founder and president of Martin Building Company, he is responsible for the restoration and adaptive re-use of more than twenty historically significant buildings in San Francisco. His portfolio includes a range of new construction and renovation projects, including single-family housing, live/work spaces, custom residences, commercial office buildings, restaurants, multi-building urban developments, and adaptive reuse projects.  He holds a bachelor’s degree from the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Willett Moss
Principal
CMG Landscape Architecture

Mr. Moss is a founding partner of CMG Landscape Architecture, a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome, and a licensed California Landscape Architect. He provides expertise in planning and design of institutional and public landscapes. His project experience includes Cultural Landscape reports, site planning rooted in ecological understanding, urban design integrating sustainable site systems, and community driven pro-bono landscape design. Mr. Moss’ work reflects his range of interests, yet consistent focus on landscapes of broad value and public appeal.

Charles Olson
Partner
Stein & Lubin LLP

Mr. Olson specializes in real estate law, including affordable housing, land use and entitlements.  Mr. Olson has represented developers, institutions and nonprofits in the acquisition and/or development of land, including thousands of affordable housing units.  Some of his significant projects include strategic planning for U.C. San Francisco since 1990 and for U.C. Berkeley since 1998, including compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).  He has successfully defended many  CEQA lawsuits.  Mr. Olson holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and a law degree from the University of California, Hasting College of the Law.  Mr. Olson is a member of Lambda Alpha and since 2007 has been listed in the Northern California Super Lawyers Directory.

Mark Paez
Planner
Port of San Francisco

As a professional city planner, Mr. Paez has developed expertise in historic preservation in the Sausalito, Berkeley and San Francisco planning departments.  Mr. Paez served as the San Francisco department’s historic preservation coordinator for the Historic Preservation Commission’s predecessor, the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board. At the Port, Mr. Paez was responsible for the coordination of the Embarcadero Historic District nomination to the National Register of Historic Places and has been responsible for developing the Port’s historic preservation strategy for the revitalization of Pier 70. Mr. Paez is a member of Friends of 1800 and the San Francisco Preservation Consortium.

Mark P. Sarkisian, PE, SE, LEED® AP
Director
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Mr. Sarkisian leads SOM’s Structural Engineering Studio in the San Francisco office. His career has focused on developing innovative structural engineering solutions for building projects. He has designed over seventy-five major building projects around the world including the United States Embassy in Beijing and The Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland. Mr. Sarkisian currently holds four U.S. Patents for structural seismic devices. He has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in structural engineering from Lehigh University.

Neil Sekhri
Of Counsel
Gibson Dunn

Mr. Sekhri has over twenty years of experience in real estate, land use and municipal law, including 12 years with the San Francisco Deputy City Attorney. Mr. Sekhri specializes in large mixed-use development projects, many involving waterfront and historic properties.  Representative past and current projects include Treasure Island, the Brisbane Baylands, the Ferry Building, Piers 1, 1½, 3 and 5 and Mission Bay. Mr. Sekhri received his bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Maryland and is a graduate of the U.C. Davis King Hall School of Law.

Zander Sivyer, SE, LEED AP
Principal
Holmes Culley

As a former member of Holmes Consulting Group, Mr. Sivyer provides a cross-over between New Zealand and California practices. Since relocating in 2001, Mr. Sivyer has been quick to establish himself due to his strong organizational skills and clear structural vision.  His projects include Pier 1 ½, 3 and 5, as well as Ghirardelli Square. Mr. Sivyer received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Auckland, New Zealand and is a member of both the Structural Engineering Association of California and a member of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Engineers.

Douglas Tom, FAIA, LEED AP
Founding Principal
Tom Eliot Fisch

With a career spanning 36 years, Mr. Tom has provided principal and management leadership to a wide range of projects, including feasibility studies, master plans, new construction, renovation, and interior design assignments. His portfolio comprises academic facilities, public works/infrastructure, multi-family and single family housing, historic building renovations, and workplace design solutions for corporate and nonprofit organizations. As the managing partner, Doug is responsible for advancing practice initiatives while overseeing operational and quality objectives office-wide.  He is also engaged as a principal on select projects, including the award-winning rehabilitation of historic Piers 1-1/2, 3, and 5, the Crissy Field Environmental Education Center and various projects for the Presidio Trust.