The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, a nonprofit land trust, announced the appointments of Lisa Wise and Herb Kandel as the group’s newest president and vice president, respectively.
“We’re very excited to have new trustees step forward with a leadership role in our organization,” said Bob Hill, Executive Director of the Land Conservancy. “[Wise] offers to us a tremendous amount of business experience and is a small business owner herself.”
According to the group, Wise is an urban planner and certified public accountant with nearly 20 years of professional experience in land-use planning, public accounting, and finance. She holds a city and regional planning master’s degree from Cal Poly, SLO, a master’s degree in accounting, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She’s also worked for San Luis Obispo County in the Housing and Economic Development Division and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research.
Kandel is a Nipomo resident with a
private acupuncture practice in Santa Maria who founded the Nipomo chapter of the Land Conservancy in 2003. He’s been a key figure in projects such as the Nipomo Creek Watershed Management Plan, Black Lake Canyon, and annual creek cleanups. He also holds a doctorate in Chinese medicine from Samra University in Los Angeles, a master’s degree in Chinese medicine, and a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology.
“In many ways as a doctor of Chinese medicine and as an acupuncturist, he brings a sense of healing, not only to people, but also to the land,” Hill said. “That’s also a very valuable attribute to our leadership.”
The Land Conservancy’s five-member executive committee also includes Hill as secretary; treasurer Valerie Endres; and Gary Felsman, past president. Each officer serves a minimum one-year term with an option to renew.
The committee has been tasked with diversifying funding for local land conservation projects and increasing income to support Conservancy efforts. Among their many projects, the group participates in the Dunes Collaborative, which performs coastal restoration work on the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes. The group is also working on an easement conservation project at Alamo Creek Ranch, a working ranch located off Highway 166.
This article appears in Sep 23-30, 2010.