Board of Directors

It is a pleasure to be involved with a grassroots group that has a clear focus and mission and plays a crucial role in keeping this reborn cultural treasure and its surroundings maintained for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike.

Mike is a Berkeley native and local history and architecture buff, now working as a journalist, who grew up not far from The Circle and Fountain Walk. He moved away the year the fountain was reconstructed. When he returned to Berkeley in 2011, he moved into the Northbrae neighborhood and began looking for ways to get involved in the community. He joined a volunteer work party at The Circle one Saturday, and soon after joined the FOFW board, where he currently serves as president.

In the words of Abraham Lincoln: “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him."

Charles is a Landscape Architect who has lived in the neighborhood of the fountain for over 25 years, participated in the design of the reconstruction of the fountain and produced the construction documents that were used for the rebuilding. He hopes all local residents take pride in their community and in its iconic symbol.

The fountain wasn’t here when I last lived in Berkeley; it brings me joy whenever I see it and the fact that it is supported and maintained by a group of neighbors and friends makes it all the better.

Pat is a returning Berkeleyan, having lived in the Cragmont neighborhood of North Berkeley in the 80’s and returned in 2014 after a 20+ year absence. Pat joined a work party in 2015 and has recently joined the Board as Secretary.

I love the refurbished Marin Circle with its nine-foot center fountain adorned with four baby grizzlies. Its larger landscaping of classic balustrades and end-piers topped by large terracotta planters all remind me how important public amenities are to civic living. After we moved to the area, I saw volunteers one Saturday morning doing maintenance. Soon I volunteered, joining this like-minded community nearly every month. When out there gardening, I often wonder if the world did indeed begin in a garden.

Karen teaches writing at UC Berkeley, and fell in love with The Circle and its surroundings when she and her family moved to Marin Avenue in the mid 1990s. When walking to campus via the Fountain Walk steps, she loves seeing the fountain by day, its flowing water surrounded by lush splotches of green and encircling balustrades. By night, the illuminating lights are a beacon of sorts, emotionally and aesthetically. She is honored to be a board member and to help with the fountain's ongoing beautification.

Berkeley has perhaps the richest architectural heritage of any city in the Bay Area. When we moved to Berkeley from the City 20 years ago, I remember driving around The Circle in the moving truck and feeling a sense of pride that I now lived in a city with treasures such as the Fountain.

Steve is a Principal at the International design firm Gensler. He and his wife Cathy have lived in North Berkeley for 20 years. Steve is honored to join the Board and to play a role in the stewardship and safe-keeping of one of our City’s treasures.

When we moved to Los Angeles Avenue in 1990 The Circle was overgrown with weeds. It was an eyesore. Now it is beautiful and is a handsome landmark for the North Berkeley neighborhood. The Fountain and Walk reconstruction represents community action at its best, and the fact that it was done solely through neighborhood initiative is a model for other civic improvements. Power to the People!

Jim Reynolds has the enviable title of roastmaster emeritus at Peet's Coffee, which was founded in North Berkeley in 1966 by Alfred Peet.