Non-profit administrator, Diversity Management Consultant, Homeless Advocate, Advocate for people with disabilities, and advocate on issues affecting people who are farmworkers outlines my work for the past 30 years. Worked in the private development business for 7 years as a civil engineering assistant. Native Californian first introduced to Sonoma County in 1957.

Sam Barnhart worked for several years with Interfaith Shelter Network at the Santa Rosa Armory. Since then he has made it his cause to advocate for the underserved population of homeless single adults in the county.

Georgia Berland, a Task Force founder who consults as the part-time Executive Officer of the Task Force as well as serving on the Board, is an international consultant in community development. She was formerly Executive Director of the Sonoma County Human Services Commission (13 years) and the Association for Humanistic Psychology (7 years), and taught Community Psychology at Sonoma State University (8 years). She teaches her own "Cooperative Action" approach to positive community change, and serves on the Board of the California Community Economic Development Association, and the Executive Committee of Senator John Vasconcellos' Politics of Trust Project.

Originally from South Carolina, Julie graduated from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC with a BA in Mass Communication and worked as a college campus minister for over a year. Three years ago, she came to California to attend the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley. After graduating in 2003 from FST with a MA in Ministry for a Multicultural Church, she began her ministry at St. Eugene’s Cathedral as the parish Youth Coordinator. During her time both in SC, the East Bay, and now in Santa Rosa, she maintained active involvement with homelessness awareness and advocacy initiatives.

Gale Brownell is the current Chair of the Task Force. She has has been on the Task Force Board since 2000, also serving as Vice-Chair, Advocacy Committee convenor and co-chair of the October in Paradise auction. She has also represented the Task Force on the Sonoma County Housing Coalition's Consensus Council and on the Steering Committee of the Continuum of Care. She retired after working for 20 years as a Housing Programs Manager for theCity of Santa Rosa. Members of her family have experienced homelessness as a result of poor life choices.

Majida Gibson is a long-time housing advocate and director of a variety of housing initiatives on the East Coast. She is now an affordable housing consultant in Sonoma County working with Petaluma Ecumenical Properties (PEP), and is a member of HAG, the Sonoma County Housing Advocacy Group.

Mark Krug has been on the Task Force board since 1999 and has served as Treasurer since 2000. Professionally, Mark has worked for non-profit or government agencies for the last 16 years in many different fields but primarily in homeless services and affordable housing. He is currently Housing Programs Manager for the City of Santa Rosa. Mark and his wife Cheryl enjoy living in the country near Graton with their managerie of dogs, cats and horses.

Nancy Lisk worked for 3 years as a Volunteer Information & Referral Specialist with Sonoma County Human Services Department. Her contact with homeless people there led her to become involved with the Task Force. She became a Board Member in fall of 2002, and served as Secretary for the first year and a half. During her AmeriCorps VISTA Service (Nov. 2002-Nov. 2003) Nancy wrote articles for the Task Force newsletter, published wish lists of homeless service providers and shelters, and served on numerous committees of the Continuum of Care, one of which produced a Homeless Resource Guide. Nancy participated in the committee that produced the first Affordable Housing Week. She did an informal survey of the presence and needs of Homeless people in the Russian River area. Her report can be found on this web site in the Newsletter Archives. Nancy is involved with the Russian River Redevelopment ad hoc Affordable Housing subcommittee, and helped draft an Affordable Housing Rehabilitation Program. Nancy currently volunteers with Russian River Counselors to expand their transitional housing program, does outreach to river area homeless, has distributed warm clothing & toiletries and made referrals to agencies that might help them. Over the winter of 2003/2004, she distributed donated blankets to shelters and to homeless persons. Nancy is also on the Boards of Directors of Community Housing Development Corporation of Santa Rosa, and the Faith-Based Community Housing Development Corporation-West. She attends meetings of the Sonoma County Housing Advocacy group and advocates for housing for very low income people. Nancy is a low income person with disabilities. Her grasp of the problems of homeless people comes partially from direct service, but is also based on experiences of being homeless herself, on more than one occasion.

Granduated from St. Peter's College with a B.S. degree. Attended University of Michigan Graduate School, and Officers Candidate School. 1st Lt. Infantry, N.J. National Guard. Retired V.P. from Fireman's Fund Ins. Co. Member of the Marin Commission on Homelessness in the '80's. Helped to co-found New Beginnings Center in Novato, CA. Member of Task Force Board for the past few years.