In October 2023, California State Parks Foundation Board of Trustees elected a new board chair! Diane Ross-Leech joined the board of trustees in 2018 after retiring as Director of Environmental Policy at Pacific Gas and Electric Company. She has expertise in developing innovative strategies encompassing corporate sustainability, climate change adaptation, endangered species, migratory birds, land resource management, and renewable energy. Throughout her career, Diane built strong working relationships with federal and state resource agencies in California and Washington, D. C., and established a wide network of influential non-profit and energy industry stakeholders.
As the new Chair, Diane succeeds Birt Johnson, Jr., who was elected Chair in 2021. Birt remains on the Board of Trustees. “I couldn’t be more pleased at Diane’s election to Chair,” Birt said. “She has provided tremendous leadership as a board officer, as Vice Chair of the Nominating Committee, and as Chair of the Audit committee. As an experienced Board member, she will continue our commitment to effective governance and our justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity work, and she has my full support and confidence.”
By her own acknowledgment, Diane is a “doer” and has kept very busy in retirement. In addition to serving on California State Parks Foundation’s board, in August 2020, Diane was appointed by then-Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon to the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission under the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The Commission represents a broad range of groups, including OHV recreation enthusiasts, biological and soil scientists, rural landowners, law enforcement, environmental protection organizations, and non-motorized recreation interests.
In February 2022, Diane was nominated and elected to the National Audubon Society Board as a Regional Director representing the Pacific Flyway South. Previously, Diane served on the Board of Audubon California from 2012–2022 and was Board Chair from 2019 to 2022.
A lifelong Californian, Diane grew up visiting state parks and beaches with her family. “I’ve always been drawn to the ocean,” she said. “My mom would take my three siblings and I to the beaches in Santa Cruz often in the summer, and my favorite local beach was Thornton State Beach in Daly City, where I grew up.”
Over the years, Diane has seen changes to those cherished parks. “Thornton Beach was a great beach to body surf and have fun,” she said. “But over the years, sea level rise, seismic activity, and severe soil erosion has eaten away the beach and park amenities so that the area is now Thornton Beach Vista, with limited access from the north.”
Like many Californians, Diane loves the state park system and wants to see it thrive — that is why she joined the California State Parks Foundation’s Board of Trustees! “We need to be thinking about our public parks and beaches for the next generation, and how to keep them accessible, safe, and fun, and to plan for changes in use and adaptations in nature,” she said.
Before being elected Board Chair, Diane served as Board Secretary, Chair of the Audit Committee, and Vice Chair of the Nominating Committee. Among all of her post-retirement obligations, Diane also spends a lot of time with her husband, Robert, and their two adult children at their vacation home on the north shore of Lake Tahoe.
California State Parks Foundation recently unveiled its new strategic plan for 2024 through 2027, with ambitious goals for partnering with leaders and everyday Californians to improve climate resilience, access and stewardship of California's state parks. As the new chair, Diane is excited to carry on the work of past chairs like Birt and others who have strengthened the governance and culture of the Board of Trustees. "I will be focusing our Board on implementing our new strategic plan, and continuing to build our culture of philanthropy," she said.
