At its January meeting, the Friends of Ballona Wetlands Board of Directors elected Andy Henderson as its President. Henderson succeeds Dr. David Kay, who ended two successive terms leading the Friends, and will remain on the Board of Directors.
“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to serve as the President of Friends,” Henderson said. “My involvement with the Friends dates back to the mid-1990s, and I was happy to join the board last year. As President, I look forward to helping the Friends work toward the best possible overall restoration of the Ballona Wetlands. This year, the State of California at last should release its Environmental Impact Report analyzing plans for the restoration of the Ballona Ecological Reserve; and the Friends will play an integral role in the public comment process that follows.” Henderson, a 19-year resident of Mar Vista, is an experienced land use attorney who practices in Century City.
Dr. David Kay, former President, stated, “It has been an honor to serve as Board President. Over the past two years we have clarified our mission, strengthened our balance sheet, increased our outreach, and increased our membership. We face many exciting opportunities, and I look forward to working with Andy as he guides the Board through the next two years.”
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In addition, the Board of Directors elected Steve Hirai, an engineer at RMC Water and Environmental, as its Vice President, succeeding Dr. Jim Landry of LMU, who will also remain as a Board member. John Gregory was reelected as Treasurer of the Friends.
The Friends also voted to elect Jim Kennedy to its Board of Directors. Jim currently works as a public relations and communications consultant, and is involved with issues related to water conservation policy, advocacy, and community building. He has been a staff member for several Los Angeles elected officials, and served as an alternate on the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission for former Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl. Jim is a long time West L.A. resident and received degrees in economics from the London School of Economics and the College of William & Mary.
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Jim joins Nancy Edwards on the Friends’ Board of Directors. Nancy was elected to the Board in July 2013. She also serves as a trustee of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and as a Board Member of the Westchester Mental Health Guild. Nancy, who is retired, previously served as Director of Information Technology at Aptium Oncology. She and her husband John Edwards have been El Segundo and Playa del Rey residents for the past thirty years.
Enjoy your Ballona Wetlands!
www.ballonafriends.com
