STAFF BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Executive Director Katie Davis President Jill Ravitch Directors Exec/Development Assist Xinia Gamero Co-Vice President Dr. Allan Bernstein Gary Bachelor Director of Operations Hillary Werhane Co-Vice President Steve Thomas Shaka Folger-Basso Programs Manager Marlo Carreno Treasurer John Henel* Redwing Keyssar Accounting Manager Lisa Mathiesen Secretary Missy Danneberg Brian Ledig* Transportation Coordinator Alejandro Villeda Pat O’Connor Volunteer Manager Julie Campagna Alice Perlman
Harvest Café Clint Gandy Colin Ramsay
The Legacy Brittany Roney Alain Serkissian*
LGBT Programs Scotty King *Endowment Trustees Amy Truong Reception & Resources Emily Topai
*all employees listed on website
August 20, 2026
Dear Mayor and Members of the Sebastopol City Council:
The Sebastopol Area Senior Center Board of Directors is actively seeking a long-term solution to meet the growing space needs of our organization, our membership, and the rapidly growing senior population we serve.
Through our representative on the Commons Committee, Kent Jenkins, we have learned about the various opportunities under consideration by the City and the recommendation that the O’Reilly property represents the most viable option currently available, particularly with regard to timing, cost, and the opportunity to bring multiple community services together in one location.
Most members of our Board toured the O’Reilly property, and many attended the City’s public presentation and tour on August 13. Based on what we know today, our Board is united in its belief that the O’Reilly property represents the best opportunity for the future of the Sebastopol Area Senior Center.
We support the City’s continued investigation of the project, including the proposed location and configuration of services, financial feasibility, and long-term costs. We are particularly encouraged by the concept of co-locating community services and creating shared spaces that can serve multiple organizations and the broader community. That said, we recognize that there will be numerous steps to take, including identifying a designated space for our organization and gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the associated costs we will incur.
We believe this concept has the potential to address the Senior Center’s critical need for additional space while creating something of lasting value for the entire Sebastopol community. We look forward to participating in the next steps and continuing to work collaboratively with the City as the project is further explored.
Sincerely,
Sebastopol Area Senior Center Board of Directors