Co-Founders
The Rev. Pamela Griffith Pond
The Rev. Pamela Griffith Pond is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and currently serves as interim pastor of St. Francis Lutheran Church in San Francisco. Her advocacy for marginalized people has included night ministry in Seattle and San Francisco, securing prenatal care for poor Hispanic women in Orange County, California, and advocating for full inclusion of sexual minorities in the life and ministry of the her denomination. Under her leadership, Marin Interfaith Worker Justice secured a Living Wage increase of $2.35/hour for In-Home Supportive Services workers, and earned the Grassroots Leadership Network of Marin’s 2009 Martin Luther King, Jr., Public Policy Action Award. She have lived in her San Marin neighborhood for 15 years.
Katie Crecelius
Katie Crecelius has worked in the affordable housing field for 35 years. During the past 24 years she has completed 30 low-income rental housing and other developments for non-profit organizations in the Bay Area. Most of these developments house persons with disabilities. In addition to her professional work, Ms. Crecelius has volunteered in various capacities. She is a founding member and past Chair of the Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative and past Chair of the Novato Housing Coalition. She is also a past Novato Housing and Services Commissioner and a former Chair of the Marin Economic Commission. She is the recipient of the 2004 Beryl H. Buck Award for individual achievement from the Marin Community Foundation, the 2007 Hannah Creighton Award for Environmental Justice from the Sierra Club Marin Group, and the 2010 North Bay Leadership Council Community Building Award. She currently serves on the Marin County Planning Commission.
Annan Paterson
Annan and her family moved to Novato in 1995. A lifelong educator, Annan has served as a school psychologist and guidance counselor in the Novato schools. She is an active community volunteer and has served on nonprofit boards such as North Bay Children’s Center, Marin Institute and Sustainable Novato. In addition, she has worked as an volunteer advisor and moderator for programs such as Novato Wellness Center and Leadership Novato. Annan is co-founder of United for Safe Schools Novato and a recipient of the Martin Luther King Marin County Humanitarian Award.
Marla Fields
Marla Fields is one of six cofounders of Stand Up for Neighborly Novato. She is also Vice President of Sustainable Novato, a local non-profit dedicated to creating a more sustainable community. She serves as chair for the "Cool the Earth" climate change educational program; is a task force manager for Safe Routes to School; was a charter member of the Green Schools Coalition of Novato; and is a member of the Novato School Board's Sustainability Committee. She is a member of the Restoration Advisory Board, working with the Army and Coastal Conservancy on the wetlands restoration at Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys. Marla also worked with Marin Green Leadership on the launch of Marin Clean Energy in July, 2010, and continues to be involved in clean energy advocacy efforts. She is currently a member of the Novato City Manager's housing working group, which is a collaborative effort aimed at developing a recommended site list and policy guidelines for a viable Housing Element - a part of the City's Updated General Plan.
Marla has a BA in Psychology from Cornell University and an MBA in Marketing from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Lynne Wasley
Lynne Wasley has lived in the San Marin neighborhood of Novato for nearly 20 years. She is a volunteer and one of the six co-founders of Stand Up for Neighborly Novato.
Besides her efforts with SUNN, Lynne is a human rights advocate, with a focus on youth. A mother to 5 daughters and a former foster parent of another 8, Lynne is the Chair and co-founder of United for Safe Schools Novato and volunteers with the Novato Blue Ribbon Coalition for Youth, serving on their strategic planning committee and three of their subcommittees. She has worked with and written extensively about at-risk youth, bullying issues and school climate. Over the years has also published a variety of op-ed pieces advocating for greater opportunity and social justice in our local and global communities, as well as environmental sustainability concerns. Among other recognitions, Lynne received the County of Marin Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award in 2002, and was the 2005 City of Novato Multicultural Commission honoree.
Lynne's paid position entails working collaboratively with the schools for families who have children with special needs—her focus is on middle and high school teens with emotional and behavioral difficulties. She is also almost done editing her first Novel!