Board of Directors
Craig Vercruysse currently serves as Chief Operating Officer, California Pacific Medical Center and Chief Process Officer, Sutter West Bay Region. As the Chief Process Officer for Sutter's West Bay Region, Craig provides executive leadership for the Quality Delivery System (QDS), the region's deployment of the Toyota Management System, which aims to transform healthcare by eliminating waste and creating higher quality, more cost effective healthcare for the community. Craig’s prior work includes serving as Sutter West Bay’s Region Chief Information Officer as well as holding leadership positions in the financial services and high tech industries in the areas of information systems, marketing and operations. He earned his undergraduate degree in Communication from Loyola University of Chicago and an MBA from the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management.
In addition to eliminating waste in healthcare, Craig is equally passionate about eliminating waste in the world around him, especially that which negatively impacts the Earth. From being a young boy camping and fishing with his family in the Midwest to hiking and skiing the trails of Northern California and beyond, Craig is ever mindful of environmental stewardship and its connection to leading a healthy, productive life of service.
Craig and his wife also founded 18 Rabbits, an organic food manufacturing business, in 2003, which Alison continues to operate as CEO and Craig serves as a board member and advisor. These experiences have led Craig to actively support amazing organizations that promote environmental stewardship and education, including the YMCA at Point Bonita and the Earth View Society.
Ed Fox - Secretary
Ed currently serves as Development Director for the Marin Symphony. He is President of Pontifex Consulting Services and has worked in the public interest sector for over 35 years. He has experience working with local, state, national and international nonprofit organizations. Ed led an eight-person consulting firm in New York City for 10 years (1974-84), serving clients in five states. Since relocating to California in 1990, Ed has worked as an independent consultant to a variety of nonprofit organizations, and served five years as the Director of Major Gifts for the Wilderness Society's California, Nevada region. Ed specializes in strategic planning, organizational development, capital campaign management, and board development and training.
Ed holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, from SetonHall University, South Orange, New Jersey. He received a Paralegal Certificate with Honors, with a concentration in Estate Planning in 1983 (ABAApproved) from Long Island University, Brooklyn Center, New York, New York.
Catherine Carlton
Catherine is currently the Director of Programs and Communications for the Kusamala Institute of Agriculture and Ecology, a non-profit based in Malawi that promotes permaculture (a sustainable agriculture design system) as a means to improve both human and environmental health. In her role at Kusamala, Catherine manages a number of community-based projects, oversees the organization’s communications, works on project development and grant writing, as well as contributing to the overall effectiveness of the organization.
Catherine was drawn to Kusamala’s work after her own experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia showed her the important role that sustainable agriculture can play in improving the lives of those around her. Living in a small village in Northwest Zambia, Catherine saw how agriculture embodied the interconnectedness between humans and the environment. Realizing its fundamental importance, Catherine decided to dedicate her career to building sustainable relationships between people and the environment.
Catherine has a MA in International Environmental Policy from the Monterey Institute of Inernational Studies and a BA in History from Stanford University. In addition to playing in the dirt, she gets her inspiration from spending time in nature and cooking the things she’s grown.
Land Wilson - Founder & Executive Director
Land was born and raised in Marin County, CA. Throughout his life, Land has been drawn to many different forms of artistic expression including; woodworking, music, theater, arts management, opera, art history and art restoration. Over the course of a long career in business, his interest in writing, which began in college, has become his favorite form of personal artistic expression.
Growing up in an area known for its strong environmental leadership, he developed a deep appreciation for nature as a child. Land’s motivation for writing the award-winning children’s book, Sofia's Dream, stemmed from his interest in environmental protection and from the inspiration gained by personally raising his children. He wanted to encourage children to love and respect nature in a deep and meaningful way. He had read that viewing the Earth from a distance was an experience that genuinely transforms a person’s thinking about our planet, so as part of his research he interviewed three Apollo astronauts. These impactful interviews ultimately served as his inspiration to write what would one day become, Sofia's Dream. The publication of Sofia's Dream has led Land to fulfill another dream - teaching young people about protecting earth. Through his writing, school assemblies, and environmental projects, his purpose is to awaken in young people the desire to demand what is rightfully theirs... clean water, land, and air.
In college, Land served in student government for several years and became the elected Director of Cultural Affairs at CSU, Chico for the Associated Students Corporation. He then studied at The Sorbonne University in Paris and completed a BA in French.
From 1989 – 1991, Land worked with The San Francisco Opera Center for three seasons while managing a family medical information business. He served two seasons with the Opera Center as the Membership Services Coordinator. In 1991, Land was recruited by the renowned neurologist and entrepreneur, Dr. Harley Schear, a association that would last nearly two decades. After three years, Land became Vice President and Director of Operations for the medical manufacturing company, TeleDiagnositc Systems. After nine years, when Dr. Schear became ill, Land founded the consulting practice, Synergy Services. Over the next decade, Land helped manage and oversee the transitions of four additional Schear Family companies (The Student Source, PD Management, Ultrascan and Sutter Management Services). From 1999 to 2009, Land served as Director and Secretary of the Board for, The Student Source.
While at TeleDiagnostic Systems, Land served as editor and contributor for the medical newsletter, “The Vista Review.” In 1994, Land co-authored the article, “Reimbursement for Polysomnography,” for the periodical, NeuroPractice. In 1995, at the annual medical meeting of the American EEG Society in Washington DC, Land presented and co-authored the abstract, “Digital Telephonic EEG Transmission and Receiving System - A presentation of state-of-the-science technology,” Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology, v. 13 #4 1996.
During the mid 90’s, Land wrote a column for the SF Concordian titled, “Helpful Swimming Hints.” Land has competed in four swims across the Golden Gate and from Alcatraz Island. In 2000, he ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC.
Since 1991, Land has written several dozen children's books, two novels, and numerous articles. He is the creator of several game/merchandise products and in 1993 produced a Nat Levy retrospective at the Julia Morgan designed residence of 300 Sea Cliff in San Francisco. Nat Levy was a renowned watercolorist and key member of the California Watercolor Society & Society of Western Artists.
Land is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. His interests include walking, mountain bike riding, escaping to the beach or the mountains, playing with family and friends, and nurturing his vegetable garden. He lives in San Rafael, California with his wife and two children. Additional information at: www.landwilson.com