Board of Directors
John Regan – Vice President
A Massachusetts native, John Regan has lived in the Sierra Nevada for nearly twenty years. He moved to the Yuba Watershed after spending an afternoon on the South Yuba. He is president of Smart Campaigns, Inc, a national consulting firm specializing in policy research, strategic communications and advocacy campaigns. He lives in Nevada City with his wife Sarah, their daughter, Andia Bee, and a redbone coonhound named Bella.
Kimberley Milligan – Secretary
Upon receiving a B.A. from Stanford and a J.D. from Columbia, Kim put her law degree to work as an advocate for domestic violence victims. She then went to work for the California Judicial Council as a policy attorney and consulted on political campaigns. After twelve years of big city living in New York and San Francisco, Kim moved to Nevada City in 2005 to be closer to rivers and trees. Kim is the Secretary and a past President of SYRCL’s Board of Directors and has extensive experience on other nonprofit boards. She lives on Deer Creek, a tributary to the Yuba, and hikes in the Yuba watershed as often as possible.
Georgette Aronow – Treasurer
Georgette joined the SYRCL Board in 2010. She brings her background in public finance, having worked as a consultant addressing utility rate, economic, and finance issues for public agencies over the last 18 years. Georgette’s current capacity is Treasurer for SYRCL. When not crunching numbers, Georgette spends time with her husband and two young children, and cultivating her photography business.
Aeron Miller
Barbara Getz
Barbara is a forty year resident of the San Juan Ridge. Through the years she has spent many summer afternoons enjoying the South Yuba. Barbara, her husband Mike, daughter Azriel, and son-in-law Michael operate the local movie theaters in Grass Valley and have been showing independent/alternative/foreign movies in Nevada City for 32 years. She’s an avid gardener, kayaker, skier, and “Nanna”.
Coulter Adams
Holly Mitten
Holly is a life coach and lawyer with a life long love of nature. She’s committed her adult free time to supporting conservation and restoration efforts around the country, as well as enjoying the outdoors, hiking and backpacking.
Josh Viers, PhD
Josh is a watershed scientist that likes to see science put into action, improving resources for all to enjoy. In his spare time he enjoys exploring the forks of the Yuba and its headwaters with his family.
Luke Hunt, PhD
Luke grew up in the headwaters of the Stanislaus river, fly fishing and kayaking, during a time when the watershed was famously transformed by 2 major dams. Now he works for American Rivers in Nevada City. Luke has a BS in Earth Systems and a PhD in biomechanics from Stanford and he has worked in ecosystems from Arctic mountain tops to the Antarctic seafloor. His wife Heather (neé Jacobson) is a chiropractor and son Jake is a stoked, 3rd-generation Nevada County boy.
Roger Hicks, MD
Roger first moved to the Yuba Watershed in 1979 because of the river. One of the founders of SYRCL, he was the spokesperson for the organization from 1984 -1988 and served as the first Board President from 1988 – 2000. He received his MD from Cornell, completed his medical training at UC Davis, and is co-founder of Yubadocs Urgent Care Clinic with his wife Linda. He is Medical Director of Yubadocs and of Harmony Health Medical Clinic in Marysville. Roger lives on Little Deer Creek, and enjoys whitewater boating and skiing.
Shana Maziarz
Shana first moved to the Yuba River Watershed in high school and immediately fell deeply in love with this land. She moved back in 2004 and doesn’t plan on ever leaving. She has been a high school principal, college professor, and whitewater river guide, among many other jobs. Shana currently resides on the San Juan Ridge between the middle and south forks of the Yuba River and is the Executive Director of the North Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center. She is also a goat milk-maid and is working on opening a bakery and brewery in Nevada City.
Tom McCormick
Tom is the executive director of the California Small Brewers Association, the trade association representing the craft brewing industry of California. He has lived in the area and been hiking and swimming the Yuba for thirty years.
