About TIM
Guardian of the island's history for over 40 years, the nonprofit Treasure Island Museum Association offers exhibitions in our free public gallery, tours and open-access online content.
Mission Statement
The Treasure Island Museum engages visitors and island residents with Treasure Island's rich cultural legacy, the natural wealth of Yerba Buena Island, and the islands' sustainable redevelopment, to explore innovative solutions to the challenges of living in harmony with our environment.
Board of Directors
Mike Hennahane, President
Currently the President of NetTempo, Inc, where he directs database, application development, and configuration automation activities, adding his expertise to all aspects of projects involving DevOps, TechOps, database architecture, programming, and system design. Before taking the helm at NetTempo in 1989, Mr. Hennahane studied Electrical Engineering and worked at Stanford University in their Networking and Communications Systems and Computer Science departments. He taught programming, artificial intelligence, and computer ethics.
Walt Bilofsky, Vice President
Founder of the software publishing company The Software Toolworks (later renamed Mindscape), Walt was co-author of the pioneering software products Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing and The Chessmaster. He has worked at the Institute for Defense Analyses in Princeton, N.J., and the Rand Corporation. A former Board member of the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation and its past President, he received a 2003 Bay Area Clean Air Champion award from the Bay Area AQMD. Walt is a U.S. Coast Guard licensed Master and a past Commodore of the Tiburon Yacht Club, and his travel photographs have been exhibited and published professionally. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Cornell University, he holds graduate degrees in mathematics and electrical engineering from M.I.T.
Mimi Manning
Mimi is a museum exhibitions professional. As Exhibitions Coordinator at the Museum of Performance & Design (formerly The Performing Arts Library & Museum) in San Francisco, she directed the installation of exhibitions such as Harlem of the West: San Francisco Fillmore Jazz Era (2005) and Enrico Balducci’s hungry i: San Francisco’s Legendary Nightclub (2007). As a free-lance curator, Ms. Manning created exhibitions including Art Deco in San Francisco and Julia Morgan: Architecture Rendered Beautiful for the Museum of Craft and Folk Art. She holds a B.A. in Art History from Russell Sage College and an M.A. in Museum Studies from San Francisco State University.
Anne Schnoebelen, Vice President
Author of the illustrated booklet Treasures: Splendid Survivors of the Golden Gate International Exposition, Ms. Schnoebelen has worked for decades to preserve Treasure Island's remaining exposition art works. The Art Deco Society of California presented her with a Preservation award in 2014. She submitted the application which gained California State Historic Landmark status for the island and raised funds to place the monument on the causeway. She has lectured throughout California and has published articles about the GGIE in Art in California, Image Magazine, and other publications. Anne also shares her love of local history as a San Francisco City Guide. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UC Berkeley, she holds an M.A. degree from Brown University.
Vincent Traverso, Secretary
A former diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service, Vin returned home to the Bay Area where he has revived a historic winery, Migliavacca Wine Company, in his native Napa Valley and preserved a historic bar, the Kingfish Pub & Café, in his adoptive Oakland. Holding a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies with Honors from U.C. Berkeley and middling fluency in half a dozen languages, he spent a decade abroad in Dubai, Afghanistan, Jerusalem, Libya, France and Italy, mostly as a Political Officer with the U.S. Department of State, but also retooling with a M.Sc. in Enology & Viticulture from Montpellier SupAgro and University of Verona. In addition to the museum, he works with Napa County Landmarks and Oakland Heritage Alliance.
Randall Ramian, CAPT, SC, USN (Ret), Treasurer
Randall is the former CEO of the USS Hornet Museum. He also has a management background in the banking industry and several successful start-up ventures. He retired as a Captain in the Naval Reserve after 29 years of service and held various leadership positions, including commanding and executive officer. Recalled to active duty in 2004-2005, CAPT Ramian served with the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command - 595th Transportation Group in the Middle East and the 599th Transportation Group in Hawaii. He was recalled to active duty a second time in 2015-2016 with the Office of the Defense Representative, Pakistan, U.S. Embassy, Islamabad, Pakistan. He graduated from San Jose State University - B.S., the University of Southern California - M.P.A., and the United States Army War College - M.S.S.
Tom Andrews, RADM, SC, USN (Ret)
Tom retired as a Rear Admiral in 2008 after a naval career of over 31 years. His many assignments included Commander, Logistics Task Force, Pacific, and Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Fleet Supply and Ordnance for the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. His deployments included four months in the Indian Ocean during the Iranian Hostage Conflict in 1980. He has been awarded the Legion of Merit and numerous other awards and commendations. The son of a 32-year Naval Aviator and World War II veteran, he was commissioned through the Naval ROTC program at the University of Virginia in 1977.
Tom is a CPA and earned his MBA from The University of California, Berkeley, in 1987. Tom retired in 2018 from his civilian career as the Acquisition Management Division Director for the Pacific Rim Region of the General Services Administration Public Buildings Service to allow more time to pursue his outdoor passions of golfing, skiing, hiking and bicycling.
Morton Beebe
Photographer/author Morton Beebe has explored the world. His work has been exhibited in numerous collections and published in a variety of magazines including National Geographic, Geo, Life, Smithsonian, and Travel and Leisure. He has published several successful books, from Operation Deep Freeze, Antarctica in 1958 to San Francisco: City by the Bay in 1985, After graduating from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, he attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola Florida. Morton is a current Fellow of The Explorers Club, and former board member of both the Bay Area Travel Writers and the American Society of Media Photographers.
Jack Lapidos
Jack Lapidos moved to San Francisco from Chicago in 1969 and developed a great fondness for the history of the Bay Area. To pursue this interest, Jack has supported numerous nonprofits devoted to the preservation of San Francisco Bay Area history. He is currently on the boards or treasurer of: San Francisco Maritime Museum Association, Potomac Association, and Presidio Historical Association, Nature Bridge, Touch Inc. (his own private foundation), and the San Francisco Historical Society. He is the former director of Museum of American Heritage and Jeremiah O’Brien Liberty Ship. Jack received his B.S. in mechanical engineering and MBA in tax and finance, then went on to found his accounting practice that caters to small businesses and well-to-do individuals.
Chris L'Orange
Chris is an attorney with the Korn Law Group, following 38 years of litigation practice in large San Francisco firms. He has been the chair or co-chair of several ABA committees, and has lectured at numerous conferences conducted across the United States. He is Chairman and CEO of the Wine County Marines and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1969 to 1973 and was wounded while fighting behind enemy lines in Vietnam. An avid cyclist and scuba diver, Chris has traveled the world looking for the ultimate ride or dive. Chris holds a B.A. from the Virginia Military Academy, an M.S. from George Washington University and a
J.D. from the Emory University School of Law.
Atta Pilram
Atta Pilram is an artist and entrepreneur who enjoys sailing and in the past, a recreational pilot and a paraglider. He is a long term resident of Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island, where he serves as the Vice Chair of the Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) and Past Commodore at Treasure Island Yacht Club. He is the President of HOLENZA, a biotech company focusing on proteomic modeling in personal medicine. He founded CareAnytime, a concierge care service and he co-founded tebiaMED - a quantified-self adherence tool to help people with diabetes and hypertension. Atta received his B.S degree in Computer Science from Pittsburg State University, Kansas. He studied for his MBA at National University and is an MBA candidate at the University of Northern California with a business focus on medical technologies.
Rebecca Lilienthal Schnier, AIA
Rebecca has over 25 years experience as an architect working in Paris, Zurich, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 1991 she has been the principal of Rebecca Schnier Architecture, with a range of clients concentrated in Piedmont, the Oakland Hills, Hillsborough and San Francisco. Her projects are frequently exhibited in numerous publications including "Small Firms, Great Projects," sponsored by the American Institute of Architects. She serves on the board of the San Francisco Heritage Association. The daughter of Golden Gate International Exposition sculptor Jacques Schnier, she holds a Masters in Architecture from Columbia University and BA from Dartmouth.
Carol Lustenader
A finance executive, Carol has taken high tech companies public and served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer of companies listed on the NASDAQ exchange and on the London AIM exchange. Carol is accomplished in acquisitions, recapitalizations, public and private debt and equity offerings, financial planning, SEC reporting, compliance, revenue recognition and internal controls. Most recently the controller of The Asia Foundation, she manages a financial consulting firm she co-founded in 2007. Museums and expositions are in Carol’s blood: her great, great uncle, Rufus Cutler Dawes, served as President of the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair and headed Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. Carol graduated summa cum laude in Music from Wells College and holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Simon Business school, University of Rochester.
Claire Isaacs Wahrhaftig -In Memoriam
1933 - 2023
During her distinguished 30 year career of public service in arts and museum education, Mrs. Wahrhaftig held numerous positions including Executive Director of the San Francisco Arts Commission, Director of the Junior Arts Center of the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Dept., and Supervisor of Education, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. At the Arts Commission she developed grants funding the restoration of the Coit Tower murals and the City's public statues, and founded the City's Youth Arts Festival. In Los Angeles she founded Heart to Heart, a city-wide arts program integrating disabled chlden with the general population. She held degrees in History of Art and in Speech and Drama, and a fellowship at the Harvard University Arts Administration Program.
Philippa Frey, Vice President
Philippa Frey is a producer, photographer, and DP with Cross Media International, Inc., where she has been a strategic advisor since the company’s founding in 2003, and later became director of operations before transitioning into her current production and creative roles. As a producer, Philippa has worked with Hollywood stars such as Brie Larson and Bruce Willis, as well as international supermodels Helena Christensen and Miranda Kerr, while working on global advertising campaigns for clients such as Decorté, SoftBank, Fujifilm and Suntory, while also producing a variety of film and video projects ranging from award winning documentaries to branded content for clients such as the Asian Fashion Awards, Audi, Epson, Facebook, Philips and Tatcha. As a photographer and DP, Philippa has shot for beauty clients such as Hollywood makeup artist Julie Hewett, celebrity hairstylist Tina Cassaday, iconic British retailer Harvey Nichols, and global brands such as Sephora, as well as shooting BTS with top- tier talent and serving as an additional cinematographer on documentary projects. Having began her career as a model and later working on talent management within a boutique international agency, she then applied her marketing and management skills by founding and running a corporate events business with clients in London and San Francisco. Philippa earned a degree in Business Communications with an emphasis in advertising and marketing from Chapman University, while simultaneously interning with Xerox Business Services. Since 2011, Philippa and her producing partner/husband have also worked on a number of non-profit initiatives leading to the establishment of The CMI Foundation, whose mission is to promote the appreciation of art, culture, and history within a diverse and internationally-mind framework.
Zoe Dell Lantis Nutter (Honorary)-In Memoriam
1915 - 2020
Ms. Nutter was the Official Hostess of the 1939-1940 Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island, and remained active in the preservation of the island's history. She traveled more than 100,000 miles by air to promote the Exposition and later became a pilot. She was a past President of the National Aviation Hall of Fame, a member of the San Francisco Aeronautical Society and the 99's, the International Organization of Licensed Women Pilots. Ms. Nutter was a member of the Board of Trustees of Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C., and a charter member of the Friends of the First Ladies of the Smithsonian Museum. Sadly, Zoe Dell Lantis Nutter died on April 22, 2020, she was 104 years old.
Staff
John Hogan, Museum Director
John joined the Treasure Island Museum staff in April, 2023. Prior to that, he created online content, gallery exhibitions, and education programs for local museums including those operated by Market Street Railway and The Society of California Pioneers. He earned his BA from the University of Northern Iowa and his MA from Michigan State University.
Melanie Garduno, Collection Manager
Bay Area native who has worked as a Registration Assistant at SFO Museum, where she recently wrote a blog about photographing collection items (Objects in Focus: Photographing the Aviation Collection available here). She holds a Bachelor's degree in Art History from San Francisco State University.
Honorary Advisory Council
Matt Haney
Supervisor, District 6, City of San Francisco.
Scott Wiener
Elected in November 2016, Scott Wiener is the California State Senator representing San Francisco and parts of San Mateo County. He previously served six years on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and was a Deputy City Attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney's Office. Senator Weiner holds a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a law degree from Harvard Law School.
Advisory Council
Darius Anderson
Darius Anderson is the Founder and CEO of Kenwood Investments LLC, one of the partners in the master developer for Treasure Island. He is also the Founder and CEO of Platinum Advisors, a government affairs firm with offices in Sacramento, Orange County and San Francisco. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the George Washington University Graduate School of Public Management’s Council on American Politics, Californians Building Bridges, Sonoma State University Green Music Center and Co- Chair of the Friends of the UCSF Center for Reproductive Health Advisory Board. Mr. Anderson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from George Washington University.
Rear Admiral John Bitoff, U.S. Navy (Retired)
The admiral’s career covered the spectrum of operational and high-level staff assignments, both at sea and ashore. He commanded all of the combat logistics ships in the U. S. Third Fleet during the Gulf War and was responsible for the coordination of all U. S. Navy activities in Northern California. In the latter capacity, he directed the Navy’s rescue and recovery efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. His last Washington assignment was Executive Assistant to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Upon retirement from the Navy, the Mayor of San Francisco appointed him Director of Emergency Services. He later served as a senior executive with the San Francisco Unified School District. Admiral Bitoff holds graduate degrees in International Security Policy and Human Resources Management. Golden Gate University awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Laws for his “exemplary service to the country as a soldier statesman.”
Gray Brechin, PH.D.
Gray is a historical geographer and author whose chief interests are the state of California, the environmental impact of cities upon their hinterlands, and the invisible landscape of New Deal public works. He is a visiting scholar in the U.C. Berkeley Department of Geography and founder and project scholar of California’s Living New Deal Project. Dr. Brechin was the first director of the Mono Lake Committee and worked during the 1980s as journalist and TV producer in San Francisco. His doctoral dissertation at U.C. Berkeley, published as Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin, spent sixteen weeks on the San Francisco Chronicle’s best-seller list and is considered a classic of urban studies. His collaboration with photographer Robert Dawson Farewell, Promised Land: Waking from the California Dream, chronicles the Golden State’s declining environmental and social health. He is a frequent radio and television guest and a popular public speaker.
Louisa Campbell
Louisa Campbell teaches in the MFA Design and Technology program at Parsons School of Design. She directs Parsons' collaborations with the UA Maker Academy public high school and the college and career readiness organization, and is an instructor for high school students at The Summer Academy of The New York Times. Another project, supported by Google and the MacArthur and Mozilla foundations, was gadgITERATION, where teenagers tinkered with electronics to create personally expressive objects. Louisa has written many books, scripts and interactive titles for children, some published under her pen names, Liza Alexander and Luke David. She has worked as both a creative and executive at a variety of media companies, many with education underpinnings, including YouthNoise, Nickelodeon, MaMaMedia, Sesame Workshop, Scholastic, Disney, and Jim Henson Productions.
Pat Campbell
Founder and retired principal of Campbell Precision Products Corp., a manufacturer of testing and detection equipment, Mr. Campbell served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve (1954 – 1961). Through the Pat and Shirley Campbell Foundation, he and his wife are patrons of arts, education and social welfare organizations including the Campbell Theater in Martinez. He is a past President of the Diablo Symphony Orchestra and the New Orleans Jazz Club of Northern California, and Vice President of the Rossmoor Dixieland Jazz Club. He holds a B.A. degree in Education from the University of Minnesota.
Marco Cochrane
Working from his Treasure Island studio for many years, Marco Cochrane creates monumental sculptures, Statues in his Bliss Project, with a theme of women, empowerment and freedom from fear, have been displayed on the island, at Burning Man, and around the Bay Area and beyond. He envisions Treasure Island continuing as a venue for artists to create and interact with the public, as they did at the Golden Gate International Exposition. Marco was born in Venice, Italy to American artists and is self-taught.
Lee Davis, Ph.D.
(San Francisco State University, Emerita) Lee is an anthropologist who has researched, taught and written on the history of Treasure Island. She founded the California Studies Program at San Francisco State University and was its first Director. Prof. Davis is also a museologist (Asst. Director, Smithsonian NMAI) who created an exhibit about how the native people used Yerba Buena and other San Francisco Bay islands before the arrival of Europeans.
Ruth Gravanis
Ruth has been following the Treasure and Yerba Buena Island base conversion process for the past 19 years, as founder and director of the Treasure Island Wetlands Project, and member of the Public Trust Group and the Bay Area Military Base Closure Network. She has written articles and led field trips focusing on the natural and cultural history of TI and YBI. Ruth has held leadership positions in numerous organizations including the Sierra Club, SPUR, the Presidio Environmental Council, Sustainable Watersheds Alliance, and Mission Creek Conservancy. Awards include the National Sierra Club’s Special Service Award and San Francisco Tomorrow’s Jack Morrison Lifetime Achievement Award. Ruth holds an MA in Education. She currently serves as Vice-president of the SF Commission on the Environment.
Karen Lile
Karen Lile is a third generation San Franciscan and boat owner. With over 25 years of experience in broadcasting, Karen currently co-hosts a weekly Sail Sport Talk show that is broadcast to 82 million people on Sports Byline USA. She has worked with the Treasure Island Museum to produce events with partners including the United States Post Office, Art Deco Society of California, and the Treasure Island Yacht Club.
Elizabeth Mumm Meier
Elizabeth has over 25 years of experience in real estate development, investment and asset management. She has been on the advisory council of the Crucible of Oakland since 2012, is an avid supporter of SF Parks, SF Public Schools and is committed to supporting and building community through private and public partnerships.
Judy C. Miner, Ed.D.
Since 2015, Judy C. Miner has been chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District. She has worked as a higher education administrator since 1977 and in the California Community Colleges since 1979. She has held numerous administrative positions in instruction, student services, and human resources at City College of San Francisco, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, De Anza College, and most recently at Foothill College where she served as president from 2007 to 2015. She earned her B.A., summa cum laude, in history and French at Lone Mountain College in San Francisco; her M.A. in history at that same college; and her Ed.D. in organization and leadership (with a concentration in education law) from the University of San Francisco. She also holds honorary degrees from Imperial Valley College (CA) and Palo Alto University (CA).
Bernard Nebenzahl, CPA
Bernard is a CPA and an attorney. A retired Tax Partner of KPMG, he practices as a consultant with Delagnes, Mitchell & Linder. He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and has served on the Executive Committee of the Tax Division and chaired the Estate and Gift Tax Committee. He is a member of the California Society of CPAs and has served on the San Francisco Chapter Board of Directors. He is a member and a past president of San Francisco Tax Club and San Francisco Estate Planning Council. Mr. Nebenzahl was a Supply Officer in the United States Naval Reserve, performing active duty in Japan and reserve duty on Treasure Island. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Hastings College of Law.
Richard Reinhardt
Richard is a journalist and novelist. He is a long-time resident of San Francisco and author of Treasure Island: San Francisco's Exposition Years and numerous other articles and books on California history, state and local politics, and environmental issues.
Jay Wallace
Jay Wallace has long been involved with the redevelopment of Treasure Island, most recently representing Treasure Island Enterprises LLC, the marina developer, and as Vice President of Development for Kenwood Investments LLC, one of the partners in the master developer for Treasure Island. Jay is a partner in Platinum Advisors and its General Counsel. He holds a juris doctorate degree from Hastings College of the Law and degrees from the University of California and Pitzer College.
Mary Wardell-Ghirarduzzi, Ed.D.
Mary is the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at the University of the Pacific and the former Vice Provost for Diversity Engagement and Community Outreach and an associate professor of organizations, communication and leadership at the University of San Francisco. She is also president of the Library Commission of the City of San Francisco and a board member of the Urban Libraries Council. She has received the San Francisco Human Rights Commission's Hero Award and was listed in Diversity MBA Magazine's Top 100 Under 50 Executive Leaders.