GPNA Board Members
The GPNA Board meets monthly. Meeting dates & times are posted on our calendar. Meetings are open to all Members. Because meetings are held in Board Members' homes, address is not publicized on the calendar. If you wish to attend an upcoming Board Meeting, email us at info@gerstlepark.com for location information. If you wish to send a letter to all GPNA Board Members, email to bod@gerstlepark.com and it will forward to all GPNA board members.
Gina Silvestri, President
Gina and her husband Ben have lived in Gerstle Park since 2004. In addition to working full-time in San Francisco she also co-manages her family’s eight unit apartment building here in the neighborhood. Because of that, she brings a unique perspective to the Board. She has found the past 6 years on the GPNA Board to be exciting, rewarding, and very educational. Events are her specialty, but she also has served and/or led the Sober Living, Sidewalks and Tree Committees. Gina oversees all aspects of the technology – website and database management, online payments, and e-blasting.
Alicia diVittorio, Vice President
Alicia grew up in Sierra Nevada foothills, spent much of her life in San Francisco, then decided to make Gerstle Park her home in 2014. She's a marketing and communications professional who's worked with several security and technology companies over the past several years. She lives here with her husband Michael and two boys, (the older one can be found riding his balance bike down the sidewalks on his way to the park). Alicia loves Gerstle Park for its walkability, the old trees, beautiful architecture, rich sense of community and the proximity the open space in the hills. Alicia joined the GPNA board to find additional avenues to strengthen our community and better understand the inner workings of local government.
Tom Heinz, Treasurer
Tom was appointed to the Board of GPNA in the Spring of 2017. Tom and his wife Denise Van Horn (also a Board Candidate) moved to San Rafael a little over 2 years ago. The two spent their careers in Southern California as physicians specializing in pathology. Since none of their kids chose to stay in Southern California, they have followed our grandkids. They love it here. They love the weather, the trees, the community, the open spaces and easy walk to many destinations.
Tom joined the board to meet people in Gerstle Park and to help preserve the character of the neighborhood. He loves the sense of community in Gerstle Park, people regularly walking past their home. He loves the old houses and the diversity of the people in Gerstle Park and San Rafael. He wants Gerstle Park to keep its vibrant community events like the annual picnic, the community garage sale, the winter social and other events. He would like to see new community events become a part of who they are. We also need to keep our voice on the Federation of Neighborhoods and a presence at City Hall.
Sandra Luna, Corresponding Secretary
Sandra (Sandi) Luna is a Bay Area Native, born in San Francisco and raised in San Jose. At 21, she moved to San Francisco, where she lived for 25 years. In 2015, she became the proud co-owner of a duplex on Clorinda and has never been happier with her choice of neighborhoods. For over 13 years she has been an agent at Zephyr Real Estate, and now works out of the Greenbrae office, in the Bon Air Center. Sandi walks her dog, Roman, in Gerstle Park every day and has loved getting to meet all her neighbors on these walks.
Denise Van Horn, Recording Secretary
Denise was also appointed to the Board of GPNA in the Spring of 2017. About two and a half years ago, after retiring from the practice of pathology, Denise and her husband, Tom Heinz, I moved to Gerstle Park from Southern California. They were drawn by the small town feel of San Rafael and the beauty and charm of the Gerstle Park neighborhood. Having a new granddaughter in San Francisco added to the attraction. As they were refurbishing their house, neighbors (many with dogs) would stop to introduce themselves and chat. The GPNA community activities Denise and Tom attended made it easy to get to know people, too. They appreciate the sense of community and the kindness of the neighbors. She is delighted to be living in a wonderful neighborhood where she can walk to the post office, library, restaurants, dentist, Muffin Mania, and the grocery store! Being on the board of GPNA is a way to contribute to this community in practical and fun ways. Disaster preparedness is an area in which Denise hopes to contribute.
Jennifer Horta, Board Member
Jennifer was born and raised on the Peninsula, leaving briefly to skip down to La Jolla for sports and academics at UCSD. After college, she made her way back to the Bay Area to work on her masters in Psychology at USF. While completing her hours for licensure, her passion for families grew and she started a small psychotherapy agency. Real-life experience intensified when Jennifer married, had her first child, and began searching for a place to settle in a tricky market. Pictures online lured her to a beautiful old Victorian on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge, but it wasn't until after signing the dotted line that she discovered the beautiful community she inherited with the house. Sparked by other neighborhood efforts, Jennifer and her husband Michael have started creating neighborhood-inspired gear, with some of the proceeds going to community organizations. The neighborhood events in Gerstle Park have created a special atmosphere for Jennifer and her family, so she is eager to join the Gerstle Park Neighborhood Association Board and aid in the preservation of those activities for others.
Josselyn Robertson, Board Member
Josselyn has lived in Marin all her life and in San Rafael since 1975. She is retired now but worked many years for San Rafael School District as an elementary school teacher and later as the District Librarian. Three years ago they decided to down size and move closer to down town. For a long time they were drawn to the Gerstle Park neighborhood. As if by magic, the day their old house sold they drove down Bayview Street and saw a cute little Victorian for sale. The rest is history! Greg, Sophie dog and Josselyn love their new neighborhood. For Josselyn, there is a very special feel here ... unlike anywhere else in Marin. People are so interesting and diverse and there is a definite feeling of community. During the last few years she has seen how much the GPNA Board does and feels it is a responsibility for all of us to participate to keep Gerstle Park a special place. As a Board member she looks forward to learning more about issues in San Rafael. She is also very interested in the future of Short School.
Odessa Shekar, Shekar
Odessa Shekar is 5th generation Californian and raised in Marin since she was 8 years old. She attended St. Patrick’s and Redwood High before heading to Germany for a year abroad. While earning a degree in Architecture at the University of Oregon, her affection for photography and the outdoors deepened. She spent 8 years after college as a designer in architecture firms, and then launched her own photography and graphic design business in 2010. Since becoming a mother in 2012 she has focused on her family and volunteering in the community and at school events. After moving to Gerstle Park in 2014 she started Thursday Night Potlucks in the park, as a way to meet new neighbors and friends. They continue to grow every year, where many friendships have been forged. She loves her little yellow house and the energy of the Gerstle Park neighborhood! She and her husband, Kim, enjoy taking their two daughters out in the neighborhood, and on the many adventures we have here and beyond to West Marin, Russian River, Sonoma and many more.
Gina and her husband Ben have lived in Gerstle Park since 2004. In addition to working full-time in San Francisco she also co-manages her family’s eight unit apartment building here in the neighborhood. Because of that, she brings a unique perspective to the Board. She has found the past 6 years on the GPNA Board to be exciting, rewarding, and very educational. Events are her specialty, but she also has served and/or led the Sober Living, Sidewalks and Tree Committees. Gina oversees all aspects of the technology – website and database management, online payments, and e-blasting.
Alicia diVittorio, Vice President
Alicia grew up in Sierra Nevada foothills, spent much of her life in San Francisco, then decided to make Gerstle Park her home in 2014. She's a marketing and communications professional who's worked with several security and technology companies over the past several years. She lives here with her husband Michael and two boys, (the older one can be found riding his balance bike down the sidewalks on his way to the park). Alicia loves Gerstle Park for its walkability, the old trees, beautiful architecture, rich sense of community and the proximity the open space in the hills. Alicia joined the GPNA board to find additional avenues to strengthen our community and better understand the inner workings of local government.
Tom Heinz, Treasurer
Tom was appointed to the Board of GPNA in the Spring of 2017. Tom and his wife Denise Van Horn (also a Board Candidate) moved to San Rafael a little over 2 years ago. The two spent their careers in Southern California as physicians specializing in pathology. Since none of their kids chose to stay in Southern California, they have followed our grandkids. They love it here. They love the weather, the trees, the community, the open spaces and easy walk to many destinations.
Tom joined the board to meet people in Gerstle Park and to help preserve the character of the neighborhood. He loves the sense of community in Gerstle Park, people regularly walking past their home. He loves the old houses and the diversity of the people in Gerstle Park and San Rafael. He wants Gerstle Park to keep its vibrant community events like the annual picnic, the community garage sale, the winter social and other events. He would like to see new community events become a part of who they are. We also need to keep our voice on the Federation of Neighborhoods and a presence at City Hall.
Sandra Luna, Corresponding Secretary
Sandra (Sandi) Luna is a Bay Area Native, born in San Francisco and raised in San Jose. At 21, she moved to San Francisco, where she lived for 25 years. In 2015, she became the proud co-owner of a duplex on Clorinda and has never been happier with her choice of neighborhoods. For over 13 years she has been an agent at Zephyr Real Estate, and now works out of the Greenbrae office, in the Bon Air Center. Sandi walks her dog, Roman, in Gerstle Park every day and has loved getting to meet all her neighbors on these walks.
Denise Van Horn, Recording Secretary
Denise was also appointed to the Board of GPNA in the Spring of 2017. About two and a half years ago, after retiring from the practice of pathology, Denise and her husband, Tom Heinz, I moved to Gerstle Park from Southern California. They were drawn by the small town feel of San Rafael and the beauty and charm of the Gerstle Park neighborhood. Having a new granddaughter in San Francisco added to the attraction. As they were refurbishing their house, neighbors (many with dogs) would stop to introduce themselves and chat. The GPNA community activities Denise and Tom attended made it easy to get to know people, too. They appreciate the sense of community and the kindness of the neighbors. She is delighted to be living in a wonderful neighborhood where she can walk to the post office, library, restaurants, dentist, Muffin Mania, and the grocery store! Being on the board of GPNA is a way to contribute to this community in practical and fun ways. Disaster preparedness is an area in which Denise hopes to contribute.
Jennifer Horta, Board Member
Jennifer was born and raised on the Peninsula, leaving briefly to skip down to La Jolla for sports and academics at UCSD. After college, she made her way back to the Bay Area to work on her masters in Psychology at USF. While completing her hours for licensure, her passion for families grew and she started a small psychotherapy agency. Real-life experience intensified when Jennifer married, had her first child, and began searching for a place to settle in a tricky market. Pictures online lured her to a beautiful old Victorian on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge, but it wasn't until after signing the dotted line that she discovered the beautiful community she inherited with the house. Sparked by other neighborhood efforts, Jennifer and her husband Michael have started creating neighborhood-inspired gear, with some of the proceeds going to community organizations. The neighborhood events in Gerstle Park have created a special atmosphere for Jennifer and her family, so she is eager to join the Gerstle Park Neighborhood Association Board and aid in the preservation of those activities for others.
Josselyn Robertson, Board Member
Josselyn has lived in Marin all her life and in San Rafael since 1975. She is retired now but worked many years for San Rafael School District as an elementary school teacher and later as the District Librarian. Three years ago they decided to down size and move closer to down town. For a long time they were drawn to the Gerstle Park neighborhood. As if by magic, the day their old house sold they drove down Bayview Street and saw a cute little Victorian for sale. The rest is history! Greg, Sophie dog and Josselyn love their new neighborhood. For Josselyn, there is a very special feel here ... unlike anywhere else in Marin. People are so interesting and diverse and there is a definite feeling of community. During the last few years she has seen how much the GPNA Board does and feels it is a responsibility for all of us to participate to keep Gerstle Park a special place. As a Board member she looks forward to learning more about issues in San Rafael. She is also very interested in the future of Short School.
Odessa Shekar, Shekar
Odessa Shekar is 5th generation Californian and raised in Marin since she was 8 years old. She attended St. Patrick’s and Redwood High before heading to Germany for a year abroad. While earning a degree in Architecture at the University of Oregon, her affection for photography and the outdoors deepened. She spent 8 years after college as a designer in architecture firms, and then launched her own photography and graphic design business in 2010. Since becoming a mother in 2012 she has focused on her family and volunteering in the community and at school events. After moving to Gerstle Park in 2014 she started Thursday Night Potlucks in the park, as a way to meet new neighbors and friends. They continue to grow every year, where many friendships have been forged. She loves her little yellow house and the energy of the Gerstle Park neighborhood! She and her husband, Kim, enjoy taking their two daughters out in the neighborhood, and on the many adventures we have here and beyond to West Marin, Russian River, Sonoma and many more.