Pete Martin
Retired Fire Captain
Marin County Fire Department (2023)
Pete retired as a Senior Fire Captain for Marin County Fire Department where he served as the department’s de-facto wildfire historian. As a Fire Captain, Pete responded to the 1991 Oakland Hills “Tunnel” Fire, and later was instrumental in the founding of Fire Safe Marin. After retirement, Pete worked as the Vegetation Management Specialist for Sonoma County Department of Emergency Services, Fire Division, where he authored the Fountaingrove II CWPP and Wildfire Mitigation recommendations.
Quinn Gardner
Emergency Manager
City of San Rafael (2023)
Quinn Gardner is the Emergency Manager for San Rafael. She is a dedicated public servant, with over a decade of experience in disaster response and emergency management. She has designed and delivered multiple disaster-related classes focused on individual and community preparedness and volunteer coordination. Adding to an extensive list of completed courses, she recently graduated FEMA’s four-week long National Emergency Management Advanced Academy (NEMAA). Prior to leading the Office of Emergency Services in San Rafael she worked for the UC Berkeley Office of Emergency Management, the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency, and AmeriCorps St. Louis Emergency Response Team. She holds an MPA from the University of Missouri and a BA from Webster University.
Stephen L. Quarles, Ph.D.
University of California Cooperative Extension Advisor, emeritus
Chief Scientist for Wildfire and Durability (retired), Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
Steve served 26 years with the University of California (retired 2011), and 7 years as Chief Scientist for Wildfire and Durability with the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) (retired 2018). His research and outreach focused on wildfire protection for residential and light commercial buildings. Steve earned a bachelor’s in wood science from Virginia Tech, and a master’s and a doctorate in wood science from the University of Minnesota. Steve is a member of the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) where he is chair of the Subcommittee on Exterior Fire; the Forest Products Society, and former Editor-in-Chief of the Forest Products Journal (2010-2017); the National Fire Protection Association, where he was a member of the Technical Committee on Forest and Rural Fire Protection (2013-2018); the International Association of Wildland Fire and the American Wood Protection Association. Steve joined the Fire Safe Marin Board of Directors in 2019. He lives in Mill Valley.
Larry Pasero
Deputy Fire Marshal, Liaison to Marin County Fire Prevention Officers
Kentfield Fire Protection District (2022)
Larry started his fire service career in 2006, serving with the City of South San Francisco and Napa Fire Departments before joining the Kentfield Fire Protection District in 2018. During his time in Napa, Larry was part of the city’s emergency response and management of the 2014 South Napa Earthquake and the 2017 North Bay/Wine Country Fires. Throughout his career, Larry has excelled at the development and administration of fire prevention, inspection and investigation related programs. Larry is the Executive Officer of the Marin County Fire Investigation Team and the Vice-President of the Marin County Fire Prevention Officers. He holds professional certifications from California’s Office of the State Fire Marshal for Fire Prevention Officer, Fire Protection Specialist, Fire Plans Examiner and Fire Investigator. Larry resides in Novato with his wife and son.
Shaun Horne
Watershed Resources Manager
Marin Municipal Water District (2022)
Shaun Horne, MMWD’s new Natural Resource Program Manager. Shaun comes to us from Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District where he managed natural resources focused on flood control, habitat restoration, and invasive species management. Shaun has a bachelor’s degree from SF State in Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice and a Master’s from Sonoma State in International Water Resources Management. He holds certificates in GIS from SF State and Water Conflict Management from Oregon State. His work experience includes a stint as a Stream Biologist with Sonoma County Water Agency and as an arborist for a tree company. Shaun is running MMWD’s watershed vegetation management program and will shepherd our Biodiversity, Fire and Fuels Integrated Plan EIR to its conclusion.
Catherine Way
City Councilmember
Larkspur (2021)
Catherine and her family have called Larkspur their home since 2005. They moved here for the same reasons that a lot of families do: the quality of life, charming neighborhoods, abundant outdoor activities, and outstanding public schools.
Catherine joined the Larkspur City Council in 2013 and was re-elected in 2017. Currently serving as Mayor, she is intent on addressing the concerns of all residents and businesses, with a special focus on public safety, efficient service delivery, and quality of life issues in the diverse neighborhoods of Larkspur and Greenbrae.
In her professional life, Catherine holds a B.S. degree in Nursing from the University of San Francisco; a Master’s Degree in Nursing from U.C.S.F. with a specialty in Nursing Administration; and a law degree from Santa Clara University. Catherine worked as a clinical nurse at U.C.S.F. on the General Surgery and Liver Transplant Service. During law school, several personal changes and the birth of her two daughters, influenced her to finish her law degree but delay the full-time practice of law. Since 2012, she has been the managing partner of her own consulting business which focuses on surgical-legal issues. This experience reinforces her unwavering commitment to public safety, and to ensuring that our first responders have the resources necessary to keep us all safe.
Jerry Meral
At large member (2023)
Jerry Meral has a Ph.D. in Zoology from UC Berkeley. He was staff scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund, Deputy Director of the California Department of Water Resources, Executive Director of the California Planning and Conservation League, and Deputy Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency. He serves on the Boards of the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin and the Inverness Association. Fire projects he is working on include a fire and water parcel tax for the Inverness Public Utilities District, setting up Firewise Inverness, fuel reduction along Highway 1 and Sir Francis Drake Blvd, getting approval for a French Broom predator, experimental reduction of yellow Starthistle, and pyrophyte removal at Point Reyes National Seashore.