ABOUT US
The Mark West Area Community Fund (Fund) is a 501c (3) non-profit organization with a mission to support neighborhood improvement projects and community engagement activities within the greater Mark West Area including Larkfield, Wikiup, Mark West and Fulton. The Fund is governed by a volunteer board of directors comprised of community and business leaders whom represent the various neighborhoods within the Mark West Area and chamber of commerce. The Fund meets monthly for business meetings which are open to the public.
The Mark West Area Community Fund is recognized as a non-profit cooperative association under section 501 (c) 3 of the United State Internal Revenue Service tax code. Our tax identification number is 92-2669449. We operate on a fiscal year from January 1 to December 31. Monetary and in-kind donations to the Mark West Area Community Fund are considered to be tax deductible, unless limited by law.
Meet our Board of Directors below:
Brad Sherwood
President
Since rebuilding their home after the 2017 Tubbs Fire, Brad and his family have remained committed to rebuilding the Mark West Area community. With that mission in mind, Brad has served his community as a trustee on the Mark West Union School Board, a fire rebuild block captain for the greater Mark West Area, a trustee on the Mark West Area Citizens Advisory Council, past president and director on the Mark West Area Chamber of Commerce and co-founded the Mark West Area Community Fund. He is also a volunteer with the After the Fire USA organization that responds to megafires around the nation to provide rebuild advice and support to wildfire survivors. Brad also spent two years traveling to Washington, D.C. where he advocated successfully for tax relief legislation to ensure every dollar is available to wildfire survivors in order to rebuild homes and communities. Professionally, Brad is an assistant general manager at Sonoma Water where he manages business services and external affairs.
Steve Plamann
Vice President
Steve and his family have been active members in the Mark West Area community and especially within the business community. He is a past president of the Mark West Area Chamber of Commerce and served in that role since 2014. Steve has worked for U-Haul international for twenty-years and twenty-plus years with Aaction Rents. Steve and his wife owned Hammerfriar Gallery and Custom Framing in Healdsburg from 2005 until 2017. He and his wife have two children and three grandchildren.
Westin Miller
Treasurer
Westin and his family live in the Mark West area. They lost their home in the 2017 Tubbs fire, but rebuilt and moved back in 2019. During the rebuild process - which is still ongoing - Westin was a member of the block captain crew. As a lifelong resident of the bay area, and a manager of a local mortgage office, Westin is devoted to helping the community heal and rebuild.
Heidi Would
Clerk
Born and raised in Sebastopol, Heidi moved to Wikiup in 2007. She has a background in business ownership and has volunteered for many years for local community organizations. After a twenty-year career in graphic design and communications she shifted her vision to real estate and is a licensed Realtor with Corcoran Icon Properties. Heidi has an abundance of dedication to Sonoma County, her long-term knowledge of growth and development allows her to share the history as well as the progression of growth in the area. She is an active member of the Mark West Area Chamber and is involved in local non-profit boards and committees including Goodwill Industries, Council on Aging and vice chair for the Mark West Area Municipal Advisory Council.
Dmitri Menzel
Director
Dmitri Menzel is a married father with three children 26, 24 and 11. He is recently retired after working 30 years in the Fire Service. Dmitri started his career as a Firefighter / Paramedic and found himself finishing his career as Deputy Fire Chief. He is a local resident in the Berrybrook neighborhood and is the current President of their Homeowner's Association. Dmitri has lived in Sonoma County for more than 40 years. He enjoys traveling, SCUBA diving, kayaking and generally spending time outdoors with his family.
Roni Berg
Director
Roni has lived in Fulton for 30 years with her husband of 43 years. She has an Art Degree/Graphic Design and worked in the nonprofit/municipal sectors for Walnut Creek Civic Arts, American Cancer Society, March of Dimes and KRCB Public Television.
From 2016-2021 she served as Vice-Chair and Fulton Representative on the Mark West Citizens Advisory Council. As the Unofficial Mayor of Fulton (so dubbed in 2011 by then Supervisor Mike McGuire), Roni coordinates the annual Fulton Founders Day cleanup in downtown Fulton & Cemetery (in its 13th year).
Roni helped establish the Fulton Day Labor Center (located in Fulton Crossing) with the County and California Human Development. She received the “Spirit of Sonoma” award in 2017 from the Mark West Area Chamber of Commerce and is especially proud of Fulton’s two “Welcome Signs” that were the result of a yearlong effort with the County & Fulton residents. In “retirement”: card games, FaceTiming with globe-trotting kids & grandkids and miniature golf.
Ron Calloway
Director
Ron and his family have resided in the Wikiup area since 2003. His employment background is in education. During Ron’s three decades in education, he served as a classroom teacher in Rincon Valley, and principal at San Miguel Elementary School in Mark West. Finally, Ron took the role of superintendent of the Mark West Union School District in 2011 and retired from the position in June of 2022. Ron and his wife have two adult sons.
Karen Fies
Director
Karen Fies serves as the At-Large representative on the Mark West Area Municipal Advisory Council. Karen has over 35 years in the field of social services and retired in October 2020 as the Director for the Sonoma County Human Services Department. As director, Karen managed over 900 employees and an annual budget of approximately $325 million.
Karen originally moved to the Mark West area in 1986. She and her husband, Brian, a writer and cartoonist, lost their home in the Tubbs Fire in 2017. They have rebuilt and moved back to the neighborhood where they raised their now adult twin daughters.
In her retirement, Karen enjoys volunteering for the community, gardening, reading, and walking her dog, Riley. In addition to her work with the MWCAC, she is on the boards of the United Way of the Wine Country and the Family Justice Center of Sonoma County. Karen has been a volunteer for the Girl Scouts of Northern California for over 25 years, chairing the Gold Award Committee for the North Coast region for the last 15 years. She looks forward to more adventures when the pandemic ends.