Meet our Board of Directors
Boca
Ben Birdsong has lived on West Channel for 22 years commencing his time in the canyon in an apartment behind Cafe Delfini and later purchasing a house down the street with his wife Monica. His daughter Nada was previously at Canyon Elementary and is now a 6th grader at Sycamore Community School. Ben is currently serving as President of the BOCA Neighborhood Association. He has held various positions in the MedTech industry over the past 20 years.
Joan Kramer (Joni) has been a resident of Santa Monica Canyon for 22 years. She and her husband Aaron reside on Mabery Road where they raised their two daughters, both of whom went to Canyon School, where she served both in the Booster Club and the Governing Board. She has been a Board member of BOCA, serving as the President for 10 years. She is also a board member for Chrysalis, an LA based non profit since 2010, serving as Board Chair from 2020 to 2023. She, along with her husband and dog Squid love calling the Canyon their home.
Wes Hough has been a Canyon resident for 29 years. He has served on the Boca Neighborhood Association board for 29 years, on the SMCCA board for 15 years and as Treasurer of SMCCA since last year. Wes is a financial consultant to state and local governments and their agencies and authorities, not-for-profits and other entities that secure funding in the capital markets.
Doug Suisman has lived in the Canyon for 32 years. He and his wife Moye raised their two children on Mabery Rd., and they attended Canyon School, Paul Revere, and Pali High. Doug has served on the Boca Neighborhood Association board for 32 years, and served as President for 10 years. He is an architect and urban designer, and has served as Interim President of SMCCA since February 2025.
Lower Rustic Canyon
Whitney Bedford has lived on Mesa for the last ten years with her daughter, Betty, who is a rising 5th grader at Canyon Charter School. Betty’s father, Blair, (who uses she/ her pronouns) also lives on Mesa with our Standard Parti Poodle, Georgie. Whitney came to LA via Baltimore/Berlin 26 years ago to attend graduate school at UCLA and has never imagined a better place to call home. She is a painter that is lucky enough to show her work across the US, Europe and Oceania.
Jade Chatham has lived in the canyon for 7 years. Jade, Chris and their three children Reeves, Harper and Maile started in the Canyon on Latimer and now live on East Rustic Road. Jade served on the board of Canyon Elementary School for two years where both Reeves and Harper were students. She is the co-founder of the Abundance Collective. Having grown up in Hawaii she loves being back in a such a wonderful community by the ocean and beautiful outdoor spaces.
Brooke Fischer has lived in the Canyon for 17 years with her husband, Chad, their daughter, Violet, who attends Archer, and their two dogs, Cooper and Murphy. After many years in advertising, Brooke started her own freelance graphic design business. She is also a fine art painter and rediscovered her love of jewelry making at Rustic Canyon Rec Center. Brooke has volunteered throughout the Canyon community, starting with Rustic Canyon Co-op Nursery School and Canyon School, where she designed both school logos, yearbooks, sponsorship banners, and Fiesta signs. She believes there is no better place in LA to live than in the Canyon.
Alex Hoerner has been a Canyon resident for 16 years. He and his partner Sara have a 15 year old son who is the 5th generation of the family to live on Mesa Rd. Currently he is an alternate for Area 7 on the Pacific Palisades Community Council.. Alex works in real estate, and previously worked in commercial photography.
David Jackson has had the great fortune of living on East Rustic Road for 35 years. Ten years ago he became a board member of SMCCA, and was also one four board members of Lower Rustic Canyon Homeowners, where he helped fund, through donations, a broad creekside vegetation cutting and removal of dead, fire-prone trees. He is a retired TV director/writer, a painter/artist, and the father of three adult sons. He is married to Katie Sparks. His house has a red door and two red chairs on the front porch, and he is happy to hear your thoughts on any Canyon subject or concern.
William "Max" Reynal is a marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in financial services, including leadership roles at Credit Suisse and UBS, where he led marketing, content strategy, and investor communications for the Americas. A four-year resident of Rustic Canyon, Max is married to Kristine Reynal, who is a managing director at the Bank of America Private Bank, and the parent of three children and their beloved dog, Coco. In addition to his professional career, he is a contemporary artist and writer whose work explores themes of consciousness, creativity, and human connection. He looks forward to contributing to the Canyon community by joining The Canyon Alliance Board.
Lower SM Canyon
Miriam Bookey has lived in the Canyon for 25 years. She and her husband, Justin, live on Amalfi Drive, directly across from Canyon Elementary School, where they wave hello to the teachers every morning. Their two sons attended Canyon, Paul Revere, and Pali High, and now live and work in the Bay Area. Many neighbors know Miriam from her daily dog walks with her dignified husky mix Otto (RIP) and her playful shepherd mix Niko. She has been active in the Kehillat Israel community and serves on its executive board. She runs a boutique marketing agency focused on audience research, strategy, and content, and is passionate about understanding what communities need and how to best serve and engage them.
Emil Schneeman has lived in Santa Monica Canyon for 26 years. His first home was on Entrada Drive next to the Argyle house. In 2005 he and his wife Brit purchased and restored their current home on lower Amalfi Drive. They have 3 sons who all attended Canyon Elementary. Their oldest son Luke just finished his freshman year at Georgetown University and is also volunteering for the Canyon Alliance. Emil is a local real estate agent for Berkshire Hathaway and an avid mountain biker.
Upper Rustic Canyon
Eric Balfour is a third generation Angeleno. His family has diverse roots across Los Angeles starting in Boyle Heights, where his Great Grandparents started. Now, he lives in Rustic Canyon with his wife and two children. Eric is the current President of The Rustic Canyon Park Advisory Board and dedicated to creating a strong and thriving community.
Robyn Buecker has lived in the Canyon for 6 years. She lives with her husband Brad and 3 kids: Beau (16), Jane (13) and Sammy (6). All three kids are currently attending Crossroads. They also have two Australian Cattle Dogs; Blue and Ollie and a cat named Jazzy. Robyn spent most of her career working for large internet media companies and software startups as a product manager. Robyn currently works for denim brand called The Only Jane. Robyn is the President of the board for Uplifters [an LLC for the private segments of Latimer and Haldeman].
Nada Kirkpatrick has lived in the Palisades for 30 years, the last 22 of those in the Canyon on Brooktree Road. She and her husband Karey raised their three children Sami, Maia, and Finn here in the Canyon. All of their kids attended Crossroads School where Nada served on the Board of Trustees for eleven years, including two years as Board Chair.
Marla Mayer moved to Hilltree Road from Tribeca/NYC in 2013 with husband Chris Ahearn and kids (Aidan now 25 in Dallas and Helena now 23 in NYC) and dog Shashi (now 14). The kids attended New Roads School, and Marla served on the board for 6 years. Marla is a finance and human capital professional and worked for Goldman Sachs for 18 years – she has served significant interim and consulting roles since. She’s served on 4 nonprofit boards and 2 councils in NY and LA, and continues to consult and invest.
Tamyka Smith has been a Canyon resident for 10 years, spending her first 5 years on East Channel Road and the last 5 years in Upper Rustic Canyon on Latimer Road. She has three daughters, her youngest currently attending Canyon Charter Elementary as well as two proud Canyon Charter alumni currently attending Paul Revere and Malibu High. Tamyka’s professional background is in film and media and has enjoyed applying those skills to her philanthropic efforts having served as a board member for Edible Schoolyard NYC, The Last Girl, a partnership with award winning activist Ruchira Gupta as well as serving as an advisor to Planned Parenthood. In her free time she enjoys poetry, nature and baking as much as possible.
Upper SM Canyon
Allison Diftler has lived on Kingman Ave for twenty-one years. She is married to William Goldenberg, and they raised their two children, Nathan (26) and Erin (22), in the Canyon. She was previously a professional dancer performing throughout the United States and Europe with Jennifer Muller/The Works. She has been a member of the Visual and Performing Arts Board at SMMUSD and a board member of Dance Camera West. She is a certified grief educator and facilitates grief groups for teens and adults.
Jenny Li is a native Angeleno and has lived on Kingman for 13 years. She is married to Luis Li and they have a daughter in her third year of college at University of Chicago. Before moving to the Canyon, they lived in the Alphabet streets of Pacific Palisades for 15 years. Jenny is a retired lawyer and has volunteered with many organizations, including Pacific Palisades Community Council as Vice President, Area 7 representative and currently, as Treasurer. She also has been a board member of Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association.
Reese Relfe has lived in the canyon for 26 years - 8 in Rustic Canyon, and 18 in Upper Santa Monica Canyon on San Lorenzo St. She has worked in the arts field for forty years and is now recently retired from accessory design. Involved with many organizations, she has served on the board of Everychild Foundation, as well as on the board of directors of SMCCA for 15 years. She is continually inspired by the history and uniqueness of the Canyon.
Ron Staake has lived on Dryad Road with his wife Deanna since 2012. The couple has raised two daughters there during that time. In the past, Ron served on the Board of Directors of the Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association for roughly 4 - 5 years, including a stint as treasurer. He also served as treasurer of the Board of Directors for the Hemophilia Foundation of Southern California for approximately 7 years, and is currently the treasurer of the Board of Directors for the Palo Alto Homeowners Association (a homeowners association in Costa Rica). He is in the process of terming off of that board. His professional background was in executive financial management, and he has held the role of president/CEO, CFO, and other financial positions. Interests and passions include travel, golf, woodworking/furniture making, and exercise. Ron and deanna consider themselves extremely fortunate to live in the Santa Monica Canyon for roughly 10 months of the year with the other two months in the home they built in Costa Rica.
Marilyn Wexler and her husband Cliff Merlo moved to Kingman Ave. in 1992. She is a native Angeleno and has a large interest in the city’s history. A few years after moving to Kingman she took a seat on the Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association’s board of directors, then became secretary and for the past six years has served as president. She retired from a forty year career in biomedical physics and is currently serving as chairman of the board for the Institute for Public Strategy, a nonprofit involved with public health issues surrounding underserved communities.