Bill McKinney served for 14 years as President and Professor of American Religion at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. He retired from that position in 2010 and is currently active as a consultant, teacher and writer. He has served in several volunteer positions, including 12 years as a trustee of the Alban Institute. Among other roles, he served as Vice President of the Interfaith Alliance Foundation and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. Bill and Linda McKinney met in the 1960s on the summer staff of the Craigville Conference Center. They married in 1968 and purchased a summer cottage in Craigville in 1980, where they now live. Both have been active in the Christian Camp Meeting Association, which owns the Craigville Retreat Center. Bill is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.
Randy Widera
Randy W. Widera pronouns: he him - why this matters, is the Director of Philanthropy at California State Parks Foundation. His career has been in service to building and sustaining connections between all Californians and our common natural and cultural heritage and securing resources so that they will be stewarded for future generations. After graduating with a degree in Biology from Revelle College at University of California, San Diego, Randy worked in the field of Outdoor and Environmental Education. At the age of 25, in 1989, he went on to found and establish the Web of Life Field (WOLF) School, which merged with UCCR in the early 1990s. In 1999, he was then recruited to lead the Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks (Friends). As the Executive Director of Friends, he built several innovative and enduring partnership initiatives. He also developed the nationally recognized “That’s My Park” campaign, an outreach program that dramatically built broader support for state parks within the local community as well as greater funding for park programs. In 2010, Randy moved on and established Blue Oak Nonprofits, a consulting firm that worked exclusively with nonprofit park partners and environmental education organizations to build capacity, strengthen partnerships and programs, and help in raising funds for their mission. Then in 2019, Randy came to California State Parks Foundation to be a part of the dynamic team that is working for the future of all Caitriona state parks. Randy lives in his hometown of Santa Cruz, California, with his wife Julie and three sons Denali, Ryder, and Zephyr.
Peter Winkler has had a long affinity for environmental protection, nonprofit support, and volunteer work. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, he earned a law degree from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. A chance meeting in Federal court with a Sierra Club attorney led him to become general counsel for Earth Island Institute, and then a board member. His understanding of nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations has enabled him to form and represent many different groups. Having dipped a toe in many areas of law, he has winnowed his practice down to business and real estate law.
Peter is German, born in London and moved to California at 7 years old. He first went to YMCA camp at 8 years old. He resides and practices in Marin County. He has two grown, very successful and confident daughters. In his spare time, he swims, hikes, bikes, canoes, car-camps, and backpacks. He has camped in the backcountry of Death Valley some 30 times.
Jared Gobel is a native of Sonoma County. Born and raised in Windsor, Jared attended Cardinal Newman High School, before attending University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA. After school in the central valley, and a short stint in Southern California, Jared moved back to the area in 2010 where he has been an active member of the business and non-profit communities.
Jared works for George Petersen Insurance as a Loss Control consultant, working with clients on OSHA compliance and workplace safety. When he is not working, Jared enjoys spending time with his wife Sarah and camping along the Sonoma and Mendocino Coast. Jared also keeps busy with the Active 20-30 Club of Santa Rosa, working to promote and oversee fundraisers and community engagement events, as well as serving on the Board of Directors. Jared and his wife Sarah currently reside in Sonoma, Ca.
Patricia Parfett As a member of the Board of Camping & Retreat Ministries I have been a representative from the California-Nevada Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church for over ten years, first on the UCCR Board and then transitioning to the Owners Council. It is important to have an active voice representing the Owners Council to the UCCR board and vice versa. I am a retired Congregational Care Minister with a life-long passion for church camps - in fact it was at such a camp I received my call to ministry. I feel (as we somehow move on from pandemic to endemic) our camp and retreat properties are needed more than ever before as a safe and restorative place for people to gather.
Mike Carr currently serves as the President/CEO of UCCR and has been with the organization since 1998. Previously, Mike provided leadership at two campuses of Yosemite National Institutes (now NatureBridge). Recently Mike worked with the California State Park Blue Ribbon Commission- Parks Forward, assisting in the areas of purpose driven partnership, generating revenue, and lodging design. For the latter, Mike co-taught a class of graduate students studying architecture at Cal Poly Pomona. The class designed several cabins one of which was chosen by California State Parks as a model to be used at state parks. That design, “The Wedge” can be seen here. Mike received his B.S. in Natural Resource Planning and Interpretation from Humboldt State University.
Mike Wagner is an experienced commercial real estate professional with extensive public and private sector experience. He has worked with Cornerstone Properties, a Petaluma-based owner, manager and development company, since January 2013, coordinating and closing leasing, acquisitions, financings and other transactions. Prior to working for Cornerstone, Mike served as the Real Estate Manager for the County of Sonoma. Mike attended UC Davis and enjoys swimming, snow shoeing, drumming and his family.
Sam Buehrer is an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ. Sam was ordained in 1988 and served three churches in Northwest Ohio and is currently ministering at Bethel UCC in Evansville, Indiana (Southwest Indiana). Sam served as the Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the Ohio Conference UCC (Currently the Heartland Conference) where at the time he was instrumental in the Ohio Conference contracting with UCC for the management of their two camps. As a volunteer, Sam served as a church camp counselor and directed church camps for over 15 years. For many years, Sam and his wife Ellen have spent vacations exploring the National Parks across the country. More often than not, these trips involve time hiking back country trails and backpacking.
