Jill Techel: Chairperson
City of Napa Mayor

Jill Techel is a graduate of the University of North Dakota. She moved to Napa in 1971.

Jill was selected to the Napa Parks and Recreation Commission and was the first woman chairperson. She served on the Napa Valley Unified School Board for six years and was President for three.

Jill was appointed to fill the vacancy on the City Council due to the death of Mayor Solomon in 1996. She ran and was elected to two four year terms on the City Council and in March 2005 she was elected Mayor of Napa.

Jill currently serves as Program Coordinator for Leadership Napa Valley and received the Preceptor Award for outstanding Leadership Professionals from the National Community Leadership Association in 2004.

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Charles Gravett, III: Vice Chairperson
City of Napa Appointee

Chuck Gravett is a founding partner of the Napa law firm of Gravett and Frater LLP. Chuck attended the University of Virginia from 1965 - 1969 where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Government. He served in the United States Marine Corp from 1969 through mid 1972, during which he served as a platoon commander and personnel officer in the Second Battalion, 9th Marines, stationed in Okinawa. He later served with the Military Assistance Command Vietnam through late 1970 and early 1971 in which he participated in many combat operations while advising Vietnamese combat battalions. Upon his return to the United States, he served in personnel functions at the Marine base in Quanaco, Virginia.

In late 1972 he entered the University of Virginia School of Law and graduated in 1975. That same year he joined the law department of Scott Paper Company where he served for approximately twelve years, acting as counsel to many of the operational and administrative functions of Scott Paper Company. In late 1986 Chuck moved to Napa and established his own business as a business and tax counselor to small businesses. After passing the California Bar examination (on his first try!), he opened his law practice (Gravett and Frater LLP) in Napa and has been practicing here ever since. His practice is concentrated mainly on service to small businesses and taxpayers.

Chuck has served as a vice president of the Chamber of Commerce and on its Board of Directors. He has served on the Napa County Work Force Investment Board and its predecessor the Private Industry Council as a chair on at least three different occasions. In 1987 he was a founding member of the Business Information Network and is a member to this day. He has been on the Board of Directors of Safe-Bidco (essentially a state chartered small business economic assistance program) since approximately 1987 and as a Chairman of the Board. Under his guidance, Safe-Bidco has doubled its loan volume and assets.

He has been on the Board of Directors of the Napa Sanitation District since 1999.
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Mark Luce: Director
County of Napa Supervisor

Mark Luce graduated from San Jose State University with Great Distinction with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering in 1978 and went on to the University of Wisconsin where he received with a Master of Science degree in 1980.

Mark moved with his wife to Napa in 1980 where he began working at Chevron Research Company. In addition to his role as a Napa County Supervisor, Mark continues to work part time with ChevronTexaco as a Staff Environmental Engineer providing advice to on how to manage waste and remediate contaminated sites.

Mark became active in a number of local issues and was elected Chairman of the American Canyon Concerned Citizens in 1983. He was appointed to the Napa County Planning Commission in 1985 and served until 1989. In 1990, Mark won a seat on the Napa City Council where he served his four-year term. Mark was subsequently elected to the Napa County Board of Supervisors in 1996 where he continues to serve. Mark was also the Republican nominee for Congressional District 1 in 1998.
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Mark van Gorder: Director
City of Napa Councilmember

Mark van Gorder graduated from University of California, Davis, in 1993 with a Bachelor Degree in Communications Studies.

For the past twelve years he has specialized in media and community relations and marketing related to state, county and city governments and the North Coast wine industry. Mark has worked in Sacramento with KOVR-13 News and with the Media Relations Office, Executive Division, of State Controllers Gray Davis and Kathleen Connell.

From 1997 to 2002, Mark managed public and government relations for a Northern California vineyard management company where he created, managed and produced North Coast Vineyard News. The quarterly wine magazine focused on wine community leaders, industry issues addressing farm worker safety, viticulture practices, and related local and state politics. Mark was an early advocate for the protection of wine industry appellation integrity and wrote a number of articles related to Napa County environment.

Mark volunteers with Hispanic Network of Napa County, American Cancer Society and Queen of the Valley Hospital Foundation. He is a Board Director with "The Oil Forum" – a non-profit corporation created to promote awareness of oil and gas depletion issues among opinion leaders in and around the University of California community. He served three years as an appointee to Napa County Drug and Alcohol Advisory Board and two years with City of Napa Planning Commission. In April 2005 voters elected Mark to a four year term with Napa City Council and the Mayor appointed Mark serve Napa Sanitation District's Board of Directors.
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Charles Shinnamon: Director

Chuck Shinnamon graduated in 1971 from U.C. Davis with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He is a Registered Civil Engineer. Chuck has over 30 years of professional experience as a civil engineer, first working for public agencies and then for private firms. He opened his own engineering firm in April 1990 in Napa, which is still in existence. He has been involved in most aspects of the civil engineering profession, both in a hands-on fashion as well as a manager of other design professionals. Chuck has a solid understanding of land development issues as they relate to the engineering profession, to budgets, to the complexities and interplay between the private and governmental sectors, and the like. Chuck has lived in Napa for 37 years.

Chuck is Co-Founder of Renaissance Napa and the Napa River Festival; former Member of the Board of Directors for the Napa Chamber of Commerce; former Chair of Legislative Action Committee; co-initiator of Home Team of Napa Valley, an affordable housing group; Vice-President of Board of Directors of di Rose Preserve; member of Housing Element Committee for the City of Napa. Chuck also served as Chair for the Urban Design Reach, Napa Living River Project for the Napa River Flood Control Project.

Chuck is currently the Project Director and Civil Engineer for the Aetna Preserve.
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Keith Caldwell: Alternate Director
County of Napa Supervisor

Keith Caldwell was born in Ohio and moved to Napa County in 1962. He grew up in American Canyon and graduated from Vintage High School. After attending and completing a Fire Fighter I Program at Solano Community College he began his career in the fire service in 1977 with the American Canyon Fire District. In 1990 Keith was promoted to the rank of Fire Chief and served in this position until his retirement in July 2007. Keith is married to Peri and has one son, Mitchell, who, with his wife, Amanda, also resides in America Canyon.

During Keith’s career he served on many local and statewide boards and associations, including:

• Executive Board Member and Treasurer of Fire Districts Workers Compensation Insurance JPA
• Past President Napa County Fire Fighters Association
• Past President Napa Solano Fire Chiefs Association
• Member of the State of California CAL/Fire Command Team # 3

Keith has also been active in the community. He continues to volunteer in the Newell Open Space Preserve and is a member of the Friends of American Canyon Open Space. He is a former member of the Bay Area Ridge Trail Committee, as well as a former Board Member of the American Canyon Boys and Girls Club. Keith currently serves as the Treasurer of the Fire Explorer Post 262.
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Peter Mott: Alternate Director
City of Napa Councilmember

Business:
Peter Mott is the owner and operator for the past 24 years of Sunmaster, a window film and coverings company based in Napa. Sunmaster does business throughout Northern California and parts of the Western United States. The business’ experience in security film offered Peter the opportunity to do some Federal work where he traveled to FIJI to film the US embassy there.

Community Service:
Peter was elected in November 2006 to a four year term on Napa City Council. He previously served two years on the Planning Commission and three years with the Community Development Block Grant. Peter currently holds board positions on the City of Napa Housing Authority, Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency, and Traffic Advisory Committee. Peter has also worked closely with his daughter’s school serving two years on the Site Counsel and teaching a class in Junior Achievement each year. He is a member on the Napa Sunrise Rotary Club.

Interests:
Peter’s real pastime is traveling. He had the opportunity to visit Scotland, France, Australia, Fiji, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Mexico, Honduras, Belize, Costa Rica, and New Zealand, among others.

Peter and his wife Nancy have two girls, Madison and Teagan.
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