Panel Members

The Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel (DCDEP) is comprised of representatives from the local community.  Each member of the DCDEP serves a two-year term (following the initial staggering of terms). The inaugural panel, formed in May 2018, has staggered terms as assigned by the membership at its first meeting through a facilitated process. Membership will be renewed or vacancies refilled through approval by a majority of the community members of the DCDEP and PG&E consistent with the DCDEP Charter.

View or download Panel Member Profiles or click on the following map for information about each Panel member.

Frank Mecham David Baldwin Linda Seeley Trevor Keith Scott Lathrop Kara Woodruff Alex Karlin Lauren Brown Sherri Danoff Nancy O'Malley Dena Bellman

David Baldwin

David is a lifelong resident of San Luis Obispo County. Joining the Plasterers and Cement Masons union local # 775 in 1983, he was a Cement Mason until 1995 when he became a Cement Masons local 600 representative, a position he held for 20 years. As a labor leader, he served in various roles, including Pension Trustee and Chairman of the Board for Taft Hartley Trust Funds and President of the Southern California District Council of Plasterers, Cement Masons & Shophands. David was an elected delegate and labor representative at the San Luis Obispo County Democratic Party where he was recognized as Labor Leader of the Year in 2013. In 2014, David was appointed by Gov. Brown to the 16th District Agricultural Association California Mid-State Fair Board of Directors, where he currently serves as Chairman of the Finance and Operations Committees. David now works in Public Works Labor Compliance for the Southern California Pipe Trades District Council 16 and is a member of Plumbers and Steamfitters local 403.

Current term concludes May, 2021

Dena Bellman

Dena comes to the panel with extensive planning and civic involvement experience. She has lived in San Luis Obispo County most of her life and works as a Park Planner with the Ocean Dunes District of California State Parks. Dena brings a strong knowledge of government and community to this effort. She is active in many community-building efforts, currently serving as Vice Chair of United Way of SLO County, Board Treasurer for 5Cities Homeless Coalition, Director for Arroyo Grande Grover Beach Chamber of Commerce Board and volunteers with ICARE international, having completed several humanitarian missions to Central and South America.

Current term concludes May, 2021

Lauren Brown

Lauren served in the American Peace Corps in India, and obtained a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Riverside, when he returned. He co-founded JBL Scientific, a specialty biochemical company and moved to San Luis Obispo in 1973. In 1999 JBL Scientific was acquired by biotech company, Promega, and Lauren served as President of renamed Promega Biosciences until 2006, and subsequently served as President of another Promega subsidiary until 2008. In the community, Lauren has served on the YMCA Board, Chamber of Commerce Board, Chamber Economic Vision Task Force in 1992, the City of San Luis Obispo Economic Stability Task Force in 1993, as well as the Targeted Industries Task Force in 1997. Brown was honored by the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce as the 2014 Citizen of the Year.

Current term concludes May, 2020

Sherri Danoff

As an 18-year Avila Beach-area resident, Sherri is a land use planner with over 30 years of experience in California jurisdictions, largely with the public sector. She has a MA in Regional and Urban Planning from San Jose State University. Sherri’s interest in decommissioning focuses on visitor and resident safety related to use of Avila Beach Drive, the narrow winding road providing one-way-in-and-out of the beach town and harbor. Because Avila has very high fire hazard, plus other hazards, she considers prevention of access congestion of particular importance, both during decommissioning and future uses of Diablo Canyon lands. Sherri has several and varied involvements in the local community.

Current term concludes May, 2022

Alex Karlin

Alex has been an environmental lawyer for more than 40 years. He served as an Administrative Judge on the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Licensing & Safety Board for 11 years, presiding over the Diablo Canyon license renewal and a portion of the Yucca Mountain adjudication. Alex was an Environmental Protection Agency headquarters enforcement attorney and also spent seven years with a nuclear remediation and decommissioning company. A resident of the City of San Luis Obispo for two years, he has owned property in Los Osos since 2003. Alex is active in the local community, teaches environmental classes, and is a hiker, birder, and docent at Montana de Oro.

Current term concludes May, 2021

Trevor Keith

Trevor is a 21-year resident of the Central Coast and brings to the panel interests in public health and safety, the local effects of large land use changes, and economic impacts of the project. Currently, Trevor is the Director of San Luis Obispo County Planning and Building Department. Previous roles at County have included Division Manager and environmental consultant. Trevor’s project experience has included large residential and commercial development, renewable energy generation, and Habitat Conservation Plans. He has coordinated all levels of California Environmental Quality Act and National Environmental Policy Act reviews and long-range planning efforts. He teaches at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and holds a BS in Ecology and Systematic Biology and a MA in City and Regional Planning.

Current term concludes May, 2021

Scott Lathrop

As a 63-year native resident of San Luis Obispo, Scott comes to the Panel with ancestry roots in and around Diablo Canyon. As a Chumash Native American, Scott’s interest in the decommissioning project is twofold: to communicate the value of protecting cultural resources that are important to indigenous people from the region and to represent ratepayer and taxpayer interests regarding financial impacts. Scott has worked in county government, the private sector, and public schools, and he currently serves as Assistant Superintendent, Business Services for a public school district. He is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and holds BA degrees in Industrial Technology and Education. He is California public schools certified Chief Business Officer and a licensed California class B general contractor.

Current term concludes May, 2020

Frank Mecham

Frank is a fifth generation San Luis Obispo County resident and a ninth generation Californian. He was the first directly elected Mayor of Paso Robles, serving four terms. Elected First District Supervisor in 2008, Frank served on the board for eight years. He is a U.S. Navy Veteran, worked as an electrical contractor for 20 years and as a financial advisor for seven. Frank is married to Deb, with a combined family of six kids and nine grandkids. He has served on numerous boards and has nearly thirty years in public service.

Current term concludes May, 2022

Nancy O'Malley

Nancy is an Internal Medicine physician with over 30 years of experience in a wide range of health care settings working with patients, their families and health care teams from many diverse backgrounds and cultures. She has a special interest in ensuring the health and safety of the decommissioning process. Nancy is a resident of Avila Beach where the environmental, traffic and economic impacts of decommissioning are of particular importance. She is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and has been coming to the Central Coast all her life until she was able to permanently relocate to the community in 2015.

Current term concludes May, 2022

Linda Seeley

As a mother, grandmother, and resident of San Luis Obispo County since 1982, Linda is a retired nurse-midwife and women’s health nurse practitioner. She is an advanced facilitator for the Work That Reconnects developed by Joanna Macy, PhD. A resident of Los Osos, she serves as a spokesperson for San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, is a member of the Sierra Club Nuclear Free Core Team and a founding member and officer for non-profit Biodiversity First! On the panel she hopes to be a community voice for the transparent and timely decommissioning of the plant, including the safe storage of irradiated waste.

Current term concludes May, 2020

Kara Woodruff

Kara is a 26-year resident of San Luis Obispo and VP/Chief Compliance Officer of Blakeslee & Blakeslee. As former project director for The Nature Conservancy and Board President of American Land Conservancy, Kara has been directly involved in the conservation of over 100,000 acres and brings to the panel an impassioned interest in the conservation of the Diablo Canyon Lands, including Wild Cherry Canyon. Kara earned a BA in Business from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and MA and JD degrees from Duke University. She is a licensed financial principal, active member of the State Bar, and proud mother of two daughters.

Current term concludes May, 2020

Chuck Anders - Facilitator

Chuck has over thirty years of experience facilitating complex issues in public and private sectors and founded Strategic Initiatives in 1996 to assist organizations in achieving their goals. He has designed and facilitated the successful outcome of numerous high-profile public engagement processes throughout California and the Southwest, including remediation strategies that protect public health and ecological resources in San Luis Obispo. He is a 20-year resident of the Central Coast and lives in Arroyo Grande. Chuck is a professional engineer, and as an active member of the community, is a past president of the San Luis Obispo County YMCA Board of Directors.

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