"...the quality of the environment determines the quality of life."
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ABOUT
The Inland Empire Resource Conservation District is run by a seven-member Board of Directors, with the assistance of four Associate Directors. Currently, the Board of Directors meets regularly in-person and via video conference on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 12:00 PM. Public input is always welcomed. If you would like to attend an in-person or virtual meeting, or be signed up to receive the monthly agenda, contact our Administrative Assistant, Jennifer Castillo, at jcastillo@iercd.org.
The IERCD's Board of Directors can be reached at board@iercd.org.
RICK GOMEZ
President
Total Years of Service: 4
Current Term: 12/2022-11/2026
President Rick Gomez has served on the IERCD Board since 2015. He was recently reappointed in 2022. He comes to the IERCD with an extensive background in real estate development as well as over 30 years of city planning and management. Most recently his work includes community development for the cities of Adelanto, Pomona, and the City of Rancho Cucamonga, with specific experience in governmental contracts, intergovernmental relations, urban development, and the federal/state legislative processes. He provides insight and perspective on IERCD finances and land management/mitigation need through service on both the Mitigation and Lands Committee and the Budget and Finance Committee. In addition to his professional background, President Gomez is a docent at the Ontario Museum of History and Art as well as President of the Rancho Cucamonga Rotary Club.
President Gomez has been appointed to the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) Board of Directors, serving as the representative to the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD). In this role, he will serve as the California representative in NACD and will work to increase connection between the two associations and the districts they serve.
Committees:
NANCY SAPPINGTON
Vice President
Current Term: 12/2020-11/2024
Vice President Sappington was appointed to the IERCD Board of Directors on December 15th, 2021, serving in the capacity of representative of Riverside County residents. She brings extensive experience to the District’s Board of Directors, having co-authored more than 25 urban forest management plans for both public and private entities, including municipalities, universities, and nonprofit foundations throughout California. In addition to urban forestry, she has extensive experience in wildland forestry, collaborating with a variety of partners to address resource concerns such as wildfires. She regularly performs tree risk assessments and helps clients develop specifications for a variety of circumstances involving tree care. She has more than 25 years of tree consulting experience, and she has written extensively about the landscape industry. In addition to planning and fieldwork, Director Sappington has extensive experience presenting and giving testimony in public forums on behalf of forested lands and associated resources.
In addition to many residential and public works projects, she designed seven miles of award-winning medians for the city of Palm Desert. She serves on the executive board of the Inland Urban Forest Council and is a member of the California Urban Forestry Advisory Committee. For more than 15 years, Vice President Sappington has been a University of California Master Gardener and is the 2014 recipient of the Volunteer of the Year award from the California Urban Forests Council. Vice President Sappington is excited to participate in both the Mitigation and Lands and the Strategic Plan Committees as part of her service to the District.
Committees:
ROD LEMOND
Secretary-Treasurer
Total Years of Service: 2
Current Term: 12/2022-11/2026
Secretary-Treasurer Rod LeMond joined the board in 2018 as an Associate Director. He was appointed as a Regular Director in August 2020. Since joining the Board as an Associate, Director Lemond has played a central role in IERCD's Budget and Finance Committee.
Secretary-Treasurer LeMond brings an extensive background in various financial fields as well as management consulting experience for local governments. He has previously served on audit committees for United Way, Inland Valley, and San Bernardino County. He now works as Assistant General Manager and CFO for Western Municipal Water District in addition to serving as an adjunct professor of accounting at California State University, San Bernardino. IERCD looks forward to having his unique expertise and perspective on its Board.
Committees:
BRAD BULLER
Director
Total Years of Service: 10
Current Term: 12/2022-11/2026
Director Brad Buller was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2009, and most recently reappointed in 2018. Since being appointed, he has been most active on the Board's Administrative and Personnel Committee.
The need for open space protection and enhancement encouraged Director Buller to become a Licensed Landscape Architect and he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Landscape Architecture from California State Polytechnic University at Pomona. Director Buller’s career includes over 30 years of working as the Planning Director for both the Cities of Rancho Cucamonga and Claremont where he worked with urban and open space issues. Director Buller currently owns and operates his own consulting company where he works to build quality communities that affect positive change.
Committees:
LORIEN SANDERS
Director
Current Term: 2/2022-11/2026
Lorien Sanders joined IERCD as an Associate Director in 2020 and was appointed as a full Board member in 2022. She grew up in Redlands, California and graduated from Redlands High School. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hydrologic Sciences from University of California Santa Barbara. Director Sanders is currently a project manager and Professional Geologist with over 20 years of experience in the environmental consulting field. She is also a volunteer ranger with San Gorgonio Wilderness Association.
Director Sanders enjoys performing Hawaiian-style ukulele music, hiking, backpacking, and photography. In 2010, she and her family adopted a California desert tortoise that currently lives in a hillside burrow landscaped with native plants. With the IERCD, she looks forward to working and collaborating on environmental stewardship and educational programs.
Committees:
DAVID FRIEDMAN
Director
Current Term: 12/2022-11/2026
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS
JIM EARSOM
IERCD President Jim Earsom was appointed to the IERCD Board of Directors after a distinguished 32 year career with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Associate Director Earsom retired as the District Conservationist for the Redlands Service Center in 2009, where he provided a variety of technical services to landowners, cities, counties and other agencies within the District. This considerable experience with residents, partners, and geography of the IERCD service area has been of tremendous benefit to the District since his 2010 appointment and during his terms as Vice President as well as President. Associate Director Earsom stepped down as Board President in 2022, but remains as an Associate to lend his expertise and knowledge.
Since joining the Board of Directors, President Earsom has served on both the Mitigation and Lands Committee as well as the Public Outreach and Education Committee.
Committees:
TERRIE ANDREWS
Director Terrie Andrews has served on the IERCD Board of Directors since her appointment in 2002. As a resident of the City of Calimesa, Director Andrews served for many years as the Riverside County Representative on the IERCD Board. In November of 2020, Director Andrews stepped down following 18 years of dedicated service to the IERCD. She is now an active associate board member and member of the Public Education and Outreach Committee.
In addition to her service on the IERCD Board, Director Andrews has worked for more than 20 years as a real estate professional in the Yucaipa area, following a career in education where she taught English. She is active in her local Chamber of Commerce, Toastmasters as well as the Yucaipa/Calimesa Association of Realtors, the California Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors. In addition to her passion for selling homes, Director Andrews is interested in promoting the importance of water conservation to all Inland Empire residents.
Committees:
ANALISA VIRAMONTES
AnaLisa Viramontes was approved as part of IERCD’s Associate Board Member program on December 10th, 2020. She is a Recycling Specialist at the County of Riverside’s Waste Management Department, following two years as a Food Connection Specialist with Riverside Food Cooperative. Her lifelong passion for sustainability led her to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and Planning from California State University, Northridge, and her Master of Science in Environmental Science from San Jose State University, in addition to long-term volunteering with the Rivers and Lands Conservancy. She is looking forward to bringing her professional and educational background into her role at the IERCD, focusing on improving the environment for the benefit of future generations.
In her free time, Associate Director Viramontes is a licensed scuba diver and avid boater, and remains connected to food rescue organizations in Riverside County. She lives in Jurupa Valley with her husband Michael.
Committees:
APPOINTMENT PROCEDURES
Under the provisions of Public Resources Code Section 9314(b)(1), the Inland Empire Resource Conservation District Board of Directors, by resolution, have requested that the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors appoint Directors to the District Board as an alternative to the election of said Directors. These appointments are for four-year terms and considered and approved by the San Bernardino County Board of Directors, for individuals who either reside within the IERCD service area or are designated the official representative for a resident who does live within IERCD service area boundaries. The current Board and terms are listed in the above section of this document.
The next expiration for IERCD Board of Directors terms is set to occur on Friday, November 25, 2022, with the second group of appointments set to expire on Friday, November 29, 2024.
In advance of the expiration dates, the IERCD and the San Bernardino County Clerk of the Board will post vacancy notices, soliciting applications from residents meeting above-referenced criteria for Board service. Applications will be available at the
San Bernardino County Clerk of the Board and online and must be submitted by the deadline posted in the Notice of Term Expiration. Applications received after the posted deadline will not be considered for potential Board appointment.
Following the deadline for applications, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors will plan an item for consideration and approval of IERCD Board of Director candidates on their meeting agenda. Once approved, each appointment will be for four years unless it occurs as a result of a mid-term Director resignation, in which case the appointee will serve only the remainder of that term before being required to reapply for a Board position.