Board of Directors
Jim Kempton, CEO / Executive Director
Jim Kempton has been the Editor and Publisher of Surfer Magazine, Marketing Director for TransWorld Publishing, Vice President of Content for Hard Cloud Boardsports internet portal, and Director of the Quiksilver Crossing. He was the President of the San Clemente Historical Society and wrote and edited a book on the history of surfing at San Onofre. After receiving a BA at California Western University, he earned an MBA in International Business from USIU. He currently serves as the Manager of the Surfrider Foundation Advisory Board, and is employed by Billabong USA as Director of Media. He recently wrote Surfing the Manual, a book on the history of surfing told through the performance techniques of the world’s best surfers. He also serves on the board of directors for Surfing America, the National Governing Body of the sport. Jim is currently the President of the California Surf Museum which recently opened a brand new museum facility in Oceanside. A life-long surfer he lives with his wife and 3 children in San Clemente with a view of the line-up where he has been a regular since 1975.
Steve Netherby, President
Steve Netherby has run, hiked, mountain biked, and camped the trails, beaches, and campgrounds of San Onofre for the past 36 years. For two decades, he served as camping editor of Field & Stream. Called “the nation’s foremost camping authority,” he traveled the world writing about camping—from family and RV camping to all forms of wilderness living and travel. He served on the board of directors of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and produced The Experts Book of Freshwater Fishing for Simon & Schuster. He is a contributor to several books, including Wildlife Country—How to Enjoy It, by National Wildlife Federation, and How to Survive on Land and Sea, by Naval Institute Press. He wrote early exposés of the environmental threat to fresh- and saltwaters posed by phosphate pollution, acid rain, and mercury contamination. He’s a graduate of military mountain and jungle survival courses as well as National Outdoor Leadership School, Rainier Mountaineering Incorporated, American Avalanche Institute, and Fenwick Flyfishing School. Prior to joining Field & Stream, Steve was a Navy combat pilot in Vietnam and an award-winning Colorado newspaper editor-in-chief. He’s an avid backpacker, hiker, mountain biker, sea kayaker, and body surfer.
Robert Mignogna, Past-President
Bob Mignogna had a 30-year career with Surfing Magazine, primarily as Publisher. Bob also served as VP Operations for Primedia’s Action Sports Group, which included Surfer, Skateboarder, Snowboarder, Bike and Powder magazines. In 1989, he was instrumental in launching SIMA, the Surf Industry Manufacturer’s Association, and continues to serve as Senior Advisor to the Board. Mignogna has also served on the Advisory Board for Surfrider Foundation, Eastern Surfing Association (ESA), National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) and Surfing America. In 2008, Bob was inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame and also received Eastern Surf Magazine’s “Lifetime Achievement Award.” Recently, he published three coffee table books, “Jeffreys Bay,” “The Pipeline,” and “Goin’ Big” (The Gotcha Story). Mignogna graduated from Fordham University with a BA Finance degree in 1970 and did Post Graduate studies at St. John’s University in New York City. He has been a regular surfer in the Trestles lineups since 1975.
Dan Lineback, Treasurer
Dan Lineback currently is a Senior Engineer for a VAR in Orange County focused on Data Center Solutions for the education, government and public sectors. Dan was raised in Capo Beach and started surfing Trestles in the late 60’s with a good friend whose father was a Marine Corp Major. “We were able to drive right up to the surf breaks without any hassles prior to the state park operating the lease”. He also started lifeguarding on the San Onofre and San Clemente beaches in 1978 as California State Lifeguard and worked as a weekend seasonal lifeguard up until 2006. During his career as a resident, employee and avid surfer of San Diego County and Orange County beaches he has seen the impacts on the environment of poorly planned infrastructure projects. Lineback graduated with a BA in Economics from the University of San Diego. He has lived for several winter surf seasons in the early 80’s on the North Shore and surfed many remote Mexico surf spots in the 70’s and 80’s. Preserving Trestles and San Onofre for future generations to enjoy is a goal that is in my blood and soul. As a frequent surfer of Trestles, The Trails, Cottons and State Park breaks; my alignment with the foundation will help to keep these beaches accessible through its core mission statement.
Rebecca Robles, Secretary
Rebecca Robles is a member of the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians Acjachemen Nation. She can trace her family to the village of Panhe-it is her ancestral village. Rebecca was introduced to ceremony at Panhe in 1980 with her mother and other relatives. She received a BA from University of Arizona, Flagstaff in 1990. She is an accomplished health care provider with more than 25 years working as a registered nurse.
She and her family continue the work of preservation of Acjachemen sacred sites, culture, and history to which her mother, Lillian devoted the final years of her life. Rebecca and her family host the annual Ancestor Walk, a pilgrimage that visits several sacred sites along the southern California coast, including Panhe.
Rebecca is a member of the Sierra Club, and the California Cultural Resource Preservation Alliance, and her tribal group and she sits on the Board of the San Onofre Foundation, a San Clemente-based foundation dedicated to the preservation of the lands at San Onofre. She was nominated for the 2009 Women of Worth Award honoring women who make significant contributions to their communities. Rebecca is the co- director of United Coalition to Protect Panhe (UCCP), a grassroots organization of Acjachemen peoples. UCPP has been instrumental in preventing the destruction of Panhe, a sacred site and an important place of cultural and historical significance. Rebecca’s vision is to promote greater understanding and respect for the indigenous peoples of California, their previous and ongoing contributions, and to promote respect for the natural world.
Paul K. Strauch, Jr., Director
Paul was born and raised in Hawaii and began surfing at 4 in Waikiki. Following Punahou High School and the University of Hawaii majoring in business management, he spent 20 years as a 3rd-generation real estate broker in Hawaii, and a former member of the Waikiki Surf Club, Outrigger Canoe Club, Liliuokalani Trust Child Welfare Department advisory board, Governor’s Advisory Committee to Waikiki Beach Improvement, and Honolulu Mayor’s Water Safety Committee. Past president of the Hawaii Amateur Surfing Association, he is a founding member of the Duke Kahanamoku Surf Club, and often traveled with Duke. His event titles include the ’63 & ‘68 Peruvian International Championships, Hawaii State Surfing Champion, ‘65 & ‘66, ‘59 Makaha International Junior Men’s Champion & ’69 Senior Men’s Champion, ‘82 Hawaii Modern Longboard Men’s Champion, and ‘84 Hawaii Nose-riding Men’s Champion. He is the only person to have a surfing maneuver, the Paul Strauch Cheater Five, named after him. Recently retired president and honorary member of the Hawaiian Surf Club of San Onofre, Paul currently serves as board member of the Surfing Heritage Foundation and vice president, Sign Biz, Inc. in Dana Point, CA.
Kathleen Cobb, Director
Born in Alaska, Kathleen Cobb is a lifelong outdoorswoman with a deep passion for preserving our natural places. As a resident of San Clemente since 1999, she spends most of her free time camping the California State Parks with her husband Justin and two children, Hailey and Nathan. Weekends find them surfing Old Man’s in San Onofre State Beach or hiking, running, or riding their bikes along the coast. She shares her passion for our local state parks by organizing campouts in the parks for large groups of friends and family and leading hikes for San Onofre Foundation.
Kathleen has a background in business and accounting and a degree in culinary arts. Pursuing her degree, she enjoyed a semester in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu. She worked as a private chef for Hollywood stars, politicians, and others before she and Justin relocated to San Clemente to start their family. Now, they are active in the CUSD PTA, Pop Warner Football, and U.S. Youth Volleyball programs, and Kathleen has served several years as president of her local homeowners’ association. For the past five years, Kathleen has participated in the Avon Walk For Breast Cancer—a two-day, 39.3-mile trek to help raise money and awareness for women's health. An avid mountain hiker, she has climbed Southern California’s highest peaks and twice dayhiked Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the Lower 48 States.
She joined the executive board of San Onofre Foundation to share all that she loves about San Onofre and San Clemente State Beaches. She feels a deep responsibility to protect our local natural heritage and is dedicated to doing all she can to help educate others about our parks’ unique beauties and rich natural and human histories—to preserve them for our generation and all those to come.
Steve Long, Senior Advisor
During the final four years of Steve’s career with California State Parks, he served as Park Superintendent, responsible for all aspects of park operations at Doheny, San Clemente and San Onofre State Beaches. In that capacity, Steve began identifying key stakeholder groups and individuals who held these parks dear, and who might eventually be united through the concept of a “Co-Operating Association”, which is a Non-Profit Organization that exists to serve specific State Park Units in the delivery of education and interpretation outreach. California State Parks is the second largest public agency providing educational services to the community, behind the public school system.
Steve serves as a non-voting advisor to the executive board, attending all board meetings. He maintains a Volunteer status with California State Parks, assisting the State Parks Co-Operating Association Liaison (Park Superintendent Rich Haydon), in Board Member, Staff and Volunteer Orientation, including detailed San Onofre and San Clemente State Beach tours.
Dave Gerhard, Educational Advisor
Dave Gerhard is a native Southern Californian who spent most of his youth growing up in South Orange County.He earned his Bachelors Degree at the University of Oregon, his Masters Degree at California State University, Fullerton, and his administrative services credential at the University of California, Irvine.
Mr. Gerhard has been a teacher and administrator in the Capistrano Unified School District for 28 years. He was a special education teacher in the Huntington Beach City School District for six years prior to moving to CUSD. For the past ten years, Mr. Gerhard has been the principal at Concordia Elementary School, which is located on the bluffs adjacent to San Clemente State Park.
Mr. Gerhard resides in Dana Point with his wife, who is also a principal in CUSD. When he is not at school, Mr. Gerhard can usually be found navigating the local waters aboard his sailboat, Recess.
Rich Haydon, CAL (Cooperating Association Liasion)
Rich Haydon is the Park Superintendent for Doheny, San Clemente and San Onofre State Beaches, and acts as the Cooperating Association Liaison between the San Onofre Foundation and California State Parks. Mr. Haydon began his career with State Parks as a seasonal lifeguard in 1985, and worked at Doheny, San Clemente and San Onofre for ten years, while attending the University of California – Irvine where he received a BA in Psychology. A graduate of State Parks’ Basic Visitor Services Training group 12, he was assigned to the Orange Coast District – North Sector (Huntington and Bolsa Chica State Beaches) as a State Park Peace Officer Lifeguard.
While assigned to the North Sector, he worked for 13 years as a Lifeguard, Lifeguard Supervisor in charge of Law Enforcement and Night Shift operations, and served two years as the North Sector Lifeguard Chief before accepting a promotional transfer to San Clemente as the District Services Manager and acting South Sector Superintendent, which he again promoted to in July 2008.
Mr. Haydon is married with two children, and enjoys SCUBA diving, wood working, and coaching Little League baseball.