Amah Mutsun Land Trust appoints new board members 

The Amah Mutsun Land Trust recently announced that four new board members have been appointed to the Gilroy based nonprofit’s board of directors. 

The new members are Susan True, Amanda Serenyi, Guillermo Rodriguez and Robert ‘Perl’ Perlmutter, says a press release from the trust. 

“We at the Amah Mutsun Land Trust are very pleased that these four new board members could join our organization. Each of them carries unique experiences and expertise, which will be great assets to the organization’s continued positive growth,” says the press release. 

True has been the CEO of Community Foundation Santa Cruz County for 25 years. Before that, she developed the Rainin Foundation’s education investments—creating programs that increased literacy skills among Oakland children, says the press release from Amah Mutsun Land Trust. She led the design of the Bay Area Council’s early childhood Talk, Read, Sing campaign—winning an Effie award for the work. 

Formerly, True led First 5 Santa Cruz County where she built investments in young children. She also led CASA of Santa Cruz County, advocating for children in the foster care system. 

True was elected to the Cabrillo College Board in 2008. 

Serenyi spent her career working with nonprofits, including three land trusts, in a variety of roles such as auditing, consulting, in-house accounting, philanthropy support and as a board member, says the press release. With her CPA license inactive, Amanda stepped away from accounting to focus on writing, but still consults when the right project comes along. 

In 2023, she joined the board of Whitebark Institute. 

Rodriguez brings more than 20 years of nonprofit, private sector and local government experience to the Amah Mutsun Land Trust board. Rodriguez is responsible for developing, managing, and leading the trust’s land acquisition, park development and policy activities throughout the state, says the press release. 

Guillermo has also worked for the City and County of San Francisco, starting his public service career in the administration of Mayor Gavin Newsom, and has continued with Mayor Ed Lee as the policy and communications director for the San Francisco Department of the Environment. 

Perlmutter served as lead petitioners’ counsel in Orange Citizens for Parks and Recreation v. 

Superior Court, in which the California Supreme Court unanimously reaffirmed the integrity of General Plans in California and upheld the voters’ ability to use the referendum power to challenge local land use decisions, says the press release. 

He also served as lead plaintiff’s counsel in San Francisco Baykeeper v. Tosco Corporation, which was included in the National Law Journal’s July 21, 2003 special feature: The Plaintiffs’ Hot List, Twenty-Five Go-To Teams for When the Going Gets Tough.

Since 2015, the Amah Mutsun Land Trust has grown from one paid staff member to now employing 20, the release continues. Seventy-five percent of the trust’s paid staff are Amah Mutsun Tribal Band members. 

“During this time we have gained many invaluable partnerships with funders and volunteers,” the release continues. “Furthermore, our campaigns to protect our cultural and sacred sites have garnered community support from around the world. Our vision and values remain true, which is to reengage in the stewardship of the lands and waters that Creator put the Amah Mutsun here to protect.”

Additional board members for the Amah Mutsun Land Trust are Valentin Lopez, Board President and Chair of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band; Steve Abbors, former General Manager of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District; Julie Pineida, tribal member of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band; Ed Ketchum, tribal member, Tribal Historian and Vice Chair for the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band; Catherine Luna, tribal member of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and Tribal Elder; Millie Bravo-Garris, Tribal Council Member of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.