Meet the Team
We currently have volunteer leadership and other positions open. More info
Surfrider San Mateo County Core Team
Chair: Chris DeVry (chair@smc.surfrider.org)
Chris DeVry is the current Chair of the Surfrider Foundation San Mateo County Chapter, dedicated to keeping local beaches clean, healthy, and accessible. Based in El Granada, Chris is an avid surfer who spends much of his free time out in the water enjoying the local coastside breaks and advocating for ocean conservation and community-led action. He also serves as a co-lead for the chapter's Blue Water Task Force (BWTF), a volunteer-run water quality monitoring program that tests local coastal waters to ensure safe swimming and surfing conditions for the community.
Vice Chair: Mitchell Milligan (vicechair@smc.surfrider.org)
Secretary: Samantha Reiton (secretary@smc.surfrider.org)
Sam Reiton currently serves as the Secretary of the Surfrider Foundation San Mateo County Chapter. She first fell in love with the ocean at UCSB, and joined to help protect our beaches and ocean ecosystem — and to raise her family in Pacifica to love and appreciate the environment around them. In her free time you can find her at the beach with her family including her giant dog, on hikes overlooking the ocean, or packing up snacks to go adventure somewhere new.
Treasurer: Ashley Gray (treasurer@smc.surfrider.org)
A high school teacher by day, Ashley likes to spend his free time surfing, playing all original music with Slack Tide Currents, and/or volunteering for Surfrider and the Marine Mammal Center's Rescue team. A decades long Surfrider member, Ashley joined the Executive Committee of the San Mateo Chapter as Treasurer in 2018, and thoroughly enjoys working alongside like minded friends promoting efforts to protect our oceans, beaches, and all of the creatures who enjoy them.
Policy Manager: Kimberly Williams (policy@smc.surfrider.org)
Kimberly Williams currently serves as the Chapter Secretary and Policy Manager. She has volunteered with the Chapter in various roles since 2016. Kim has a professional background in renewable energy policy and environmental advocacy and has worked for leading environmental organizations. Originally from the East coast, she has lived in San Mateo County for over 20 years, and 15 of those on the coastside. In her free time you will often find her out on the water mostly sea kayaking (sadly she is a timid surfer), or mountain biking, hiking, volunteering, and supporting local organic farms.
Volunteer Coordinator: Lilly Hsueh (volunteercoordinator@smc.
Lilly grew up in southern California but now resides in Pacifica, and is a life-long lover of the ocean and California coast. All her life, she has had her heart in volunteering to give back to the community and help those around her. In her free time, she enjoys tending to her houseplants, hiking, watching her husband surf (safe and dry, from shore), and spending time with her two dogs on the beach.
Events Coordinator: Steve Rice (events@smc.surfrider.org)
Steve’s been a long-time volunteer and has coordinated band performances for our monthly beach clean-ups. He is connected to the Bay Area music community through a career in music video production. He continues his music involvement through East of the 101: Music Education Project, bringing music resources to the East Palo Alto community. He welcomes your ideas for local Surfrider events.
Ocean Friendly Restaurants & Partnerships: Britt Bensen (partnerships@smc.surfrider.org)
Britt joined the SMC chapter with a fundraising idea targeted at single use bottle returns in 2017. He's been the chapter's Fundraising Lead, and was Vice Chair from 2020-2023. He enjoys living a healthy lifestyle that consists of outdoor activities in the sun and water. Loves a cold plunge! Volunteering for Surfrider locally has been a valuable and enjoyable part of his life to give back to the community. Slow Food is a passion of his too and he's written about local food producers with sustainable practices. Email Britt if you're interested in learning more about OFR, Ocean Friendly Hotels and/or partnerships with the SMC chapter.
Hold Onto Your Butts Coordinator: Meredith Kasyan (hotyb@smc.surfrider.org)
Meredith moved to the coast 3 years ago after retiring from 20 years of running her own non-profit theatre company in Redwood City. She threw herself into volunteering with several local non-profits, & found a passion for cleaning up our beaches and neighborhoods. Her parents were life-long smokers, so focusing on picking up cigarette butts was like coming full-circle from her childhood. When she's not picking up cigarette butts, she's running OceanCiders Cider Bar in the Pillar Point Harbor area.
OPEN POSITIONS
We are looking for passionate volunteers for our open positions! See current openings here or email volunteercoordinator@smc.