Mark Buell to Chair the Presidio Trust Board of Directors

San Francisco, CA (March 27, 2023) – Mark Buell was elected chair and Nicola Miner was elected vice chair of the Presidio Trust Board of Directors at a board meeting on March 23. The change is effective on April 1. The Presidio Trust is the innovative federal agency that manages the Presidio of San Francisco, one of the most visited national park sites in the United States.

Mr. Buell was appointed to the Presidio Trust Board by the President of the United States in June 2021 and was previously its vice chair. He has served many park organizations, including the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

Mr. Buell succeeds Lynne Benioff, who served as board chair from August 2021 to April 2023. During her tenure, she and Mr. Buell were co-chairs of the Campaign Committee that raised $98 million to build the Presidio Tunnel Tops. Those 14-acres of new Presidio parkland opened to great acclaim in July 2022. Ms. Benioff will remain on the board, serving on its Governance Committee.

“This past year marked an incredible milestone as Presidio Tunnel Tops became a reality. We’ve hosted more than one million visits, including many people discovering the park for the very first time,” said Mr. Buell. “Lynne’s leadership resulted in a park with more wonderful opportunities for kids to learn and play and for all people to feel welcome, including those who in the past may have felt excluded from the national parks.”

Under Mr. Buell’s leadership, the Presidio Trust will focus on shoring up the park’s utilities, supported by a recently awarded $200M federal grant to tackle deferred maintenance. “We will modernize the Presidio’s water and electrical systems, which largely date from its Army era. This will bring our utilities into the 21st century, ensuring the Presidio is safe, more resilient to climate change, and able to support the transition to a fossil-free future,” said Mr. Buell.

Nicola Miner, who previously served on the Presidio Trust board from 2015 to 2017 and who was reappointed in June 2021, becomes its vice chair. “I’m thrilled to be part of making the Presidio a park for all and preserving it as one of America’s great treasures,” she says. “It’s an honor to contribute to our community through service to this wonderful national park site.”

Other board members are Leni Eccles and Carole McNeil. The Secretary of the Interior is expected to appoint a representative soon. Learn more about Presidio Trust Board Members.