White House Appoints Four Members to Trust Board

​​​​​San Francisco, CA (June 15, 2021) — The White House has announced the appointment of four new members to the seven-member Presidio Trust board of directors: Mark W. Buell, Lenore “Leni” Eccles, George M. Marcus, and Nicola Miner. All are California residents.

Mark W. Buell was the first director of economic development for the City of San Francisco. Later in his career, he became a real estate developer with expertise in private-public partnerships. Mr. Buell served on the boards of multiple non-profit organizations, including the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the Bolinas Museum, the Chez Panisse Foundation, and the California Academy of Sciences. He is president of the SF Recreation and Park Commission and president of the Marin Community Foundation. Mr. Buell is a co-chair of the Presidio Tunnel Tops Campaign Committee, which raised $98 million to create a new 14-acre destination in the Presidio. He is a native San Franciscan and a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. His term runs through May 4, 2025.

Lenore “Leni” Eccles began her career in education in various roles including high school principal, counselor, and advisor for a university graduate school. She later served as director of a healthcare organization, working also with its national affiliates. Over the past two decades, her focus has been public service, working on governance, resource optimization, collaboration, and strategic planning. Ms. Eccles has served on the board of North Bay Summer Search, as chair of the Board of Trustees of a college preparatory high school, and most recently as chair of the Board of Trustees for the Belvedere Community Foundation. Her term runs through May 4, 2025.

George M. Marcus is the co-founder and chairman of Marcus + Millichap, a publicly traded real estate brokerage firm in San Francisco. He is the founder and chairman of the real-estate investment trust, Essex Property Trust. He has served on the boards of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the UCSF Foundation, the Corporation of Fine Arts Museums (COFAM) that built the de Young Museum in San Francisco and was a University of California regent for 12 years. Mr. Marcus established the George and Judy Marcus Funds for Excellence in the Liberal Arts at San Francisco State University, his alma mater, to support students and faculty in liberal and creative arts programs. His term runs through May 4, 2023.

Nicola Miner is founder of the Miner Anderson Family Foundation, a non-profit organization that advances social justice and access to equal opportunity in San Francisco and throughout the United States. She is on the advisory panel for San Francisco’s Grants for the Arts and is a member of Earthjustice Action’s board of directors. Ms. Miner is an instructor of English at the City Colleges of San Francisco and San Mateo. She previously served on the Presidio Trust board from June 2015 to May 2017. Her term runs through May 4, 2025.

The new members succeed outgoing members William E. Grayson, who formerly served as board chair; Marie Louise Hurabiell, who formerly served as board chair and vice chair; U.S. Navy Admiral Thomas B. Fargo (Ret.); and Dr. Michael Weiner.

“We are pleased to welcome our new members to the board, with their talent, expertise and commitment to public service,” said CEO of the Presidio Trust Jean Fraser. “We are also very grateful to our outgoing members for their work to ensure that the Presidio is preserved and protected as a public park for generations to come.”

About the Presidio Trust and Board of Directors

The Presidio Trust is a federal agency that manages the Presidio of San Francisco, a national park at the heart of the 82,000-acre Golden Gate National Recreation Area. In partnership with the National Park Service and the non-profit Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the Presidio Trust brings alive the park’s historic, natural, and recreational assets for the inspiration, education, health, and enjoyment of all people.

The Presidio Trust is governed by a seven-member board of directors. Six members are appointed by the President of the United States. The seventh is the U.S. Secretary of the Interior or his or her designee.