White House Appoints John W. Keker to Trust Board

​​​​​​San Francisco, CA (April 1, 2015) –John W. Keker has been sworn in to serve on the seven member Presidio Trust Board of Directors. President Barack Obama appointed Keker, a San Francisco resident, to the serve on the board for a term ending in May 2017. He replaces David H. Grubb, whose term has expired.

Paula R. Collins, who was appointed to the board in 2012, was voted in as Vice Chair. Ms. Collins, founder and director of Presidio Bank, has served on the board of directors for the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Special Olympics for Northern California, and BRIDGE Housing Corporation. She was awarded the Silver Spur by San Francisco Planning and Urban Research for her dedication to improving the quality of life and economic health of San Francisco and has been honored by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women and the San Francisco Business Times.

​​Keker, founder the San Francisco law firm of Keker Van Nest, is a celebrated attorney and decorated military veteran. Among other professional honors, he was recently listed as one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in the United States, and the best lawyer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Keker graduated from Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, then served as a U.S. Marine Corps infantry platoon leader in Vietnam. Keker was wounded in service and retired from the Marine Corps in 1967.

​”I have long been cheering the Trust on from the sidelines and look forward to jumping in to help the Presidio reach its full potential,” said Keker. “I am honored to be joining the Presidio Trust Board of Directors at this important moment in the organization’s evolution.”

Keker graduated from Yale Law School in 1970 and then served as law clerk to Retired Chief Justice Earl Warren, at the U.S. Supreme Court. He served as President of the San Francisco Police Commission twice, under Mayors Agnos and Brown, as Chairman of the San Francisco Bay Water Quality Control Board under Governor Jerry Brown, and as Vice President of the San Francisco Fire Commission during the Loma Prieta earthquake.

The Presidio Trust achieved financial self-sufficiency in 2013 and now operates without taxpayer support. Keker joins the board at a time when the organization turns its focus from saving the Presidio to sharing it with a broader public.

“Mr. Keker brings a wealth of experience, deep passion, and a critical perspective as a military veteran,” said Nancy Bechtle, Chair of the Trust Board. “We are thrilled to welcome John to the Presidio Trust Board of Directors.”

About the Presidio Trust
The Presidio Trust, a federal agency, is an innovation in the management of a treasured American place. The Trust was created to save the Presidio and transform it for a new national purpose. The Trust’s vision is that the Presidio will be forever a public place: vital to the Bay Area, important to all Americans, and recognized for achieving broad benefits for the nation. Today, the Presidio welcomes visitors, is home to a vibrant community of residents and tenants, and inspires greater good through programs that draw on its history and natural resources. The Presidio Trust serves the public with events, lodging, venues, and recreational opportunities. To learn more, visit ​www.presidio.gov.