Gerard Minakawa, founder of Bamboo DNA, crafts large-scale bamboo environments for events around the world. A New Yorker with Argentinian and Bolivian-Japanese roots, he studied industrial design at Rhode Island School of Design before his fascination with bamboo took hold in Japan. A notable three-year stint in Bolivia involved running a bamboo workshop and collaborating with Aid to Artisans.

Recognized by I.D. Magazine as a top U.S. designer, Minakawa has taught at prestigious institutions and his work has been featured in publications like the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. He leads the SoCal Chapter of the American Bamboo Society and serves as an Ambassador for the World Bamboo Organization.

Marlo Eakes Meyer holds a Masters Degree in Socio-Cultural Anthropology and has worked in the education field for the past 18 years, specifically as an Education Administrator for the University of Virginia School of Medicine. She has telecommuted her position with UVA since 2010, when her family moved back to their home state of California.

Since moving to Manton in 2015, Ms. Meyer has become an integral part of the Manton community by creating a 501c3 non-profit to keep educational opportunities available in the rural town of Manton. She has helped write a charter school petition to alleviate the situation that a closed campus can cause. In 2018 she started an after-school enrichment program offered free to Manton children, and will be soon be pursuing a PhD in Education Administration.

After spending 40 years in Nevada County, raising her family and being involved with all aspects of community there, BettyKay and her husband Ken made the move to Manton, CA to continue their dream of building a farm.

BettyKay has an undergraduate degree in psychology and decades of experience in volunteer work in her children’s school programs as well as through her involvement with real estate and lending. As a mortgage professional she was awarded “Affiliate of the Year” for her active participation on committees and community events.

BettyKay is excited to bring her skills, enthusiasm and passion to Manton Parks as a founding Board member dedicated to strengthening the Manton community.

Kalan Redwood has been a Manton, California resident since 2006. Her deep connection to the land is evident in her stewardship of a 40-acre property in the foothills of Lassen Peak.

A 2002 graduate of UC Santa Cruz, Kalan founded Redwood Seeds in 2009, a testament to her dedication to sustainable agriculture and seed saving. This venture represents Kalan's broader commitment to ecological preservation and community engagement.

Kalan is a mother, homeschool parent, 4H leader, and a key figure in local education, notably as a founding member of the Manton Education Council. Her life in Manton is marked by a balance of family, farming, and community involvement, illustrating her multifaceted role as a guardian of both her land and her local heritage.

After several years in the Southern California entertainment industry, and subsequently running a handful of successful companies in the San Francisco technology scene, Carrie and her husband chose tending to land, animals, and establishing rural roots over the computers and chaos of the Bay Area.

Carrie has a degree in English and Spanish from UCLA, and a Masters in Business from UC Irvine. As a tech entrepreneur, she was a featured partner of companies such as Microsoft and Meta, was a sought-after speaker at major industry events, and worked with hundreds of global brands and their executives on internal collaboration programs.

She’s the proud mom of a teenage son and thrilled that her husband Lee convinced her to make that first trip to Manton.