POST Announces Recent Expansion of Its Board of Directors

POST Announces Recent Expansion of Its Board of Directors

PALO ALTO, Calif. (Sept. 8, 2026) — Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) announced the appointment of five recent additions to its board of directors, each bringing extensive experience across the nonprofit, real estate, legal and financial sectors.

Chaired by Wende Hutton, POST’s board provides strategic guidance to the organization in pursuit of its mission to protect open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay for the benefit of all. Hutton, a general partner at Canaan Partners, was appointed board chair in January 2026, succeeding Raj Mashruwala.

“Under Wende’s leadership, we are proud to formally welcome these new members to POST’s board. As we march toward POST’s 50th anniversary in 2027, the organization will benefit greatly from the breadth of their professional perspectives and their trusted community connections,” Gordon Clark, president of POST, said. “Loren, Robert, Rick, Cynthia and Jana share a deep belief in POST’s work and vision to preserve and connect our region’s beautiful natural landscapes, and we’re grateful for their expertise and guidance now and in the years ahead.”

The expansion of POST’s volunteer board supports strong governance practices across the organization. The five new and recent additions to POST’s board of directors are:

Loren Higgins is a financial services attorney in Holland & Knight’s San Francisco and Los Angeles offices, where she represents financial institutions in all aspects of financing transactions secured by real estate. She serves as the executive partner of the San Francisco office and co-leads the firm’s Healthcare Finance Team. Higgins’ practice primarily focuses on the financing of specialty real estate assets, including medical office buildings, wineries and vineyards, orchards, timberlands, renewable energy projects and more. She has a bachelor’s degree from Washington and Lee University and a law degree from Harvard Law School. Higgins joined POST’s board of directors in September 2026.

Robert Reidy is the vice president of Land, Buildings and Real Estate for Stanford University. Reidy joined Stanford in 1997 and is responsible for overseeing all issues related to Stanford’s lands (8,180 acres); planning and implementing Stanford’s Capital Plan; managing the university’s commercial real estate portfolio on endowed lands; and more. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and environmental engineering from California Polytechnic State University. Reidy joined POST’s board of directors in June 2026.

Rick Holmstrom is the founder and managing partner at Menlo Equities and enjoys working in and around complex business models. Holmstrom received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Woodside with his wife and has three grown children. Holmstrom joined POST’s board of directors in March 2026.

An experienced leader in nonprofit fundraising, Cynthia Brandt is the president and CEO of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’sHealth. Brandt earned her undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University, and a master’s and a Ph.D. in sociology from Stanford University. She lives in Portola Valley and enjoys spending time outside with her wife and grown stepchildren. Brandt joined POST’s board of directors in January 2026.

A career audit professional and retired partner with KPMG, Jana Barsten has served on several nonprofit boards, including Girl Scouts of Northern California and Housing Trust Silicon Valley. She also serves on the boards of and chairs the audit committees for Robert Half and Ziff Davis. A graduate of San Diego State University with a degree in accounting, Barsten is a longtime outdoor enthusiast and lives in Los Gatos with her husband. She joined POST’s board in 2025 as chair of the organization’s audit committee after serving as a member of the committee since 2023.

POST’s board of directors has 17 members total. The board informs the organization’s strategic direction, oversees its financial health and ensures that best practices in management, governance and leadership are followed. POST’s board members attend meetings and events throughout the year, serving as ambassadors to expand POST’s influence and effectiveness with communities and organizations across the region.

ABOUT THE PENINSULA OPEN SPACE TRUST
POST protects open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay for the benefit of all. As a private nonprofit land trust, POST has been responsible for saving more than 98,000 acres since its founding in 1977. POST works with private landowners and public agencies to create a network of protected lands so that present and future generations may benefit from the careful balance of rural and urban landscapes that makes our region extraordinary. Visit openspacetrust.org for more information.

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