Pacific Beach Coalition (PBC) is led by a Board of Directors comprised of corporate and community leaders who donate their time and talent to running PBC’s current education and field programs in the most impactful and rewarding way.

Board of Directors

Jim Fithian (Chair) is our cofounder and has been an active volunteer member since 1997, having established our first beach cleanup and continued to lead monthly cleanups since September 1998 at Pacifica State Beach in Linda Mar. His focus on direct ‘eco-action’ began while dogwalking (and picking up litter) along Pacifica’s shoreline which evolved into leading by example to inspire Pacifica to be an environmentally responsible city. A former school principal, Jim continues to proudly participate in education, advocacy and other hands-on activities to guide current and future generations, including school and civic groups, to be engaged as lifelong stewards.

Shari Bookstaff (Vice Chair) first joined PBC as our science geek/advisor interested in helping the fantastic naturalist program grow. She would also like to help all of our members understand what makes upwelling so special and how it connects to our magnificent whale sightings we’ve been seeing. Shari has been a marine biology professor at Skyline College for the past 30 years and was the founding President of the local chapter of the American Cetacean Society. She founded the nonprofit Lifetime of Impact to offer workshops to healthcare students focusing on forging immediate connections to their patients.

Pete DeJarnatt (Treasurer) grew up in Pacifica and has been a resident for more than 50 years. He was a self-employed small business owner who retired a few years ago. With a lifetime love for the ocean, he has been an active member and supporter of PBC since 2005.  As a City Council member for 16 years, Pete did his best to help make decisions that had a positive effect on our open space, hills, beaches, and ocean. Pete is excited to be a part of such a worthwhile organization. 

Barbara Sondag (Secretary) has been an active PBC volunteer at beach cleanups since 2022, joining the board and leading the Earth Day EcoFest planning committee. She was inspired to join PBC after her daughter had difficulty finding service hour opportunities for middle school students, and realized that PBC was one of the few Bay Area organizations where her daughter could participate. Barbara is a privacy attorney with 20+ years experience in building data protection programs for companies in the EU and US. Originally from Indiana, Barbara lived in the Netherlands for 12 years and relocated to the Bay Area in 2015. She is passionate about educating and engaging youth to become involved in service opportunities and environmental protection.

Staff

Patrick James Cavanaugh joined Pacific Beach Coalition in 2025, serving as Executive Director to support the transition from 20 years of leadership by our past president, Lynn Adams.

Greg Finkelstein first came to PBC as a Naturalist in 2021, and now serves as our Program Coordinator, coordinating our cleanup site captains, habitat restoration events, education and Give Back programs.

Naturalists, Site Captains, Marketing and Communications Leads, Active Members and Volunteers (more than 11,000 in 2025), we couldn’t do it without you. Learn more about our team. Support us!