Mark Buell is a native San Franciscan, a graduate of the University of San Francisco and a decorated Vietnam veteran. He has spent 35 years in both public and private real estate development. He served as San Francisco’s first Director of Economic Development under Mayor Joseph Alioto, and later served as the first Director of the Emeryville Redevelopment Agency from 1977 to 1985. He was a founding member and first President of CALED, the California Association for Local Economic Development and has served on the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission under Dianne Feinstein. He is currently chair of the Presidio Trust Board of Directors, the Chair of the Marin Community Foundation, President of the SF Recreation and Park Commission, and as a graduate of the University of San Francisco, he sits on the Board of Trustees. Mr. Buell is a former board president of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and also served on the boards of the Bolinas Museum, and the Chez Panisse Foundation. Mark and his wife Susie Tompkins Buell are long-time philanthropists who have championed significant fundraising efforts benefitting the San Francisco Bay Area.
