Board of Directors

Alex has lived in District 1 since 1979, first joining the Authority as a member of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee. As a South County community member, he takes an interest in the area, serving as both Chair and Executive Director for the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce. His highest priorities for conservation include agriculture, working with farmers, and offering recreation and educational opportunities for the public. Alex is retired from the Army and Army National Guard where he was a helicopter pilot and artilleryman. He currently works as a commercial and residential realtor, spending his free time cycling, hiking, and with his four children and eight grandchildren.

A District 2 resident since 1986, Mike first joined the Authority as a member of the Citizen Advisory Committee in 2012 before being elected to the Board in 2014. Mike is an active community leader in the Berryessa area. He served three years as Chair for Berryessa Citizens Advisory Council and started the Berryessa Business Association. He has also served on the San Jose Parks Commission, the Santa Clara County Park & Recreation Volunteer Coordinating Committee, and the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council. Mike’s passions are parks, trails, open space, conservation, and preserving agriculture for all. Mike served in the Air Force and Air force Reserves for 15 years and worked for National Semiconductor for 20 years.

Helen has lived in District 3 for over 30 years. She has dedicated much of her public service to increasing awareness of the importance of access to open space, especially in underserved areas. She helped build a small park in her neighborhood. She served on the board of Green Foothills, chaired the San Jose Park and Recreation Commission, and was appointed to the Coyote Valley Task Force. She is interested in protecting Coyote Valley, connecting people to nature, outdoor education, and sustaining natural resources.

Instrumental in helping pass legislation to start the Open Space Authority, Garnetta Annable has coupled her professional background as a legal administrator with a passion for open spaces for more than three decades. She has served as a Citizens’ Advisory Committee member since 2013, preceded by appointment as an Authority Board Member for 18 years. She has worked hard to secure funding, policies, and attention to many conservation and open space causes within San Jose and Santa Clara County, including the reopening of a closed school site as a community center and most recently Measure T, providing funds for Coyote Valley acquisitions.

Vicki Alexander is a long-time community volunteer who came to the Authority via the Citizens' Advisory Committee in 2019. She has worked with a number of organizations including the Cambrian Community Council, Save Our Shores, Yosemite Volunteers in the Parks, Union School District, Campbell Union High School District, and League of Women Voters. She has an MA in Teaching and has spent the last 20 years managing a family-owned manufacturing business. Growing up in a rural area, spending many hours working in family gardens and on local farms, gave Vicki a lifetime appreciation of open spaces.

Mike joined the Board of the Authority in 2003, serving for seven years and rejoining the Board in 2013 when the seat vacated. He has been re-elected twice since then to represent District 6 which includes part of downtown and most of East San Jose. Mike served as Board Chair for two years. A San Jose resident since age four, he remembers a time when there was far more natural beauty in our community. Mike served as a Legislative District Director for many years, has worked for a large tech company, and most recently for a local special district. He lives in the Naglee Park area of San Jose with his wife Cindy, their high school-aged son and their 10-year-old corgi.

Kalvin moved to District 7 with his family in 1987 and joined the Authority Board in 2007 with the strong belief that everyone should have access to open space, including our urban areas. He was born into a farming family and helped his parents in the field during his childhood. His environmental focus is to preserve agriculture and urban open space land. Currently, Kalvin works as the CEO of a software startup company and is the founder of Naturopathy Clinic. He serves many non-profit organizations in Santa Clara County.