Mike was born in Newark, New Jersey, and attended Rutherford, NJ schools until entering Stevens Institute of Technology to study mechanical engineering. Mike's first job was designing aircraft in San Diego, moved to the SF Bay Area to design heating machinery, and then to Fort Ord as one of the owners of Coastside Cable TV.
Mike retired in 1989, and started working full-time on his historic home on 'spaghetti hill' in Monterey. He met and married Carole there, and they moved to their present home in Alta Mesa in Monterey. They applied for historic status for the home, and now have a Mills Act contract to keep the home historic. Mike spends most of his free time volunteering for community projects in his neighborhood, Monterey, and Salinas.
Mark Norris, Vice President
Mark Edwin Norris received a B.S. degree in City and Regional Planning in 1972. He has worked for the cities of Manhattan Beach and Soledad in the Building and Planning Departments. He is a building designer, self employed for about 30 years, specializing in harmonious additions to older homes. He served 4 years on the Montery County (a CLG) Historic Resources Review Board where in 1999 he participated in writing the design guidelines for the historic company town of Spreckels, CA.
With Enid Sales and others, in 2002 he founded the Architectural Heritage Association (AHA!) to save the old jail in Salinas, which struggle broadened CEQA. The City of Salinas supported that effort, and in 2010 adopted a historic preservation ordinance of its own and seated a new Board that Mark chairs. Many in Salinas feel we are in danger of losing too much of our history. Wellington Lee, one of the members of the Salinas HRB put it so well when he said, Salinas houses a "harvest of histories." Saving our treasures supports a sense of community pride, connectedness to the region, and to the people who came before.
Nancy Runyon grew up in the Sacramento Delta were her family has farmed since the Gold Rush. Her first loves were the Victorian Ranch homes of the area. Living in Palo Alto for 30 years, she became involved in preservation on the board of Palo Alto Stanford Heritage and frequently attended the California Preservation Foundation (CPF) annual conferences all over the state. After moving to Monterey, she volunteered on the Steering Committee for the State Conference in Monterey in 2000. She was hired by CPF to coordinate the Santa Barbara (2002), Santa Rosa (2003) and San Francisco (2004) conferences. At the 2001 CPF Conference in San Diego, members of the many local preservation associations began to plan the consortium which became AMAP.
For AMAP, Nancy helped author the National Register Nomination for the Whalers Cabin at Point Lobos. She currently serves as the AMAP Treasurer. Nancy's greatest achievement in historic preservation was halting the demolition of an Atherton 1860 Gothic Victorian home listed on the National Register of Historic Places just 2 days before its planned demolition!
Judith Lehman graduated with an degree in Interior Design working on the restoration of the Wisconsin Governors Mansion for Governor Knowles. Following her relocation to the Bay Area she became Vice President of a Saratoga based design firm and a California Certified Interior Designer before moving to Monterey.
Monterey City Council appointed Judi to the Historic Preservation Commission serving 12 years. Monterey County Board of Supervisors in 1991 appointed Judi to the County Historic Advisory Commission where she served 2+ terms. Judi is involved in many public agencies and continues to work to protect and preserve our communities historic and natural resources.
Carrol Patterson is a long-time (40 year) Peninsula resident. She worked for the Federal Government for 26 years, retiring in 1999. She has also maintained an active California Real Estate license since the 1960's. She has been actively involved in several non-profit organizations, on the boards of several, and has been on the Board of Directors for the Pacific Grove Heritage Society for 23 years, where she served as the Secretary for 20 years. She is still a member of the Board.
Carrol is one of the founding members of AMAP and has a strong conviction about the significance of historical structures. She believes that they should be restored, if at all possible, and maintained for the benefit of future generations.
A Texas native, James graduated from Culver Military Academy in Indiana and received his B.A. in Economics from Austin College in Sherman, Texas. He is co-owner of Carpe Diem Fine Books in downtown Monterey and a member of Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, having served as past Chair (and current Treasurer) of its Northern California Chapter.
James has been actively involved in area community and historic preservation activities since moving to the Monterey Peninsula in 1999.
James and wife Mary Hill are owners of Casa de la Torre, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributor to the Old Monterey National Historic Landmark District, and completed the first Mills Act contract in Monterey County.
James was one of the founding members (and first President) of AMAP. In addition, he has been a Director and Treasurer of the Old Monterey Neighborhood Association and for the past six years has served as a Board member (and immediate past-President) of Old Monterey Business Association. He is also a member of the Board of Old Monterey Foundation, whose mission is to enhance, support and promote the artistic and cultural environment of historic downtown Monterey.
Most recently, James has been Co-Chair of the annual 'Art in the Adobes' festival, the community-wide partnership of public and private organizations coming together to spotlight the tradition of the adobes and the impressive art of the Monterey region.
As a planner for the City of Pacific Grove, I was involved in writing historic preservation policy (Historic Preservation Element of the General Plan) and implementation (historic preservation ordinance). I have experience in working with and serving on public agency boards and commissions, including the Seaside Planning Commission and Carmel Valley Land Use Advisory Committee.
I have served on Monterey County's Historic Resources Review Board since 2008. I have been a Board member of AMAP since 2005. I am a member of California Preservation Foundation and have attended conferences and workshops on various historic preservation topics.
Born and raised in Southern California, Mary Hill has spent the majority of her adult life on the Monterey Peninsula, drawn to its beauty, its historic assets, the pace of life and the people committed to its preservation.
Mary is proprietor of Carpe Diem Fine Books along with her husband, James Bryant. Prior to her involvement with the out-of-print and rare book business, Mary received her Bachelor of Information and Sciences degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz and worked in the high technology field for 20 years.
In addition to serving on the Board of Alliance of Monterey Area Preservationists, Mary serves on the Board of Old Monterey Foundation (OMF) as Vice-President. OMF's mission is to enhance, support and promote the artistic and cultural environment of historic downtown Monterey.
Mary also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cancer Patients Alliance for Clinical Trials, a non-profit outreach program for Latinos and other minority participation in adult cancer clinical trials.
