Board of Directors

Merritt Richmond is an elementary school teacher with 30 years of experience in the field of education. She is a professional development designer and facilitator who helps to bring engaging, hands-on learning to schools throughout the Bay Area, and she was a founding team member of the Center for Childhood Creativity at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Merritt has served on the Board of Directors of several nonprofits and schools in San Francisco, including 18 Reasons Community Cooking School and Juma Ventures. Merritt earned her BA in Art History and Elementary Teaching Credential from Duke University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Mills College. She discovered SCRAP as a classroom teacher working at the Creative Arts Charter School in the 1990’s, and has returned to the Depot often as the mother of three burgeoning artists.

Nina Coveney has a  professional background is in urban planning, public park management, and public event planning. She works for Biederman Redevelopment Ventures, a small placemaking consulting firm that creates, redevelops, and operates parks, public spaces, and neighborhood streetscapes. Nina is BRV's Project Manager for Salesforce Park, atop Salesforce Transit Center in downtown SF, where she is primarily responsible for public programming, events, and operations. She is also managing park redevelopment projects in Las Vegas and Chicago. 

Nina holds a Bachelor's Degree in Urban Studies from Cornell University. She enjoys all types of crafting and DIY projects but is especially interested in the sustainability/re-use aspect of SCRAP's mission! She also volunteers her time at the SF Marin Food Bank and local SF Park Cleanups.

Karen Donovan is an Attorney at the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.  Donovan’s work includes developing strategic and programmatic changes to the Bay Conservation and Development Commission’s (BCDC) enforcement program and advising on enforcement cases.  Prior to joining BCDC, Donovan has had an extensive 25-year career supporting local and federal government legal matters as an attorney for: the US Department of the Interior, the East Bay Municipal Utility District, and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.   Donovan served as a Deputy City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco in the 1990s.

Mindy Kershner is a Realtor at Tower Properties and the President of Resourceful Systems, LTD, a nonprofit consulting firm.  Over her lengthy and impactful career, Kershner has been a founding Board Member for the following five nonprofits: San Francisco Friends of the Urban Forest, The Aids Memorial Grove, The Neighborhood Parks Council President, the National Recycling Association Board, and the California Recycling Association.  Kershner has been an integral player in founding these San Francisco nonprofits that galvanize communities to take ownership of solutions, primarily in the environmental justice space.

Varun Bhatia is a global human resources professional who is passionate about growth and transformation.  He has been in various Chief People Officer and senior Human Resources roles in some of the world's most admired Fortune 500 companies, as well as worked in startups/mid stage technology firms, working across multiple cultures and industries. Has also been an Advisor and Board member for-Profit and nonProfit organizations; Senior HR Executive working with the Nomination & Remuneration Committees for Public and Private company Boards; Been an Angel investor supporting HRTech startups; an Instructor at Berkeley Extension School, and also supports non profits related to Cancer and Environment, Sustainability and Governance(ESG). His interest in SCRAP is building on the environmental and sustainable mission we have & supporting arts & artists.

Matt Pemberton brings more than 10 years of experience to SCRAP with an extensive background in expanded learning programs. Matt served as a District Coordinator for the San Francisco Unified School District's ExCEL After School Programs office providing fiscal oversight, technical assistance, and support to after school programs throughout the city. Matt has long been recognized for his outstanding work with high quality afterschool programs in San Francisco, and has a profound understanding of how to run expanded learning programs from the ground up. As a lifelong resident of San Francisco, Matt lends not only his deep knowledge and extensive administrative background to SCRAP, but also his passion for the city and a real excitement that he can apply his vast skills and knowledge to strengthening his community.

Christine Preziosi (she/her) is a long-time SCRAP supporter - as a volunteer, a youth worker, and an artist herself. For the last 12 years, she has called the Richmond District home and when she's not at Ocean Beach or in her home studio working with upcycled glass, you will find her working with dedicated teams across the Bay Area in the nonprofit sector.

Christine currently runs an event production company, Preziosi Event Productions, and serves as a fundraising and development consultant to nonprofits across California. Her work focuses on bringing communities together and providing support to organizations during event seasons or fundraising campaigns.