Our Team
Eileen Kawas, President
Eileen is relatively new to San Clemente, but already realizes that the Pier is at the center of our community. She served a 3 year term as President of PierPride Foundation (2018-2021), navigating the Board through the difficult times of the pandemic and leading the charge to improve the Pier restroom and sister-building, the Pier snack shack. She was named San Clemente Citizen of the the Year in 2022. The Board salutes her for stepping up for another term. Living in San Clemente allows Eileen to be closer to her family, after 20 years in Santa Monica. With a BS in Biology and an MBA in Finance, she worked in project management roles for various industries. Her specialty is commercialization consulting for emerging bio-techs. Eileen treasures our Pier, she wants future generations to find as much pleasure in the Pier as she does. After all, not everyone gets to live in a town with both a beach and a pier!
Don Brown, Past President
Don Brown moved to San Clemente after a 40 year career in Aviation both with the Marine Corps and the Boeing Company. Marine Corps included 325 Combat Missions and a ground tour as a Forward Air Controller with the Korean Marines in Vietnam. Assignments included Top Gun, Navy Test Pilot School, and Command of an F-18 Squadron. Served as a Boeing Test Pilot on numerous Commercial aircraft and assigned to the US Air Force C-17 Program as Company Experimental Test Pilot and Chief Pilot. Before retirement was the Director of Flight Operations for all Boeing Airlift and Tanker Programs.
Past Board Member and President of the Boys & Girls Club. Board member and President of San Clemente Exchange Club. Former San Clemente Planning Commissioner, including 3 years as Chair and 5 years as representative to the Coastal Advisory Committee. Named to San Clemente Wall of Recognition 2021. Pier-related contributions include helping create the Local Coastal Plan for the Coastal Commission and guiding Sand Replenishment effort for our beaches.
Amber Gregg, Vice President
The Pier has been an ever-present aspect of happy milestones in Amber’s life. From fishing on the Pier with her dad as a child, to having her husband Sean propose to her with it as the backdrop, the Pier truly holds a special place in her heart. Amber was a City Planner for the City of San Clemente for 13 years, after resigning and starting her own planning & entitlement firm in 2018, she wanted to give back to the community that has always given so much to her. Amber’s positive and collaborative personality paired with her extensive professional experience provide her with a unique understanding of our local government and how to work with the City and community members to help aid in achieving the goals and mission of PierPride.
Lori Donchak, Secretary
Lori believes that anticipating needs of future generations is essential to ensuring San Clemente’s place as one of the best beach cities in California. She is a former San Clemente mayor and was named San Clemente Citizen of the Year in 2011. She served 12 years as a San Clemente city council member, and in that time led efforts for the Safety Quiet Zone along the coast’s railway and launched the popular summer trolley which links the Pier with other parts of town. She was named to the City Wall of Recognition in 2018. to A graduate from Northwestern University with a B.S. in Linguistics and Education, Lori received an MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She enjoyed a 20 year career as a business executive in the communications industry. Most recently, she has taught for a decade at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School. She is on the Board of the Armed Services YMCA. Dolphin-spotting with her family is definitely her favorite Pier activity.
Jim Nielsen, Treasurer
Jim is a retired federal law enforcement agent. Upon retiring, he ran a successful forensic accounting and investigations business. He has been declared an expert witness in both federal and state court relative to investigative accounting. More recently, he has devoted his life to his family and to his five grandchildren. He has been active for many years as Treasurer of Courtney’s SandCastle Charitable Foundation, the Friends of San Clemente Beaches Parks and Recreation Foundation, and the San Clemente Lifeguard and Junior Lifeguard Foundation. He has also been involved in the annual San Clemente Ocean Festival. Jim is a graduate of the San Clemente Leadership class and the Orange County Sheriff’s’ Citizens Academy. He received the 2013 Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chamber of Commerce and the San Clemente Spirit Award by Senator Mark Wyland. In 2015, he was named to the San Clemente Wall of Recognition. The San Clemente Pier first came into Jim’s life when he visited and fished with his uncle when Jim was a young boy.
Steve Camp, San Clemente Planning Commission Liaison As an apprentice architect in the late 70s, Steve would ride his bike to the Pier for an evening surf session. He realized that San Clemente had a charm unique to Orange County and the Pier had much to do with that. After getting his bachelor of architecture degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Steve married his college sweetheart and they moved into a modest home in Laguna Niguel. By 1995, Steve and his wife Angela realized their dream of building a house of his design overlooking the Pacific in San Clemente.
As a licensed architect, Steve opened his own firm in 1990 specializing in custom beach homes and commercial office buildings. Though successful in this type of work and having received AIA awards for his designs, Steve’s professional career eventually became more aligned with his religious faith and he began designing churches. Although his firm Elements Architecture was experiencing its highest level of productivity, Steve felt it important to share his gifts with the city he loves and volunteered to sit on the San Clemente Planning Commission. He also chairs the Design Review Sub-committee with a strong desire to maintain a high quality of development that retains the Spanish Village by the Sea charm. 45 years after first enjoying the surf of the San Clemente Pier, Steve serves on PierPride’s board to help preserve this historic icon.
Rick Divel, Director
With seeds of one of San Clemente’s pioneering families, Rick DIvel is the youngest Patriarch of San Clemente. In addition to PierPride, Rick currently serves on the golf commission for the City, he divides his time between volunteering at the Casa Romantica and serving as an Ambassador for the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce.
Graduating from California State University at Los Angeles with a B.S. in Recreation Education; he was led into the world of professional golf, sporadically playing on the PGA Tour. That convinced him it was more economical for him to follow his father into the insurance industry. He currently owns Divel Insurance Agency here in town and has recently been joined in the business by his son Ryan who creates a third generation of Divel’s taking care of their clients’ insurance needs. When not on the golf course or on the Pier, you can find him with his wife Reeca delighting in the many things to do in our “Pride of the Pacific”.
Erin Foote, Director Erin considers her children as her greatest accomplishment and feels both proud and privileged they were able to grow up in Capistrano Beach and San Clemente and attend the same local schools that her husband Todd and she did. The Foote family takes advantage of everything our great little town has to offer. From camping, surfing and the beach trail to wonderful restaurants, shopping and Pier. After spending 18 years in publishing here in San Clemente for local action sports magazines, Erin had the opportunity to join another long time San Clemente based company, Sonance. While working in action sports was oftentimes fun and exciting, the past 14 years with Sonance has provided a great opportunity to give back to the community through non-profit Sonance Foundation where Erin serves as the Secretary on the board, Through Sonance Foundation, she volunteers for the Boys & Girls Club of the South Coast, joins in beach clean ups for Surfrider and participates in FAM events. Erin believes we are lucky to have such a great community that cares for not only our resources, but also each other. She considers herself grateful to be able to have grown up and also raise a family here. Taking visiting family and friends to the Pier is always on the Foote’s list of things to do.
Rob Feuerstein, San Clemente Beaches Parks & Recreation Commission Liaison San Clemente found Rob Feuerstein and his wife, Carol, in early 2018, following his retirement from Boeing in Arizona after 37 years. Rob serves on the San Clemente Beaches, Parks and Recreation Commission. Professionally, Rob managed several Engineering and Manufacturing departments at Boeing’s Apache helicopter plant in Mesa, AZ, before packing up and moving west. He previously served on the Board of Directors of Goodwill of Central Arizona, and was a member of the Industrial Advisory Board for the Engineering Technology Department at Arizona State University. He currently works as a freelance editor, focusing on business books and articles. Rob and Carol have two daughters and five grandchildren.
It was so special to see two of our grandkids talking with Santa Claus at the end of the Pier. What a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday – Santa, a beautifully decorated tree, grandkids in red-striped Christmas PJs and the sun setting into the ocean as a backdrop. Perfect.
Maxwell Helm, Director A proud San Clemente native, Maxwell Helm fondly recalls spending summer days at the pier during his time with the Junior Lifeguards. With a family background in architecture and design-build construction and a knack for digital instruments since the age of 13, Maxwell's progression into a career in graphic design and its interaction with the built environment seems, in hindsight, an obvious one. Starting as an intern, Maxwell practically grew up at global architectural design firm RSM Design, based in San Clemente. Now, as a Senior Designer at RSM, Maxwell has had the opportunity to contribute to numerous distinguished projects. In his free time, Maxwell enjoys reading about a variety of subjects, with a particular emphasis on history. He believes that by asking better questions and understanding one's journey, you gain insights into where you are and where to go next.
Donna Kalez, Director Donna Kalez is the daughter of Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching Founder, Don Hansen. Dana Wharf Sportfishing has built a successful business through leadership on global responsible sportfishing as well as pioneering whale watching in 1961. They were the first business in Dana Point Harbor in 1971 and opened a second Whale Watching company, Oceanside Adventures, in Oceanside Harbor in 2015. Dana Wharf Sportfishing is well known for participation and support of local charitable causes. Donna continues this legacy and holds positions that include: Board of Director for Doheny State Beach Foundation, Board Chair for Festival of Whales Foundation, Advisor on Fish for Life, Member of San Clemente Dons, and former President of Dana Point Chamber of Commerce. She is an active member of Dana Point Chamber of Commerce, San Clemente Chamber of Commerce, Oceanside Visitors Bureau, the Wyland Foundation, Dana Point Historical Society, National Charity League and of course PierPride. She was named Dana Point 2018 Citizen of the Year and 2018 Woman of the Year for the CA Legislative Women's Caucus in her Senate District.
She lives in San Clemente with husband, Mark and 2 daughters. Her favorite Pier story is the last time on the Pier with her Dad for San Clemente Day. Don walked out the Pier, and for an 85 year old man that is a long walk. He was a speaker for a kids fishing tournament. On that walk, he told Donna many fun stories of the Pier days when he was kid. Because as you know it all started for him once he visited San Clemente as a boy and saw that Pier.
Don Kindred, Director
Don is Publisher of the San Clemente Journal, one of the most respected regional publications in Orange County. He is a 40-year resident of San Clemente. He began his typesetting, photography and graphics agency in 1984, and has published the community quarterly San Clemente Journal for twenty years. Don writes about and photographs the residents, the history, and the current events that celebrate life in San Clemente. Don has served as President of the Chamber of Commerce, the San Clemente Kiwanis Club and the venerable San Clemente Dons. He was a founding board member of the Friends of San Clemente Beaches Parks and Recreation Foundation, the Sports Hall of Fame selection committee and The San Clemente Political Action Committee. He is also a member of the Downtown Business Association, the San Clemente Historical Society, and an advisory board member of the Boys and Girls Club of the South Coast area. Don’s many accomplishments in San Clemente were recognized when he and his wife Shelly received the 2023 Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement award. Don believes the Pier is the centerpiece of our community and needs to be cared for.
Peter Prescott, Director Peter has been a long time supporter of San Clemente Pier and most recently was instrumental in making the dream of the refurbished Pier snack shack a reality. Peter has a long-standing, trusted reputation as a financial planner. His firm, Prescott Tax & Wealth Management is well-known in Orange County as offering tax, trust and estate planning for both individuals and businesses. Peter is a University of Berkeley graduate, a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Masters degree in Taxation and several other financial credentials.
He and his wife Margie have deep roots in both San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente, and raised their three children with a lifestyle that included frequent visits to the Pier. Peter says his family especially loves the Pier because of it’s rich sense of history and because it is accessible to all —a great way to enjoy the water even if you are not a swimmer or surfer. The Prescott family looks forward to introducing their new grandchild to all the Pier has to offer.
Aaron Washington, Director
Aaron has been a resident of San Clemente since January 2006. A military brat, Aaron was born in Bremerton, WA, Kitsap county Naval Hospital. Just under a year old his family moved to San Diego, where he was raised until age 13. He moved to Denver CO at 13 and finished Jr High and High School. At 17 1/2 enlisted in the Navy, and the Navy brought Aaron and family (Ayako and Elijah) to San Clemente.
After 35 years of Naval Service, Aaron retired as a Full Commander and made San Clemente his home. Aaron has had a life of service and continues to serve his community and city in his retirement. It will forever be cemented in his memory all summer of 2011, trying to stand up on a long board he’d made at Stewards Surf shop. For weeks north of the Pier he’d catch waves and tumble, and he loved every minute of it. One young surfer in the last days of summer approached Aaron and said, “Dude you have the right idea but you wait too late to stand. The board is unstable because of the bubbles.”
Samantha Wylie, City of San Clemente Liaison
Samantha is Beaches, Parks & Recreation Director with the City of San Clemente. She is the city staff liaison to PierPride and also a San Clemente resident. Samantha oversees the extensive San Clemente Park System as well as the many recreational amenities offered: swimming lessons and skateboard parks, tennis and in-line-dancing and every fun activity in-between. With close to 20 years serving San Clemente, she has a deep appreciation for the unique challenges associated with city stewardship of a public pier. From routine maintenance to thoughtful preservation, keeping San Clemente Pier and surrounding beaches a safe, welcoming destination for the millions of annual visitors is a top priority for Samantha. Samantha’s favorite aspect of the Pier? The Menorah and Christmas Tree that signal hope from the end of the Pier each holiday season.