Board of Directors

Patrick has lived in Sebastopol since 1997 in a downtown vintage home he and his wife restored. He is an Architect, specializing in residential and small commercial projects, many of which are in Sebastopol.

Patrick served on the Sebastopol City Council from 2010 to 2022, and was mayor in 2015, 2018, 2020 and 2022. Prior to being elected to serve on the City Council he served on the Sebastopol Planning Commission and Sebastopol Business Outreach Committee as well as being a founding member of BikeWalk Sebastopol and the Sebastopol Entrepreneur’s Project.

In addition to Sebastopol World Friends, Patrick volunteers with PALS (Pets Are Loving Support) with his social therapy dog and is the chair of the Sebastopol Affiliate of the national nonprofit housing assistance organization, Rebuilding Together.

Between 1984 and 1988 Patrick served in the United States Air Force as a radar air traffic controller, being stationed in Mississippi, New Mexico and South Korea. Following his honorable discharge, he earned a Bachelor of Architecture and an English minor from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, graduating in 1996.

Patrick enjoys woodworking, homebuilding, cooking and baking, bicycling, camping trips, motorcycling, sports cars and spending time with his wife.

Dr. Catherine Lipson has been a lecturer and fieldwork supervisor in the Graduate School of Education at SFSU since 2016, leading classes for teaching credential and MA students. She is also a teacher educator at North Coast School of Education in Santa Rosa. In the past, Catherine served as a high school resource English teacher and as a summer instructor for the Sonoma State University Rising Stars program. Each of these assignments involved developing or modifying curriculum to support literacy to meet the needs of all students including those with disabilities or English Language Learners. Prior to becoming a school or university-based educator, Catherine developed training programs for tech companies such as Hewlett-Packard and Apple Computer. Catherine and her husband Peter have lived in Sebastopol since 1993, and have three adult children. In addition to recently hosting guests from Japan and Ukraine, they have also hosted students from Germany, France, and Mexico through other exchange programs. Catherine’s hobbies include hiking, gardening, writing, and volunteering for SWF and the California Native Plant Society. She sporadically unveils her creative writing efforts, with poetry published under the name Catherine Montague in the Redwood Writers anthologies Crossroads (2022) and Crow—In the Light of Day, In the Dark of Night (2019), the Center for Human and Nature’s Minding Nature Journal vol.12.3 (2019), and Quiet Lightning’s Sparkle + Blink 117 (2024).

Tasha is a 20 year Sebastopol resident. She and her husband raised their two daughters with the experience of hosting summer exchange students from all over the world. She became involved with Sebastopol World Friends when her daughter traveled with the delegation in celebration of the 30-year anniversary of the Takeo-Sebastopol relationship, fulfilling her dream of becoming a Student Ambassador. Tasha understands the experience is life-changing for young people as they widen their understanding of the world and learn to be global citizens. She is passionate about continuing that opportunity for other students and fostering connections across the world to break down barriers and cultivate mutual respect. In her professional life, Tasha works as a project manager for a not-for-profit healthcare organization, where she focuses on improving the quality of care and outcomes for vulnerable populations. When there is leisure time, she can be found in the garden or out on the trails.

Ron moved to Sonoma County in 1964 when he was 6. He went to Oak Grove, El Molino High School and SRJC, and then went on to UC Irvine to get a BS in Math. While at Irvine he met his wife of 40+ years, Janet. After Graduation from UCI, he worked for a defense contractor where he was a SW Engineering Manager in space programs. During this time, he lived in Torrance, CA and raised 3 boys with Janet. Besides work, he was active in coaching youth sports, school activities (band and PTA, mostly in support of his wife), and a Boy Scout adult leader for 18 years (11 years as a Scoutmaster). As Scoutmaster, he assisted over 50 scouts obtain the Eagle rank. Upon retirement in 2018, he moved back to Sonoma County and became active in the JACL as a board member in 2019 (currently VP of Cultural and Community Programs), and then a Board Member of Sebastopol World Friends in 2024. Other than the JACL and SWF, he’s volunteered at COTS Mary Isaak Center, and enjoys wine, cooking, gardening, travel, and spoiling his grandchildren.

 

Ruthie Dunlap, raised in Germany, moved to Sonoma County in 1997. She has also lived in Spain, The Netherlands, and Israel. She has 2 daughters who were raised traveling around the world from early on. She herself has traveled since a young child, enjoys it to this vey day, and is fascinated by different languages and cultures. Her love of traveling and hosting adults and students from various countries inspired her to become involved with Sebastopol World Friends as she believes in the mission: “World Peace One Friend at a Time.” She is a retired Physical Therapist and spends her time gardening, cooking, reading, and just enjoying life. She also keeps busy with her many grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is also an active member of the Rotary Club of Sebastopol and enjoys hosting foreign Rotarians as it opens her world view on an ongoing basis.