Economic Forecast Speaker Bios

Dr. Christopher Thornberg has been called many things throughout his career, but his favorite thing to be called is correct.

Notably, he predicted the collapse of the sub-prime real estate bubble in 2006 and the Great Recession that followed. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he was one of the few economists on record to correctly push back against the forecasting community’s panicked predictions of a depression. In the past two years, he has again stood against the grain—and stood out—for accurately forecasting that there would be no recession.

Dr. Thornberg left a teaching position at UCLA’s Business School in 2006 to found Beacon Economics, and under his leadership, the firm has become one of the nation’s most respected economic research organizations. He consults globally for private industry, cities, counties, and public agencies. A dynamic public speaker, he challenges audiences to question popular narratives—and to ask the right economic questions.

Derek Johnson is a Marin County native with over 25 years of local government management experience. He has served in various roles, including City Manager in San Luis Obispo, Assistant City Manager, Director of Community Development, and Director of the Office of Long-Range Planning in Santa Barbara County.

Johnson's tenure in Marin County is marked by his efforts to address homelessness, improve city operations, and secure new sources of revenue. He has also championed policy initiatives such as an Economic Strategic Plan, Climate Action Plan, and Diversity Equity and Inclusion Strategic Plan.
Johnson has a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from UC Santa Barbara and has certifications in mediation, project management, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. He’s also active in his community, serving on many boards for nonprofit organizations.

Jason is the president of Bank of America in Napa, Marin & Sonoma. In this role, he is responsible for connecting clients, teammates, and communities to the full power of the franchise, driving integration across our eight lines of business.  He leads the bank's community engagement efforts and philanthropic giving locally with a strong focus on job creation, economic mobility, and addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion both internally and externally.

Jason has been with the bank for over 25 years. In addition to his role as President, he leads the Private Bank team in the North Bay. In that role, he and his team work closely with high-net-worth individuals, families, and business owners to help them achieve their financial goals by delivering comprehensive wealth management solutions.  He has extensive experience in the areas of banking, credit, investment management, trust and estate planning, and philanthropic consulting.  

Prior to joining the Private Bank, Jason held several leadership roles across the bank, including Consumer Market Executive, Premier Market Manager, and Financial Center Manager.  

Jason has a strong connection to the area.  He was born, raised, educated, and has worked his entire life in Marin and Sonoma counties.  He is a longtime resident of Santa Rosa with his wife of 30 years.  

When not working, Jason is happiest spending time outdoors.  He is an avid cyclist, golfer, skier, and traveler.  In addition, he enjoys giving back as a volunteer at the Redwood Empire Food Bank.  He currently serves on the board of the employer-led North Bay Leadership Council.

Joshua Townsend is the founder of Strategic 32, bringing over twenty years of combined public and private sector expertise in directing specialized engagement campaigns. His robust expertise encompasses public relations, economic development, governmental affairs, and community engagement. Mr. Townsend has effectively trained and mentored teams, fostering innovation in both public participation and problem-solving approaches. He has established strategic partnerships through collaboration with non-profit organizations, local governments, and corporate clients.  

Previously, Joshua served as Director of Community and Client Affairs at Craig Communications, where he managed all business operations and client accounts. He also managed the North Bay Public Affairs team at PG&E where he directed several high-profile campaigns, acted as liaison to local elected officials, and coordinated internal business units. Earlier in his career, Mr. Townsend was District Director and Press Secretary for Assemblyman Jared Huffman, overseeing public outreach efforts and developing communication materials. Joshua’s prior affiliations include national public relations firms such as Public Strategies and Burson-Marsteller. In these roles, he formulated campaign strategies, organized internal stakeholders, authored press releases, and produced informational materials. A graduate of the University of Arizona, Joshua enjoys participating in various sports and regularly coaches youth teams during his free time. 

Aideen Gaidmore has served as Executive Director of the Marin Child Care Council since 2007. Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, she joined the organization in 2000 and has dedicated her career to strengthening early childhood education and family support systems in Marin County.

With more than 30 years of experience in childcare, early learning, and nonprofit administration, Aideen leads with integrity, honesty, and a deep commitment to equity. Her work is driven by a genuine passion for empowering children, families, and the early childhood workforce.

Aideen is inspired daily by knowing her efforts make a meaningful difference in her community.

Jesse is the Director of College and Career Readiness with the Marin County Office of Education (MCOE). Before joining MCOE in 2016, Jesse taught Social Sciences at Terra Linda High School for nine years and was the first Lead Teacher of the Marin School of Environmental Leadership. He holds a B.A. in History from Chico State University and an MBA from San Francisco State University.

As a San Rafael resident since 1999, Rachel has been active in the community for many years and a strong education advocate. Rachel served as a trustee of the San Rafael Board of Education from December 2013–December 2020, and was elected by her fellow trustees to serve as Vice President in 2014 and President in 2015 and again in 2016.

Rachel leads through community outreach and conversation, and is grateful for the opportunity to serve as the representative of District 4/North San Rafael. Joining the San Rafael City Council during the unprecedented time of the 2020 pandemic brought unique and challenging opportunities. First and foremost, the health and safety of residents and the business community remain a priority. Rachel is passionate about emergency planning, housing opportunities, ensuring financial transparency, and strengthening neighborhoods.

Rachel is also engaged in the What About Age? movement, which examines ageism—one of the most pervasive forms of discrimination—and the ways our stereotypes, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors toward ourselves and others are shaped by age. This work explores the structural dimensions of ageism, including how American laws, policies, and culture can reinforce it rather than diminish it, the healthcare costs associated with it, and how media influences public attitudes about aging. A central question is why society so often centers what is “lost” with age rather than what is gained.

Rachel is equally active in the Marin Jewish community. She currently serves on the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center board and is active at Congregation Rodef Sholom. Rachel received her B.A. in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz and her MBA from San Francisco State University. Rachel and her husband, Loren, have two children: Ryan, attending the University of Colorado Boulder, and Nathan, attending Northeastern University. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys going to Giants baseball games, cooking, and taking her dog, Luna, for a walk.

Rick is responsible to the membership and Board of Directors for the strategic direction of the Marin Builders Association. Rick specializes in building sustainable organizations. His focus is building vibrant and connected teams that share a focus on common and impactful results. He has lead teams at the San Rafael and Vallejo Chambers of Commerce. Rick has undergraduate degrees from Orange Coast College and the University of California, Davis. He earned a Masters of Business Administration in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco.

Rick lives in San Rafael with his wife and two children. He grills a decent dinner, bakes a hyper-locally acclaimed pecan pie, works on projects around his home, and plays the occasional round of golf with his wife and son. "I am truly grateful to be part of a team of people who are dedicated to each other, sustaining our industry, and creating positive momentum in our community."

Jenny is thrilled to be serving as the Executive Director for Call Marin Home. Jenny was a volunteer with the Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative (MEHC) since 2021, was the Board Chair 2022 to 2024, and has been involved in housing advocacy since 2018. She oversaw the transition of MEHC from an independent, volunteer-based organization to Call Marin Home, a staffed housing coalition.

As a housing advocate, she has attended and spoken at numerous public meetings, and has written a number of Marin Voice columns on housing, equity and education. She was also a volunteer for the Campaign for Fair Housing Elements, and has reviewed all Marin jurisdictions housing elements and served on the Sausalito Housing Element Advisory Committee.

Jenny volunteers with other non-profit organizations, including serving on the Sierra Club Marin Group Ex Com, Sierra Club outings leader, and as a board member for Kids Cooking for Life and Teaching Lab. She has a BS and MBA from Stanford University. She is an avid hiker, skier and bike rider, and lives in Sausalito, California.

Egon Terplan is a Senior Policy Advisor, providing strategy, analysis, writing on economic development, infrastructure, climate, land use, transportation, and state policy. He delivers lectures/talks on future of cities, downtowns, inclusive economic development, regional planning. Produce strategy reports and plans. He also provides nonpartisan expert advisory analysis. Formerly, he was the Robert S. Cornish Endowed Chair of Regional Planning and Lecturer in City & Regional Planning at UC Berkeley. He is a specialist in regional economic development, land use, transportation, government reform and regional policy and currently writes about and advises on infrastructure, urban revitalization, economic development, region policy, and other topics.

From 2019 to 2022, he was a Governor appointee serving as the Senior Advisor for Economic Development and Transportation within the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and the California Strategic Growth Council while also supporting the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development and the California High Speed Rail Authority. In that role, he helped launch and manage “Regions Rise Together,” a statewide inclusive economic development and sustainable growth initiative. Through that effort, Egon helped design and create two innovative regional implementation programs – the $600 million Community Economic Resilience Fund and the $600 million Regional Early Action Planning Grants of 2022. He was also the project director for the California Transportation Assessment (AB 285), a review of the state transportation planning and funding system developed, working in collaboration with UC ITS, and also relaunched and coordinated a working group of the 18 metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) with senior staff across eight state agencies.

Prior to joining the Governor’s office, Egon was the Regional Planning Director at San Francisco Planning and Urban Research (SPUR), the Bay Area’s urban policy think tank. While at SPUR, Egon authored or co-authored dozens of reports and policy studies on the intersections of economic development, regional planning, workforce preparation, land use, transportation, and governance. His published reports include Harnessing High-Speed Rail, The Urban Future of Work, a Bay Area Economic Prosperity Strategy and the first-ever report on the Northern California megaregion. He also served on the San Francisco Workforce Investment Board, the Regional Planning Committee for the Association of Bay Area Governments and was Vice Chair of the Policy Advisory Council of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Prior to joining SPUR, Egon spent more than five years with ICF International managing regional economic development strategy projects and advising cities and regions throughout the world on economic development and competitiveness. His work included managing and writing collaborative regional economic strategies throughout California and in Alberta, British Columbia, Connecticut, Louisiana, Ohio, Ontario and South Carolina. His international work included designing and implementing competitiveness programs in Argentina, Bosnia & Herzegovina, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Nigeria.

Egon received a Master of City Planning from UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. In addition to teaching at UC Berkeley, he has also been an instructor at Stanford University, the University of San Francisco, and San Jose State University.

Alex Schafran, PhD is a recognized author, strategist and researcher focused on housing and urban development, particularly in California. His firm, Schafran Strategies, partners with organizations, agencies and companies working to change California’s housing system. He is the host of the podcast Housing After Dark writes the housing Substack Where We Go From Here. A recovering academic, he is the author of two books - 2018’sThe Road to Resegregation: Northern California and the Failure of Politics, about the origins of the housing crisis in Northern California, and the 2020 book The Spatial Contract: A New Politics of Provision for an Urbanized Planet, which lays the foundation for building a new social contract for key systems like housing and transportation. Alex grew up in San Anselmo and now lives in Oakland with his family and an unruly but productive garden.

Riley is Marin County’s go-to land use attorney. For nearly two decades he has successfully represented high profile clients in one of the most challenging development regions in the Country. As a Marin native, he is intimately familiar with the physical and political landscapes that define local land use policies.

Riley has appeared multiple times in front of every Planning Commission and City Council in Marin, and has previously served as the Deputy City Attorney for various local cities. He has been a part of some of the County’s most sophisticated and noteworthy development projects, ranging from the largest multifamily residential development to the region’s most expensive home. His clients include celebrities of Silicon Valley and Hollywood, as well as some of the Country’s biggest developers. He has been at the tip of the spear implementing the State’s newest housing laws in a rapidly changing regulatory environment.

Joe retired in March 2021 after serving as the CEO for Vivalon, formerly known as Whistlestop. a position he held for 13 years. Vivalon’s mission is to ensure that every adult has the opportunity to age with independence, dignity and grace. Joe’s vision for an innovative model of community integrated care for the elderly was realized with the opening of Vivalon’s new Healthy Aging Campus in San Rafael CA in January 2024.

For the past 43 years Joe has been providing executive leadership to healthcare and community based nonprofit organizations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and the country. His work history includes being part of the founding senior management team for seven start-up organizations. Joe was identified as one of the leading health care entrepreneurs by California Medicine Magazine in its 1998 “Who’s Who” list. In 2006, Joe received the Center for Nonprofit Leadership’s prestigious “Heart of Marin” award for excellence in board leadership.

Joe served on the Steering Committee for Marin County’s Aging Action Initiative (AAI) strategic collaboration, an organization he helped to start in 2013. Joe also served as an appointed Governing Board member for the Public Authority of Marin’s In-Home Supportive Services agency for 16 years. He currently serves as a board member for the San Rafael Public Library Foundation, Eden Housing, First Tee North Coast, and was appointed and served on the 2022-23 Marin County Civil Grand Jury.

Joe and his wife, Vicki Masseria, have lived in San Rafael for the past 35 years. They have four children and six grandchildren, and enjoy travelling, golf, and volunteering in their community.