Our Team

Susan Barnes is the owner of Barnes & Company, an award-winning strategic consulting firm specializing in the areas of land planning, land use approval, communications, public outreach and strategic communications. Susan works throughout Northern California in a wide spectrum of businesses, industries and nonprofits. Susan earned both a B.A. Political Science and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine. Susan has over 30 years of experience in dealing with federal, state, county and local government providing public affairs, land use, public outreach and media services.

Peggy Clark is the Chief Nurse Executive at Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital. She has been a registered nurse for over 20 years, earning her BSN from the University of Washington. She holds an MBA from Seattle University and is certified in both Healthcare Risk Management as well as Healthcare Quality. Peggy lives in Santa Rosa with her husband and daughter. She is a member of the Sonoma County Beekeepers Association and spends her free time enjoying nature in one of the many beautiful parks in Sonoma County or in her garden, playing with the bees.

Heather Nelson-Tapia is the Business Development Manager for Entire Productions, with over 20 years of sales and management experience in the hospitality and events industry. A dedicated volunteer, Heather has served on committees for the Sutter Health Catwalk for a Cure Event, Redwood Empire Food Bank, American Heart Association’s Go Red Event, and Lytton Springs 4H. She is a member of the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber’s Leadership Santa Rosa Program, Class 36, and a facilitator in the Be Better Platform, a networking and professional development group. She served 8 years on the ILEA Napa Sonoma Board, including 2 years as the President.

Heather is a mother of four, a lover of good food and wine, and an 80s enthusiast. She can often be found supporting local restaurants and wineries while connecting with colleagues, friends, and family.

Jack Sanford is a personal injury attorney at Abbey Weitzenberg in Santa Rosa. Jack represents people injured by the fault of others. Jack has been the lead attorney on numerous cases from the initial filing of a lawsuit through settlement, mediation, and jury trial. Jack attended college at the University of Colorado and law school at the University of San Francisco. Jack also serves on the board of directors for the Sonoma County Bar Association and Legal Aid of Sonoma County. In 2023, Jack was awarded North Bay Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 honor. He is also a member of the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber’s Leadership Santa Rosa Program, Class 39. In his free time, Jack enjoys mountain biking and spending time with his wife and two young sons.

Jennifer Stark is a Product Manager at Keysight Technologies. She has 25 years of experience in technical marketing and product management with Hewlett Packard, Agilent Technologies and Keysight Technologies. Jennifer is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a B.S. in Mathematics and a member of the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber LSR Class 35. Jennifer lives in Santa Rosa with her husband and two sons. When she is not working, Jennifer can be found spending time with her family, hiking trails in regional parks all over Sonoma County and savoring fresh produce from her garden.