Who We Are

Joel is vice president of pre-construction at W.L. Butler Construction, Inc. and a 20-year veteran of the construction industry. While Joel was technically born and raised in the construction business, he chose to expand his knowledge and experience by obtaining a BS in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo after graduating from Woodside High School.  He is a strong believer in strengthening the community through direct volunteer work.

Jack is a retired insurance broker. He was born in San Francisco and moved to Redwood City in 1949. Jack and his wife Raegene have been involved in Redwood City boards, commissions, and charities since 1960. He has held the office of president at organizations that include the Jaycees, Nativity Church, the Redwood City/San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce, and the Easter Cross Association. Jack also served as chairman and director of the Redwood City Fourth of July Parade and oversaw the City’s annual fireworks display as well as serving on the board of directors of the Peninsula Celebration Association. He has spent 5 years on the Redwood City Parks & Recreation board, 10 years on the Redwood City Planning Commission, and 20 years on the Port Commission. Jack and his wife, Raegene, are past co-chairs as well as founding board members of The Sequoia Awards and they are proud to help recognize individuals, businesses, and students for their volunteerism.

Jenny is the Business Manager at the Redwood City Police Department where she has worked for the past 23 years. Prior to working at the Police Department, Jenny worked at the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors as a legislative assistant to District 3 Supervisor Rich Gordon. She was born and raised in Redwood City and lives with her family in North Fair Oaks. She graduated high school from Castilleja School in Palo Alto and attended Notre Dame de Namur University, where she studied Sociology. Jenny is a past Sequoia Awards scholarship winner. She was honored as the Outstanding Student of the Year in 1995. As a former recipient, she enjoys serving on the board and is grateful to have the opportunity to give back and support the impressive young volunteers in our community.

Ed is the retired city manager of Redwood City, serving from 1992-2007. A 37-year veteran of local government, Ed was instrumental in the development of Redwood City’s active downtown, and created programs that increased civic engagement and focused the city on building community. In 2007, Ed received The International City/County Management Association’s most prestigious annual award, the Award for Career Excellence. Ed grew up in Sacramento and earned a degree in economics from the University of California, Davis, and a graduate degree in urban affairs from Princeton University. He also volunteered for Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA).

Since 1995, Ellen has served as a partner in the law firm of Haas & Associates, LLP in Redwood City, focusing her practice on estate and tax planning, estate administration, and probate. Ellen models the spirit of volunteerism that is at the heart of The Sequoia Awards. In addition to serving as the current chair of The Sequoia Awards board of directors, she also serves on the board of Kainos Home & Training Center and is the current president of the board of directors for Casa de Redwood.

Diane currently serves as a member of the Redwood City City Council. She has a long track record of representing the community’s interests in various City leadership roles. She served as vice mayor (1995-1997, 2007-2009, 2017) and mayor (1997-1999, 2019-2021). An active community volunteer, Diane has received numerous recognitions and awards for her service, including The Sequoia Awards Outstanding Individual Award, the Silicon Valley Volunteer Recognition Award for Service to the Sequoia YMCA, and the YMCA Mid-Peninsula Red Triangle for Volunteerism Award. Diane grew up in Long Island, NY. She graduated from the Lewis Wilson School of Nursing in Lindenhurst, NY and is a retired orthopedic nurse.

With 20+ years of industry experience, Albert is a schedule manager at Truebeck Construction, raising the bar on a diverse range of projects. He has been passionate about community service ever since his high school volunteer days at St. Luke’s Hospital in San Francisco, where his mom was an RN for 40+ years. Albert first learned about The Sequoia Awards through DPR Construction’s sponsorship, and joined the board in 2017 to further its mission to recognize outstanding community service. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in civil engineering in 2003, and has lived in Redwood City since 2009 with his wife and dog.

Jim is a retired educator. Over the course of his 39-year career, he served as a teacher, principal, chief business official, and superintendent. He most recently served as superintendent of the Sequoia Union High School District from 2010 to 2017. Jim is a lifelong Redwood City resident and attended local schools including Woodside High School. He earned his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees at the University of California, Berkeley. Jim says being on the board of The Sequoia Awards over the last seven years has given him the ability to serve students of our community by being part of a special organization that makes opportunity possible for our next generation.

Emily is a proud third-generation resident of Redwood City with deep roots in the community. Having grown up in the area, she understands firsthand the importance of supporting local youth and providing opportunities for growth. A graduate of Woodside Priory, Emily went on to earn her B.A. in Human Development from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Emily works in healthcare, specializing in digital marketing, program, and product development. She is a past Sequoia Awards recipient and is excited to be on the board and help celebrate the amazing teen volunteers in our city.

Steve is the CEO of DES Architects + Engineers. His primary role is the leadership and management of DES. By maintaining an easy-going culture that embraces learning and creativity, Steve has cultivated an environment that allows talented professionals to contribute their best work. His leadership has been instrumental in DES becoming the leading architecture firm in Silicon Valley. He is a lifelong member of the Redwood City community. He spent his early years in the Kennedy Middle School neighborhood, graduated from Woodside High School, and has worked for 40 years in downtown Redwood City. He is a past chair of The Sequoia Awards board of directors.

Marcella Padilla is a Redwood City Councilmember and lifelong champion for community service, youth empowerment, and inclusive civic engagement. A proud Redwood City native, she was honored with the prestigious Sequoia Award in high school.

For over a decade, Marcella served on the Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Commission, helping guide major community projects and advocating for equitable access to parks, play spaces, and recreation programs for residents of all ages.

Elected to City Council in 2024, Marcella works to protect and expand parks and open spaces while championing children, families, and seniors. Her approach is rooted in the belief that thriving communities grow from accessible public spaces, inclusive policies, and responsive leadership.

With professional experience in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors—and as a parent with a daughter in Redwood City’s public schools—Marcella brings both practical insight and a deep, long-standing commitment to serving every corner of her community.

Wade Painter is President and CEO of Monterra Credit Union. Monterra is $1.8 billion in assets, headquartered in Redwood City and serves San Mateo County and surrounding communities. Wade has been in his current role since 2015.

Prior to coming to Monterra Credit Union, Wade was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Redwood Credit Union. Wade was previously an audit partner and risk management managing director for RSM US, LLP, a national accounting and consulting firm. During this part of his career, Wade was a frequent speaker at various conferences and provided thought leadership about risk governance for financial institutions.

Wade is degreed in Business Economics, and he attended University of California Santa Barbara and University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Ashley is a public policy manager at Facebook, focusing on community engagement efforts. She is active in her community through her involvement with the Redwood City Library Foundation Board and the Spark Advisory Board, and was recently appointed the Chairperson of the Redwood City Arts Commission. Ashley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Diplomacy & World Affairs from Occidental College. A Redwood City native, Ashley says, “The City of Redwood City  has provided a lot in my life and I’m looking forward to giving back to the youth of our community.”

Sandra is the Western Region Casualty Litigation Supervisor for the Cincinnati Insurance Company. She has worked in the insurance industry for more than 15 years. When she and her family first immigrated to the US in the late eighties, they landed in a little city called Redwood City, where she has lived her entire life. She is now fortunate to be raising her three kids here.

Sandra graduated from Carlmont High School in 2002 and the University of California, Berkeley in 2006. She obtained her MBA from the University of California, Davis in 2022. As a former Sequoia Awards Scholarship winner, Sandra has strong ties to the Sequoia Awards. Her son, Antonio, was also honored as the Outstanding Student in 2024. Volunteerism is a core value to Sandra and her family, and she is both excited and grateful to serve on the Board.

Barbara spent 30 years in the title and escrow industry in Redwood City. She has been an active community volunteer in San Mateo County for more than 35 years. She is a founding member of The Sequoia Awards and past president of the board of directors. Barbara was born, raised, and educated in Baltimore, MD. She is now retired and lives in Foster City. Barbara says, “I believe in our mission to honor all our recipients for their uncompensated volunteerism and help high school seniors realize their dreams to attend college through our scholarship program.”

George is a retired physical therapist and native of Redwood City. He attended St. Pius School, Woodside High School, Canada College and graduated from California State University, Chico with a B.S. in Heath Science. He earned his physical therapy degree from Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and practiced in our local hospitals for 20 years and then in his own practice (20 years) in Redwood City.

George volunteered in local youth sports leadership, his blues band’s fund raising for local charities, and as vice president and chair of the Police Activities League annual Blues Festival from 2006 to 2018. George enjoys his family, restoring an old sports car and riding his motorcycles in our local hills and raceway.

George sees the Sequoia Awards as the pinnacle of Redwood City volunteerism and values the opportunity to work with the passionate professionals on the board.
George was the 2022 Outstanding Individual Sequoia Award winner.

Mark Simon is a veteran journalist with more than 45 years of experience as a daily newspaper columnist, political writer and news reporter. He currently writes a weekly column on local news, politics and issues for the San Mateo Daily Journal. His column appears on Thursdays. His journalism background has been enhanced by 15 years working in the public sector on special assignments, communications and executive management.

A fourth-generation native of San Francisco, Simon is a honors graduate of Skyline College in San Bruno and San Jose State University. Hebegan his career at the San Diego Union and then joined Electronic News, a national newspaper that covered the emerging Silicon Valley technology industry.

He subsequently worked for the Redwood City Tribune and the Peninsula Times Tribune (Palo Alto, CA) as a local, regional and national political reporter. He covered every race for Peninsula partisan office from 1976-1992, as well as six national conventions and several campaigns for president, governor and U.S. senator. In 1990, he became the lead daily columnist for the Times Tribune.

When the Times Tribune was closed in 1993, Simon joined the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle as an award-winning daily columnist covering Peninsula news, personalities and trends. In 2002, he returned to political reporting, covering the historic California gubernatorial recall election won by Arnold Schwarzenegger and the San Francisco mayor’s race.

In 2004, he left the news business to join the staff of the San Mateo County Transit District and Caltrain as special assistant to the CEO. He subsequently held the position of Executive Officer for Public Affairs, leading the agency’s communications and community relations efforts. In 2015, he was named Chief of Staff, continuing his role as a strategic advisor to the CEO and the agency’s three boards of directors.

He retired from the transit district in late 2017 and launched his own writing and communications business, Simon Communications.

Simon and Bob Marks have revived their long-running cable show, The Game, as a podcast/videocast, which can be found on YouTube as TheGamePeninsula.com.

He lives in Redwood City.

Paula is a co-founder of The Sequoia Awards. For more than 50 years she has been one of Redwood City’s most active, involved residents. She was born in San Jose and moved to Redwood City when she was 10. She attended Mt. Carmel Elementary School, Sequoia High School, and the College of San Mateo. Paula and her late husband, Pete, ran Pete’s Harbor, a 280-slip marina and restaurant on Redwood City’s waterfront and one of the Peninsula’s most popular gathering spots. Pete passed away 2005, and Paula ran the marina until the family sold the property in 2014. The Uccellis were dedicated to improving the life of others in the community. In addition to their service on numerous boards and commissions, they established the Uccelli Foundation, which awarded scholarships to high school graduates in San Mateo County. The success of their foundation prompted them to start The Sequoia Awards in 1990.

Chris Weber serves as the director of operations for Oracle, the multinational computer technology corporation. He is an accomplished real estate professional with 25 years of experience managing technology and financial institution real estate portfolios. His current portfolio spans 5 million square feet and includes the only public high school on a corporate campus. In addition to his work with The Sequoia Awards, Chris is an active member of Cornet and SAMSEDA, as well as several community charitable originations.

Shawn is a lifelong Redwood City resident and proud graduate of Sequoia High School. He has spent over 25 years in technology leadership, most recently as Senior Vice President of Global Customer Experience at Dynatrace, where he led a worldwide team focused on customer success and growth. Deeply committed to community service, Shawn has served on several local boards and commissions, including the Redwood City Planning Commission, Parks and Arts Foundation, and the San Mateo County Historical Association. He and his wife, Robyn, a teacher at The King’s Academy, are raising their three daughters in Redwood Shores. Shawn enjoys fitness, cooking, and outdoor activities with his family.