Brenden G. Sullivan – President
Brenden is a solo attorney with a litigation practice in landlord/tenant, criminal defense and personal injury cases. He and his wife moved from San Francisco to Alameda in 2019 to pursue their dream to own and restore a vintage home. Currently, they are restoring an 1896 Marcuse & Remmel Victorian.
Erich Stiger – 1st Vice President
Erich and his wife, Renata, have been active members of AAPS since 1996 when they bought their first Alameda home, a working-class Victorian that was very down on its luck. In the process of restoring it, they put in a ton of “sweat equity”, learned a lot about proper restoration (with the help of AAPS), and enjoyed staying true to the original architecture and materials both inside and out. (Erich even made sure the proper “period appropriate” screws were used on the hardware). When not working on their current Victorian home (a never-ending job), Erich works in commercial real estate in a career that has included refurbishing and re-positioning large office, industrial and residential projects across the country. Erich previously served on the AAPS board from 2011 to 2013, and has continuously been involved in volunteering his time at various AAPS events.
Dodi Kelleher – 2nd Vice President
Dodi and her husband have been vintage house lovers since the early 1980s, first buying a Victorian bungalow in Oakland then, as their family expanded, moving to their Alameda Victorian in 1986. They joined AAPS soon after to learn more about preservation. Dodi has volunteered for Home Tours and various other member activities, and is an active participant in the Preservation Action Committee. She holds advanced degrees in medical science and mental health, with a long career working with both public agencies and private companies. Although “retired”, she still advises on best practices and innovations in her field.
Kay Weinstein – Secretary
Kay is a retired preschool teacher and an architecture enthusiast. She moved to Alameda in 2012, and was pleased to find an apartment in a Victorian home. She has enjoyed serving on the AAPS Preservation Awards and Plaques committees. She also serves on the board of the Alameda chapter of American Association of University Women, as well as on the board of The Lake School in Oakland.
Robert Farrar – Advisor to the Board
Robert is a retired police officer of 30 years, a Marcuse and Remmel enthusiast and is working on a data base on all Marcuse and Remmel’s in Alameda. He enjoys examining these homes to see what is original and what has changed in over 100 years of building.
Karen Lithgow – Recording Secretary
Karen is a residential realtor with a specialty in vintage homes. Prior to this career she was a Vice President in a finance firm in San Francisco and received an MBA degree from Northwestern. Karen also received a preservation award for her 1893 Marcuse & Remmel Victorian here in Alameda.
Open Position– Treasurer
Lisa Baker – Member at Large
I have lived in Alameda since 1979, the year we bought our 1896 Queen Anne on Taylor Avenue. It is a tale many of you share, especially from the old days of scrappy Victorian restoration in Alameda. The house was filthy and in terrible condition, every window broken, rats and pigeons in residence, dirty linoleum on all of the floors, terrible leaks in the roof, no heat, and even a shotgun blast through the back door. We were in our late 20’s, and being romantics we thought it would take us about 5 years to restore. Hah. This year, 45 years later, I sadly had to let go of my house to downsize, but I was still doing projects on it up to the end. I am an artist and painter, and my beloved house was truly my most important work of art, many years in the making. Especially at the beginning, what was then called the Alameda Victorian Preservation Society was a lifeline for all of us attempting to bring these wonderful homes back from the dead, and gave us a community who fully understood what it was like to get splinters in your feet if you dared to walk barefoot inside. I have been a member of AAPS for 45 years, I was on the board a very long time ago, and I continue to be a docent on the Home Tour every year. Even though I am no longer in a Victorian house, I still live in a vintage home – a sweet little Craftsman cottage, also on the island. I love period costuming, cooking, reading good novels, walking by the Bay, painting, and pugs!
Shiva Mendez – Member at Large
Born in Iran and educated in the US, she’s a thorough hybrid of cultures that have shaped her world view. She attended High School in California and received a bachelor of Interior Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design. Having worked in firms in the Northeast, and Southeast, she and her husband relocated back to California in 2000 and moved to alameda in 2004. They purchased their historic alameda home in 2012 and joined AAPS the following year after their first historic home tour that year. She’s a principal at HOK, a global architectural firm, and leads the firm’s behavioral health practice. An avid traveler, she brings curiosity and humility and an appreciation of history and cultural context to all her professional endeavors. She also co-leads the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts and is a member of the Board of Directors. She’s a passionate advocate for architecture’s role in promoting a sense of belonging and works tirelessly to engage with the community and stakeholders to shape their facilities. She’s excited to expand her involvement in AAPS and contribute to preservation of Alameda’s historic fabric as the city expands to accommodate new residents.