Founder & President
Maryam Zar is a civic leader, policy advocate, and public figure based in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. She is Chair Emeritus of the PPCC former Chair of WRAC and founding Chair of PPTFH. Her home in Pacific Palisades is standing, on a street that is practically unscathed, perhaps due to her successful advocacy.
Vice President
Wally is the President of Walter N. Marks, Inc., 3rd generation owner and operator of the historic Helms Bakery District, as well as a builder and Board Chair Emerita of the Craft & Folk Art Museum. He serves on philanthropic boards across L.A. and lost his home in the Alphabets.
Treasurer
Vicky Schiff lost her home in Castellammare. She is the CEO of Avrio Real Estate Credit and serves as a post-fire neighborhood leader, bringing professional expertise and local advocacy to the rebuilding process. With deep ties in the business, real estate, and insurance industries, Vicky is helping to ensure the Palisades rebuilds with resilience, strength, and vision.
Secretary
Robin is Chief Operating Officer of Mad Dogg Athletics, Inc. and a longtime resident of Pacific Palisades whose home was spared in the 2025 fire. Shortly after she and her husband bought their home in the Highlands in 2005, Robin became involved in the Community, first with the Pacific Palisades Junior Women’s Club, and later as one of the founders of the Pacific Palisades Task Force on homelessness. Today, in addition to serving the PRC, she leads meditation classes for residents at Ciela and volunteers with St. John’s Hospital.
Director of Recovery Programs & Community Partnerships
Jay Balagna is a Ph.D. candidate at the RAND School of Public Policy and a disaster risk management researcher specializing in wildfire in the American West and community-partnered policy and action. In addition to his work with the Palisades Recovery Coalition, he maintains a role as an assistant policy researcher at RAND. Before graduate school, Jay was a wildland firefighter in Nevada and Montana, an emergency medical technician in Los Angeles. He has an M.Phil. in policy analysis from the RAND School, an M.P.H. from Emory University, and a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Nevada, Reno. In his spare time, he volunteers with the Montrose Search and Rescue Team.
Deputy Executive Director
Senior Director of Commercial Development & Infrastructure
Community Advisory Steering Committee
Kathrin Werner is a founding member of the Palisades recovery Colaition, and along with her husband who helped launch the Coalition. Kathrin is the immediate past President of the Paseo Miramar HOA, the oldest HOA in Pacific Palisades. She is now leading the effort to launch a ‘Case Study’ for resilient rebuilding in her neighborhood, where her home is still standing, but many neighbors have lost homes or have extensive repairs ahead.
Community Advisory Steering Committee
John Padden, who lost his home in the Alphabet Streets, serves as the President of Palisades PRIDE — the civic group that beautifies many of the common spaces across the Palisades. John is a member of the Executive Committee of the Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC), bringing with him decades of leadership across business and civic life. His commitment to collaboration and recovery makes him a driving force in efforts to rebuild the community with resilience and vision.
Community Advisory Steering Committee
Sam is the Chairman of the John R. Wooden Award Foundation. He has served as CEO & President of Notre Dame High School and Associate Vice Chancellor at Pepperdine University. A lifelong Pacific Palisades resident, he was sworn in as Honorary Sheriff in March 2025. Sam is deeply committed to purposeful philanthropy, education, and community leadership. Sam is an integral part of the Palisades community and advocates positivity, purposeful rebuilding, and a commitment to the historic significance of Pacific Palisades.
Community Advisory Steering Committee
Allison Holdorff-Polhill is a lifelong Pacific Palisades resident, community leader, and fire survivor dedicated to strengthening her hometown through service and advocacy. She currently serves as District Director and Senior Advisor to LAUSD Board District 4 Member Nick Melvoin, where she works to advance educational opportunities and community engagement across Los Angeles. Allison’s deep roots in the Palisades and her commitment to both local recovery and citywide education make her a vital voice in shaping a resilient future for the community.
Community Advisory Steering Committee
Michael Edlen, a longtime Pacific Palisadian and respected community voice, lost his home in the recent fire and has since become a guiding force in the town’s recovery. With deep expertise in real estate, land sales, and sustainable architecture, he brings thoughtful insight into rebuilding while safeguarding neighborhood CC&Rs and community character. Michael also established the long-standing tradition of real estate brokers making substantial contributions to local organizations — a reflection of his belief in community goodwill, resilience, and strength.
Community Advisory Steering Committee
Nina Madok, a retired attorney and Pacific Palisades resident since 2000, is known for her leadership in local initiatives that protect and strengthen the community. She founded PaliBiz to support local businesses during crises, launched Beaches and Parks 4 All to preserve Will Rogers State Beach, and helped start the Kids on Bikes program. Active with the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness since 2015, Nina has long been a dedicated advocate for both residents and the vitality of the Palisades.
Community Advisory Steering Committee
Joe Iacopino is an active civil litigation attorney with a focus on complex litigation who has lived in the Marquez Knolls area of Pacific Palisades for the past 36 years. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Marquez Knolls Property Owners Association. He has had extensive experience in writing, lobbying and enacting laws in California and American jurisdictions in Asia. He brings to the Board a skill set that includes problem-solving, strategy development, organization and administration in relation to difficult complex issues.
Community Advisory Steering Committee
Kaye Steinsapir is a longtime Pacific Palisades resident and community activist, deeply committed to preserving the character, safety, and resilience of the Palisades. She has been an outspoken advocate on local issues ranging from responsible development and environmental protection to community recovery after wildfire, always working to ensure that the voices of residents are heard and that the Palisades remains a vibrant, livable place for generations to come.
Community Advisory Steering Committee
Dr. Robert Lempert is a senior researcher at the RAND Corporation and a resident of Pacific Palisades who lost his home in the recent fire. An internationally recognized expert on climate resilience and decision-making under uncertainty, he is bringing his professional expertise to the community’s recovery by helping to facilitate Neighborhood Visioning Charrettes with PRC — these exercises guide residents in imagining and planning for a more resilient rebuild of the Palisades.
Community Advisory Steering Committee
Howard Robinson is a longtime Palisadian, former Chair of the PPCC Land Use Committee and past
President of the Marquez Knolls Property Owners Association (MKPOA). A seasoned land use professional, he has been a steadfast defender of CC&Rs and the community’s character, while serving as an effective bridge to local elected officials. With deep knowledge of planning and legislation, Howard is a respected voice in shaping policies that protect and strengthen the Palisades.
Community Advisory Steering Committee
Rabbi Bernstein is the Senior Rabbi of Kehillat Israel in Pacific Palisades and a long-time community leader committed to care and collective healing. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Cultural Anthropology from Northwestern University, where she also earned a certificate in Women’s Studies. In 2023, she was honored as Woman of the Year by Assemblymember Jaqui Irwin. In the wake of the Palisades Fire, Rabbi Bernstein has been a steady presence for displaced families and a source of connection and support. Her devotion to this community shapes her advocacy for a recovery rooted in dignity, inclusion, and compassion.
Community Advisory Steering Committee
The Reverend Dr. Grace Park is a native of Southern California who graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Political Economics, with studies abroad in both the U.K. and Japan. She was ordained in the PCUSA in 1996, and has served in many different roles in the church as a children’s pastor, youth pastor, and associate pastor. Since the Palisades Fire, she has been an advocate for mobile home communities and fixed income residents and a voice for a community-centered recovery that leaves no one behind.
Community Advisory Steering Committee
Laura Nicole Diamond is a civil rights lawyer, author, and advocate based in Los Angeles. She’s known for the award-winning novel Shelter Us and the anthology Deliver Me: True Confessions of Motherhood. She writes about family, social justice, and parenting and works as an immigration attorney representing unaccompanied children. She is among our Legacy Families — her family having lost three homes in the Palisades Fire. Her area of interest is bluffs stabilization and the safety of our cliffside homes.
Community Advisory Steering Committee
Adam brings decades of experience as a television and digital media executive, creative consultant. He has held senior roles at HBO Digital, Disney/ABC Television, ABC Entertainment and others.
Across media, advocacy, and public service, his work reflects a commitment to strong storytelling, creative leadership, and mentorship—skills he brings to the Palisades Recovery Coalition in support of community narrative, arts, and recovery-focused communications.
