Terry Conner

Terry moved to Marina del Rey in 1972, and immediately became an active member of the community.  That same year, the first high-rise (an 18-story tall Holiday Inn) was proposed at Lincoln and Mindanao; Terry organized the immediately adjacent 18 autonomous condominium associations into the Villa Marina Council, to protect the interests of the brand new community, and successfully blocked the development.  Villa Marina was also next door to the Howard Hughes property that was planned to become Playa Vista; beginning in 1976, Terry and the Villa Marina Council fought the original development plans by the Summa Corporation and were a key player in changing the project with subsequent developers Maguire Thomas Partners and Playa Capital Company.  

In 1985, Terry co-founded BioTech firm Mediclone, in an attempt to develop a monoclonal antibody to the disease Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus). After several rounds of venture capitalist funding he sold the start-up to Johnson and Johnson’s Oncogene division and retired. He resumed his activity in community affairs and co-founded COAST (Coastal Area Support Team) which among many other things, filed a lawsuit against the largest owner of properties in America, Prudential Insurance Co to block another high rise development project (three thirty-story office buildings) planned for what is now the Costco site near Washington and Lincoln Blvd. He subsequently worked for members of the California State Assembly, State Senate and U.S. Congresswoman Jane Harman.  Terry is a Playa Vista resident since 2016.

Ruth Galanter

From 1987 to 2003, Ruth Galanter was a member of the Los Angeles City Council and a major player in reshaping Playa Vista and preserving the Ballona Wetlands. A policy leader in water and energy conservation, recycling, infrastructure, wetlands protection, and affordable housing, she also served as Council President and President Pro Tempore. Since leaving the Council, she has served as a visiting scholar at Loyola Marymount University and consultant for diverse companies and nonprofit organizations.

Prior to 1987, Ms. Galanter had a varied career. She was appointed to the California Coastal Commission by Governor Jerry Brown. She consulted for the State Coastal Conservancy and Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. She worked with the Health Policy Advisory Center in New York, as editor of the Health Law Newsletter in Los Angeles, and on many committees of the American Public Health Association including the editorial board of the American Journal of Public Health. She has been a popular guest lecturer at universities and author or co-author of many articles and opinion pieces.

Her work has been recognized by environmental organizations, the US EPA, and the National Recycling Coalition, among others, and is referenced in at least three books.

Ms. Galanter grew up in New York City, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and a Master of City Planning degree from Yale.

Marc Huffman

Marc Huffman was part of Playa Capital Company and Brookfield Residential from 1998 to 2021, and was a key member of the Planning & Entitlements team, serving as Vice President of Planning & Entitlements beginning in 2006.  In this capacity, Marc coordinated the entitlements and environmental review process for the Second Phase of the Playa Vista Master Plan.  Following Brookfield Residential’s acquisition of Playa Capital Company in 2012, Marc also managed the planning and entitlement efforts for other Brookfield communities in southern California.  In 2021, Marc founded MH Land Use Consulting, providing land use and entitlement consulting services, including managing the planning and entitlement process for a life science office/R&D project in Burlingame, CA on behalf of Lincoln Property Company.

Marc has an extensive background in urban and environmental planning, and a Master of Planning degree from USC.  Prior to joining Playa Capital Company, Marc managed the preparation of numerous environmental impact reports and other documents for projects throughout the state of California.Marc has lived in Westchester/Playa del Rey since 2000 and has been an active member of the community.  Currently Marc serves on the board of the Westchester Streetscape Improvement Association; previously he served as a board member for the Culver City Chamber of Commerce, Alcott Center for Mental Health Services, the Westchester/Playa del Rey Neighborhood Council Planning & Land Use Committee, and the Playa Vista Parks and Landscape Corporation.  Marc also served as President of the Playa del Sol Homeowner’s Association from 2003 to 2008, and the Ballona Wetlands Conservancy from 2007 to 2015.

David Kay

Dr. David Kay earned his Bachelor’s degree in biology from UCLA in 1979, followed by a Masters in biology in 1982 from Cal State University, Northridge. He then earned a Doctorate in Environmental Science and Engineering from UCLA, in 1988. He worked professionally in many areas of environmental management for 38 years.

David managed the environmental mitigation projects required by the California Coastal Commission for Southern California Edison’s San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. These projects included restoration of 440 acres of degraded wetlands and uplands at San Dieguito Lagoon near Del Mar, construction of a 174-acre artificial kelp reef offshore from San Clemente, and funding for the Hubbs-Sea World fish hatchery in Carlsbad. 

David retired from Southern California Edison in June 2022 after 38 years, managing projects, environmental project managers and specialists responsible for water quality control, environmental siting, licensing and construction compliance of SCE electrical generation, transmission and distribution projects. 

David served on the Board of Directors of Friends of Ballona Wetlands from 2007 until 2015, and served as Board President in 2012-13. He presently serves on the Board of Ballona Discovery Park and is a staunch advocate for California Fish and Wildlife’s Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project.

David is a native of the Los Angeles area, where he has lived continuously since 1956.

Audry Williams, RPA

Audry Williams currently serves as Senior Advisor in the Archaeology Program at Southern California Edison. Audry brings 25 years of experience to cultural resources management; her experience includes conducting or managing all phases and types of cultural resources compliance, including archaeological resources, tribal cultural resources, and historical built environment resources compliance. Audry developed and manages SCE’s Historic-era Electrical Infrastructure Management Program, which has become the standard method for historic-era electrical infrastructure management in the state of California. The California Office of Historic Preservation recognizes Audry as one of the State’s foremost experts on historic electrical infrastructure. Audry also oversees management of Confidential Cultural Resources Data Program, including data collected, SCE’s ArcGIS Online platform for viewing the data, and ensuring only qualified individuals have access to the data.  

Audry holds a BA and MA in Anthropology from California State University at Bakersfield.