Western Neighborhoods Project is dedicated to the history of San Francisco's Richmond, Sunset, OMI and West of Twin Peaks districts.   read more ...

Western Neighborhood Project Staff

  • Nicole MeldahlNicole Meldahl, Executive Director

    Nicole Meldahl was born and raised in a Southern California suburb, moving to San Francisco in 2002 to attend San Francisco State University. She began working for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) as an intern with the Park Archives and Records Center (PARC) while still an undergraduate, and stayed on after receiving her BA in American History in 2008. Nicole has spent the last eleven years with the GGNRA, most recently working as an archives and museum technician with collections management duties, and supplements her income as a freelance historian and contract archivist working with local nonprofits and private collectors. In 2016, Nicole graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Master of Arts degree in Museum Studies. Beginning in 2012, Nicole volunteered as the Registrar and Collections Manager for the Western Neighborhoods Project. She joined the WNP board in 2014. Nicole left the board in 2019 to take on the role of Executive Director.

    Nicole passes her scant free time as a blogger interpreting contemporary culture, local history and music through the lens of philosophy, photography, and prose poetry at Nostos Algos. She is a proud resident of the Sunset District

 

Western Neighborhood Project Board of Directors

  • Edward V. AndersonEdward V. Anderson

    Ed is a San Francisco native and Silicon Valley attorney. Ed has been interested in architecture since his days at Lick -Wilmerding High School. As a St. Francis Wood resident, Ed initiated and worked with Richard Brandi and Woody La Bounty to produce the book San Francisco's St. Francis Wood, Outside Lands Media (2012) to celebrate St. Francis Woods hundredth anniversary. Ed also has been a client on a number of projects with the architectural firm of Turnbull, Griffin Haesloop. Ed has served on numerous boards, including Lick-Wilmerding High School, the Hamlin School for Girls, the Stanford Law School Board of Visitors, San Francisco Beautiful and the St. Francis Wood Homes Association. Ed obtained his undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford. When not in San Francisco, Ed enjoys spending time in his wood shop at the Sea Ranch.

  • Eva LaflammeEva Laflamme

    Eva is originally from Massachusetts but has called California home for more than 20 years. Currently, she is working towards her MA in Museum Studies at SFSU with an emphasis on fundraising and management. Eva also volunteers at the De Young, Legion of Honor, and Asian Art Museum, and is an intern for Alcatraz working on updating their website to include information about sustainability on the island. Eva has a background in art history and art education and also teaches stained glass to children. She loves learning about the personal stories and events that bring history to life and is excited to figure out where all the best coffee shops and bakeries are in every nook and cranny of SF

  • Denise LaPointeDenise LaPointe

    Denise has run her own public relations/strategic communications company, LaPointe Group, Inc., for over 25 years in San Francisco. She consults on numerous political, corporate, and community projects.

  • Vivian TongVivian Tong

    Vivian was born and raised in San Francisco's Sunset District and currently works as an independent illustrator and museum registrar. She has worked in collections at the SFO Museum, public programs at the Chinese Historical Society of America, and research consultant at the Wells Fargo Community Mural Program. She earned her undergraduate degree in Art from UCLA and her master's in museum studies from SFSU. In her free time, she enjoys caring for her house plants and visiting the many museums around the Bay Area.

  • Carissa TonnerCarissa Tonner

    Carissa was born and raised in the Midwest, but moved to San Francisco 7 years ago and was lucky enough to land in the Sunset District. In Chicago, she studied Art History at Roosevelt University in the historic Adler & Sullivan Auditorium Building. This piqued her interest in historic preservation, which led to Carissa joining the administrative team at The Conservation Center, the nation's largest privately-held art conservation laboratory. Since moving to the Bay Area, Carissa spent seven years with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, working as the VP of Finance and Operations and later as Executive Director, and is currently Director of Finance at Wornick Jewish Day School. Carissa holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Roosevelt University.

  • Kyrie WhitsettKyrie Whitsett

    Kyrie is a recent addition to San Francisco, but didn't feel "settled" in the City until she started volunteering at the Western Neighborhoods Project and became familiar with its wonderful communities. With a background in multimedia production, Kyrie has helped with video projects like the annual movie night program as a volunteer. Kyrie was born and raised in Oregon and received a liberal arts degree from Willamette University. She is currently a partner coordinator for the web archiving team at Internet Archive.

  • Arnold M. WoodsArnold M. Woods

    Arnold M. Woods is a Bay Area attorney who has resided in the Outer Richmond district of San Francisco since 1996. He is general counsel to Western Neighborhoods Project and has been a board member since WNP's inception. He coordinates the WNP booth at the Outside Lands Music & Arts festival and occasionally contributes articles for the quarterly member magazine. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Law.