KZYX Board of Directors

“My earliest memory of music was the early rock and roll of the 1950's that my older brother was listening to. In my twenties, driving from New Jersey to my home in Philadelphia, I tuned into a radio show that changed my life. It was the Folk Show with Gene Shay, early DJ during the Folk Revival, and co-founder of the Philadelphia Folk Festival. He played a mix of blues, ballads, Celtic, Bluegrass, and his show was the hangout for folks like Joni Mitchell, John Prine, Steve Goodman, Tom Rush, and so many others. My son Ian became Gene Shay's protegee and today is the host of the very same Folk Show, now in its 63rd year. It was Ian who urged me to consider my own radio show when I moved to Mendocino County with my partner Audrey to take care of her father, who lived to 101. I think we did a pretty good job!”

Born on the South Side of Chicago, following stints at Harper College and Penn State Jeff worked on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade, an experience he likens to Eddie Murphy and Dan Ackroyd in Trading Places. He then built and ran his own electronics business for decades. Jeff has a longstanding interest in politics, at one time serving as a Norristown, PA, City Council Member. A lover of cats and dogs, Jeff shares kids Rob and Ian with Audrey. You can listen to Jeff's show Roots & All Saturday morning at 9AM following Weekend Edition.

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"I think of communities as organisms and believe that thoughtful and diverse radio programming offers a way to grow connective tissue and increase our resilience in a time of ongoing stress. We know that to be heard is healing, it is good medicine, and we are healthiest when we are informed and aware of others and our ecosystem. I studied agriculture and horticulture at UC Davis and graduated with a Pomology degree - that's the study of fruit and nut trees. At Davis, the campus radio station was in the basement of Mrak Hall, just down the hall from my job coordinating courses and events for ASUCD’s Experimental College. Our teams would collaborate on projects that introduced me to the exciting world of public radio."

A third generation Ukiah native, Mary left Ukiah in the early 70’s and returned to town more than two decades ago. She is the founder of Golden Group Solutions, a full-service association management company serving non-profits in the horticulture industry. As a long time KZYX supporter, Mary is committed to the belief that the development of thoughtful and diverse programming contributes to community vitality and understanding. Mary enjoys spending time with her family and friends, especially if good food and music is involved, and engaging with nature, believing in its power to educate and heal.

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“To quote Steely Dan, ‘FM. … no static at all’ illustrates what I love about FM radio. It makes me feel like I'm in the same room as the content being played. My first interest in radio was in 1973 when I used to listen to the Travus T Hipp live show Sunday nights at KZAP Sacramento. I have been in love with FM radio ever since. I'm a Bay Area native, and when we moved to Mendocino County in 2017 one of the first things I did was find KZYX public radio. I have been fortunate to volunteer my time for KZYX since 2023.”

Mark has a BA in Business Management and an Executive MBA both from St. Mary's College in Moraga. From 1978 to 2001 he worked for Pacific Bell, AT&T, Lucent Technologies and Avaya. From 2005-2017 he was an Independent Voice & Data Systems Consultant. Mark races high performance go-karts for fun and enjoys travel to UK & Europe. Mark and Rebecca, the love of his life for 34 years, are crazy cat people with two crazy felines. He wonders if house maintenance can be considered a hobby!

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"I found my way to community radio while living in remote Southern Humboldt and building an off-grid cabin in my twenties. Every night I tuned into the local news and eventually took the leap into journalism through the Community Journalism Project at KMUD. Radio has been a source of connection throughout my life. With a microphone in hand, I've had the privilege of telling the stories of our communities and learning from the people who call this place home.

I love the mystery of radio—how you can be deeply moved by a stranger's choice of music or hear a story that completely shifts the way you see the world. When I moved from Humboldt County to Mendocino County, I spent eight years in Covelo before settling in Ukiah, where I've lived for the past two years. Serving on the KZYX Board is an opportunity to continue growing my role in community radio and to help ensure it remains a vital resource for connection. I'm especially excited about the new Clay Street studio."

"What we play is life." — Louis Armstrong

Eileen Russell was a reporter and anchor for KMUD News from 2010 to 2015. From 2022 to 2024, she worked as a freelance reporter for KZYX, sharing stories from Round Valley and surrounding communities. Her passion for building relationships led her to a career in community engagement with Mendocino Redwood Company, where she works to foster collaboration and strengthen connections across the region.

A strong advocate for rural communities, Eileen is committed to bringing people together around shared values and projects that improve life in Mendocino County. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, raising two children with her husband, two cats, and a dog. Whenever possible, she loves to travel and learn from the diverse ways people live around the world. Her interest in serving on the KZYX Board comes from a simple goal: helping ensure there is always great listening on the radio.

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“I believe in the power of radio. It has been part of the soundtrack of my life. When I was an adolescent, I listened to AM radio rock ‘n roll, KPFA as a young adult, and later I tuned into National Public Radio Now it’s Mendocino County Public Broadcasting. KZYX has expanded my identity as a Mendocino County citizen. Through our station I am aware of what is going on in the inland and coastal communities. From youth to older age, radio has expanded my world with music, information and connection.”

A graduate of Sonoma State University and a Mendocino County resident since 1982, Marc raised his family in Willits and co-created Leaves of Grass Bookstore. He went on to work as a Public Health contractor while getting his paralegal certification. He served as a self-help legal document assistant and Notary Public in Willits for twenty years. Marc began his enchantment with radio by listening to a late-night Rolling Stones show and a Black music station in the 1960’s . He has been a KZYX member since the station went on the air. He likes to joke that longtime programmer Diane Herring changed his life by introducing him to Bluegrass. Marc has a thirty-year history of volunteer work on various boards, including the Ridgewood Fire Safe Council, Shafer Ranch Road Association and the Library Advisory Board.

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“I started listening to public radio in college and grad school, and even though it was not part of my plan, I finally admitted to myself I wanted to work in public radio. I got an internship at KQED, which turned into a job as a producer and reporter. I loved every part of reporting and resisted having a news beat because I wanted to learn new things with every story. Joining the KZYX Board of Directors a few months ago has brought me back into this world, but also given me a new perspective. KQED is one of the giant stations, so it felt more like a business. I am loving getting to experience a truly community focused station, which wouldn't exist without all the amazing volunteer music and public affairs programmers. When my work life eventually slows down, I may just jump back in and host a show.”

Kristin Wiederholt has split her time between San Francisco and Ukiah since 2020. She studied Comparative Literature at U.C. Berkeley and International Relations at U.C. San Diego. After roughly ten years at KQED, she became a life coach, and eventually joined her husband as a partner in their marketing firm. Kristin loves nature in every form and thinks animals make much more sense than humans. She does, however, enjoy and love many humans, including her husband, two grown sons, other family members, and an eclectic group of friends.

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“I was born on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. One of three sisters, I was the kid who loved to be outdoors and the one who learned a lot from watching my Dad build a house for us.  I got interested in politics at an early age and even served in student government. When I arrived in Boonville from Portland in December 1976 to visit my uncles, it was t-shirt weather and I was hooked. Moving here a year later I quickly became involved in local politics and in being an off-the-grid-back-to-the-lander, high in the hills of Yorkville. At first, I relied on KPFA in Berkeley for news and information, but then KZYX powered up, and I’ve been a member and listener ever since. When not working hard for the non-profit boards I'm on, I like to move dirt!”

In 1996 Karen volunteered to help with the KZYX pledge drive and was soon doing a weekly Public Affairs program, known since 2019 as TKO, airing the second and fourth Mondays of each month. She first joined the MCPB board in 1999 and served 4 years, rejoining as Programmer Representative in 2025. She is a profound believer in the value of the “community” element of community radio. Karen is also a “political animal” who is into both analyzing and creating organizational structure and process, hoping that both inform her shows as well as her work on the MCPB board.

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“I experienced firsthand how radio plays a crucial role in crisis communication in both the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake—I was in class at SFSU—and during the morning of 9/11 in my W. 13th St. office within sight of the Twin Towers. In the current Los Angeles crisis, Inside Radio reported that 'while still in wildfire coverage mode, L.A. radio stations quarterback recovery efforts.' Mendocino County's vulnerability to earthquakes and fires makes KZYX an essential port in the storm that requires community commitment from us all.”

Carol Wilder joined the KZYX board in 2024, two years after moving back to Point Arena after 25 years in New York City where she was Dean of Media Studies and Film at The New School. In a former California life, remembered in Living Northern California 1975-95, she served on the San Francisco State faculty, living for much of that time in Point Arena. Her interest in political communication has led to lifelong activism and multiple visits to Viet Nam, where last October she delivered a Fulbright lecture series at Hanoi University. Carol has two kids, two gorgeous grandsons, and a lovable chubby Doxie named Alabama. www.carolwilder.info

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