KZYX Board of Directors

“I could sketch much of my life story in terms of my radio experiences, starting with my father’s singing to me on his radio show on the day I was born. Then listening to kids’ shows on childhood Saturdays in Larkspur while making forts in the living room with my brothers … KPFA during college days in Berkeley in the 60s ... Hot Jazz Saturday Night on WAMU during my decades in Washington, DC … and after moving to Ukiah in 2001, my husband Benj’s jazz-etc. shows on KZYX and KMEC. Since joining the board in 2022, I’ve relished learning more and more about what it takes to create and sustain community radio. Life in Mendocino County absolutely bubbles with vitality thanks to the fascinating individuals and communities that make up our region, and KZYX both expresses and enhances that vitality. I can hardly imagine life here without KZYX to connect, inform, entertain, and inspire us.”

Susan had a 30-year career as an independent writer and editor, working primarily on community health topics with foundations, government agencies, and individual authors. As a Ukiah resident, she has continued to work for community well-being as a volunteer for several local organizations, including as co-founder of Healthy Mendocino. She delights in live music, especially by local musicians, and sings with the women’s vocal ensemble Cecilia. And she spends as much time as possible with her two sons and their wives and her three grandchildren, ages 4-18.

* * *

“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.

* * *

"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.

* * *

“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!

* * *

"I've been a KZYX listener for many years and became increasingly interested in getting involved. When Supervisor John Haschak told me about the open seat, I saw it as a great opportunity—especially given the scarcity of dependable local news sources. I want to help make sure we can get reliable, trustworthy news in this county. KZYX is an invaluable community asset, and I’m looking forward to helping the station in any way I can, especially to make sure the move to Ukiah happens in a timely way."

Growing up in Willits, David earned an Associate degree in Math at Mendocino College and a B.A. in Theatre at U.C. Santa Cruz. David began working for the County of Mendocino in 2021, where he serves as a planner with the Planning and Building Services Department. He also serves as a member of the Mendocino County Board of Education. David has long been active in theater around the county as an actor and director, most recently in the cast of Company at Ukiah Players Theatre. David and his wife Abigail, a professional musician and music teacher, met when they were playing Cinderella and the Prince in a Coast production of Into the Woods. Baby Henry joined their family in June 2024.

* * *

"My grandfather was a radio pioneer beginning in 1911. When I was a kid he would walk me down the street to shop at Lafayette Radio Electronics. I built a crystal radio kit that I listened to at home and then a tube amplifier kit and several transistor radio generation and processing modules. My radio receiver growing up was an RCA 'Golden Throat' 1950s model with the gold mesh front. Since 2022, at my son's request, I have been making a custom 5-stringed electric viola with a fretless fingerboard and a ball-jointed supporting paddle. I have worked in commercial, college and community radio and my wife Rebecka and I have been dedicated members of public radio stations for many years."

Polymath Stewart Dickson has been around: Delaware, Southern California, Illinois, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia before settling six years ago in Ft. Bragg with Rebecka, his wife of 43 years. Their three children include a Florida veterinarian, a Wisconsin professional musician, and an improv actor living in Las Vegas. Their four rescue dachshunds live in a cat condo in the kitchen. Stewart has a B.A. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Computer Science from Maharishi International University. Stewart's work history includes stints at ATT Western Electric, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Oak Ridge National Lab, NOAA National Climatic Data Center, and since 2011, Wolfram Research/Alpha. His kids' first babysitter was literally Mickey Mouse, the walk-around character from Disneyland.

* * *

“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.

* * *

Karen Ottoboni

Programmer-Elected Director 2024-2028

“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.