The Presidio Trust is governed by a seven-member board of directors. Six members are appointed by the President of the United States. The seventh is the U.S. Secretary of the Interior or his designee. An executive director reports to the board and oversees a staff with expertise including environmental science, historic preservation, operations and maintenance, landscape design, planning, resource management, real estate development, public affairs and programs, law, and finance.

David H. Grubb is chairman of the Presidio Trust board of directors. He is chairman emeritus and former chief executive officer of Swinerton Incorporated, a prominent San Francisco-based general contractor. He has served on several cultural and business community committees and has lent his support to a number of charitable organizations including: board of regents and trustees for Saint Patrick’s Seminary, Zoological Society, The Meadow Club, and San Domenico School. Mr. Grubb previously served on the board of trustees for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, chairing the projects committee which oversaw the restoration of Crissy Field. He earned a bachelor of sciences from Princeton University in 1958, and a master’s degree in construction management from Stanford University in 1962. He was appointed as the Secretary of the Interior’s designee to the Trust board in December 2003.

William Wilson, vice-chairman of the Presidio Trust board of directors, has founded and led Bay Area-based real estate investment firms for over 40 years, including William Wilson and Associates, Wilson/Cornerstone Properties, and Wilson/Equity Office. He currently serves as managing partner of Wilson Meany Sullivan, Inc. Previously, he founded the Borel Companies (1963), Webcor Builders Inc. (1971), and Rusty Scupper Restaurants (1980). Mr. Wilson serves on several boards, including the California Academy of Sciences, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and Consortium, Douglas Emmett, Inc., the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey (Emeritus), and the Stanford University Department of Athletics’ Investment Trust (Emeritus). Mr. Wilson earned a bachelor of sciences in engineering from Stanford University in 1958. He was appointed to the Trust board by President George W. Bush in 2003.

Nancy Hellman Bechtle serves on the board of directors for the Charles Schwab Corporation and is the chairman of the board for the Sugar Bowl Corporation. Previously, she was chief financial officer and director for J.R. Bechtle & Company from 1979 to 1998. From 1987 to 2001, she was president and chief executive officer of the San Francisco Symphony and has served as a member of the San Francisco Symphony board of governors since 1984. Previously, she served on the boards of the San Francisco Opera Association and the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, among others. She has received several honors, including the Lifetime Achievement in the Arts from the California Arts Council and the Investment in Leadership award from the Coro Foundation. She holds a bachelor of arts from Stanford University. Ms. Bechtle was appointed to the Presidio Trust board of directors by President George W. Bush in 2008.

T. Robert Burke is the managing director of Metropolitan Real Estate Equity Management, and is the chairman and co-founder of Institutional Housing Partners. He is the former chairman and co-founder of AMB Property Corporation and was a partner with Morrison and Foerster from 1975 to 1984. Previously, he was a staff attorney with the National Housing Law Project of the O.E.O. Legal Services Program. He formerly served as a trustee with Stanford University, and served on the boards of the Stanford Management Company, Catholic Social Services of San Francisco, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. He is a member of the investment committee of the Hewlett Foundation and serves on the board of the UCSF Foundation. He holds a law degree (1967) and a bachelor of arts from Stanford University. Mr. Burke was appointed to the Trust board by President George W. Bush in 2005.

Nancy Conner has served the Bay Area’s parks and cultural institutions for more than 25 years. Since 1980, Ms. Conner has been a board member of the San Francisco Parks Trust (aka the Friends of Recreation and Parks), serving currently as past board chair. She also serves on the boards of the Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority and the San Francisco Symphony. Previously, Ms. Conner was a board member of the Bothin Foundation, the San Francisco Boys’ Chorus, and the U.C. Berkeley Environmental Design Archives Advisory Board, among others. She co-founded the San Francisco Landscape Garden Show as a benefit event for city parks and recreation programs. Ms. Conner received a master’s degree from Stanford University in 1967 and a bachelor of arts from Wellesley College in 1964. Ms. Conner was appointed to the Trust board by President George W. Bush in 2005.

Curtis F. Feeny testified before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives when the Presidio Trust was first being formed by Congress. He brings twenty-five years of experience in real estate development and capital investment to the Trust board. Mr. Feeny is the managing director for Voyager Capital, a Venture Capital firm. He worked from 1992 to 2000 as executive vice president with Stanford Management Company at Stanford University. Previously, Mr. Feeny worked for twelve years with Trammell Crow Company and served on its board; he currently serves on the board of CBRE, the world’s largest real estate services firm, and the Stanford Federal Credit Union. He graduated from the Harvard School of Business in 1981, and holds a bachelor of sciences magna cum laude from Texas A&M University. Mr. Feeny was appointed to the Trust board by President George W. Bush in 2005.

J. Michael Shepherd is president and chief executive officer of Bank of the West. Previously, he served as general counsel of The Bank of New York Company, Inc. and of Shawmut National Corporation. He was a partner in the San Francisco law firm of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP and special counsel to Sullivan & Cromwell. Mr. Shepherd also served as senior deputy Comptroller of the Currency, associate counsel to the President of the United States, and deputy assistant Attorney General.  In addition to serving as a director of Bank of the West and BancWest Corporation, Mr. Shepherd is a director of Pacific Mutual Holding Company, Pacific Life, and Promontory Interfinancial Network. He also serves as a director of Episcopal Charities of California. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Financial Services Roundtable. Mr. Shepherd is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Michigan Law School. He was appointed to the Presidio Trust board of directors by President George W. Bush in 2008.

Executive Director

Craig Middleton leads the effort to preserve the Presidio as an enduring resource for the American people. Middleton oversees the Presidio’s transformation into a great national park by creating a new community in the former military post’s buildings, restoring the forest and natural areas, establishing partnerships to financially support the park, and creating new recreational pursuits for visitors. The Trust was awarded the Urban Land Institute’s Global Award for Excellence in 2006. Middleton was the Presidio Trust’s first employee and has served as executive director since 2002. Previously, he worked closely with the Presidio Council, a blue-ribbon panel established by the Parks Conservancy to plan for the Presidio's transition, and was a senior aide to Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). Middleton holds a master's degree in public administration from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and a bachelor's degree in social science from the University of California at Santa Barbara.