Body of News Release
San Rafael, CA – The Marin County Board of Supervisors celebrated volunteer service and intern participation at a May 18 ceremony and praised the County’s Volunteer of the Year, Intern of the Year, and Teams of the Year for 2025-2026. Two staff mentors were also honored for their excellent mentoring of interns and volunteers.
Formal resolutions of commendation and awards were presented to the MarinShares and Marinterns honorees. Board President Eric Lucan presided, Human Resources Director Christina Cramer emceed, and department leaders attested to the participants’ positive impacts.
The audience included honorees’ families and friends, staff who work with volunteers and interns, and a working rescue dog alongside the Volunteer of the Year.
Volunteer of the Year
MarinShares volunteer Gideon Bernstein is the Marin County 2025-2026 Volunteer of the Year for his extraordinary impact as a Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (SAR) member. He has volunteered with SAR since 2018 and last year alone served nearly 900 hours. Bernstein belongs to the California Rescue Dog Association, and he and his working K9, Bruce, had a life-saving search in Sonoma County in 2025. That year Bernstein also responded to over 70 missions in Marin, Mendocino, and Los Angeles.
He helps coordinate training for 120 fellow volunteers who complete more than 75 hours of training each year. In that capacity, he supports education and practice in search management, personal care and safety, medical assessment, rope systems, mountain rescue missions, mutual aid missions, and more. Bernstein was elected as SAR’s bootcamp manager in 2024 and led fundraising for SAR from 2019 to 2024. He also is an advanced team leader who leads searches.
Intern of the Year
The 2025-2026 Intern of the Year is Max Gehm, who has been outstanding in two roles in the Marinterns program.
Gehm was lauded as “100%” part of his team at the Public Defender’s Office, where he was entrusted with serious assignments that he approached with curiosity and commitment. He studied nuanced areas of law, including the Racial Justice Act, and brought both legal and sociological perspectives to the material. He learned how to interact with clients and handle case files. Inspired by his internship, he will be attending law school.
Earlier, Gehm interned with the Human Resources Department as a writer for MarinfoNOW, a monthly e-newsletter by and for County volunteers and interns. He cooperated closely with his writing coach, MarinShares volunteer Ed Remitz, and sharpened his writing and editing skills. Gehm’s articles are posted online where they continue to shine light on the positive impacts of fellow interns and volunteers.
Volunteer Team of the Year
The Financial Abuse Specialist Team (FAST) is the Volunteer Team of the Year for protecting older residents from fraud and scams. Its 15 members are MarinShares volunteers Hans Adler, Chrisula Asimos, Diane Cokely, Oak Dowling, Beth Fernbacher, Charles Fracchia, Stan Green, Maria Gregoriev, Irv Gubman, Salamah Locks, Lee Notowich, Susan O’Brien, Roberta Robinson, Paul Roye, and Sylvia Roye. They contribute expertise in banking, law, and more.
FAST members alert the public to the dangers of older adult financial abuse. In community presentations and online workshops, they teach seniors, their families, and caregivers how to avoid scams. Team members with finance skills do forensic accounting in cases of alleged fraud.
The group is coordinated by the Health and Human Services Department’s Public Guardian Office and partners with the District Attorney’s Office, Marin law enforcement agencies, Adult Protective Services, and the Marin Ombudsman Office.
Building upon its decades-long record of excellence, in 2025 FAST members presented to 20 community groups across Marin and in San Francisco, hosted well-attended online workshops, translated presentations into Spanish and Vietnamese, distributed 2,000 pieces of educational material in Marin alone, and were featured on Bay Area radio programs.
Intern Team of the Year
Intern teams support the quality of life in our community and add to the success of the Marinterns program. The District 2 Intern Team with the Board of Supervisors is this year’s award recipient.
The team consists of Marinterns Jessica Mendieta Alvarado, Calvin Gundee, Henry Houser, Lizbeth Mendieta Alvarado, Riley Merklin, Hava Rossiter, Sydney Tzur, and Ashley Wang. Team members demonstrated a high aptitude for learning. Led by Supervisor Brian Colbert and the District 2 staff, the students conducted research and data analysis to inform their presentation on Placer.AI before the Board of Supervisors and helped host the first District 2 Commissioner Appreciation Reception.
Team members balanced long-term projects with hands-on assignments, stayed curious, and paid attention to details as they learned about local government and public policy.
They concluded their internship with a visit to the State Capitol, where they met with Assemblymember Damon Connolly and leaders from the California State Association of Counties, adding to their understanding of how government operates.
Outstanding Supervisor of Volunteers
All County volunteers have staff supervisors who play an essential role in the success of the MarinShares program. The 2025-2026 Staff Supervisor of Volunteers is Fire Engineer Bjorn Anderson. He coordinates a group of more than 50 volunteer fire lookouts who staff the County’s lookout towers on Mount Tamalpais and Mount Barnabe during fire season. Anderson promotes volunteer opportunities and delivers excellent training. His recruiting is so effective that there’s a waitlist to volunteer.
He maintains strong connections with volunteers and ensures they are properly prepared to spot smoke and help guide firefighters to the source. He manages shift schedules and makes sure the lookout towers are maintained and stocked with essential equipment.
Anderson’s leadership and positive approach have helped expand and strengthen the Marin County Fire Department’s successful lookout program.
Outstanding Supervisor of Interns
County interns have staff mentors whose involvement is key to the central Marinterns program. This year’s top Staff Supervisor of Interns is Elections Technician Elizabeth Iwamiya, an outstanding trainer and mentor to more than 40 interns in the Student Election Ambassador Program (SEAP).
Iwamiya ensures SEAP students feel included and understand the importance of voter registration. She provides a firm foundation in community outreach and supports ambassadors as they promote voter registration at local campuses and community events. With her help, students also learn how elections offices and local government work.
Iwamiya encourages SEAP interns and welcomes their ideas. She supports a partnership consisting of the Elections Department, the League of Women Voters of Marin, and the Marin County Office of Education. Students receive clear direction so that they’re able to take full advantage of opportunities to serve. Ultimately, Iwamiya is helping to launch the next generation of voting advocates.
Contact Us
The County’s central MarinShares and Marinterns programs engage volunteers who contribute their skills and student interns who learn while exploring careers. The programs welcome applicants of all backgrounds and ages. To see current opportunities and to apply, visit the Marin County Department of Human Resources website or contact MarinShares coordinator Anne Starr at (415) 473-7167 for volunteering and Marinterns coordinator Joy Fossett at (415) 473-7447 for student internships.
Photo of Gideon Bernstein provided by MarinShares Volunteer Brian Wilk.