FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
July 2, 2024

CONTACT:
MayorPress@sandiego.gov

SAN DIEGO – Mayor Todd Gloria today announced that the following appointments and reappointments to City boards and commissions were approved by the San Diego City Council: 

Mr. Leon David Cassel has been appointed to the Community Forest Advisory Board. He is a current Utility Consulting Arborist at Davey Resource Group. They were inspired to pursue a career in Horticulture after managing storm recovery for Hurricane Mathew and Typhoon Dolphin. Prior to working at Utility Consulting Arborist, they were the Electrical Systems Journeymen for the United States Air Force, where they were responsible for high-voltage power lines, airfield lights, and low-voltage infrastructure. Mr. Cassel is being appointed to a three-year term ending December 31, 2026, in the Certified Arborist Seat and is a resident of North Park. 

Mr. Chris Tiffany has been reappointed to the Community Forest Advisory Board. He has more than nine years of in-depth experience in landscape architectural design in southern California. He manages public and private projects of various sizes, from conceptual design to construction administration. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Global Studies from the University of California Santa Barbara and a master's in landscape architecture from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He is being reappointed to a three-year term ending December 31, 2026, in the Landscape Architect Seat and is a resident of Clairemont.  

Ms. Joy Miller has been appointed to the Historical Resources Board. She is a doctoral student in history at the University of California, San Diego. She received her Master of Art in History, with a Digital History Concentration, and a Bachelor of Art in History from California State University San Marcos. She is being appointed to a two-year term ending March 1, 2025, in the Historical Professional Seat and is a resident of Vista.  

Mr. Rammy Cortez has been appointed to the Historical Resources Board. He is a small-scale urban infill developer and builder of more than 60,000 square feet of transit-oriented missing middle housing in San Diego. He has served as a Young Leaders Group Board Member, former Co-Chair and current Advocacy Co-Chair of the Small-Scale Infill Development Product Council, a member of Circulate San Diego's Policy Committee, and a member of LAI (Lambda Alpha International). He has a master's degree in real estate from the University of San Diego's Burnham-Moore's Center for Real Estate and is a CA Licensed General Contractor. He is being reappointed to a two-year term ending March 1, 2026, in the General Seat and is a resident of Little Italy.  

Ms. Kristi Byers has been  appointed to the Historical Resources Board. She has a 22-year career based in San Diego and has served as Project Designer, Project Architect, Project Manager, and LEED Coordinator on projects focused on the civic, higher education, K-12, office, mixed-use, and residential arenas. She has managed the LEED Certification process for several buildings across the U.S. and has lectured on the subject of green design to various municipalities, colleges, professional organizations, and corporations. An active part of the San Diego design community, Ms. Byers is an Adjunct Professor at Woodbury University and a member of the Urban Land Institute, the United States Green Building Council, the San Diego Architectural Foundation, and AIA San Diego. She is being reappointed to a two-year term ending March 1, 2026, in the Architect Seat and is a resident of South Park.  

The appointments were approved by the City Council on Tuesday, July 2. 

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