At the start of the General Members meeting on May 5th, 2026 we will elect the new 2026-2027 SFOS Board - including the 4 officers (President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer/CFO) and 4 Directors.
Click here to see webpage with current Board information
To make an advanced nomination or inquiry for a role on the Board, please contact Jeff Harris - [email protected]
Click here to see webpage with current Board information
To make an advanced nomination or inquiry for a role on the Board, please contact Jeff Harris - [email protected]
Slate of Board Candidates as of March 15, 2026 (biographies if available are hyperlinked to their names):
President: Stuart Menaker
Vice-President: James Pearsall
Secretary: Carm Kuikenhoven
Treasurer/CFO: Yujin Kim
Directors:
Alan Yip
Sharon Palmisano
Rhiannon Croci
Keith Robinson
Past President: Derreck Carter-House
----------------------------------------------
Meet the New SFOS Board Candidates:
Dr. Stuart Menaker is a retired family physician and incoming SFOS President-Elect for 2026-2027 Prior to being at UCSF Dr. Menaker was a Family Physician and Medical Director of Business Development for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. He did Family Medicine specialty training at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, received his MD from Baylor, undergraduate training at Michigan State University, as well as Masters of Medical Management from the Marshall School of Business at USC. Stuart has been an avid orchid hobbyist since he bought his first orchid in 1991 and recently downsized his collection when he moved to San Francisco from the Peninsula, where he had a greenhouse. Shortly after joining SFOS in 2018, Stuart began helping lead fundraising efforts so that we can grow the Pacific Orchid Exposition show as well as other society activities; Stuart served as a Member of the SFOS Board from 2020 - 2025.
Vice-President: James Pearsall
Secretary: Carm Kuikenhoven
Treasurer/CFO: Yujin Kim
Directors:
Alan Yip
Sharon Palmisano
Rhiannon Croci
Keith Robinson
Past President: Derreck Carter-House
----------------------------------------------
Meet the New SFOS Board Candidates:
Dr. Stuart Menaker is a retired family physician and incoming SFOS President-Elect for 2026-2027 Prior to being at UCSF Dr. Menaker was a Family Physician and Medical Director of Business Development for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. He did Family Medicine specialty training at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, received his MD from Baylor, undergraduate training at Michigan State University, as well as Masters of Medical Management from the Marshall School of Business at USC. Stuart has been an avid orchid hobbyist since he bought his first orchid in 1991 and recently downsized his collection when he moved to San Francisco from the Peninsula, where he had a greenhouse. Shortly after joining SFOS in 2018, Stuart began helping lead fundraising efforts so that we can grow the Pacific Orchid Exposition show as well as other society activities; Stuart served as a Member of the SFOS Board from 2020 - 2025.
James Pearsall’s love of orchids stems from a childhood in South Florida spent wandering his grandmother’s orchid collection. After moving to North Carolina, his attempts to recreate that tropical feeling by overwintering plants in his bathroom (with mixed success) eventually led him to seek the help of his local Asheville Orchid Society. Joining at age 13, James quickly became involved with society events and attended his first orchid show in 2016 when Asheville hosted the American Orchid Society’s spring meeting. Since then, helping with orchid shows and events has allowed him to connect internationally with orchid growers and given him opportunities to travel and learn about orchid cultivation.
In 2017, James spent time at Ecuagenera in Ecuador, working in laboratories and greenhouses during the week and searching for orchids in their native habitats on weekends. In 2018, he traveled to Suwada Orchid Nursery, helping care for one of Japan’s oldest orchid collections. In 2019, he returned to South Florida to work on the Million Orchid Project at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden under Dr. Jason Downing, where he climbed trees and conducted micropropagation to help reintroduce native South Floridian orchids.
James later attended Stanford University, where he graduated with a B.A. in English and an M.S. in Earth Systems. He also worked at the Stanford Farm, where he helped with pest management, flower arranging, and the occasional tomato taste-test. Now based in San Francisco, James continues to enjoy growing orchids in small rented spaces and is particularly fond of Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium species. He is excited for the opportunity to serve as Vice President of the San Francisco Orchid Society and looks forward to helping with events while continuing to learn from fellow orchid enthusiasts.
Keith Robinson has been a member of the San Francisco Orchid Society (SFOS) the past 3 years, a long-time volunteer at SFOS events, and is looking forward to serving as a board member as an enthusiastic supporter of orchid research, education, conservation, and exhibition. He enjoys growing orchids at home and appreciates the remarkable diversity of species and hybrids cultivated by Bay Area orchid enthusiasts. Keith is a California licensed landscape architect with more than 35 years of professional experience in landscape architecture, sustainability, and enterprise strategic planning. Throughout his career he has led large multidisciplinary teams and guided long-range program development, policy initiatives, and strategic planning efforts focused on environmental stewardship, pollinator habitat, and sustainable landscapes—interests that align closely with the botanical diversity and conservation values celebrated by the orchid community and which are key to the mission of the San Francisco Orchid Society. In his free time, Keith enjoys traveling, gardening, and hiking, and exploring botanical gardens and natural landscapes around the world. He also enjoys visiting orchid nurseries and botanical collections during his travels and connecting with fellow growers who share an appreciation for orchids and other exotic plants.