Board of Directors

A five-member board of directors governs our district, with each director elected to represent one of five geographic areas. The directors serve overlapping four-year terms. The board establishes policy on the district's mission, goals, and operations. It represents the general public in deciding issues related to water supply. The board also has the authority to adopt ordinances that have the force of law within the district.

The board reviews staff recommendations and decides which policies should be implemented in light of the district's mission and goals. The board also monitors the implementation of its policies. The board appoints a general manager to supervise all district operations.

The board operates in compliance with California’s Brown Act. For additional information about the Brown Act, view this presentation.

Marin Water’s board members are elected under the provisions of the Municipal Water District Law of 1911 (State Water Code Section 71000). Directors are elected to represent Marin Water’s five divisions, with elections held in the November general election in even-numbered years. For information on election procedures please visit the County of Marin Elections Department.

Board Members

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Division I

The northernmost division in the Marin Water service area, Division I stretches into the Gallinas Valley and Sleepy Hollow, presses north to Marinwood and takes in portions of the coast from north of McNears Beach to north of John F. McInnis Park. It also takes in the Santa Margarita Valley, Las Gallinas and Santa Venetia.

Term

12/12/2026-12/2026

Committee Assignments

Watershed Committee Chair

About

Matt Samson currently serves as the Deputy Fire Chief for the South San Francisco Fire Department in San Mateo County. He has spent 24 years in emergency services, beginning in Santa Barbara and continuing as a firefighter with the Marinwood Fire Department and now South San Francisco.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California – Santa Barbara in geography and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program where he earned the Manno Award for outstanding research on emerging fire services issues.

In addition to his deputy chief role, Matt enjoys teaching fire-related courses and has been a fire science instructor with the City College of San Francisco for the past 14 years. Director Samson was raised in San Rafael and is a longtime resident of Division 1 where he lives with his family in Terra Linda.

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Division II

Includes all areas of incorporated San Rafael except Terra Linda and portions of San Rafael around Highway 101 in the Lincoln Avenue and Dominican areas, unincorporated areas of San Rafael contiguous with San Pedro Road, and the unincorporated area of the eastern most portion of North San Pedro Road.

Term

12/2020-12/2024

Committee Assignments

Finance & Administration Vice Chair, Watershed Committee Vice Chair

About

Monty Schmitt was elected to serve as the Marin Water Division II Director beginning in December 2020 and also currently serves as Board President. Monty is a water resources scientist and a senior project director with The Nature Conservancy’s Water Program in San Francisco.

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Division III

Includes the San Geronimo Valley, Fairfax, a portion of San Anselmo not including north west area, Ross, Greenbrae, Kentfield, Kent Woodlands, and portion of Larkspur north of Corte Madera Creek and west of Highway 101, portion of Larkspur south of Corte Madera Creek and west of Bon Air Road and west of Skylark Road, watershed land lying north of Fairfax-Bolinas Road or contiguous with towns in Division III and up to Division IV boundary.

Term

12/12/2022-12/2024

Committee Assignments

Communications & Water Efficiency Committee Chair, Operations Committee Vice Chair

About

Ranjiv Khush is a water scientist who has dedicated his career to bringing safe and clean drinking water to the developing world.

Ranjiv Khush is a Project Director with The Aquaya Institute, an international research and consulting organization. Currently, Ranjiv manages Aquaya’s Rural Evidence and Learning for Water (REAL-Water) Program, which is building the evidence base for policies and interventions that will improve rural water services across the developing world. REAL-Water is supported by a five-year, $19 million grant to Aquaya from the U.S. Agency for International Development. REAL-Water includes partners in Africa, India and Europe, and it conducts field research in Ghana, India, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Ranjiv co-founded Aquaya in 2005 following science policy work in the Office of the Science and Technology Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State. He served as Aquaya’s executive director from 2009-21. Previously, he was a research scientist at Stanford University and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris. Ranjiv holds a PhD from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of California, Davis. Ranjiv and his family have lived in San Anselmo since 2008.

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Division IV

Includes incorporated Mill Valley and all surrounding unincorporated neighborhoods west of Highway 101, the area east of Highway 101 and north of Tiburon Boulevard and west of Tiburon and south of Corte Madera, Sausalito, Marin City, Muir Woods, north and south slopes of Mt. Tamalpais, watershed land south of Fairfax-Bolinas Road and up to Division III boundary, and Fort Baker, Barry, and Cronkhite and portions of Golden Gate National Recreation Area lands within the district's service area.

Term

12/12/22-12/2026

Committee Assignments

Finance & Administration Committee Chair, Communications & Water Efficiency Vice Chair

About

“The decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future.”
– Philosophy attributed to ancient Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) peoples and their Great Law.

Jed Smith is a progressive, pioneering investor in companies focused on societal good – addressing climate change, environmental needs, healthy living, and education initiatives. An avid outdoor enthusiast and community leader, Jed is committed to creating a healthy future for the coming generations. Jed lives with his family in Mill Valley where their three children attend/attended public schools K-12^th grade.

For more than three decades, Jed has been an entrepreneur, executive, CEO, director, board chair and investor. In these roles, he successfully helped pave the way for groundbreaking initiatives by shifting industry standards. From his vast business and nonprofit experience, he knows how to distill complex issues and diverse perspectives to bring people together toward shared goals and productive solutions. As a leader of significant organizations and environmental initiatives, Jed understands and is dedicated to being a powerful steward of the District’s unique land and water needs.

Jed has a B.A. from Middlebury College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. His work experience, summarized below, prioritizes a healthy planet and expanding opportunities for underserved communities:

CEO, President, Lead Investor, or Chair of the Board:

Brookline Booksmith
Seventh Generation
Banyan Water
Numi Tea
Revolution Foods
Amour Vert
Linden Lab/Second Life

Founder or Co-founder:

Herring Pond Watershed Association
Plum Organics
drugstore.com
Catamount Ventures
Owl Ventures

Director or Trustee

Middlebury College
Monterey Institute of International Studies
Cambridge Center for Adult Education

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Division V

Includes Corte Madera, portions of Larkspur south of Corte Madera Creek and east of Highway 101, San Quentin, Strawberry, Tiburon and surrounding unincorporated areas, and Belvedere.

Term

December 2020, to December 2024

Committee Assignments

Operations Committee Chair

Compensation

Marin Water provides annual reports on the compensation of its five board members. The Annual Compensation report for FY 2022 is available here.

Marin Water also provides compensation information to the California State Controller's Office. The information is available on their website.

Policies

The board establishes policy on the district's mission, goals, and operations. It represents the general public in deciding issues related to water supply. The board reviews staff recommendations and decides which policies should be implemented in light of the district's mission and goals. The board also monitors the implementation of its policies.

To view Marin Water's Board Policies, click here.

Division Map

This map shows the outlines of the geographic regions within the district's service area that each board member represents. Click on the map to type in your address and locate your representative.