RED BRIDGE TEAM

Cathie Barner, AIA, President, Team coordinator, strategic park planning and design

Cathie is trained as an architect with three decades experience managing park landscape and building projects across the country. She is skilled at developing public- private partnership teams to plan, design and transform landscapes. Cathie believes that civic projects should be publicly driven and has developed successful techniques for engaging communities in the planning and stewardship of their parks. A creative team builder, Cathie brings the right mix of talent and expertise to each project. She develops effective planning processes that organize and advance complex projects. Cathie directed the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Project Office from 1996–2018 with a team of planners, designers, biologists and project managers. 

While working at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, Cathie managed widely enjoyed projects such as the Golden Gate Bridge Plaza Welcome Center, Lands End Lookout Visitor Center, Fort Baker Cavallo Point reuse plan, Crissy Field and Golden Gate’s park-wide Trails Forever initiative. As president of Heritage Partners (now Red Bridge), she directed a team of over 50 individuals and firms to fulfill critical planning, design and implementation needs for National Park Service projects, primarily in the Northeast Region. National Park projects included plans at over 40 parks including work at Statue of Liberty, Acadia, Boston, Governors Island and Weir Farm. Additionally, Cathie and Red Bridge successfully managed the execution of two federal park planning Indefinite Quantities Contracts. 

Cathie Barner’s Resume
Learn more about Cathie Barner

I have made a career of creating parks and public spaces from neglected urban sites and former military bases. I’m inspired by the potential in these places and i’m motivated by the public benefit achieved in their transformation.

Naomi Porat, Executive Vice President

Naomi contributes 35 years of experience as a social entrepreneur with a portfolio of ventures throughout the U.S. focusing on affordable housing, the redevelopment of former military bases, adaptive re-use for National Parks, modular housing production, and economic development. She has provided economic and real estate advisory services to 16 national parks throughout the United States. As the Executive Vice President of Red Bridge Group, Naomi formulated housing strategies for ten National Parks in partnership with the National Park Foundation. She recently completed a strategic plan for developing new modular workforce housing for Yosemite National Park and the Yosemite Conservancy.

In prior work, she was the real estate and land use economics strategic advisor for ten years with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. She conducted the visioning and reuse planning, market analysis, financial feasibility assessment, business plans and solicitation/evaluation of private partners for the redevelopment of Fort Baker. Naomi provided similar advisory services for the Presidio Trust, Acadia National Park, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Ellis Island National Monument, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and the Presidio of San Francisco.

During the past 15 years, Naomi contributed to the founding and management of several venture capital financed social impact companies focused on innovative construction technologies to reduce carbon emissions associated with housing development. Most recently, she contributed to the founding team of Factory_OS, which has built thousands of affordable modular multifamily housing units to address workforce, student, and formerly homeless housing needs. She also founded ZETA (Zero Energy Technology & Architecture), which built net zero energy modular housing, schools and public facilities. With Global Homes International, Naomi led a team of building scientists, architects and engineers to create an innovative indigenous material block system for very low-income housing in developing countries.

Naomi earned her MBA from Yale University, master’s in city and Regional Planning from UC Berkeley, and BA from Stanford University.

Naomi Porat on LinkedIn

Liz Pittinos, Project Manager

Liz has 20 years of direct experience managing projects and relationships with the National Park Service and non-profit partner organizations. She has a rich history of community building and outreach—as an outdoor leader for adventurers of all abilities and backgrounds, as the co-founder of a public music festival in San Francisco, and as President Emeritus of Precipitation Northwest, Portland, Oregon’s regional Burning Man nonprofit. Liz is primarily motivated by the arts, the great outdoors, and helping others to connect to both.

Liz joined Red Bridge Group in 2020; since then she has had a project management and/or communications role in a majority of RBG’s projects. Liz worked at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy from 2002-2016. She collaborated on communications, planning, events and fundraising for projects such as the Trails Forever initiative and the Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary while providing primary executive support to the Conservancy’s Board of Trustees and CEO. In 2019 Liz coordinated logistics across a three-state team of artists and makers to bring a large-scale art installation to Burning Man in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. From 2015 to 2017, Liz co-founded SF Porchfest, a free outdoor music festival, to the streets of San Francisco’s Mission District.

Liz Pittinos’ Resume

Frank Dean, Strategic Advisor

Frank served as President & CEO of Yosemite Conservancy from 2015-2025 and completed numerous noteworthy projects to benefit Yosemite National Park. He oversaw the Conservancy’s successful $20 million fundraising campaign to restore the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and the addition of 400-acre Ackerson Meadow, a once privately owned area of vital habitat that was purchased and donated to the park in 2016. Despite the challenges of the pandemic and uncertain government funding, the Conservancy continued to provide ongoing financial support to Yosemite, including assisting with the launch of a day use reservation system. The Conservancy has also provided $10M to restore the visitor facilities at the Bridalveil Fall area which reopened in 2023. Yosemite Conservancy provided $200M in philanthropic support for Yosemite during Frank’s tenure.

While in the National Park Service, Frank successfully served as superintendent of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) between 2009-2015. He directed park operations and was instrumental in improving park partnerships at the GGNRA, which is one of the largest national parks in an urban area with nearly three hundred employees, 1,500 partner staff and serves over 17M visitors annually. The park includes renowned visitor destinations such as Muir Woods, Alcatraz Island, Marin Headlands, and Crissy Field. Frank worked together with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the Presidio Trust to conserve and improve the GGNRA.

Frank currently serves as board chair of the Sonoma Land Trust. Frank previously served on the University of California- Merced Foundation board and as the board chair of the National Park Service Friends Alliance.

Dan brings 35 years of experience planning parks, public spaces and waterfronts. He promotes design solutions that respond to public and stakeholder interests and enhance visitor and user experiences. At the Port of San Francisco, Dan prepared an award-winning urban design plan for the San Francisco waterfront. He designed or managed the development of many of the Port’s waterfront public spaces that are enjoyed by millions yearly. He led and prepared the Port’s 5-year Strategic Plan, balancing Commission values, budget limits, and land use policies. He was the Port’s urban design lead for the award-winning James R. Herman Cruise Terminal and chaired over 100 meetings of the Port’s Waterfront Design Advisory Committee. He has led public workshops on many development and public space projects, and balanced design and environmental concerns through project entitlements. His work always considers how we respond to and respect our changing planet.

Key Accomplishments: Dan is the project leader for many small and large public space and civic projects. He is responsible for design, conducts citizen and public agency reviews, and manages the entitlement process. These projects include the San Francisco Downtown Ferry Terminal Expansion, where he led the regulatory approval process, Piers 30-32 where he prepared the “Ideas & Options” study – a multi-option feasibility analysis for one of the most prized piers on the San Francisco waterfront. He designed and managed the new Brannan Street Wharf waterfront park in San Francisco’s South Beach neighborhood, and the Pier 43 Promenade in the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf. Adjacent to the Ferry Terminal he co-designed and managed the popular new Pier 14 public access pier and raised the funds necessary for its construction. He has enhanced many public spaces by bringing in public art, developing interpretive programs, and also designed a waterfront-wide wayfinding sign program that builds on best international practices for pedestrian experience.

Dan is trained and licensed as a landscape architect and received a graduate degree in Planning and Urban Design at U.C. Berkeley. With the American Planning Association, he is a certified planner (AICP) and is accredited by the US Green Building Council LEED AP bd+c.

Dov Pope, Project Manager

Dov joined Red Bridge Group in 2023 as a Project Manager, building on an ongoing collaboration with Yosemite National Park and Yosemite Conservancy on the Mist Trail Corridor Project. This high-profile initiative focuses on improving visitor safety and enhancing the overall experience within one of the park’s most heavily used trail systems. Dov also contributes to the Strategic Housing Investment Planning for National Park sites across the country, applying a data-driven, multidisciplinary approach to address critical employee housing challenges. Her portfolio further includes work at Point Reyes National Seashore, where she supports the development of a Trails Forever initiative aimed at advancing accessibility, inclusivity, and ecological resilience across the park’s trail network.

Dov’s background includes over a decade with Yosemite National Park as a Supervisory Park Ranger in the Protection Division. In this role, she led operations for the Yosemite Medical Clinic and managed the park-wide emergency medical program. Her work required close coordination with surrounding counties, regional healthcare systems, and other National Park units—strengthening cross-agency partnerships in complex, high-demand environments. She also played a key role in developing Yosemite’s Preventive Search and Rescue program; an initiative centered on proactive visitor education and risk reduction. This experience reflects her broader focus on systems-based planning—designing environments and programs that anticipate human behavior while enabling safe, meaningful access to park lands.

In addition to her public sector work, Dov co-owns and operates Folio Glass Inc., a Bay Area–based construction firm specializing in the supply and installation of contemporary, large-format glass systems for residential projects. Folio Glass completes work throughout the western US, and Hawaii, extending Dov’s expertise in the built environment and reinforcing her interest in the intersection of design, construction, and place.

Joy Marschall, Project Manager

Joy joined Red Bridge Group in 2023, supporting projects that enhance visitor experience and safety, community engagement, and housing strategy. Her work has included advising on the Mist Trail project in Yosemite National Park, as well as contributing to the Prescribe Outside Community Engagement initiative in Philadelphia and the Strategic Housing Investment Planning project across multiple National Park Service sites nationwide. She brings a collaborative approach grounded in strong professional and personal relationships, with expertise in data collection and analysis, group engagement, and developing actionable recommendations.

Joy’s background includes four seasons as a ranger-naturalist in Yellowstone National Park and more than a decade in Yosemite National Park, where she served in roles including preventive search and rescue (PSAR) program coordinator, park medic, and helicopter crew member. Her work earned her the Outstanding Service Award (2013) and the Unsung Hero Award (2017). She is also the co-author of Yellowstone Trails: A Hiking Guide, a comprehensive resource for hiking and backpacking in Yellowstone National Park.

Joy Marschall’s Resume