Board of Directors

The ACSC Board of Directors is made up of a diverse group of local community members. Each board member volunteers at least 10 hours a month to the organization and attends monthly meetings. We are always looking for new valuable members of the Board, and please contact us if you would like to inquire about any openings

Mike Bishop, Board President

Mike has been an avid sailor for his whole life learning in optimist dinghy as a 7 year old. He now sails very actively on the Bay enjoying the huge variety of sailing conditions and boats on the Bay. A dinghy sailor at heart but races on everything from the laser to 54 foot yachts and everything in between. He lives in Alameda and works in Oakland. As a founding Board member of ACSC, he wants to be able to bring the great experience of sailing to the local community.

Dan Leininger, Board Vice President

Dan Leininger is a Retired Naval Officer and the Northern California Regional Manager for Training Resources Maritime Institute. Dan is also the Executive Director of America True, a nonprofit organization that promotes community boating activities following a 2000 America’s Cup challenge managed by Dawn Riley.
Upon retirement from the Navy, Dan worked in high tech as a Project Manager in Silicon Valley. Following that, he held a variety of positions on the San Francisco waterfront including Harbor Master, Director of Youth Sailing Programs and as Master/Crew aboard the ex-America’s Cup racer, USA-76. He has been a volunteer with the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors for over 15 years.
Dan graduated from the University of Florida with a BS in Systems Engineering. He holds a USCG 100 GT Master (Near Coastal) License and is a certified US Sailing Keelboat Instructor.

Kame Richards, Board Member

Kame is the co-founder of Alameda Community Sailing Center and owner of Pineapple Sails which he founded in 1973. He also serves with many local organizations, including the Northern California PHRF Committee that handicaps sailboats for racing. Kame attended UC Berkeley and majored in Geophysics. He is a strong advocate for education at all levels of sailing as well as non water-based activities. Kame serves on ACSC Executive and Facilities Committees, and works on the development of the ACSC site.

Khalfani Zulu, Board Member

Khalfani Zulu, a Senior at The Athenian High School in Danville, California, brings a fresh perspective and a passion for community engagement to ACSC. As both a board member and an instructor, Khalfani is dedicated to making sailing accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. His role on the Outreach Committee allows him to work directly with the community to spread awareness of ACSC's mission and bring new people into the world of sailing. Khalfani’s commitment to inclusive programming stems from his belief that sailing should be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of experience or resources."

Alison Brooks, Board Secretary

Alameda resident since 2007. I was introduced to Sailing when I volunteered with the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors (BAADS) in 2002. Baads focuses on co-ability. There are sailors who have a range of physical disabilities, and me, who had no sailing ability whatsoever but was able to perform the physical functions on their behalf. A perfect example of co-ability! I met Dan Leininger when he volunteered to skipper with Baads, and we joined the board.
We sailed every Sunday for over 10 years on a Catalina 30 with experienced sailors, folk who just wanted to experience sailing and those who wanted to volunteer. Dan and I lived aboard a Catalina 42 for 9 years and have wonderful memories of sailing around the bay and our favorite Drakes Bay.
I have been on the board for ACSC as secretary for 3 years and during the day I am the clinical specialist newborn intensive care unit at Alta Bates. ACSC reflects my personal view that sailing should be available for everyone as evidenced by the community programs we offer.

Nancy Hird, Board Member

Nancy is a retired healthcare administrator who holds a Bachelor of Science and an MBA in Finance. Her lifelong love of watersports led her to sailing after moving to California from the Lake Erie area of Ohio where she grew up enjoying her family’s weekend power boat excursions. She has cruised and raced sail boats from the Pacific Northwest down the coast, through the Panama Canal and throughout the Caribbean. She founded the Bay Area Single Sailors Group twenty five years ago and, as a member of Island Yacht Club, is the Chairperson of the Annual Women’s Sailing Seminar. Nancy serves on the Audit, Volunteer and Program Committees of ACSC and writes grants for the organization.