Jordan Bentley is a St. Helena native and a partner at Wine Country Consultants, a real estate firm focused on legacy vineyards and wineries, where she joins her mother and brother. Jordan has a BA from Colorado College and an MFA in photography from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Besides OTSH, Jordan is on the Board and is President of the St. Helena Cooperative Nursery School. Jordan and her family are committed to helping St. Helena thrive—retaining the small-town character of the town where she and her husband are now raising their two sons.

Michael Caldarola and his wife moved from San Francisco to St. Helena in 1995.  He retired in 2013, having worked for 30 years as a research attorney at the Sixth District State Court of Appeal in San Jose, where he drafted judicial opinions in all areas of California law.  For six years, he served on the Board of the UpValley Family Centers, where he continues as a volunteer in their low-income tax preparation program.  Currently, he is on the Board of the White Barn helping produce events and further arts education.

After graduating from college, Mike Chisek spent six years in the diplomatic service, serving largely in Arica. He left the State Department to attend business school at Harvard. Mike started his business career at McKinsey consulting firm. He then moved on to finance, forming an investment firm with a b-school colleague. While nearly all of Mike’s professional life was spent on the east coast, he made enough trips to California to know that this was where he wanted to retire. Mike and his wife, Polly, moved to St. Helena in 2014 and have come to love it here. One thing that struck Mike was how many people he deals with who are forced to live a great distance away due to the lack of affordable housing. Mike is a strong believer in the mission of OTSH, and is looking for an opportunity to help alleviate the problem. Mike also has served on the Active Transportation Committee and makes wine with the Rianda House wine group.

Dan Hale and his wife Christine brought their family to St. Helena in 2001. His career projects range from the design and creation of furniture, sculpture and lighting, to interior and architectural design. His approach begins with observation and a deep understanding and reverence for the history and capacity of built environments to sustain and uplift the people and societies who undertake to build them. Dan’s four-year service as a St. Helena Planning Commissioner recently ended and he is ready to serve on our board.

Joe McGrath was born and raised in St. Helena, has a BA from UC Berkeley and an MS from Stanford. He spent the early part of his career in residential design and construction, and the next 20 years as a leader in product development, manufacturing, operations, and global supply chain management in Silicon Valley. For the last decade, Joe has focused on residential real estate investment and development of multifamily apartments. He is a licensed general contractor and owns several properties in St. Helena and the North Bay. Joe understands the challenges of building affordable housing and is leveraging his experience to pursue creative ways to drive down the costs of building while ensuring a quality product. He brings invaluable insights to OTSH.

Walter Nirenberg and his wife Dory Culver, the now-retired KCBS managing editor,  have been St. Helena residents since 2012. Walter has worked for over 40 years in the banking and payments industry, focusing on identifying and solving problems through a shared vision and collaborative approach. Walter joins the OTSH board with ample non-profit experience, including his work with UpValley Family Centers and the St. Helena Fire Department organizing large-scale holiday events; his current service as board director for The LINK Fund, which works toward ending extreme poverty and mitigating the effects of climate change; and his previous term as a board member for Learning Through Art (A Program of the Gail May Engelberg Center for Arts Education), an artist-in-residency program at the Guggenheim. Walter served on the City of St Helena’s Water and Waste Water Rates ad hoc committee and is now serving on the City committee that is evaluating a proposed real estate transfer tax measure for the November 2024 ballot. Walter is committed to our local community and believes that all St. Helenians are equally blessed to live in our diverse city. 

Polly Ogden has lived in Napa Valley for over 40 years, and St Helena since 1998. She is a California licensed general contractor and worked for three years as a construction project manager with a local St Helena General Contracting firm before starting Polly Ogden Associates in 1982, her own design and building firm. Polly has vast experience with residential design, construction, budgeting, and project entitlements. She grew up in Mexico City and is fluent in Spanish.

Barry J. Shotts brings his 34 years of land use development, real estate and environmental law experience to OTSH. Barry is a founding principal of The Shotts Company, LLC, which specializes in urban redevelopment and the development of supportive, affordable housing for veterans. Before moving to St. Helena in 2011, Barry was a member of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee, where he served as a representative on the SF Housing Action Coalition, and was deeply involved in the replanning of several neighborhoods in San Francisco, including the Eastern Neighborhoods Plans and Market and Octavia Area Plan. He brings many years of experience as a board member for various non-profits and is affiliated with numerous local organizations including the Napa Housing Coalition, the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce, and the Napa County Land Trust. Barry would like to help ensure that St. Helena remains a real, organic community with housing for those who work here, and not just a destination for second and vacation homes.

Justin Sterling is the General Manager of the Wine Country Inn and Cottages in St. Helena. He has spent 16 years in the hospitality industry and is passionate about helping those around him grow in their professional journeys. He has managed more than 200 associates during his career at nine different properties throughout the Napa Valley. Working with a diverse workforce throughout his career, Justin is acutely aware of the struggle to find affordable housing. As an employer whose workforce faces housing challenges, Justin will bring a unique perspective to the OTSH Board.