MEET OUR BOARD of Directors

Christopher Foster | Chair

Christopher, a Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. native, has helped expand the growth at the Santa Monica Pier on California's west coast where he and his wife, Anastasia Roark Foster, split their time. He landed a spot on the board of the Santa Monica Pier Corporation four years ago after he pitched himself to the city council saying: “I’m from an area where the locals and the tourists have to figure out how to get along.” During Foster's first year as Chair—2019—the pier saw its best revenue year ever and won the Santa Monica Tourism Champion of the Year award. His experience being a developer at Lake of the Ozarks has helped him come up with creative ways to work with the Executive Director and lead the board in growing the Santa Monica Pier as not only a top tourism destination but also a place that hosts the kinds of events that are appealing from the local to the global level.

Randi Parent | Member

Randi has been a Santa Monica resident for 21 years, and is currently part of the administrative team for Park Century School, a small private school for students with learning differences in Culver City. She worked at the Santa Monica Pier for 17 years as an employee for the Aquarium on Ocean Front Walk, first for UCLA, and then in 2003 for Heal the Bay when the non-profit organization acquired the marine education center. She played an integral role in reopening the marine center to the public, as well as restructuring the education programs. Her
goal is to preserve the Pier’s historic culture while also finding the
right balance between maintaining the Pier’s status as a top tourist destination, bringing the LA region’s diverse population to the Pier through cultural programming, and communicating the importance
of the surrounding coastal environment, connecting the urban to
the ocean.

Jeffrey Jarow | secretary treasurer

Jeff has resided in Santa Monica (Ocean Park) since 1977. He is currently on the Board of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Growth and Development Committee working directly with the City of Santa Monica’s Planning and Building and Safety Departments. Jeff sits on the Board of the Ocean Park Association (OPA) which he co-founded. He is the Organizer of the annual Fourth of July Main Street Parade, now going on 16 years!  Jeff is also the President of the Santa Monica Sister City Association, and Vice president of the Sister City International, Southern California Region.  He was on the SM Travel and Tourism Board and was Chair for two years, as well as on the Boards of the Santa Monica Family YMCA, Santa Monica Symphony, PONY Baseball League, Main St Business Improvement District (MSBID), PTA Legislative Chair for SAMOHI. Jeff hopes to continue the groundwork established by previous Pier boards, while having the flexibility to appreciate and deal with changing times as it relates to both local and international tourists, Pier tenants, and the Santa Monica residents. 

Nicholas Rolston | Vice Chair

Nick was born & raised in Santa Monica, on Bay St. to be exact, attending John Adams & SAMOHI. As a youth he would go to the Pier for 4th of July Fireworks, to ride the bumper cars & merry-go-round, to play beach volleyball and later to see friends at the Twilight Concert Series. While at SAMOHI, Nick worked after-school for the Parks & Rec Dept. and played for the school’s volleyball team, eventually attending UC Santa Cruz and graduating with degrees in psychology & education. After living in various parts of the States, he returned to Ocean Park in 2013. Outside of his 15+ year career in Experiential Marketing, Nick serves on the Ocean Park Association Board, volunteers with Santa Monica Boys & Girls Club, struggles mightily at beach volleyball, and loves being a part of the community that helped raise him.

Nick believes in empowering locals in the continued evolution of Santa Monica & honoring the city’s history. He hopes as an SMPC Board Member to strengthen the bond between the community, the Pier & the Pier businesses. The Pier is an amazing & unique community asset that he hopes the locals are proud of & value. When not frequenting one of the Pier businesses, he likes walking to the end of the Pier with a coffee & watching the fishermen.

Carter Rubin | Member

Carter lives in the Pico neighborhood of Santa Monica with his wife and son. He grew up on the Westside and has lived in Santa Monica since 2010. He works at the Natural Resources Defense Council as an advocate for sustainable transportation. Carter is a graduate of Pitzer College in Claremont and has a master's degree in urban planning from UCLA. Carter has served as an appointed member of the Santa Monica Housing, Planning, and Pier commissions.

Dan Hall | Member

As an Army officer, he led organizations of 100+ people overseas and elite units in combat zones. As a civilian and young man, he led LGBTQ+ organizations and theater productions. Dan currently works as a program manager at a global tech and logistics company. His vision for the Pier is for it to be a steward of history where modernization efforts complement the preservation of the Pier’s landmark character. Dan is also an Executive Board Member of the Santa Monica Democratic Club and Vice Chair of its Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Misti Kerns | Member

Misti has been a resident of Santa Monica for over 22 years,
and resides in the city by the sea with her husband and daughter.
She is the President/CEO of Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (SMTT), and has served in her current role for 17 years. Kerns founded the ‘I AM Santa Monica’ program, which has certified over 3,000 local employees and community members as official Santa Monica ambassadors. She is an active member of the Santa Monica Human Relations Council, Santa Monica Pier Corporation Board of Directors and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and serves on local, state and national tourism boards.