Who We Are
People committed to practical philanthropy
The Lords of Sunnymead Foundation brings together people who want to contribute their experience, relationships, and resources to meaningful community needs. We value curiosity, thoughtful collaboration, and the willingness to turn good intentions into useful action.
Ed Dawson
Founder and President
Ed Dawson brings more than four decades of experience in financial planning and client education to his philanthropic work. His approach emphasizes listening, explaining complex choices clearly, and helping people use their resources in ways that reflect their values.
Through the Lords of Sunnymead Foundation, Ed seeks to contribute beyond financial support by connecting people, sharing knowledge, and helping donors and nonprofit leaders make informed decisions. His priorities include protecting California’s biodiversity, expanding opportunities for neurodivergent individuals, and strengthening the organizations that serve our communities.
He believes that educating donors about charitable giving can inspire greater generosity and help translate financial resources into lasting community benefits.
Dr. Anthony Metcalf P.H.D.
Vice-President/Science Advisor
Dr. Anthony Metcalf is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biology at California State University, San Bernardino, where he continues to teach courses in Ecology, Field Ecology, and
Conservation Biology. His career as an ecologist and evolutionary biologist has focused particularly on understanding the diversity, distribution, and conservation of Southern
California’s plants and animals.
Dr. Metcalf and his students have investigated the geographic structure and evolutionary relationships of a wide range of species—including plants, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and
birds—using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers. Much of this work has focused on Southern California species of conservation concern, including threatened and endangered
species such as the Lane Mountain milk-vetch, Santa Ana speckled dace, and Stephens’ kangaroo rat. His research has brought together field biology, molecular genetics, and
evolutionary ecology, while providing students with opportunities to participate in research addressing real-world conservation questions.
Conserving biodiversity is an important part of Dr. Metcalf’s life beyond the university. An active birder and naturalist, he leads field trips for a number of conservation and natural-history
organizations. He is a past president and current member of the Board of Directors of the San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society. Dr. Metcalf is also President of the Meadowlark Land
Trust, which owns and manages the Bearpaw Ranch in the San Bernardino Mountains. Through the Audubon Society, the land trust, and other conservation efforts, he has been involved for
many years in protecting habitat and promoting the conservation of Southern California’s natural landscapes and wildlife.
Dr. Metcalf received degrees from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and the University of California, Riverside, where he completed his Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution.
Patrick Manley
Treasurer
Patrick Manley brings over 45 years of deep financial expertise, operational leadership,
and rigorous compliance oversight to the LOS Foundation Board of Directors. As a former
business owner,
Patrick spent 35 years managing a national construction company
specializing in military housing maintenance and energy conservation. In this role, he
directed complex contract negotiations, oversaw day-to-day operations, and managed
full-scale corporate accounting while strictly adhering to Department of Defense and
General Services Administration (GSA) federal compliance standards.
Following this successful private-sector career, Patrick dedicated 10 years to directing
local public school modernization projects, ensuring tax-funded community assets were
delivered efficiently and transparently.
Driven by a deep passion for saving global biodiversity, protecting the environment
from further deterioration and serving the neurodiverse community, Patrick now leverages this extensive background in
fiscal stewardship, public procurement, and meticulous budgeting to safeguard the LOS
Foundation’s assets, ensure financial transparency, and maximize the real-world impact
of its mission.
John Moberg
Secretary
Following graduation with honors from California State University, Sonoma in 1976 with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, John worked in a locked, privately owned psychiatric facility. Reacting to the abusive conditions, John co-founded and directed the People’s Rights Organization (PRO) in Sonoma County. Spurred by firsthand observations of systemic neglect and chemical restraint while working as an orderly in close daily contact with patients, John established PRO to provide legal advocacy and public accountability for institutionalized individuals.
While working within the institution and later from the outside, he organized workforce union representation and spearheaded public exposure campaigns with local prosecutors, state regulators, and the press. His efforts were instrumental in forcing county and state mental health departments to cease placements at this facility. The advocacy efforts of PRO led to State & local investigations that forced this corporation to cease operations at all of their 42 facilities throughout Northern & Central California.
Guided by the principle of Right Livelihood—aligning personal labor with ethical responsibility and non-harming—John transitioned from mental health advocacy to the early renewable energy movement. From 1979 to 1985, he manufactured, sold, and installed residential solar thermal systems across Northern California until federal tax credits expired. Following a diverse 25yr chapter in Hawaii dedicated to health, wellness, and small-business ownership, he returned to the solar energy sector in 2009. John spent the next fourteen years advancing residential and commercial photovoltaic solar adoption throughout Northern California until his retirement in 2023.
“As a lifelong lover of wild, open spaces and the countless creatures that inhabit them, habitat protection is paramount. So much has already been lost, but so much remains to protect.”
Robert Howell
Legal Advisory
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Maria Lum M.S.
Consultant
Ms. Lum is serving as a land acquisition and natural resources consultant to Lords of Sunnymead Foundation.
Currently, she is an independent consultant and owner of Mitigation & Land Conservation Services based in Riverside, CA.
Her expertise is in facilitating acquisitions of easements and fee-title lands for conservation purposes and also regulatory mandated land mitigation.
Previously, she served as the Land Acquisition Coordinator with Rivers & Lands Conservancy (RLC) for seven years.
Maria contributed to RLC’s early efforts in agricultural land conservation, grant programs, attending and supporting regional working groups, and securing funding to create the San Jacinto Valley Land Conservation Working Group, of which Maria was the facilitator. As facilitator, she established contact and built relationships with a range of external stakeholders including governmental agencies, conservation organizations, and community groups, and helped identify strategies for natural and working land conservation in the San Jacinto Valley. In addition, she worked with national conservation organizations including The Nature Conservancy and The Conservation Fund. Prior to RLC, Maria worked as environmental regulatory consultant and a permitted wildlife biologist for twenty years in southern California.
Stephen Paiz
Advisory Board
Professional Architect
35 years professional experience. Boston, MA focus. US and International projects.
Massachusetts Registration
LEED AP-BD&C
Practice:
All Phases: Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Construction
Administration, Project Architect/Project Manager/ Detailing
Design Types: Residential, Highrise Mixed-Residential, University-College, Civic-GSA, Hospitality,
Urban/ Campus Planning, Corporate Interiors. LEED Projects.
Computer Technology: Autodesk: Revit (all platforms), Dynamo, AutoCAD/ Blue Beam Revu/
Inscape Rendering/ New-Forma Admin./ Adobe Suite/ MS Suite.
Conversant all Codes: IBC, ADA, PDA Public process, Permitting.
Education University of California at Davis_ Bachelor of Arts- Design
University of California at Berkeley_ Master of Architecture
Civic:
Pine Street Inn Homeless Shelter_ Volunteer. Boston’s main hub providing shelter, food and
information resources to city’s homeless.
Beacon Hill Civic Society_ Member/volunteer. Providing advocacy for the Boston neighborhood of
Beacon Hill including review of new design-construction projects, community-government
communications and seasonal events.
Pro bono Architectural services to needy or start-up businesses/ friends, family.
Member ACLU
Member PITA
Personal:
Season Ticket Patron Boston Symphony Orchestra/ Devoted Boston sports fan/ Running-Personal
Fitness/ Devoted (hopeless) Tennis hack/ Art-Music/ Service.
Susan A. Phillips
Advisory Board
Professor of Environmental Analysis
Associate Dean, Pitzer College
Director, Robert Redford Conservancy for Southern California Sustainability
