Ross Porter has been elected 2022 president of the Balboa Park Committee of 100, succeeding Roger Showley, who served in 2020 and 2021.
At its January meeting, the Committee of 100 board also reelected Lynn Silva as vice president, Daniel Codd as secretary, and elected Melissa Peterman as treasurer, succeeding Sam Dychter. Showley will serve as immediate past president and his predecessor, Mike Kelly, will shift to the C100 Advisory Council.
Porter said in a statement to the board that as the Covid-19 pandemic wanes, C100 can become "still more active in the varied life of our park." He also added that "as advocates for the park, we are visionaries, truth-tellers, and doers."
Porter shared his agenda for 2022 will include these projects:
Installation of bear statues and flagpoles on the San Diego Automotive Museum
Restoration of the Municipal Gym exterior
Painting one or more buildings in the park
Upgrading the C100 offices in the Casa de Balboa.
Outreach and educational efforts will include member and supporter events, free walking tours, a revitalized speakers bureau, three newsletters, a higher social media presence, and more robust donor development. C100 will sustain its advocacy for the park in public forums, including participation in the new Design Assistance subcommittee of the city's official Balboa Park Committee. Porter noted more park issues such as the need to regulate street vendors, improve restrooms, and help visitors find their way. In its ongoing educational efforts, Porter listed continued additions to C100's online archival research resources, planning a book on the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition, and participating in planning for San Diego-Tijuana's World Design Capital 2024 programs.
"These legitimate and customary realms of endeavor contain particular opportunities to strengthen our group."
Porter included such endeavors as:
Fund-raising
Using social media and traditional communication media to attract volunteers and donors
Developing student internship opportunities
Building more community connections with an eye to improving inclusion and "broad-based community ownership of park issues."
He also said he wants to promote "curiosity of problem-solvers and empathy for those who are impacted by the problems that we observe."
Porter, a third-generation San Diegan, attended Roosevelt Middle and San Diego High schools and earned a bachelor's degree in economics at Yale. He also studied the history of art and architecture. Back in San Diego, he pursued a career in public relations and marketing and developed skills as a newscaster, tour guide, and big band vocalist. From 2004 to 2010 he was a board member of the Spreckels Organ Society and executive director until 2021. He joined C100 in the early 2000s and served as vice president. He continues to give monthly guided tours of the Prado and Palisades for the Balboa Park Visitors Center.
- Roger Showley, Past President