Our Team

Kathy Huber, Founder

Kathy Huber is the founder of Painted Bins. The Painted Bins project originated as her MBA capstone at Presidio Graduate School, where she discovered the detrimental impact of food waste in landfills and the lack of food waste collection bins in California’s parks and public spaces. With a background in business and sustainability, Kathy has been a founding executive of start-ups such as Alta Energy, the marketplace for commercial solar development, and Market Insite Group, a business intelligence company for the real estate industry where she was also CEO. Her extensive experience spans both for-profit and nonprofit sectors, making her a proficient collaborator and systems thinker. Kathy champions partnerships among local governments, schools, businesses, and individuals to minimize food waste and combat global warming. She is passionate about arts education and is a longtime supporter of the arts.

Jennifer Francis Fearon, Art Director

As a visual artist working in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jennifer Francis Fearon helps Painted Bins with the art side of the Company’s projects. Jennifer maintains a green studio practice and paints with natural pigments. Her nonprofit experience includes Oak Hill School in San Anselmo where she was a founding member and Marin-Open Studios, where she served as board chair in 2020-2021. She is also an artist member of O’Hanlon Center for the Arts and Marin Museum of Contemporary Art. Jennifer holds a BA in Business Administration and an MBA.

Tori Berghoff, School Liaison

Tori is our School Liaison, leading communication with our Painted Bins school communities and helping to bring our student art shows to life. As an involved and active volunteer for the duration of her children’s school years, she brings a strong understanding of school communities from the perspective of parents, students, and faculty alike. Tori also serves on the Marin School of the Arts Foundation board and is an artist member of Art Works Downtown and the Portrait Society of America. She studied at the Academy of Art University and has been a working and exhibiting artist in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 20 years.

Lenore Alexander, Project Manager

Lenore is a creative thinker and project manager. For nearly a decade, Lenore has supported dynamic programming for youth and young adults. As an environmental educator and artist newly based in the East Bay, Lenore is excited to be part of the Painted Bins team, supporting creative solutions to climate change while building environmental stewards. She is passionate about programs that explore the intersection of the arts and the environment for young people. When not working, you can expect to find Lenore outdoors, often hiking with a travel watercolor set or tending to a community garden. Lenore holds a B.A. from Tulane University in Political Economy and Studio Art. 

Lise Mathews, Advisor

Liza Mathews is a lifelong Marin County public school elementary educator specializing in arts integration and environmental issues. Inspired by a Fulbright Japan Award to study Education for Sustainable Development in 2014, she witnessed firsthand the inspiring work being done in Japanese schools to create environmentally smart school cultures. She returned with a renewed mission to lead her school district toward Zero Waste, leading Green Teams and empowering young people with the knowledge and actions to influence their communities in environmental stewardship. Liza was awarded the Painted Bins Climate Educator of the Year (2024). As an arts advocate, Liza loves to share her passion for creativity and self-expression in many art mediums, including ceramics, watercolor, acrylic painting, mosaic, and fiber arts.

Stephen Smith, Advisor

Steve has over 40 years of senior management experience with organizations of various sizes – from small start-ups to large publicly traded businesses. His varied background includes expertise in sales and marketing, finance, management, and information technology. He has worked as Executive Vice President, World-Wide Sales & Marketing for Healtheon/WebMD; sales Vice President for HBOC/McKesson; and Partner-in-Charge (healthcare), Ernst & Young. Steve graduated summa cum laude from California State University and is a CPA. He plans to continue climbing mountains, competing in marathon cycling events, and running triathlons. He resides in San Francisco.