Our Volunteers

2025 Walking Tour Guides

Dennis Evanosky

Mountain View Cemetery, Laurel Grove Park: The Origin Story of the Laurel

Dennis Evanosky is historian at the online Alameda Post and a free-lance writer with many published books: East Bay Then and Now; San Francisco in Photographs; San Francisco Then and Now; Oakland’s Laurel District; Mountain View Cemetery and Alameda’s Architectural Treasure Chest, to name a few. He is the editor of the Alameda County Historical Society’s newsletter. He has received several Partners in Preservation Awards, including one for restoring the Civil War section of Mountain View Cemetery; and one for assisting Bill Caldwell with Oakland: A Photographic Journey.

Dennis has been a docent at Mountain View Cemetery for many years. He was a docent at the Pardee Home Museum, and has led walking tours for OHA that include the Laurel District, the Dimond District, Leona Heights, the Oakland Estuary, Oakland’s Redwoods and Mountain View Cemetery and a tour about the Cemetery’s connection to the Civil War. He also hosts walking tours for the City of Alameda featuring that city’s history.

Dennis was born in Pittston, Pennsylvania and was raised in Maryland. He holds a masters degree in German from the University of Maryland. He taught German for the University of Maryland in Europe for nine years.

Stu Sweidler

History of the East Bay Through the Lens of Lake Temescal

Stuart J. Swiedler, is a physician-scientist who has lived in Oakland since 1989. He is author of the web site The East Bay Hills Project (eastbayhillsproject.org) that combines images of the railroad with aerial views to tell the story of the development of Montclair. The East Bay Hills Project was started to leave a photographic record and satisfy the curiosity of those seeking the basis for the changes to the area. His appreciation for the impact the railroad made to the area was derived from numerous bike rides and runs through the hills between Oakland and Mount Diablo with his wife Judy.

Kathleen DiGiovanni

Storied Lakeside Park: Bonsai, Bowling, and Butterflies; Downtown Brooklyn

Kathleen Leles DiGiovanni is a long-time Oakland Heritage Alliance walking tour leader and a regular contributor to the OHA News. A former librarian at the Oakland Public Library, Kathleen logged thousands of hours working in the Oakland History Center, promoting and guiding exploration of Oakland's history through the library's rich resources. As much as she loved her work, she is now working at being happily retired. In addition to this year's Lakeside Park and Brooklyn tours, Kathleen has also led walking tours for OHA in Fernwood, Glenview, and Montclair Village and Oakland Women’s History tours.

Al Janske

St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery

Al Janske was born in Oakland, and graduated from Oakland High School in 1970. He started working on his family genealogy in 1995 and became a member of the California Genealogical Society the same year. After taking a Dennis Evanosky tour 15 years ago, Al realized there was no book on St. Mary's people, and decided to embark on the long journey to write one. He has a personal connection to the cemetery, both his parents and his brother are interred here.

Dale Risden

Historic Sites in Joaquin Miller Park

Dale Risden is Chair of “Friends of Joaquin Miller Park” and has led the effort to restore JM Abbey. His current effort is restoring the Cascade Reflecting Pool and Fountain and organizing community projects to reduce fire issues within the Park. Dale has been recognized with several Partners in Preservation Awards for his work

Naomi Schiff

A West Oakland Stroll

Naomi Schiff, board member and former OHA president, has been advocating historic preservation in Oakland since 1980. During the current zoning update, she has been working to secure increased protection for historic resources in the downtown area. She was a founding board member of Friends of the Oakland Fox. She is currently serving on the technical advisory committee for the citywide residential zoning update. In its third historic location in downtown Oakland, her small business is located in the Press Building on 12th Street. Favorite project: helping to convince the school district to preserve 550 wooden windows at Oakland Tech.

Riley Doty

Tiles and Terra Cotta Parts 1 & 2: Focus on Beaux Arts, Focus on Art Deco

Former OHA Board member Riley Doty is a tile setter who has been working in the Bay Area since1978. He is a member of Artistic License, a guild of period revival artisans. http://www.artisticlicense.org/index.html He has done considerable research about the history of tiles and serves on the board of directors of Tile Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to education and preservation of ceramic surfaces. http://www.tileheritage.org/

John Nicoles

Ridgetop Redwoods

John has a degree in Forestry from the University of California School of Forestry (1966). (This school merged with the College of Agriculture to form the College of Natural Resources in 1974.) Following a four-year military stint, he joined the Park District in 1971 as a surveyor. The eucalyptus freeze of 1972 elevated him to a natural resources manager, under various titles, until retirement in1992. Since retirement he has served as an officer in both California Alumni Foresters and the Society of American Foresters. He has also volunteered in several forestry-oriented education programs, demonstrated a steam powered logging machine, toured Europe and written numerous letters to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Thomas N. Alexander, LCSW

Fred Finch Home

The Fred Finch Board of Directors appointed Tom as President and CEO in October 2012 after his service as the Interim Chief Operating Officer in Fred Finch’s Southern California region where he initiated the development of the Fred Finch Youth Center’s residential dual-diagnosis program and spearheaded the growth of additional programs. Today, our Southern California Division houses seven programs, over 140 staff, and serves over 400 children, youth, and families daily.

Tom’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Southern California, a Master’s of Social Work from San Diego State University and a certificate in non-profit management from Chapman University. Tom has over 30 years of experience in clinical and leadership roles serving youth and families at various mental health and social service agencies. Before joining Fred Finch, Tom held esteemed leadership positions at a number of child and family service agencies.

Daniela Ogden

Fred Finch Home

Daniela joined Fred Finch Youth & Family Services in 2024, bringing with her a wealth of experience and knowledge in fundraising and social impact communications. Prior to joining Fred Finch, she served as the Director of Communications for The Sobrato Organization. Before this role, Daniela worked as a consultant for Bay Area nonprofits and served as the Vice President of Communications, Advocacy, and Fund Development for Eden Housing.

With a passion for supporting nonprofit organizations, Daniela has held various roles aimed at achieving fundraising and communications goals. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Colorado at Boulder, where she studied Creative Writing and Studio Art.

Greg Novak

Sheffield Village

Greg grew up in Walnut Creek, and after graduating from college has lived most of his adult life in the east bay. He’s been a longtime East Bay resident; he has been very involved as a volunteer for various organizations such as being the Board President of the Sheffield Village Homeowner’s Association, and as a member of the Community Policing Advisory Board for the City of Oakland. He volunteers his time at many local community organizations such as Oakland Heritage Alliance, Habitat for Humanity and Children’s Fairyland to list a few. Greg volunteers time every summer as a camp counselor for Camp del Corazon, a non-profit camp for children with heart disease. He has a passion for historic renovation, is a musician and theater buff. When not holding open houses, you will likely find him running one of the numerous trails in the East Bay hills.

Lailan Sandra Huen

Oakland Chinatown’s Diversity: Immigrant Stories & Cultural Heritage

Lailan Sandra Huen is a 4th generation Oaklander – her family first came to SF Chinatown during the Gold Rush, and sought refuge in Oakland Chinatown after the 1906 earthquake. She is a member of the Oakland Chinatown Coalition, having led campaigns to secure Community Benefits Agreements in new developments and working for equitable development. She authored the “Our Neighborhoods” national report for the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development which documents best practices from across the country to protect AAPI cultural districts. After 2 decades in education, Lailan founded AAPISA, Oakland Unified School District’s programs for Arab, Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Lailan holds a Bachelors in Asian American and Urban Studies from Columbia University, a Masters in Media Studies from The New School, and is a doctoral student in Anthropology and Social Change at the California Institute of Integral Studies with a focus in Asian American Studies and racial healing.