Caryl Hart, Ph.D. is an attorney and expert in public lands and park policy, with over 25 years of advocacy, scholarship, and administrative experience. She is currently Vice-Chair of the California Coastal Commission, where she has served since 2019. Dr. Hart served for 13 years as a member of the California State Parks Commission, including seven years as Chair.  In 2014, Dr. Hart was appointed by Governor Brown to serve on the Parks Forward Commission to assist in forming a sustainable path forward for the California State Park System.  From 2010 to 2017, Dr. Hart was Director of Sonoma County Regional Parks, a system of 50 parks and regional trails including Doran, Stillwater, and Gualala Point Regional Parks on the Sonoma Coast, and Spud Point Fishing Marina in Bodega Bay. As a native Californian, born in Los Angeles and raised in the Santa Barbara area, Dr. Hart is dedicated to the protection of our coast and ocean and ensuring maximum public access for all Californians and visitors to our state.