2025 SMPOA BOARD
Board of Directors – Sunset Mesa Property Owners Association
The Board of Directors is the governing body of the Sunset Mesa Property Owners Association (POA). Elected by the membership, the Board is responsible for overseeing the management, maintenance, and preservation of our community’s shared values, aesthetic standards, and long-term interests.
Key responsibilities of the Board include:
Enforcing the Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&Rs) and Bylaws
Overseeing the Architectural Committee (AC) and review process for home modifications
Managing the POA’s budget, financials, and vendor contracts
Developing and updating policies that protect property values, view preservation, and neighborhood harmony
Facilitating transparent communication between the POA and homeowners
Responding to community concerns and helping resolve disputes when necessary
The Board meets regularly and encourages all members to participate, provide feedback, and stay engaged in community matters. Through thoughtful leadership, we strive to maintain Sunset Mesa as a safe, beautiful, and vibrant place to live.
Jonathan Markiles
HOA President & Treasurer
Jonathan is excited to serve on the SMPOA Board. With a background in Fine Arts and years of experience in small business management, he has developed a strong focus on organizing systems and streamlining operations to help things run more efficiently—always with a collaborative, team-oriented approach.
He is passionate about thoughtful home design. A few years ago, he remodeled his Sunset Mesa family home using fire-resistant best practices and native landscaping—efforts he believes are essential to preserving the natural beauty of the canyon while helping to future-proof the community.
In the wake of the Palisades Fire, he has become especially committed to rebuilding the neighborhood with both resilience and care. Deeply invested in maintaining the peaceful, unique character of Sunset Mesa, he is dedicated to keeping the community a safe, beautiful, and welcoming place—for residents and for the wildlife that also call the canyon home.
HOWARD GOULD
Board Member
Howard Gould practices commercial law in Santa Monica with an emphasis on real estate matters and corporate, partnership and LLC governance disputes. He served on numerous boards and in a variety of community service activities over the years including the Pacific Palisades Community Council, the Palisades-Malibu YMCA, 18 years on school governance councils in the LAUSD, and many others. He also currently serves on the Executive Committees of real estate groups putting on educational programs, including the Beverly Hills Bar Association Real Estate Section.
Lisa Larkin
SECRETARY
Lisa Larkin is a former Project Manager who now works as an Administrative Assistant at a landscape design firm. Over the years, she has developed strong organizational skills and a talent for clear, effective communication—particularly when coordinating projects and collaborating with diverse stakeholders to ensure progress and alignment.
She is especially passionate about California native landscaping, night sky-friendly lighting, poison-free rodent control, and sustainable, wildfire-resistant building practices. Lisa and her wife recently completed a home remodel guided by these principles, gaining firsthand experience in how thoughtful design can enhance both the safety and beauty of a home while fostering coexistence with the surrounding wildlife in their unique canyon environment.
Chris Plummer
Architecture Committee Chair
Chris Plummer is deeply committed to helping Sunset Mesa fully recover and emerge stronger and safer after the devastating loss of the community’s homes and neighborhood. In his professional life, Chris leads an entertainment software company that engages 15 million players daily and generates over $1 billion annually. He manages large, diverse global teams and brings extensive experience in delivering ambitious projects, aligning stakeholders, and solving complex challenges to achieve meaningful results. While the HOA operates in a very different context, Chris believes these leadership and problem-solving skills can contribute significantly to rebuilding the community, preserving its iconic ocean views, and preparing for future emergencies.
Lori MCcREARY
POA Vice President
Lori McCreary is an award-winning film and television producer, accomplished computer scientist, and the co-founder of Revelations Entertainment alongside Morgan Freeman. Her acclaimed productions include Invictus, Madam Secretary, The Story of God, and the forthcoming Rendezvous with Rama, directed by Denis Villeneuve.
A graduate of UCLA with a degree in Computer Science, Lori helped pioneer the digital distribution of films in partnership with Intel. She is also the co-founder of FoodFightUSA, an organization she launched with Todd Wagner to transform the American food system through policy advocacy, regenerative agriculture, and artificial intelligence.
Lori serves as President Emeritus of the Producers Guild of America and is a trustee on the Board of the American Film Institute. As a homeowner who, like many of her neighbors, lost her home to wildfire, Lori brings a deeply personal commitment to rebuilding and serving her community with compassion, innovation, and resilience.
Gary greene
board member
Gary Greene brings experience to the SMPOA from dealings with substantial real estate portfolio that he and his family have owned in the Los Angeles area for decades, and Gary actively manages a significant portion of those properties both in LA and South Florida.
Gary extends his heartfelt sympathies to the many neighbors who lost their homes, as well as to the local workers — from gardeners to housekeepers — who suddenly lost their jobs on January 7, 2025. Having experienced multiple evacuations over the past 15 years, he recalls with particular intensity watching the fire approach at 11:00 AM that day — a moment he will never forget. Gary is eager to serve on the Board to support and assist his fellow neighbors during this challenging time.
Rahul Jain
Board Member
Rahul Jain has lived in the Mesa for over 12 years and considers it the only place in the world he would want to call home. He and his family have been raising their two children in the community and plan to return after rebuilding their house. Rahul believes that the ocean view protection granted to every home is a defining feature of the neighborhood and must be preserved. He would like to see both the Board and the Architectural Committee take a more active role in protecting homeowners’ views.
In his view, the community’s CC&Rs are outdated. Recent developments have shown the need to update these governing documents in order to give the HOA meaningful enforcement authority.
Professionally, Rahul is an engineering professor and an AI research scientist. He works at organizations that are actively shaping the future of technology.
Dave Karsh
Board Member
Dave Karsh has a professional background in enterprise IT systems at Northrop Grumman Corporation, where he serves as a systems engineering manager and product owner, focused on enabling complex business operations.
He also brings 13 years of prior HOA leadership experience, where he led major initiatives including a comprehensive overhaul of the CC&Rs and bylaws, the complete renovation of his building’s interior and exterior, working closely with Santa Monica Building & Safety, structural engineers, architects, and contractors. This experience taught him how to navigate complex regulatory and construction environments while balancing the needs of a diverse membership.
With a strong foundation in systems thinking, process improvement, and stakeholder collaboration, Dave is committed to applying clear, consistent, and resident-focused principles to our community’s priorities—whether it’s architectural reviews, post-fire rebuilds or preserving our ocean views. He looks forward to working with neighbors to strengthen transparency, protect property values, and ensure Sunset Mesa remains a vibrant and resilient place to live.