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Meet Our Founder


Loulie H. Sutro, Founder, and President Emerita

Loulie Sutro was the driving force behind the founding of Marin Villages in 2009, two years after she served on the 2006-2007 Marin County Civil Grand Jury which reported on Marin County’s lack of readiness to handle the needs of its aging population. Armed with the information she gained from that experience, she met with other individuals across the country who were pioneering the concept of harnessing the power of volunteers to support older adults continuing to live at home.

Convinced of the potential of the nascent “village movement,” she then parlayed her prior experience in community service on many schools, clubs, and hospital boards to bring together local community leaders to create Marin Villages. She also helped pioneer Marin Villages’ hub and spoke organizational structure, eliminating the administrative and organizational leadership costs that would occur if local villages were independent legal entities rather than divisions of one umbrella legal entity.

Loulie stepped down from the board in 2018 but continues her involvement with Marin Villages as a member of the Advisory Council and as chair of the Ross Valley Village Steering Team. She lives in Ross with her husband of 54 years, Jack Sutro, a retired Marin County Superior Court Judge.