Leadership & Board
A passion for Tahoe Truckee
Our Staff and Board of Directors, Past and Present
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Value Statement
We are here to serve our entire community and to co-create a place of home. We are in passionate pursuit of a just Tahoe Truckee community, where people of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and identities have an equal opportunity to thrive. We will intentionally infuse equity into all aspects of our governance, operations and programming, and equitably distribute and redistribute resources in our community.
Adopted by TTCF’s Board of Directors on February 10, 2022.
Current Staff
Stacy Caldwell, CFRE
Chief Executive Officer
Stacy has dedicated her career to community impact. For over two decades, she has specialized in venture philanthropy, social innovation, and economic development. Alongside TTCF staff and board, she engages community members around solving pressing issues. With her national network, she brings resources and expertise to inform our strategies. Prior to joining TTCF in 2012, Stacy was President and CEO of Dallas Social Venture Partners and Co-founded National Rural Funders Collaborative.
Phyllis McConn
Community Impact Officer
Phyllis has been part of TTCF’s mission since 2001 and has been involved in nearly every step of its evolution. She has served in a variety of roles including Grants Coordinator, Controller, Volunteer Coordinator, and Financial Support. She now dedicates her time to community engagement, nonprofit capacity building and organizational development, grantmaking, and the scholarship process. Phyllis is a voracious reader, loves volunteering, hiking, and visiting with her son who now lives in Denver.
Sache Cantu
Chief Operating Officer
Over the past two decades, Saché has worked on cross sector collaboration for social good. Prior to joining TTCF she served as the Community Giving Manager for the U.S. arm of BBVA where she led charitable contributions programs and initiatives. Connecting resources to community-based opportunities has been central to her work as a grantmaker and in the nonprofit sector where she has addressed issues ranging from economic development to education. She holds a BA from UT Austin and an MPA from George Washington University with a concentration in Budgeting & Public Finance. She lives in Grass Valley where she was raised and is an avid trail runner.
Kathy Whitlow
Foundation Services Director
Kathy joined TTCF in 2015 and has a background in Human Resources management. She is responsible for Foundation Services, including financial management, operations, and program support. Kathy became involved with TTCF as a volunteer and donor after moving to Truckee in 2007, and loves engaging young women in philanthropy through the Queen of Hearts Girls Giving Back initiative. Kathy enjoys spending her free time enjoying the Tahoe lifestyle with her husband and two kids.
Nicole Miller
Forest Futures Program Director
Growing up in the Sierra Nevada foothills fueled Nicole’s passion for exploring, conserving, and restoring the ecosystems of the Sierra. Nicole brings 9+ years of experience in forestry and conservation planning, project management, workforce development, data analysis positions with government, non-profit and private sector organizations. Most recently, Nicole developed a new forestry workforce development initiative for the Sierra Nevada Alliance, the Sierra Corps Forestry Fellowship Program. She has served on the North Tahoe Regional Advisory Council to Placer County since 2015. Nicole lives in Tahoe City and enjoys adventuring with her dogs and husband across the Sierra and attending bluegrass concerts as often as possible.
Parisa Nodehi
Director of Operations
Parisa attended University of San Diego and Loyola New Orleans College of Law. After graduating, she primarily worked in the technology industry with a focus in the reliability of the electrical grid. However, her passion has always been in working and volunteering in her local communities and advocating for women’s healthcare rights and issues. Parisa grew up in Minnesota and spent summers in Truckee where she developed a love for the outdoors and mountain life. She now lives in Truckee where she enjoys reading and meditating by the beach, hiking, skiing, and exploring all that the Sierras have to offer.
Kristina Kind
CCTT & MHC Program Coordinator
Prior to joining TTCF in 2020, Kristina worked extensively with youth-focused nonprofits in Lake Tahoe and in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is impressed by the resiliency of children and committed to galvanizing the community's resources to better support them. Kristina coordinates all program-related communications for MHC and CCTT. In her free time, she skis, hikes, and camps.
Dana Crary
Community Impact Manager
Dana brings her diverse background in systems building and creative problem solving to help TTCF expand and strengthen the capabilities of Truckee and Tahoe communities. Prior to joining the team in 2022, Dana’s passion for building sustainable food systems led to a wealth of experience supporting nonprofit organizations focused on food justice and education, as well as working with small food businesses. She and her husband live in Truckee and enjoy sharing all that this beautiful section of the Sierra has to offer with friends and loved ones.
Deb Ryan
Resident Wise Woman
Deb joined TTCF in 2019 with experience in the private, nonprofit, and public sectors. She is the friendly face and voice greeting you at the door and on the phone, and supports the community impact programming. Deb earned her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and was an adjunct professor at the California State University Sacramento. She was previously the Assistant Director at the Office of Statewide Health Planning & Development. She is on the Board of the Truckee River Watershed Council.
Terese Walsh
Development Associate
Terese brings a dynamic background to the TTCF team including client relations and project management. Her love for the Truckee/Tahoe community fuels her desire to help strengthen and grow resilience in our region. As someone who spends a lot of time outdoors, she is especially passionate about the health of our forests and taking action to protect the surrounding ecosystems.
Anne Graham
Forest Futures Program Coordinator
Anne joined TTCF in 2022 with B.S. in Environmental Science from Santa Clara University. In her short career in the Tahoe-Truckee region, she has served two AmeriCorps terms at the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center and interned with the Truckee River Watershed Council. She joins the TTCF team excited to contribute to the Forest Futures initiative and furthering efforts to mitigate the wildfire threats to our community. Anne lives in Kings Beach and enjoys skiing, hiking, and whitewater kayaking in her free time.
Bobby Bear
Summer Intern
Bobby has spent much of his life living in the Tahoe National Forest. He is originally from Lakeport, CA where he was carved by his maker Mark Colp, a nationally renown wood carver. Bobby made his way to Tahoe and spent much of his life in a comfortable den at the base of Northstar. After the catastrophic wildfires season 2021, Bobby reached out to TTCF to see how he could be more helpful in protecting our community. Bobby officially joined the team in 2022 summer intern to help educate our community around sustainable forest management and wildfire preparedness. Have a question for Bobby? bobbybear@ttcf.net
Board of Directors
Geoff Edelstein
Board Chair | Granite Investment Partners
Geoff is an investment advisor specializing in asset management for institutions and high net worth families. He attended the University of Michigan and has a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. Geoff is a member and past board chair of the Board of Directors of EMQ Families First. He is also a member of the Eisner Pediatric and Medical Foundation’s Investment and Finance Committees. Geoff is also active at the University of Michigan and Northwestern University School of Law.
Hannah Sullivan
Immediate Past Board Chair & Treasurer | Emerald Bay Wealth Management LLC
Hannah brings to TTCF a breadth of business and investment experience as well as a profound love of the outdoors and serving our forests. She is TTCF’s Chair of the Investment Committee and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation. Hannah has served on many boards including the Saint Francis Foundation, Cornell Outdoor Education (her undergraduate alma mater), the Development Council of the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business (where she received her MBA), as well as numerous start-ups. She volunteers as a ski instructor with Achieve Tahoe.
Kelley R. Carroll
Vice Chair | Porter Simon Law
Kelley has served the TTCF Board since 2016. He previously served the boards of Truckee Donner Land Trust, SWEP, Sierra Senior Services, and more. He chairs TTCF’s Governance and Audit Committees. Kelley is a shareholder and attorney at Porter Simon where he began in 1991 after practicing in San Francisco. He focuses on estate planning, trust and probate law in California and Nevada. He strongly supports environmental and educational causes and groups that work to strengthen the local community and culture.
Erin Kilmer Neel
Secretary | Beneficial State Foundation
Erin oversees strategy and operations of the Beneficial State Foundation and leads development of social impact banking industry standards. She is grateful to work to address social and environmental injustices every day. She loves comedy, biking, paddling, and generally playing in lakes, rivers, mountains, and beaches with her fabulous husband, Beau.
Bill Austin
Founder of Pacific Crest Wealth Planning
Bill has lived in the Tahoe area since 1984. He has a Masters in Personal Financial Planning and is a Certified Financial Planner Professional™ (CFP®). Bill values TTCF’s ability to connect resources to community needs and environmental sustainability. He serves on TTCF’s Investment Committee and Excellence in Education Board (past president). Prior community service includes Tahoe SAFE Alliance and Truckee River Watershed Council. In his free time, he enjoys alpine and nordic skiing, mountain biking, golf and hiking with his family.
Emily Anne Gendron
Consultant
Emily joins TTCF with a passion for growing a diverse, vibrant middle class. She attended Princeton University and specializes in culture optimization and strategy execution in the tech, arts, nonprofit, and government sectors. Most recently, she’s collaborated with business leaders to enhance Tahoe-Truckee’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. She lives in Truckee with her wife and children.
Jerusha Hall
Northstar California, Environmental Planner
Jerusha has loved living in Truckee-Tahoe for over 25 years. She enjoys cultivating community connections while raising her family and playing outdoors as much as possible. She serves on the Town of Truckee Planning Commission, the EpicPromise Giving Council, and owns a small business focused on forest health. She’s passionate about accelerating achievable housing solutions and utilizing forest resources to create a regional hub for wood products- while retaining community character.
Lauren OBrien
VP Sales & Marketing, Cloudastructure, Inc.
Lauren brings a passion for innovation and business sense to TTCF. As a business and marketing consultant, she has helped TTCF craft a major donor initiative that brings together some of the best that Tahoe has to offer. Her community experience includes the Truckee River Watershed Council, strategic planning for a number of nonprofits, and a new entrepreneurial venture. Lauren’s first year of service will be focused on Strategic Planning and Asset Development.
Alex Mourelatos
Owner of Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort
Alex was born and raised in San Francisco and grew up coming to Tahoe in the summer and winter. His parents purchased the Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort in Tahoe Vista in 1978. Alex left Accenture, a global IT, and Management Consulting firm, after 17 years of service, in 2004 to run the Resort. He has spent the last 16 years growing a successful business that has served the North Lake Tahoe community during that period with a track record as a collaborative, progressive member of our community.
Kristin York
Sierra Business Council, Vice President of Economic Empowerment
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Kristin worked in corporate restructuring and turnarounds. She moved to Truckee with her family in 2001. She’s an avid backcountry skier, trail runner, and mountain biker. Kristin is also a Professor of Sustainable Business at Presidio Graduate School, an elected official on the Board of TDRPD, serves the Tahoe Food Hub board. She’s on a California task force to democratize capital through impact investing. She is helping TTCF create a community impact investment model.
Lynn Madonna
Strategy Advisor and Director/Former President Lahontan Community Foundation
As a strategy consultant, organizational advisor and board director to a multitude of mission-driven, high growth corporate and nonprofit organizations over the past several decades, Lynn brings a diverse and varied perspective to TTCF at this point in its growth and evolution. She was a founding member of the Lahontan Community Foundation, serving as President for 10 years after inception and working with TTCF in establishing the Lahontan Community Grants program. Lynn currently resides with her family in Truckee and Scottsdale, AZ, and also serves as Trustee and member of the Executive Committee of the Arizona Science Center.
Cheryl Schrady
Chair of Sugar Bowl Ski Team & Academy’s Board of Trustees
Cheryl is passionate about serving the local Tahoe Truckee community through her work with nonprofits and is currently the chair of Sugar Bowl Ski Team & Academy’s Board of Trustees. After graduating from Stanford University, Cheryl studied law and business at the University of Southern California earning a Juris Doctorate and Masters in Business Administration. Cheryl’s legal and business acumen made her well suited to practice law in the Bay Area focusing on corporate law, mergers & acquisitions, and securities law advising start-up and mature corporations (both for-profit and nonprofit) as well as financial entities and funds. The Schrady family moved to Truckee in 2011 and enjoys all that the Tahoe Truckee mountain life has to offer.
Mike Rayfield
CFO, Crooked Tree Ranch
Mike retired from the Semiconductor industry after 35 years. Initially holding sales and marketing positions and the last 20 years Senior operating positions at Cisco, NVIDIA, Micron Technologies and AMD. He is also the Board chair of Achieve Tahoe where he has been an instructor for the past 12 years. Mike graduated from the University of Vermont after studying Electrical Engineering and Pre-med. Mike, his wife Gina and their 2 children reside full time in Truckee on their horse ranch.
Rob Darby
President & CEO, Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies
Rob Darby began his career as an actuary and consultant and has held various management roles with increasing responsibility and scope in the property-casualty insurance industry. Currently, Rob is the President and CEO for Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies in their Workers Compensation Division, a $1 Billion company with over 900 employees. He has extensive industry and nonprofit board experience including Equality California, The Honnold Foundation, California Workers’ Compensation Institute and more. On his days off, Rob enjoys traveling, photography, hiking with his dog, golf, and storm chasing.
Past Board Chairs of the Foundation’s Board of Directors
| Name | Title / Affiliation | Chair Service | Board Service |
| Jim Porter | Porter Simon Law, Partner | 1998-2000 | 1998-2006 |
| Linda Brown | Retired TTUSD Teacher | 2000-2002 | 1998-2009 |
| Roger Kahn | Entrepreneur | 2002-2004 | 1998-2011 |
| Rob Kautz | Former SugarBowl Resort CEO | 2004-2006 | 1998-2009 |
| Scott Ryan | Ryan Group Architects, Principal Architect | 2006-2008 | 2001-2009 |
| Fred Ilfeld | Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Nevada Medical School | 2008-2010 | 2003-2012 |
| Patti Boxeth | Retired Finance Professional | 2010-2012 | 2005-2014 |
| Steve Gross | Porter Simon Law, Partner | 2012-2014 | 2006-2016 |
| Craig Lundin | 2014-2016 | 2009-2016 | |
| Walter Auerbach | Auerbach Engineering Corp | 2016-2018 | 2012-Present |