Kristin York: Thank You for Your Board Service

Tags: Forest Futures, Impact Investing

Incredible people have led Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation (TTCF) since our inception in 1998. Kristin York, Vice President of Economic Empowerment for the Sierra Business Council, is one of them. Kristin recently completed her tenure on our Board of Directors. During her  TTCF board service, she helped create a community impact investment model, shape and launch the Forest Futures Impact Initiative, respond during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and publish two Impact Agendas. TTCF’s Board and Staff are so grateful for her leadership and her contributions to where we are today.

Kristin York, originally from San Francisco, is a longtime local leader who loves skiing, biking, backpacking, and more. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Kristin worked in corporate restructuring and turnarounds. Kristin moved to Truckee with her family in 2001.  Kristin is also a Professor of Sustainable Business at Presidio Graduate School and has served as both an elected official and board member on local nonprofit boards. She’s on a California task force to democratize capital through impact investing.

Kristin sat down to reflect on her time with TTCF and provided the following thoughts. As always, we started with our favorite question.

What do you love most about this place? 

The amazing sense of community, stunning natural beauty, seasons, hearty people, the trails and proximity to all the things I love to do.

What initially inspired you to join TTCF’s board? How have you seen TTCF progress during your tenure?  

Giving back to my community in a meaningful way is really important to me and TTCF’s mission is all about that! It has been such an honor to work with amazing fellow board members and the committed TTCF staff to effect positive change. Through my tenure, I’ve seen TTCF’s impact grow deep and wide including launching Forest Futures, the COAD and expanding the local scholarships exponentially. So many feel good moments.

Can you share a moment or project with TTCF that felt especially meaningful to you or of which you are most proud?

It’s hard to pick just one, but working side-by-side with Stacy Caldwell, CEO, Phyllis McConn, Community Impact Officer, and TTCF staff to organize and deploy emergency funds during COVID was a major highlight for me. As a nonprofit, we could move super fast to get funding out into the community where it was needed most. 

What role should philanthropy play in addressing local challenges?

Philanthropy can play a major role in solving intractable problems in any community. TTCF has taken a leading role in the housing crisis and wildfire safety and has essentially created a model for other communities to follow. As a community, banding behind the ongoing efforts to amplify the impact is really important. 

Where are you focusing your attention these days?

Market-based solutions must be available to improve forest health. This is part of the Forest Futures strategy, but it has been challenging to get traction on the investment side.  These funds provide catalytic and patient capital that can invest in market solutions like advanced wood products, processing, ecosystem services, etc, that will address forest and watershed health while pulling through the biomass residuals into a viable product. Investors are expecting tech-specific 10x+ returns, but this is something entirely different. A forest health market-based solution has so many co-benefits that are not valued appropriately, like community safety, forest resilience, job creation, local economic impact, GHG reduction, and more.