IMPACT
quarterly
august 2022
What We Mean When We Talk About Impact
In the business world, you measure success by looking at customers and profits. In the philanthropic, community-focused world, we measure success by impact on the ground.
Where that begins for the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation is developing a deep understanding of what’s happening in our community. We have a number of sources we can tap to gather that information—we hear from community members, from the nonprofit sector, and from the public agencies. This gives us lots of good data, and we have qualitative and quantitative ways to crunch that data to measure impact.
We zero in on the specific areas that we have determined change is needed, and then work together to decide how to best affect that change. That, to us, is impact. It’s about finding holistic, inclusive, systemic opportunities to create a better community.
As you take a look at updates on our work, we hope that you see HOPE. With the challenges we face as a community, our mission remains steadfast in dedicating leadership and resources to serve our evolving needs. Our organization continues to evolve as the needs of the community continue to grow and change. We are grateful to our many collaborative partners and donors who trust us and engage in the work ahead.
Read “Five Community-Centered Takeaways from Aspen Ideas Festival (Aspen Institute)”
Scholarships
On an annual basis, TTCF partners with local scholarship committees to make more than 100 community scholarships available to help students pursue their dreams through college or vocational school.
In addition to bringing local businesses, organizations and families together as funders, TTCF provides an online platform with a common application, making it easier for the students and committees responsible for reviewing these applications.
Iran Martinez, North Tahoe High School
Angel Barajas, Sierra High School
Finding Wisdom in the Woods
Iran Martinez, recipient of six TTCF Scholarships, discovered her own determination in the wilderness.
As she was preparing to graduate from North Tahoe High School in June, Iran Pacheco Martinez embarked on her senior project—a backpacking trip with a friend to Glacier Lake in Tahoe National Forest. While hiking around the area, she worked on her map-reading skills, did a little bit of writing, and soaked in the beauty.
Iran Martinez (R) shows off a certificate from the outdoor leadership program Adventure Risk Challenge, with ARC program coordinator
Kaela Frank.
The highlight, she says, was that the trip helped her reconnect with what she describes as the most important experience of her high school years—a month-long trip to Yosemite Valley with the group Adventure Risk Challenge (ARC).
“It was beautiful,” she says of the recent trip. “It was like ARC all over again, and it just felt awesome.”
Adventure Risk Challenge is an outdoor leadership program, and Iran says she’s “excited to share” the story of her ARC experience. In an essay composed for her TTCF scholarship application, Iran writes that the month she spent in Yosemite National Park between sophomore and junior years completely shifted her expectations of what was possible for her.
During a month-long visit to Yosemite National Park with a cohort of fellow students, Iran Martinez decided to pursue big dreams.
“Before completing ARC, being a broke, working-class Latina had convinced me that I would always witness ‘The American Dream’ as a bystander, never be able to experience it myself due to my financial circumstances and legal status as a DACA dreamer. … ARC helped me realize my own academic gifts and allowed me to stop settling for mediocre academic performance with both my course scheduling and grades.”
In an interview in late June, Iran talked about how it felt to embrace her ambition.
“I snapped into a whole new mindset,” she says. “I knew that I was going to come out of that shy-Latina stereotype. It was like a switch went off in me and I was like: This is going to happen because I want it to happen. And because there are people that are willing to help me.”
Scholarships received: Tahoe Mountain Resorts Foundation Scholarship, Fred Motamedi Legacy Scholarship, McConkey Foundation Scholarship, Tahoe Donner Giving Fund Scholarship, Judge C. Anders Holmer Scholarship, Rotary Club of Tahoe City Scholarship
This is going to happen because I want it to happen. And because there are people that are willing to help me.”
Iran Martinez
Learning to Believe
Angel Barajas is headed to Truckee Meadows Community College, and he can hardly believe it.
Early on a Friday morning three weeks before he graduated from Sierra High School, Angel Barajas’ phone rang. It was TTCF calling to say he was being awarded the Jackson-Ferree Scholarship.
“I was speechless when they told me,” Angel says. Less than a year earlier, it seemed unlikely he would even graduate from high school. “I had applied, but I never thought I would actually get a scholarship. So I was very surprised—kind of shocked. And … it was actually my birthday!”
Until quite recently, Angel Barajas felt that college was not in the cards for him.
I had applied, but I never thought I would actually get a scholarship. So I was very surprised—kind of shocked. And … it was actually my birthday!”
Angel Barajas
Next fall, Angel will head to Reno to attend Truckee Meadows Community College, where he’ll study diesel mechanics. TMCC is both a trade school and a college, and thanks to the scholarship, Barajas will get a college degree, not just a trade certificate, as he was planning. This will give him the skills and credentials he needs to work on diesel semi tractor-trailer trucks, snow removal equipment, construction equipment— every kind of diesel-powered machinery.
Showing a bit of an entrepreneurial streak, Angel says he also plans to buy big rigs that are in disrepair, fix them up, and sell them. “I’d kind of like to have my own little rebuilt semi-truck company,” he says.
Angel Barajas, with mom Evelia and brother Erick, following a skydiving jump.
Barajas is grateful and also a little bit stunned by his good fortune. He shares that high school was a hard road for him, beginning with tragedy when his grandmother passed away in the summer between eighth grade and freshman year. “My grandma was pretty much like my mom to me,” he says. “I was pretty depressed going into high school—I didn’t want to leave my room. That was my first time feeling that type of sadness.”
Things got harder. When Covid hit, both of Angel’s parents lost their jobs. He was already working at a local golf course, and he took another job at a fast food restaurant, where he eventually became a manager. He felt that it was his responsibility to help put food on the table at home, and he stopped attending online classes at Truckee High despite his parents’ protestations. “I didn’t drop out,” he says, “I just couldn’t go to school.”
In the summer between his junior and senior year, everything changed. His parents found work, and Angel decided to up his academic game.
Families
We know that the past two years have been a struggle for our community, but with accurate data we can better inform funding and planning processes to improve the overall health of this region.”
Alison Schwedner, Director of the Community Collaborative
The goal of TTCF’s Family Strengthening initiative is to improve the health and resiliency of all community members. Areas of focus include: Safety-net services, mental and behavioral health, disaster preparedness and response, education and economic well-being. Our Community Collaborative represents a partnership of more than 45 social service organizations that play a role in this important work.
The Community Collaborative of Tahoe Truckee has been convening for over 25 years to strengthen families and improve our community’s health, education and safety.
To that end, our comprehensive 2022 Community Engagement and Behavioral Health Survey Report, released in April, informs our work as we address one of our most pressing issues.
A total of 858 of our neighbors participated in the survey, answering 37 core behavioral health questions and 15 questions specific to North Tahoe.
This follows a similar survey conducted in 2020, and will help us measure the local impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the results give us a clear view of some issues that we need to address as a community, they also contain information that allows us to feel optimistic that we will be able to face these issues together.
Health, Wellness, and Engagement:
Key Findings
Survey findings confirmed that living in a tourist town comes with stressors that negatively impact our mental health. Though this may be a tourist town, it’s also a close-knit community filled with neighbors looking out for one another.
83.9%
Trust This Community
Asked whether they trust their neighbors, an overwhelming number of Tahoe Truckee residents replied in the affirmative.
39.8%
Have Considered Moving Away
Housing instability, lack of stable employment, or insufficient income to cover expenses were cited as the top three reasons some folks have thought about leaving the area.
46.9%
Struggle With Mental Health
These respondents reported that there were three or more days per month during which their mental health was not good. That percentage is considered high relative to other US communities, but it was similar to survey results in Eagle and Summit. The percentage has increased significantly from 2020 survey findings.
62.6%
Know About Local Resources
Awareness of local mental health resources has increased significantly since 2020, but the reported likelihood of using these services has decreased.
60%
Have been impacted by substance abuse
A large percentage of Tahoe Truckee residents report that their lives have been negatively affected by their own or someone else’s substance abuse issues. 19.2% report being deeply impacted by drugs or alcohol—the national average is 11.2%.
We Are All In it Together
In Tahoe Truckee, it’s possible to find isolation, and that is not always a good thing. We don’t have as many resources as urban areas, and we simply don’t have the robust system of mental health services that we need. So as a community, we are obligated to look at other types of support to offset the lack of providers.
One thing we do have here is a strong sense of community, and by coming together we can face these challenges. By bringing flexible dollars to the table we can address four key areas that we know will help improve our mental health system:
• Policy and funding
• Strategic collaboration
• Local programs and services
• Field building and Inclusivity
Follow this link to view the Behavioral Health Roadmap that TTCF put together based on findings from the 2021 Behavioral Health Landscape Report.
Forests
Impact: To date, TTCF has raised $5.4 million to fund Forest Futures and granted nearly $2 million to local organizations to support three impact areas: Protect Communities, Build a Forest Economy and Accelerate Market Solutions.
Forest Futures Phase 2:
Ambitious Programs Just Announced
The Phase 2 awards
will enable us to hire a coordinator to drive and support Firewise community efforts, accelerate and streamline funding and technical resource programs, and facilitate coordination with local fire districts. This money will also allow us to:
• Provide direct grants to local fire districts to support defensible space and fuel reduction efforts, fill gaps in funding, and pay for community wildfire resilience coordination
• Encourage workforce development by providing field equipment and scholarships for students in Community College Forestry and Fire Programs
• Build infrastructure by funding green waste wood fuel processing programs
• Accelerate market solutions through a business strategy prize to help entrepreneurs scale small businesses
97
experts engaged in and helped inform FF impact strategy
Forest Futures Progress:
Projects Now Underway
“Each new phase of Forest Futures prioritizes relationships with organizations that are on-the-ground. We’re applying lessons learned from community partnerships and grantmaking during COVID to create a sense of urgency and use trust-based philanthropy to quickly deploy dollars where they are most needed.”
Stacy Caldwell, CEO, Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation.
Our community is already at work:
• Accelerating planning for hazardous tree removal for critical evacuation routes
• Working with local community organizations in recovery efforts
• Increasing community engagement, education, and public awareness
• Introducing urban and rural youth to forest management
Protecting and Building Communities
Forest Futures’ Phase 2 funding also addresses economic inequities among area residents with a workforce development grant. This funding will help solve persistent labor shortages by training people in firefighting as well as planning and implementing forest health projects.
Finally, Phase 2 grants also address the issue of green waste by funding disposal and processing efforts, and by offering a cash award to help entrepreneurs tackling these problems scale their businesses.
“Providing funding that expands capacity for wildfire resilience program work and projects in our communities has been instrumental in increasing the pace and scale of regional forest health efforts. We have been collaborating with these organizations to stay up to date on the projects with funding gaps so that as soon as we get the dollars in, we can support the top priority needs.”
Nicole Lutkemuller, Forest Futures Program Director
Forest Futures Salons
This quarter, we hosted two salons to discuss critical conversations: An Overview on the “Safer from Wildfires” home insurance program and Evacuation Preparedness (also available in Spanish). To learn more about our Forest Futures salons, visit here.
Press Coverage
- Terri Russell from KOLO News 8 joined the Forest Futures team on a walk to see firsthand the difference between a healthy and unhealthy forest. The segment, “Forest Futures Campaign Tackles Fuel Reduction,” received national attention and was picked up over 60 times in major markets such as Boston, Portland, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Santa Barbara and more.
- The proactive nature of Forest Futures work was highlighted in the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s article “Living With Fire: Donors Want to Focus on Reducing Risk, Not on Disaster”
- The Sierra Sun shared “Local foundation launches 2nd phase of $30M Forest Futures Campaign”
- Read the press release on the first phase of Forest Futures grants, totaling $1M to nine local institutions
CAL FIRE
In partnership with local fire districts and organizations, TTCF was awarded $1.9M from the CAL FIRE Wildfire Resilience Block Grant Program. With these committed funds, this pilot program assists nonindustrial timberland owners with wildfire resilience efforts by providing technical and financial assistance for their forest management needs. TTCF will form a committee of stakeholders to help inform the distribution of these funds that will help fill the gaps of funding coming from different local tax measures. The program focuses on providing resources to private properties that are three acres or larger in size.
Pro Sports and Forest Health
In mid-July, the Barracuda Championship – the PGA TOUR tournament contested at Old Greenwood – partnered with TTCF’s Forest Futures Campaign to highlight our to minimize the risk of extreme wildfires through better preparation, investment in forest health and infrastructure, and diversification of local economies.
PGA TOUR players Joshua Creel and Jonas Blixt got a birds eye view of the region’s environmental challenges. The golfers hiked the Sawtooth/06 trail along with Tahoe National Forest Truckee District Ranger Jonathan Cook-Fisher and TTCF CEO Stacy Caldwell and viewed the 5 Creeks project along the Highway 89 corridor between Olympic Valley and Truckee – a key evacuation route still in need of clearing and discussed efforts to clear this route funded through Forest Futures.
(L-R: Mark Luster- Community Relations Manager at Sierra Pacific Industries, Jessica Morse- Deputy Secretary for Forest and Wildfire Resilience at California Natural Resources Agency, Brenda Davis- The California Forest Foundation Board of Directors, Stacy Caldwell- CEO of Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, Matt Dias- President of California Forestry Association, Noah Zuniga- Executive Director of The California Forest Foundation)
FOREST FUTURES AT THE CALIFORNIA STATE FAIR
As California faces an ongoing threat of wildfires, the California Forest Foundation, the California Forestry Association and the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation joined forces to promote forest and fire-related careers to ensure the availability of workers throughout the state to advance the pace and scale of forest management and fire mitigation. The initiative was announced at the California State Fair, where the Forest Futures: Careers Among the Trees exhibit highlighted a wide range of career opportunities in forest management and fire mitigation available to people of all ages, interests and backgrounds.
If you are interested in learning more about careers among the trees, visit here.
Closing
Throughout the summer, we hosted small forest walks in partnership with a forester to keep our community engaged in conversations around forest health and wildfire mitigation. Our Forest Futures Salons will be on pause until Sept. 22 (Register Here), but be sure to follow us on social media to stay informed on wildfire preparedness tips and facts from Bobby Bear.
Housing
As many of you know, Mountain Housing Council (MHC) is a coalition of 29 community partners brought together by the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation to accelerate solutions to a housing crisis that threatens the soul of our community.
Families who have lived here for generations are being forced out. Workers in the hospitality and recreation industries are sleeping in their cars. Local businesses, unable to hire enough help, are cutting hours and losing money.
Truckee Artists Lofts and Meadow View Place, two of the 17 Achievable Housing Projects currently available to rent, under construction, or approved for development.
Thankfully, this community began to gather the resources necessary to confront this challenge years ago, and that allowed MHC to respond quickly.
The housing shortage that exploded with the pandemic and the “Zoom Boom” has not abated, nor have our efforts to meet this existential challenge.
MHC and its partners are working toward goals first outlined in 2016 in our Truckee North Tahoe Regional Workforce Housing Needs Assessment and updated in the 2021 Regional Housing Needs Assessment.
Impact Initiatives
Our Housing Solutions Fund has deployed more than $2 million in gap financing for Truckee Artist Lofts and seed funding for the Landing Locals long-term rental platform.
- Truckee Artist Lofts, part of the long-planned Truckee Railyard Project, is providing housing to local individuals and families in 76 apartments, and is the first of what could be more affordable housing projects near the heart of downtown.
- Landing Locals, a platform that cofounders Kai and Colin Frolich have branded “A Housing Marketplace for Tourist Towns,” now offers homeowners in the Tahoe Truckee region incentives to turn their short-term rentals into long-term rentals. The grant incentives with the Town of Truckee have increased to $18,000 and the program has expanded to Placer County.
MHC Public-Sector Partners Step Up
- Landing Locals will be able to offer these incentives, one-time grants ranging from $2,000 to $24,000 depending on number of tenants and length of lease, thanks to Placer County and the Town of Truckee.
- Placer County has also revised its building codes to allow movable tiny homes and small “cottage housing.”
Pacific Crest Commons will be developed on 1.72 acres of state-owned land that is the former California Highway Patrol site in Truckee. The state selected the site as part of its obligation to identify excess state-owned land and pursue affordable housing.
Impact Legislation
Of course, the crisis we are dealing with in Truckee and North Lake Tahoe is part of a much bigger housing shortage. Thankfully, lawmakers in Sacramento are at work on some solutions.
MHC partners and our policy working group have been meeting with legislators and following/supporting some important legislation.
AB 411: Authorizes the issuance of $600 million in bonds to finance the development of affordable rental and transitional housing for veterans, with an emphasis on housing for homeless and extremely low-income veterans.
AB 1911: Creates a new Affordable Housing Preservation Tax Credit to support the preservation of tens of thousands of units of affordable housing that are at risk of converting to market rate or of displacing low-income tenants.
AB 2011: Makes housing developments that meet specified affordability criteria eligible for a streamlined, “ministerial” approval process, and requires that certain wage and labor standards be met.
Talking About Impact
In May, the MHC Speaker Series addressed the topic “Untangling Tiny Home Regulations,” and featured housing planners Patrick Dobbs of Placer County and Jessica Wackenhut Lomeli of the City of South Lake Tahoe.
In addition to discussing tiny homes and other innovative affordable housing solutions, Dobbs spoke about the County’s new housing-related codes amendments, and its Housing Strategy and Development Plan, which aims to streamline multifamily and mixed-use development.
Wackenhut Lomeli talked about South Lake Tahoe’s 16 housing initiatives, and the tiny home code regulations that were passed in the spring. She also noted that the city is trying to develop a permanent funding stream for affordable housing.
On July 14, the Speaker Series featured Kate Harrison, vice mayor of the City of Berkeley, who discussed a topic with deep relevance in the Tahoe Truckee region: “Vacant-home taxes: Can they help with the housing crisis?”
Should our municipalities tax the owners of multi-unit buildings, single-family homes and condominiums owned by a corporation or LLC that have been empty for more than a year to encourage property owners to rent out empty units?
Mountain Housing Council Events & News
Homelessness an issue in North Lake Tahoe
(Tahoe Daily Tribune)
What Can You Do?
Let Landing Locals find a local renter for your home.
This Tahoe-based service, “The Local Housing Marketplace for Tourist Towns,” takes care of all the details, including screening.
Build an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) on your property.
Several Tahoe Truckee area municipalities have changed their regulations to make it easier for homeowners to build ADUs.
Show up for public meetings.
Various jurisdictions, including the Town of Truckee, Placer County, Nevada County, and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, are at work on our housing crisis. All of them hold public meetings (accessible via video or streaming service), and your voice can help make a difference.
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, Sept. 7th 4-5pm
Mountain Housing Council Speaker Series
Stay tuned for more information!
Thursday, Sept. 22, 4-5:30pm
Forest Futures Salon
Stay tuned for more information on topic and speakers!
Wednesday, Oct. 19, 4-5:30pm
Forest Futures Salon
Stay tuned for more information on topic and speakers!
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 8-11am
Mountain Housing Council | Quarterly Meeting
At these quarterly meetings, 29 partners share results of their housing initiatives, sub-collaboration actions, and more. Meetings are designed for partners, but the public is welcome to attend.
Donor Story
Richard and Theresa Crocker
Richard and Theresa Crocker Give $1 Million to TCCF
We are so pleased to announce that Richard and Theresa Crocker, longtime Truckee homeowners and the donor advisors of the Crocker Philanthropic Fund, have donated $1 million to TTCF. As second-homeowners for two decades, the Crocker gift is a reflection of their passion and love for this community.
Richard and Theresa shared, “We have long enjoyed the Lake Tahoe area, especially Truckee, which has given us so much joy.” “We felt it was only right to give back. It seems a modest gesture compared to all that this area has provided for us. We hope all those that have received the same pleasures from this community are inspired to give back in any way they can.”
The gift will support some of TTCF’s most critical initiatives: programs that focus on mental health, social services, and disaster preparedness for very low-income residents; scholarships to aid in workforce development; housing solutions; and community programming. In addition, it will help fund TTCF’s new Forest Futures Campaign, a comprehensive approach that can be replicated by other communities to align community climate action with transformational finance for forest health and infrastructure, and diversification of local economies.
Stacy Caldwell, TTCF’s CEO expressed her gratitude. “We are extremely grateful to the Crockers for this generous gift to help TTCF fund its impact agenda,” Caldwell said, “which aims to create a thriving, resilient community where families are stable and happy, housing is affordable, forests are strong and healthy, and the economy is vibrant, diverse and sustainable.”
The Crockers
The Team
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.
Kate Frankfurt
Chief Philanthropy Officer
Kate has an extensive career in social change work, both as an advocate as well as through fundraising and development. In her most recent position at Truckee Donner Land Trust, she led the capital campaign for Truckee Springs, raising $3.5M from private donors during the pandemic year, and ensuring that public access to the Truckee River from downtown is forever secured. Kate is on the Board of the Shane McConkey Foundation and works the ticket office at Squaw during the winter season. She lives in Olympic Valley and is the mother of two boys.
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.
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.
Alison Schwedner
Community Collaborative Program Director
Alongside CCTT’s 45 health, education and social service organizations and coalitions, Alison works to strengthen local families. Prior to joining TTCF in 2008, Alison worked at Tahoe SAFE Alliance and North Tahoe Family Resource Center. Alison currently serves on the Placer County First 5 Commission and previously served on the Nevada County Mental Health Advisory Board, California Family Strengthening Networks Steering Committee, and California Family Resource Association Policy Committee. She and her husband live in Truckee with their 3 children.
Tara Zuardo
Mountain Housing Council Program Director
After attending UC Berkeley and Lewis & Clark Law School, Tara worked in environmental and animal/wildlife protection nonprofits throughout the Bay Area, Truckee, and DC for 17 years. During this time, she also assisted clients with a variety of housing-related legal issues, including foreclosure defense, Homeowners’ Association disputes, eviction moratoriums, contract disputes, landlord-tenant matters, and more. After growing up in the Bay Area and spending summers in Tahoe Donner, she and her family now live in Truckee, where she also volunteers with animal shelters.
Nicole Lutkemuller
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.
Sache Cantu
Director of Impact Investing
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.
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.
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.
Timea Griset
Executive Assistant to the CEO
Timea’s philosophy in work and life is to stay positive, work hard, and help those around her. Timea completed a degree in primary education in Romania, is fluent in three languages, and is passionate about community leadership. Prior to joining TTCF in 2019, Timea was the Youth Programs Coordinator for Arts for the Schools and worked for Incline Medical for 12 years. She has been on North Tahoe Family Resource Center’s Board of Directors since 2013.
Caroline Craffey
Communications Manager
Caroline joined the TTCF team in 2020 with a background in Communications, Marketing and Partnerships. In her career, she has worked with a variety of clients in industries such as hospitality, tourism, media, sports and technology. She is passionate about youth development and volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters and is on the Arts for the Schools Board of Trustees.
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.
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?