What Does Board Membership Look Like?
At Tahoe Youth & Family Services are looking for Board members who are passionate about our mission and have the time to be active participants. Board meetings are held monthly; one month in South Lake Tahoe, CA, and the next month in Gardnerville, NV. If you are interested in Board membership please contact the Board Secretary at [email protected].
Responsibilities of the Board
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Ryan WagonerPresident
Chair - Executive Committee In 1995, I became a second-generation graduate of South Lake Tahoe High School. In 2000, I married my wife, Leanne, and we later relocated to Minden, Nevada, in 2016. We have three children who are very active in various sports. I worked in retail for Adidas America as a district manager for 8 years. In 2008, I joined the South Lake Tahoe Police Department as a Police Officer, where I specialized in K9 operations and SWAT assignments. From 2006-2010. I served as an elected Board Member for the Lake Valley Fire Protection District. After medically retiring from the Police Department in 2014, I assumed the role of Executive Director for the California Tahoe Emergency Services Operations Authority ambulance service in South Lake Tahoe. My experience in public safety, coupled with my children's involvement in the community, has instilled in me a profound appreciation for the vital services Tahoe Youth & Family Services provides. I am honored to now be a part of this organization. |
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Shannon WittVice President
Chair - Fundraising Committee Shannon Witt initially moved to Tahoe in 1998, anticipating a thrilling snowboard instructing season at Sierra at Tahoe. However, she quickly found herself enamored with South Lake Tahoe and opted to make it her permanent home. Following her tenure at Lake Tahoe Community College and attainment of her AA degree, she transferred to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. There, she earned her BA in Psychology, specializing in child and family therapy, and minored in Gerontology. During her time in San Luis Obispo, Shannon fulfilled a one-year AmeriCorps assignment with the San Luis Obispo Probation Department and Intensive Community Diversion. Upon graduation, she returned to South Lake Tahoe, initially working with Elder Options before transitioning to the Auroura Pines Girls Facility in Gardnerville, where she spent three years. Subsequently, she seized an opportunity to work locally with the opening of the Juvenile Treatment Center in South Lake Tahoe, serving as a probation officer for just over a year. However, Shannon eventually found her true passion in real estate. Over the past 18 years, she has been actively engaged in the local real estate arena, serving as a managing broker for BHHS Drysdale Properties and as a board member of the South Tahoe Association of Realtors. In 2018, Shannon co-founded the non-profit Tahoe Home Connection alongside five other community members. This organization aimed to link workforce renters with second-home owners willing to offer below-market rents in exchange for reduced property management fees. Throughout Tahoe Home Connection's operation, 26 families were successfully placed in affordable housing. Now, Shannon looks forward to leveraging her expertise and abilities as she joins the board of Tahoe Youth and Family Services. |
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Terry PriceTreasurer
Chair - Finance Committee In 1971 I helped establish Tahoe Youth and Family Services (then called Awakening Peace and later Tahoe Human Services) and served as its Executive Director for ten years. After leaving TYFS I ran my own campaign consulting firm, Price Campaign Solutions, and for 40 years I provided services to non-partisan candidates and initiative campaigns in Northern California. I also served as a District Director for a California State Assemblyman and Chief of Staff for a United States Congressman. I met my wife, Kerry Campbell-Price in Tahoe where both of our children were born. I’m currently retired and live with Kerry in Santa Rosa. I know from first-hand experience that TYFS saves lives. I served on the frontlines during the 1970s and 80s when overdoses and bad trips were all too common. I have a lifelong interest in the mental and physical health of young people that started with my education and work in South Lake Tahoe. I embrace the opportunity to share the experience and skills I have gained over the years with an organization that I helped establish so many years ago. This opportunity to give back to the families and youth in the community where my adult life started gives me purpose and joy. |
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Cameron WiebeSecretary
Chair - Marketing Committee Born and raised in Sparks, NV, Cameron Wiebe moved to South Lake Tahoe in the summer of 2018, with the intention of hiking, camping, backpacking, and skiing as much as possible. However, after his lease ended in the Summer of 2019, he was told that he could not renew it. As a result, he found himself living with his partner out of a broken-down van. While riding the bus to do laundry one day, they saw a poster offering free laundry, food, a place to shower, and housing help. They decided to stop in for the laundry service and walked out with an application to the Transitional Living Program, which changed their lives.
In September 2019, they received housing, case management, and other assistance that made it possible for them to stabilize their lives and save for the future. While in the Transitional Living Program, he was asked to work as a youth advocate for clients in the Rapid Rehousing Program. He helped youth find and apply for housing. After graduating from the program in the Fall of 2021, he began having weekly meetings with Transitional Living Program clients where he would help them cook and shop, and provide general support. In January 2022, Cameron accepted a position at Visit Lake Tahoe as the Group Sales & Services Manager and stepped back from Tahoe Youth & Family Services. He is excited to bring his lived experience and a fresh mindset to the board. In his spare time, Cameron still enjoys hiking, camping, backpacking, and skiing as much as possible. |
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DeAnna ”De” ImelliIBoard Member
Hello, I am DeAnna ”De” ImelliI came to Douglas County in 1988 when I married my husband, Les. I have a stepson Joe, a daughter Felicia and a son Nate. I was born and raised in Montana and received a Combined Sciences degree at Carroll College in Helena, MT, before moving to Nevada. Children, and teaching have always been my first love. Before marrying my husband, I was a substitute teacher for several years. This is when I decided teaching was in my blood. However, God had a different idea I was blessed to be a stay at home mom, until our kids were in middle school. I worked as a financial planning administrative assistant for 10 years and then in 2010 I became employed at St. Gall Catholic Church. I have worked in several different positions at St. Gall, I am currently the director of Faith Formation for parents and children K-12, and as an assistant funeral coordinator. I am so blessed to be working at a job that I love. I know how important it is for children to be raised in healthy, stable and strong families. This can only happen when adults and children have easy access to mental health services and addiction recovery services when they need them. It wasn’t until I received an invitation to possibly join the Board, that I really knew the depth of what Tahoe Youth and Family Services offered. I must admit that I had wrongly assumed that it was only active in the Tahoe basin. As I read the vision and mission of the organization, I realized that it closely aligned with my hopes for our future. Through strong, healthy families we can become a strong, healthy society. Everyone needs some sort of assistance to reach their potential. It is important to have services readily available to help those who struggle through life. TYFS has been providing those services. I am excited for the opportunity to be a part of the organization and to help TYFS continue down this path and be the best it can be. |
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David StevensonBoard Member
David Stevenson’s family moved to South Lake Tahoe in 1977. He went to Meyer’s Elementary, South Tahoe Middle School, and graduated from South Tahoe High School in 1990. He graduated from Sacramento State University in 1994 with a BS in Criminal Justice. He put himself through a police academy in 1994 and was hired by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department in 1995. He has worked various assignments at the Police Department including, patrol, detectives, field training officer, SWAT, Sergeant, Lieutenant, and was selected Chief of Police in August of 2020. David married his wife in 2001 (Who he has known since he was 5 years old) and moved to Douglas County where he still lives with his three children. David learned about the services offered by Tahoe Youth and Family Services through his work and used them as an important community resource for many years. David appreciates the service and dedication TYFS provides to area youth and families and is honored to be on the board. |
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Monica C. GustafsonBoard Member
My background is one of life experiences, spending my childhood in East Side Oakland with my mom and little brother, in a low-income neighborhood, where I saw gang violence, poverty and homelessness. It really opened my eyes to the world and helped me develop a strong work ethic and street smarts. I went to live with my dad in Novato in 1987 and graduated from high school in 1989. I moved to South Lake Tahoe in 1995 where I met my husband, Scott and in 2001, we bought our home in Gardnerville, Nevada. I graduated from the University of San Francisco in 2003 and our one and only son, Parker, was born in 2006. He is the light of our lives. I worked as a direct care counselor, group leader and staff trainer for Rite of Passage, with at-risk youth boys, from 1997 to 2002 and from 2002 to 2006, at Aurora Pines Girls Facility, focusing on at-risk youth girls. I helped kids struggling with grief, sexual assault, addiction, low self-esteem, anger control and abuse issues. For a brief time, I was a case manager, setting up after care programs and preparing them for their release. My focus was on the health, safety, and welfare of the youth residents I mentored. We taught the kids the importance of community service and volunteering, and guided them with realistic goals towards college or employment, a positive home environment and resource programs. Working with at-risk youth was challenging and extremely rewarding. In 2006, I began my work with the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners and eventually earned the title Senior Certified Medical Board Investigator. I have performed 18 years of thorough investigations of complaints, and allegations of violations of Chapters 629 and 630 of the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) and the Nevada Administrative Code (NAC). I am excited to be involved with Tahoe Youth and Family Services and look forward to putting all my training and skills to effective use. I absolutely love mentoring youth and young adults and understand the need for services and resources. For fun, I love singing karaoke, camping, boating, spending time with family and friends and having a good laugh. |
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Christopher LillyBoard Member - Youth Action Board Chair
My name is Christopher Lilly, but I go by Topher. I was born and raised in South Lake Tahoe. Brought up by a single Mother, I was taught to always question authority and never be afraid to stand up for what’s right. In high school, I founded the Student Advocacy Program (SAP) to advocate for my peers and ensure their rights were protected. Addressing numerous California Education Code violations and discriminatory actions based on race and gender, I learned to navigate a hostile administration with respect and dignity. Recognizing my efforts, Tahoe Youth and Family Services (TYFS) contacted me to establish and lead their Youth Action Board (YAB). Having received support from TYFS in the past, I eagerly accepted the opportunity to give back to an organization that had profoundly impacted my life. At 18, I was honored to be elected to the TYFS board of directors. In this role, I continue to stand for fairness and empowerment, striving to make a positive difference in the lives of those around me. |