Who We Are
The Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Plan acknowledges that the land to which DaɁaw (Lake Tahoe) belongs, is the homeland of the wá∙šiw (Washoe) people, that the Washoe are the original stewards of the land in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin, since time immemorial. The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California has maintained their role as environmental stewards of the Lake Tahoe Basin (despite policies that sought to eradicate them) by continuing to advocate for their homelands and to protect, respect, and take care. ʔuwaʔáŋawi (Thank you) for participating in this process and your ongoing commitment and support of this initiative.
An unprecedented collaboration of public and private sector organizations from the greater Tahoe region have come together to develop a shared vision and destination stewardship plan to better manage outdoor recreation and visitation. For the first time, regional land managers, local governments, visitors authorities, the Washoe Tribe, and non-profits are working together on a coordinated destination management framework that will inspire all to take care of Tahoe.
Visitor Authorities
Travel North Tahoe Nevada
Andy Chapman, CEO/President
Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority
Carol Chaplin, President & Chief Executive Officer
Alternate: Stuart Maas, Director of Marketing
North Tahoe Community Alliance
Tony Karwowski, CEO/President
Alternate: Amber Burke, Marketing Director
Visit Truckee-Tahoe
Colleen Dalton, CEO
Visit Reno Tahoe
Ben McDonald, Director of Communications
Tribal Organization
Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California
Wendy Loomis, Executive Director, Washoe Development Corporation
Nonprofit
Tahoe Fund
Amy Berry, CEO
Tahoe Prosperity Center
Heidi Hill-Drum, CEO
Public Agencies
California Tahoe Conservancy
Kevin Prior, Chief Administrative Officer
Chris Mertens, Senior Environmental Planner
Alternate: Bob Larsen, Environmental Program Manager/Tahoe Science Advisory Council Program Officer
City of South Lake Tahoe
Joe Irvin, City Manager
Alternate: Lindsey Baker, Assistant to the City Manager/Public Information Officer
El Dorado County
Brendan Ferry, Deputy Director Tahoe Planning
Placer County
Stephanie Holloway, Tahoe Operations Manager, County Executive Office
Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Colin Robertson, Administrator, Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
Julie Regan, Executive Director
Jen Self (Project staff support)
USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Erick Walker, Forest Supervisor
Vicki Lankford, Deputy Forest Supervisor
Daniel Cressy, Public Services Staff Officer
Washoe County
Alexis Hill, Washoe County Commissioner District 1
Alternate: Andy Chapman, IVCBVB
The CREST Team & Project Partners
A team of experts in the field of destination management are guiding this process and gathering meaningful information to help stakeholders and the Core Team achieve a shared vision that is community-based and achievable. The Project Team brings a wealth of experience and thought leadership to destination management and stewardship challenges. The team’s expertise ranges from development of ground-breaking destination management plans and stewardship initiatives to impact tourism programs, workforce training, business sustainability, outdoor recreation, and even backcountry safety and inclusion initiatives.
Managing Partner
Center for Responsible Travel
Gregory Miller, Ph.D., Executive Director
Alix Collins, Director of Marketing + Communications
Tara Hetz, Community Engagement Facilitator
The Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) is a global nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC dedicated to increasing the positive global impact of responsible tourism. CREST provides evidence-based research and analysis to governments, policymakers, tourism businesses, nonprofit organizations, and international agencies to solve the most pressing problems confronting tourism, the world’s largest service industry.
Co-Managing Partner
The Travel Foundation
Jeremy Sampson, CEO
Kelly Galaski, Sustainable Tourism Specialist
Elke Dens, Global Programs Director
Terry Brown, Program Manager
The Travel Foundation is a leading global sustainable tourism organization that works in partnership with governments, businesses, and communities to develop and manage tourism to maximize its benefits for communities and the environment. Founded in 2003, it has since worked in over 30 countries around the world to create better futures for tourism destinations, accelerating change towards a more balanced tourism model through advocacy, training, demonstrating good practice, and enabling collaboration between the many tourism stakeholders.
Lead Strategist
Better Destinations, LLC
Cathy Ritter, CEO
Better Destinations is a consultancy founded on a belief that healthy visitor economies grow from addressing a holistic range of considerations and engaging stakeholders in shaping destination priorities. The consultancy draws upon CEO and Founder Cathy Ritter’s decade of experience as state tourism director for both Colorado and Illinois and record of creating insight-led solutions.
Economic Strategist
SMG Consulting
Carl Ribaudo, President & Chief Strategist
Carl has pioneered the use of economic modeling, scenario planning and asymmetric thinking in tourism and recreation industry strategy development. He has developed and implemented a wide range of services designed to create value and improve the competitiveness of destinations. Most recently, he has developed new strategy ideation approaches for destination tourism that tap into a destination’s creativity as a unique competitive asset.
Strategic Funding Consultant & Counsel
CIVITAS
John Lambeth, Founder & CEO
John Lambeth is an attorney who specializes in creating and operating business improvement districts. He was the primary author of the Property and Business Improvement District Law of 1994 and assisted with the creation of the first property-based improvement districts in California. John and his team’s innovative funding mechanisms have generated nearly $2 billion for over 150 clients globally. The team delivers unequaled knowledge, depth and experience to destinations and communities that seek sustainable funding solutions to fuel their futures.
Economic Strategist
Triple Point Strategic Consulting
Jeff Moffett, Ph.D., Principal
Jeff has thirty years of experience working in the fields of business development, economic forecasting, destination marketing, resource allocation, and political strategy. In 2013, Jeff founded Triple Point Strategic Consulting to provide data-driven marketing, strategic planning, and business analysis in a variety of sectors throughout the Western U.S. and Canada. Triple Point is frequently retained to develop economic forecasts and financial models.