New board members bring extensive leadership experience and passion for Lake Tahoe

The nonprofit Tahoe Fund announced today that five new leaders have joined its board of directors. Invited because of their extensive leadership experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors, these new members will guide the organization as it works to improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy.

The Tahoe Fund’s new board members are:

• Ryan Buntain, managing director and senior relationship manager for The Carlyle Group
• Bill Dietz, president and principal broker at Tahoe Luxury Properties
• Vickie Holtmeier, global senior vice president of Salesforce’s Emerging Business Unit
• Matt Levitt, founder and CEO of Tahoe Blue Vodka
• Beth Treacy, retired CEO and chief strategist of Treacy Marketing Group

“On behalf of the entire board, I’d like to welcome our new board members. Each holds a personal connection to Lake Tahoe that runs as deep as our mission. Their collective  experience and love of this environment will be invaluable as we determine which improvement projects to support in this upcoming year and beyond,” said Cory Ritchie, Tahoe Fund board chair.

In their professional roles, the Tahoe Fund’s new board members have built and led high-performing teams, managed large institutional relationships, and had direct oversight of business operations, marketing and brand strategies. Their skills will contribute to the long term success of the organization as it continues to grow its reach and impact within the Tahoe Basin. 

Ryan Buntain is a part-time Tahoe City resident and managing director and senior relationship manager for The Carlyle Group in North America. Buntain’s professional experience also includes marketing, product management and serving as a legal analyst for Goldman Sachs.

Bill Dietz, a resident of Lake Tahoe since 1988, owns and operates Tahoe Luxury Properties, a full-service luxury real estate and vacation rental business in California and Nevada. He has led the company’s business operations and marketing strategy since its inception in 1994. Dietz has sold over $1 billion in residential real estate and been recognized as the Tahoe Sierra’s top real estate agent. 

Vickie Holtmeier has over 35 years of leadership experience at companies including Siebel, Oracle and Brightedge. In her current role as global SVP of the emerging business unit at Salesforce, Holtmeier is responsible for building and scaling enterprise software teams across multiple industries.  Salesforce and Holtmeier are actively involved with environmental issues and building a sustainable future.

Matt Levitt is the founder and CEO of Tahoe Blue Vodka and a longtime supporter of the Tahoe Fund’s work. Passionate about the Tahoe environment, it was Levitt’s $100,000 matching donation for the first ever scuba clean up of Lake Tahoe that led to the Tahoe Fund’s support of the project. 

Beth Treacy is a native Nevadan and retired CEO and chief strategist for Chicago-based Treacy Marketing Group, a leader in transformational brand strategies for corporations and nonprofits. In addition to serving on a number of boards, she is currently a member of the Board of Visitors for the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Learn more about each new board member here. 

The Tahoe Fund supports environmental improvement projects that restore lake clarity, expand sustainable recreation, promote healthier forests, improve transportation and inspire greater stewardship of the region. Learn more about the Tahoe Fund and its current and completed projects at www.tahoefund.org.

Now Open to the Public! 

The Tahoe Fund joined Nevada State Parks, donors and stakeholders at Spooner Lake State park for an official ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the highly anticipated completion of the new Visitor Center and Amphitheater. New facilities, which include a visitor center, amphitheater, gift shop, restrooms, warming room, interpretive atrium, group picnic pavilions, and park office, are now open for the public to enjoy. 

Spooner Lake State Park offers diverse and highly sought-after recreational opportunities for both local residents and visitors from around the world. Established in 1981, Spooner Lake is one of Nevada’s most prized recreational resources within Nevada’s system of State Parks. The park is a popular four-season destination for hikers, mountain bikers, anglers, equestrian users, snowshoers and cross-country skiers, and a wide variety of nature lovers. 

In 2018, Nevada State Parks teamed up with partners from the Nevada Division of State Lands, the Nevada Tahoe Resource Team, the Washoe Tribe and the Tahoe Fund to reimagine Spooner Lake. With more than 150,000 visitors a year, 60 miles of trails and 13,000 acres of wilderness to explore, the goal was to create a trailhead facility that matched the splendor of Spooner’s beautiful backcountry. The new one-of-a-kind facilities at Spooner Lake provide a magical environmental education venue for people of all ages.

“We are so thankful to the Tahoe Fund donors who generously provided $300,000 in private funding to help secure the public funds necessary to make this dream project happen,” said Tahoe Fund CEO Amy Berry. “Congratulations to Nevada State Parks and all the partners for breaking ground on these much needed improvements that will support the users and the natural environment.”

The new visitor center and amphitheater serve as the heart of Spooner’s natural and cultural history programs and ranger-led hikes and tours, as well as provide an immersive environmental education and science venue for students. The facilities also serve as a major portal to the expansive and spectacular non-motorized primitive wilderness within the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak expressed his support of the Spooner Lake Park improvement projects: “The completion of the new Spooner Lake and Backcountry Visitor Center and Amphitheater is a historic milestone reflecting Nevada’s celebrated outdoor heritage, and will provide all Nevadans, families and visitors with accessible, affordable, and sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities for generations to come. In addition to providing new opportunities for the public to connect with nature and explore the beautiful backcountry around Spooner Lake, these facilities solidify the entire east shore of Lake Tahoe as a world-class recreation destination. As recreation demand continues to rapidly grow, programs that focus on environmental education and stewardship are key to providing a quality recreation experience and strengthening Nevada’s economy, while protecting our precious natural and cultural resources simultaneously. I thank all of the public and private partners for working together to make this project a reality. This public-private collaboration is the perfect example of how we can come together to make remarkable things happen.” 

The Tahoe Fund and Nevada State Parks are also teaming up on the third and final phase of the park improvements which will include a new wildlife viewing platform and kayak launch on Spooner Lake. State Parks will be seeking public input on design options this winter. 

Nonprofit seeks projects that will improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy

The Tahoe Fund today announced the opening of its annual call for projects. The nonprofit is seeking projects for its 2023 portfolio that will increase the pace and scale of forest restoration, improve lake clarity, expand sustainable recreation, provide innovative solutions to transportation challenges and create more stewards of Lake Tahoe. Priority projects will also break down barriers to access and increase inclusion for underserved communities in Tahoe.

Since its inception, the Tahoe Fund has supported more than 80 impactful projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin working with more than 30 partners. Projects submitted for consideration may receive immediate funding or be selected for a Tahoe Fund project campaign in 2023. 

“Our annual call for projects is an opportunity for innovative thinkers and organizations to secure the funding they need to bring their projects to life,” said Cory Ritchie, Tahoe Fund Board Chair. “This year, we are excited to see how our partners are expanding access and building inclusion as they work to improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy.” 

Public agencies and nonprofits are invited to submit proposals for projects that require $5,000 to $1,000,000 in funding. Projects with the ability to leverage additional public funding as a result of Tahoe Fund support will be prioritized.

“In our last fiscal year, we funded 42 different projects – more than ever before,” said Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund CEO. “The generosity of our donors enabled us to distribute over $1 million in grants to our partner organizations, supporting incredible projects like the scuba cleanup of Lake Tahoe’s shoreline, the restoration of our trails destroyed during the Caldor Fire, and new technology to map forest health projects in Tahoe.” 

Previous and current projects are varied and benefit diverse users and goals in the Basin. They include the building of the Meeks Ridge Trail on Tahoe’s West Shore, support for free microtransit services offered by TART Connect, scholarships for the Lake Tahoe Community College Forestry program, “Tahoe’s Nature for All” programming for underserved community members offered by the Tahoe Institute of Natural Science, and EarthViews’ new Lake Tahoe shoreline mapping tool.

All submissions will be reviewed by the Tahoe Fund Board of Directors, which is tasked with developing the Tahoe Fund’s Signature and Premier Projects Portfolio. 

Project submissions are due by January 31, 2023. Guidelines and the request for project submission form can be found here.