Board & Leadership

Board of Directors

Jess Smith

Board Chair

Native to neighboring Placerville, CA and a life long skier, Jess grew up with a deep appreciation for the greater Tahoe area. After building her finance and accounting career in other parts of the state, she’s stoked to return and give back to the mountain community she loves! Her affinity for two wheels and digging in the dirt first sparked in the high desert on the fast trails of the Kern River Valley and has evolved into a debatably obsessive relationship with Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride here in the basin.  When she’s not on her bike, or developing M&A Integration strategy, you can find her skiing or working on her home in Meyers, surrounded by her favorite K-9s Zoe, Sasha, and Willow. With endless stoke for mountain biking, Jess is looking forward to contributing to TAMBA’s culture and financial health for a sustainable, successful future!

David Whitington

Treasurer

David joined the TAMBA Board in the Fall of 2023 and brings a strong mindset of innovation and collaboration to the team.  David also serves on the Board of Directors for the Tahoe Climbing Coalition.

Jenna Langer

Secretary / Marketing Coordinator

Biking to Jenna has always been about friends, family, and freedom, riding bikes on and off-road around the Bay Area since she was a kid. Since moving to Tahoe she has fallen in love with mountain biking and has a new appreciation for type 2 fun (The Lake Trail anyone?). Her best day in Lake Tahoe is getting in a ski, bike, and SUP session between sunrise and sunset. With experience in marketing and technology, Jenna is helping wrangle TAMBA’s digital strategy to show the community how they can be part of building and maintaining some of the best trails in the world.

Chris Smith

Education Coordinator

Chris grew up in South Lake Tahoe and is the owner of South Lake Brewing Company. Chris joined the TAMBA board in January of 2021 as the Education Coordinator with a passion helping at the Bijou Bike Park.

David Orr

Fundraising Coordinator

In 2014, David purchased his first mountain bike after moving his family to Tahoe from Silicon Valley. A very generous Tahoe local took him out for his first ride on Corral Trail. That ride, although difficult, sparked a lifelong passion. David is always eager to share that passion with others. Currently, he is teaching his eldest daughter to ride and watching her love for the trails grow. When not mountain biking, you can find him at Cowork Tahoe or Untethered, building a community of remote workers, entrepreneurs, and business owners through shared real estate in the Tahoe Basin.

Alex Robinson

Growth Coordinator

Alex’s passion for biking and building trails started 25 years ago building dirt jumps as a child in Brentwood, CA. His connection and passion for the Tahoe community pre-dates his memory, learning to ski at Boulder Lodge. To bring it full circle, he and his wife tied the knot at Heavenly in 2022.  Now a full time Tahoe resident, Alex and his wife are excited to build their lives in South Lake and are committed to giving back to the community and trails they are so passionate about.

A believer in the growth mindset, you can often find Alex honing his rock garden navigation on Cold Creek or perfecting his bump skiing on the face at Heavenly. With a keen eye towards growth, Alex brings a wealth of skills to the table both on and off the trail; from marketing and strategy to technology and from techy rock gardens to digging. Drawing on his experience in sales, Alex is always looking towards the future and knows how to drive sustainable growth. He’s committed to helping TAMBA expand its membership, impact & fostering a strong sense of community around the trails we love.

 

Advisory Board Members

Ben Fish

Ben helped revive the present-day TAMBA in 2010 and severed on the board until 2022 as President and Trail Director, developing TAMBA into a model organization. He’s led projects such as Corral Trail and Bijou Bike Park, showing that “building trails and building community” go hand in hand.

Amy Fish 

Amy has been instrumental in the success of TAMBA since 2010 and served on the board for about 8 years. She’s acted as a government liaison, trail builder, organized trail days, parties, and events such as the

Corral Night Ride and Rose to Toads.

Nils Miller

After bouncing around the world Nils ended up in Meyers.  A similarly unpredicted outcome was developing experience in new business development and environmental technology after becoming a Physical Chemist.  But Swiss genes predictably generated a lifelong interest in going up mountains to go down mountains on skis or a bike.  Part of the motley crew that regenerated TAMBA a decade ago, Nils is excited about the future of mountain biking in Tahoe.

Anthony Cupaiuolo: First Tracks Productions

Anthony has been TAMBA’s visual storyteller volunteering his time and expertise in photography, videography and editing to create compelling short films showcasing TAMBA projects.

Brian Kelly

Brian was an early board member and crew leaders, instrumental in the success of the Tahoe Mountain Bike Festival.

Chris McNamara

Chris is a massive supporter for regional trails. The legendary rock climber and ex-BASE jumper has been a driving force at TAMBA helping make connections on and off the trails. His vision, along with his wife Viktoria, for a bikeable trail around the lake has become a rallying point for many.

Sandor Lengyel

Sandor has been one of TAMBA’s most active crew leaders, ensuring the west shore and north shore projects are build to provide a connected trail network all around Lake Tahoe.

John Clausen

John has been TAMBA’s north shore boots on the ground leading many trail projects over the years, especially in the Tahoe City area. He’s a pro trail builder and avid rider with decades of experience and connections.

 

TAMBA Employees

 

Drew Bray

Executive Director

Drew joined TAMBA in 2021 after a 30 year career in the ski industry, where he built teams that delivered a rewarding outdoor recreation experience, and forged strong relationships with local, state and federal government agencies, including the US Forest Service. He spent six years on the Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee working with the Department of Agriculture on Federal spending to improve the overall quality of Lake Tahoe. Drew also served with the California Air Resources Board as the Ski Industry Representative, developing programs and actions to fight climate change and protect the public from the harmful effects of air pollution.

Drew got hooked on mountain biking in the early 90’s riding in the Pine Nut Mountains of Nevada and the Snowy Mountains in Australia where he competed in the Australian Mountain Bike Nationals in 1991. He has built courses and hosted mountain biking events throughout his career and continues to race and ride to this day with friends and family. Drew is a long-time South Lake Tahoe local and avid mountain biker. His latest biking mission is in the role of Head Coach for the Alta Alpina NICA youth mountain bike team, leading the next generation of trail users. The team has flourished under his leadership and now has about 60 student athletes. He brings a passion for collaborative community partnerships that build and maintain trails for all users!

Kristine Koran

Trails Director

Kristine joined TAMBA in 2023.  Kristine has worked on Tahoe Trails for over 7 years. She first moved to Tahoe to work as a Wilderness Ranger in Desolation Wilderness and had the honor of working as the Trail Operations Manager (TOM) at the Tahoe Rim Trail Association (TRTA) prior to joining TAMBA. Kristine has managed, motivated, and worked hand-in-shovel with hundreds of volunteers in fifteen different states. Kristine has worked closely with numerous NGOs, Corps crews, federal and state agencies.  Kristine has a passion for rock climbing and enjoys regular climbing trips. Kristine brings a passion for building  trails,  growing our volunteer program and working with new volunteer groups.

Jake Groce

Outreach Coordinator

Jake joined TAMBA in 2022 in the newly created role of Outreach Coordinator.  Jake is a certified Forestry professional with extensive experience in trail building, environmental conservation, and management. He is also a certified medical professional focused on compassionate patient care having worked for several seasons as a Ski Patroller at a local ski resort. Jake has experience building trails, leading crews and volunteers days working for, and with, the United State Forest Service.  You will find Jake out on the trails leading our volunteer work days or working with paid trail crew to deliver and maintain even more amazing Lake Tahoe trails. Jake is an avid mountain biker and you may well see him out testing the trails he has been working on!

Vince Perry

Trail Crew Member

Vince was TAMBA’s first trail crew member in 2020 and has been instrumental in the work we’ve accomplished the past three years. Often moving rocks by himself that it would take 3 others with rockbars to move, the enthusiasm he brings to work each day might be the only thing more impressive than his ability to move rocks.

Conrad Kempski

Trail Crew Member

Conrad is in his second year on the trail crew and brings years of trails expertise from his time leading conservation corps crews with American Conservation Experience.

Max Perry

Trail Crew Member

Max is new to the team for 2023.  He brings a passion for the outdoors and Tahoe activities.  He is regularly enjoying fun outdoor activities throughout the Sierra Nevada’s and is excited for the coming trail season and new trail construction opportunities.

Alec Streuli

Trail Crew Member

Alec is in his first year on the TAMBA trail crew, but is no stranger to trail work having previously worked at Jackson Hole and in 2021 on a Great Basin Institute Trail crew that worked on the Lost Lake Trail on the West Shore.

Past Board Members

Aaron Daniel, Aaron James, Amy Fish, Ben Fish, Brian Kelly, Joe Marzocco, John Drum, Judy Weber, Karin Edwards, Katharine Miller, Kevin Crifasi, Kevin Joell, Lauren Lindley, Linda George, Pete Fink, Scott Brown

TAMBA Crew Leaders

 

Scott Brown, Nils Miller, Kevin Joell, Aaron “Elko” James, Ben Fish, Amy Fish, Ben McGinnis, Brian Kelly, Casey Coffman, Curtis Johnson, Dale Beesmer, David Joseph, Erik Johnson, Jake Dore, Jim Crompton, John Clausen, Jordan Westerman, Kris Morehead, Kurt Gensheimer, Paul Tindal, Randy Collins, Sue Hughes, Bob Ward, Christine Dobrowolski, Jeff Coulter, Sandor Lengyel, Helene Drumm, Aaron Daniel, Tom Driggers, Dina and Adam Anderson.