Board of Directors

Raymond Suarez

Executive Director
Lake Link Microtransit Service

Raymond Suarez serves as the Executive Manager for the South Shore Transportation Management Association’s (SSTMA) Lake Link service. For information or questions related to the Lake Link Service, please contact Mr. Suarez by email or by phone: 650-520-6714.

Mr. Suarez was selected by the SSTMA due to his extensive industry experience implementing mobility innovation programs, best practices, and thoughtful urban designs to ensure transportation options are more accessible to the general public, improve mobility, and add value to stakeholder communities. His experience working with Boards of Directors, communities, funding partners, non-profits, and private businesses to deliver innovative mobility solutions were important selection criteria to the SSTMA. Mr. Suarez currently serves as an industry strategy advisor and innovation leader, implementing multi-modal solutions, microtransit programs, transit-oriented development projects across the US. He has already proved invaluable to the SSTMA board, stakeholders, and the service provider, coordinating multi-stakeholder engagement to ensuring a smooth program launch of the Lake Link service.

Chris Proctor

Chair
Health & Wellness Representative

Chris Proctor, MPT, MBA is the Director of Community Benefit for Barton Health. With the creation of this new division within the Barton Healthcare system he has been focusing on business development and community benefit strategies for Barton Health in order to better serve our community in areas of food insecurity, housing instability, social vulnerability, transportation, and healthcare disparity. Chris has worked in the medical field as a clinician and/or administrator for the last 25 years.

Chris also serves on the Barton Foundation Board of Trustees and has led or been affiliated with several local boards of directors and community initiatives over the last two decades that he and his family have lived in Lake Tahoe. Chris and his wife, Christina, have two children (Cole and Quinn) who were born and raised in South Lake Tahoe and are currently in college. Chris enjoys all the outdoor recreational activities that are available in Tahoe but is especially passionate about playing hockey at our local rink.

Jerry Bindel

Treasurer
El Dorado County withing the Tahoe Basin Representative

Jerry Bindel is the General Manager at Forest Suites Resort at Heavenly Village, where he is actively involved with many aspects of the local South Shore lodging, including holding the position of current chair of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, and South Lake Tahoe Tourism Improvement District.
Jerry is currently a member of the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Commission, a new Recreation and Swim Complex steering team.  He is also the Valhalla Tahoe treasurer, and member of the South Lake Tahoe Lodging Association board. Jerry enjoys time away from work on the lake sailing, in the mountains mountain biking, hiking or road biking, and with his family doing anything.

Gavin Feiger

Secretary
Community Mobility Representative

Gavin co-chairs the Community Mobility Workgroup and is a long time board member and the current Treasurer of the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition. Gavin is the Policy Director at Keep Tahoe Blue, where he implements targeted campaigns and programs to help protect, restore and advocate for the health of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Gavin is responsible for the development, implementation, and enforcement of applicable planning policy within the greater Lake Tahoe region, with an emphasis on land use and transportation planning. When not working, spends his time enjoying all of the outdoor recreation opportunities the Sierra has to offer.

Steve Teshara

Vice Chair
Business Community Representative

Steve is recognized throughout the Tahoe region as an effective policy, planning, legislative, and community advocate. His resume includes more than 25 years as the chief executive for various business and community organizations. Steve also owns his own consulting company, Sustainable Community Advocates, based in Zephyr Cove.

Carol Chaplin

Board Member
Business Community Representative

A South Shore resident for over 35 years, Carol Chaplin is the President/CEO of the Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Douglas Visitors Authority (the Tahoe Blue Event Center operator).  She has served on many boards focused on quality of visitor experience and quality of life for residents including the Tahoe Chamber, Tahoe Prosperity Center, the Western Nevada Development District, the Regional Air Service Corporation, and the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority.

Darcie Goodman Collins, PhD

Board Member
Environmental Community Representative

As chief executive officer, Darcie is responsible for mobilizing the League to achieve the most effective protection of Lake Tahoe. She oversees all aspects of the organization’s management, leadership, and strategy. Darcie serves as an ambassador to advocate for the Lake with state and federal leaders, and ensures the League’s advocacy is grounded in the best available science. Born and raised in South Lake Tahoe, Dr. Goodman Collins first became involved with the League as a summer intern in 1996. Darcie serves on the Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee, is past board president of the Tahoe-Baikal Institute, and is a former board member of the League.

James Coon

Board Member
South Tahoe Lodging Association Representative

James Coon is the General Manager of the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Tahoe Ridge Resort. He has been in the Time Share Industry for over 20 years and has held leadership positions at many small and large resorts. The Tahoe Ridge Resort being one of the largest as it has 641 Villas at the top of Kingsbury. James also serves as a Director on the Tahoe Village Home Owners Association which is the master association that governs all of all the resorts and homes on Kingsbury in the Stagecoach Express Lift area. James is an aggressive recreational skier, a novice mountain biker, and rides his Harley Davidson around this special place we all call home every chance he gets!

Grace Davis

Board Member
Social Services Representative

Grace has lived and worked in South Lake Tahoe for several years and brings a deep commitment to ensuring transportation solutions reflect the needs of the whole community. As a Learning Experience Manager at EnGen, she oversees English language instruction for thousands of immigrant and refugee learners nationwide. Her previous work as a Bilingual Transition Navigator with ADVANCE gave her firsthand insight into how much Lake Link means to working families, multilingual residents, and those without reliable personal transportation, and how much is still at stake in getting it right. Grace is bilingual in English and Spanish and is honored to bring that perspective to the SSTMA board.

Sharla Hales

Board Member
Douglas County Representative

Sharla Hales was elected in 2022 to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners. She has lived in Minden, Nevada for 33 years. She spent twelve years as a school board trustee, during which she served on various state-wide education committees and as president of the Nevada Association of School Boards. By vocation, Sharla is an attorney currently serving as general counsel for Churchill County School District.

Sharla and her husband of 40 years, Jim, raised their children in Carson Valley and love living near the Sierra Nevada mountains. Sharla and Jim enjoy skiing, biking, kayaking, boating, and rafting. Sharla appreciates the opportunity to be part of a group dedicated to both supporting economic vitality and protecting the extraordinary beauty of Lake Tahoe.

Karie Hall

Board Member
STAR Representative

Karie Hall, SVP and General Manager at Harrah’s and Harvey’s Lake Tahoe where she oversees property operations and leads a team of casino and hospitality professionals.   Karie is responsible budgeting, forecasting, planning, analysis, leadership development, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion strategy and service execution for all related areas on property.
Karie is currently member of the Board of Directors of STAR and TDVA.  She has previously been involved on a number of philanthropic boards including Atlantic Cape Community College Foundation, WIL United Way of Greater Philadelphia, WIL United Way of Southern Nevada, Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada, Nevada State FBLA and the Nevada Restaurant Foundation Board. Karie was born in South Lake Tahoe and is thrilled to have returned home.  She is passionate about being outdoors either riding on a mountain or cruising on the lake.   In her spare time, she spends time with her husband of 16 years and three daughters.  They enjoy traveling, gardening, camping and being in the outdoors.

Sara Letton

Board Member
Residing or Employed in the City of South Lake Tahoe Representative

Sara Letton moved to South Lake Tahoe in 2018 and brings to this board a passion for sustainability and climate work, with years of experience in the environmental sector. As Sustainability Coordinator at the City of South Lake Tahoe since 2022, she has been taking on complex challenges in transportation, waste, and energy. She is focused on implementing an ambitious Climate Action Plan alongside myriad community partners.

Scott Morgan

Board Member
South Shore Business Community at Large

Scott Morgan, is a longtime Douglas County NV resident, public servant, business owner and community leader.

Scott brings more than 40 years of public service experience spanning local government, emergency management, social services, public transportation, and fiscal oversight. He currently serves as the Executive Director of a nonprofit organization assisting fractured families and helping children who have suffered abuse and neglect. In addition, he is also the owner of a consulting business specializing in government finance, strategic planning, and leadership.

Over his career, Scott has overseen or facilitated more than $150 million in public infrastructure projects including parks, trails, community centers, river access improvements, and public safety facilities. He also founded Douglas County’s first public transportation system (DART) and played a key role in securing long-term funding for trails, open space, and river projects.

Stefan Watkins

Board Member
Recreation Provider Representative

Stefan Watkins is the Manager of Base Operations at Heavenly Mountain Resort, overseeing parking, transportation, and snow removal. With a strong background in logistics and operations, he played a key role in developing Heavenly’s parking reservation system and was instrumental in building the resort’s transportation department. His leadership extends beyond resort operations, as he actively participates in community initiatives focused on sustainability, mobility, and infrastructure improvements. He is deeply involved in the South Lake Tahoe community, volunteering with organizations such as Bread & Broth and Keep Tahoe Blue.