Giving Fund Committee
We are an all-volunteer group of Tahoe Donner members dedicated to the idea that we can make a great impact on our community by working together and encouraging participation by our neighbors – those who live here year-round as well as all who come to enjoy weekends, summers and winters in this beautiful place. The above picture is outdated; one showing the current members will be posted just as soon as we can be that close together!
Marcia Argyris, Chair – My husband and I purchased our Tahoe Donner lot in 1987 and built our cabin the next year. For our two sons, this is their home away from home. My professional career has always focused on helping children reach their full potential…. first as the president of McKesson’s Charitable Foundation for 29 years and then as a senior program officer for the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Family Foundation. I currently serve on the Boards of Girls Inc. of Alameda County, our country club’s fund for employee education and healthcare emergencies, and I am a member of the Stanford Women’s Club of the East Bay. It makes me very proud that our Tahoe Donner homeowners association has stepped forward to support our terrific community in this way, and I am so honored to be part of the process.
Carla Brown –
Diane Campbell – I purchased my Ski Bowl condo in November 2019 to celebrate my retirement after a long Bay Area teaching and coaching career that consisted of 40+ years of teaching/coaching all levels of competitive swimming and 28 years of teaching middle school mathematics. My academic specialties are algebra and geometry, and, yes, I occasionally tutor those subjects. When in Tahoe Donner, I awake to a lovely environment, beautiful trails to hike, a gorgeous lake and pool to swim in, and the nicest people anywhere. I am looking forward to giving thanks for these good fortunes by contributing to my new community in meaningful ways, beginning with being a part of the Tahoe Donner Giving Fund.
Barbara Czerwinski – Barbara, one of the Committee’s founding members returns now that her work on the National Register of Historic Places status for the Truckee Veterans Memorial Building and Rocking Stone Tower has been obtained. She brings valuable insights to the Committee through her extensive activities in the greater Truckee community. She is a registered nurse who retired to Tahoe Donner in 2010.
Monika DeMartini – As a second homeowner in Tahoe Donner since 2003, I find my career as a life science finance executive winding down, my kids launched and a strong desire to give back. While the kids were young, I enjoyed many years of active PTA leadership. Now I’m excited to join the scholarship committee in support of outstanding Truckee area high school seniors headed to college or trade school.
Pam Herman – My husband, Tim and I have been coming to Tahoe Donner for 30 years and became homeowners in 2010. Pam loves to ski and since retiring spends most of the winter in Tahoe Donner. Pam’s professional life focused on non profit management, and the last five years as the Executive Director for the Jewish Community Foundation of the West. She is excited to serve and support our local community.
Fred Hertlein – My wife, Delaney, and I moved to Tahoe Donner full-time in December of 2020 after spending many winters renting ski leases in the Tahoe region. For us the Giving Fund is a wonderful way to help build roots in our community while helping out many of the non-profit organizations and local students achieve their goals. I’m excited to leverage my professional background with data analytics to support the Giving Fund’s endeavors, and I look forward to meeting more of our charitable and nature-loving neighbors.
Herb Hwang – My interest in the Giving Fund stems from my experience as a beneficiary of scholarships and my appreciation of our Truckee community. I had worked briefly as a college lecturer before beginning my career in business; both endeavors were enabled by financial help with my education. I’ve volunteered for organizations such as a PTA, a Civil Grand Jury, conservation groups, and now, the Giving Fund, contributing financial management, technical support, and photography. My wife and I bought our cabin in Tahoe Donner in 1995; we are now here about half-time, enjoying hiking, running, pickleball, photography, and Truckee community activities.
Nan Meek – My husband Jerry and I have been Tahoe Donner second homeowners since 1980. I have served on the General Plan Committee, Trails and Open Space Committee, the Blue Ribbon Equestrian Panel, and with the homeowners who created the Tahoe Donner Staff Appreciation Fund. Professionally, I advise equestrian businesses, athletes, and associations on marketing, public relations, and communications strategies, including nonprofit fundraising, to achieve their goals. With the Tahoe Donner Giving Fund, I look forward to cultivating donor participation and raising awareness of its value to our community.
Betsy Noonen – I enjoy using the skills I learned as a PR and marketing executive in a number of different philanthropic ways since leaving agency public relations work. I am delighted to join the Giving Fund and contribute in any way they need me. Its values and mission align with mine and I am pleased to deepen my connection to Tahoe Donner through joining the team. My family has owned a home in Tahoe Donner for a long time and during the winter of 2020, my husband and I took a more permanent residence here and haven’t looked back! We love skiing. hiking, biking, jumping in Donner lake, and the mountain lifestyle that living here offers. In addition to my work with this committee, I work with CARE, an international organization dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger as an advocate to our state representatives and senators. I am a certified sommelier and conducted custom wine tastings (pre-COVID restrictions); French and Italian wines are some of my favorites.
Catherine Pellegrini – I am a retired administrative assistant and was a stay-at-home parent who volunteered extensively throughout our kids’ schoolyears. I actively participated in school and marching band fundraising activities while assisting with local Boy Scouts of America events for over ten years. My husband and I purchased our house in Tahoe Donner in 2010, and now I thoroughly enjoy the mountain lifestyle that includes skiing, hiking and playing tennis when we are not traveling. I joined the Giving Fund Committee to be connected to people that have similar goals of trying to make a positive impact in the community where we live.
Ashley Savageau – I grew up frequenting the Tahoe basin on family vacations year-round and am thrilled to now be able to call it home. My husband and I love spending time at the beach, skiing, and hiking while we do our best to impart a love for nature to our sons, ages three and seven. My career has centered around connecting companies and their employees with non-profits to support in effective ways. I’m happy to be able to be of service to, and part of, the Truckee community!
Suzanne Sullivan, Founding and now Emeritus Member – Since 1987, my husband Shaun and I have had our house in Tahoe Donner. The last 16 years, post-retirement as a university professor and corporate ethics officer, as full-time residents. Not quite long enough to be considered locals but long enough to recognize needs within the area. Giving back to the communities in which we have lived has always been important to us. The Giving Fund provides a way to do so by investing a bit of cash and lots of time. I hope to meet you at one of our events.
Past members – We are grateful to these former Giving Fund Committee members for their countless hours of service, their dedication, and their continuing generosity!
- Barbara Czerwinski* (Returned to the Committee, 2021.)
- Marilyn Disbrow*
- Pam English
- Lois Ermak
- Jeanette Fagerskog
- Merle Fajans, Founding Co-Chair*
- Dick Gander, Founding Co-Chair*
- Jennifer Jordan*
- Toni Moore
- Norm Nicholls*
- Tim Pellegrini
- Barbara Ramsey
- Linda Slattery
- Katie Veni
- Janet Zipser-Zipkin*
*founding members
Interested in serving? If you have a passion for our area, the desire to help, and skills to help us reach out to the community, plan events and inspire others to support the mission, please contact Marcia Argyris at TahoeDonnerCares@gmail.com.