2024 Ambassadors

Kellie is the first person to take on the position of Program Manager for the Truckee Cultural District administered by Nevada County Arts Council. She has lived in Truckee for 19 years and worked in the Reno/Tahoe region non-profit sector for 24 years. Non-profit administration is her passion with a focus in creative visioning, strategic planning, community collaboration and fundraising. Kellie has helped achieve next level goals for Nevada Arts Council, Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation, KidZone Museum, North Tahoe Arts and Contractors Association of Truckee Tahoe. She feels most professionally aligned when she is utilizing her Master of Arts in arts administration from Golden Gate University, San Francisco. She is committed to a high level of community leadership and investment through her work serving on the board of the Truckee Chamber of Commerce and on committees for Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation and Tahoe Truckee Unified School District. When not in the office, Kellie is living her best life doing day to day with local firefighter husband Jeff and on the slopes with their U19 Sugar Bowl Freeride skiers Henry and Lily. 

Karen Terrey is a writer, editor, and writing coach,  in Truckee and the founder of Tangled Roots Writing.  She has taught at Lake Tahoe Community College, Sierra Nevada College, and Sierra College and has served as a poetry editor for the literary journals Pitkin Review and Quay. She is a recipient of a Sierra Arts Endowment Grant, the John Woods Scholarship to Prague Summer Program, the Steve Turner Scholarship to Surprise Valley Writers Conference, and a scholarship to the Vermont Studio Center. Her poems have appeared in Rhino, Edge, Meadow, WordRiot, Puerto Del Sol, Wicked Alice, Canary, and Gray Sparrow Journal, among others. Her poetry chapbook Bite and Blood is available from Finishing Line Press and local bookstores, including Word After Word in Truckee, CA.

Julie Halley Lepinard was born and raised in Normandy, France. Being passionate about people and diversity she decided to explore the world and its people and lived in the UK and Spain before moving permanently to San Francisco where she raised her 4 children. With her husband they founded NextWorld, an integrated capital model where investments and nonprofit activities coexist. Julie has a passion for the arts as well as nature.

Matt is a second-generation roofing contractor born and raised in the Truckee Tahoe area.  After finishing college with a degree in Business Economics Matt moved back to Truckee to succeed his father at the helm of the family business.  Matt learned early on the value of working in the trades.  The hands-on skills required to construct a working component of a structure provided a source of income and confidence.  Matt hopes to inspire a younger generation to consider a career in the trades to meet the inexhaustible demand now and in the future.

Jonathan completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at UCSB, then attended medical school in Chicago, and completed a 4 year residency through the UCSF-Fresno Emergency Medicine program. He has been a Truckee resident since 1991, and initially was part time at Tahoe Forest Hospital while full time at Renown, but 10 years ago switched to solely Tahoe Forest. In addition to working in the Emergency Department, he has had administrative roles including department chair and Chief of Staff for the hospital.

He was a member of the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue team for 10 years, and has been a Board member for the Sierra Avalanche Center for the last 12 years. He has been devoted to his bride and children, and has had many adventures with them. In addition, his free time is spent outdoors; backcountry and nordic skiing in the winter, and all types of cycling (road/gravel/mountain biking) and hiking in the warmer seasons.

Jeff and Jonathan met in the mid 90’s building his house, and crossed paths frequently road cycling. He will tell you that while Jeff was a very sweet man, once he was on the bike his (HIGHLY) competitive nature was exposed!

Jeff was my dear friend and business partner.  It is my honor and pleasure to be a part of his legacy.