Board of Trustees

Click here for the Seventh Restated and Amended Bylaws of Sun Valley Community School, Inc. 

Cordy Snyder '84 grew up in Sun Valley and is a graduate of Sun Valley Community School class of 1984. He earned his AB from Bowdoin College 1988.

Following his graduation, he worked at Montgomery Securities and its successor Bank of America Securities from 1989-2002, where he was Director of Nasdaq Trading. In 2002, Cordy co-founded BTIG, a brokerage firm focused on trading and fund services for hedge and mutual funds.

Cordy and his wife, Mary Ann, relocated to Sun Valley from Tiburon, California so their three boys, all alpine ski racers, could train with Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation.

Their three sons are all SVCS graduates: Will'16, Bennett '19 and Charlie '21.

Scott Albro '87 is a graduate of the Sun Valley Community School. He and his wife, Renee '86, recently returned to Sun Valley so that their youngest daughter (class of 2024) could attend Community School.

Scott spent the last 30 years living in the Bay Area where he worked in the technology industry. He specialized in early stage startups and software-as-a-service (SaaS) businesses. Most recently, he was the founder and CEO of TOPO, a research and advisory firm that helped hundreds of the world’s leading companies achieve scalable growth. Prior to starting his career, Scott received his BA from Duke University.

As a member of the Board of Trustees, Scott is a proponent of the guiding principles that have shaped the school since its creation in the 1970s. These principles, such as creating small, personal learning experiences and treating the outdoors as the ultimate classroom, allow the school to deliver a truly unique educational experience to its students.

Diane Banta and her husband, Bill, moved to the Wood River Valley in 2017 with their two children, Tommy ('33) and Ava ('34). Diane enjoys backcountry skiing, trail running, and exploring the Valley with her family.

Diane is currently a Vice President of Investment Research at Northside Capital Management, a private wealth investment advisor. She previously worked at Ironwood Capital Management, a San Francisco-based hedge fund, and in the Investment Banking Division and Executive Office of Goldman Sachs in New York. She has served on the Boards of other non-profit organizations including The Advocates, Minds Matter, and the UVA Alumni Association. She has volunteered with American Corporate Partners (mentoring for veterans entering the civilian workforce), 100 Women in Hedge Funds, and was a guest teacher in Sun Valley Community School's Upper School in 2023 and 2024. 
 

Diane earned a B.Sc. in Commerce from the University of Virginia's McIntire School and holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Designation.

Amanda Deaver joined Sun Valley Community School's Board of Trustees in 2022. She and her husband Thomas Andrews moved to Hailey from Washington, DC in 2018 with their daughters Charlotte (’24) and Isabelle (’27).  Amanda is president of Upstream Strategic Communications.  With more than 20 years of PR agency experience in Washington DC, she has developed and managed effective advocacy and public affairs campaigns as well as crisis and litigation communications programs for clients in nearly every sector. 

Amanda earned a B.A. in American Civilization from Brown University.  She has served on the Board of many national non-profit organizations, including American Rivers, Power to Decide (formerly the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy) and Advocates for Youth.  She also serves on the Board of The Hunger Coalition in Bellevue, ID. 

Mark Dooley and his wife Anne have three children and live in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. They also have a home in Sun Valley which led to their interest in Sun Valley Community School. Their son Chance (’25), is in the boarding program at SVCS.   

Mark is a Managing Director at Susquehanna International Group (SIG). SIG is a global quantitative trading firm based in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. SIG is one of the largest proprietary trading firms in the world. Mark joined Susquehanna in 1987. 
 
In addition to SVCS, Mark is also a Trustee for the Abington Memorial Hospital in Abington, Pennsylvania and Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Princeton University.

Sameer Gandhi joined the Board of Trustees in 2021. Sameer and his wife Dr. Monica Lopez live in San Francisco, California, and have a home in Ketchum as well. Their son Kyan is a member of the class of 2024. Sameer understands two crucial components of SVCS through his son’s alpine racing and boarding experience. Sameer and Monica have a strong grasp of the needs of independent schools and have held board and fundraising committee positions at their children’s San Francisco schools.

Sameer is currently a partner at Accel specializing in early stage and growth equity investments. Formerly a partner at Sequoia Capital and Principal at Broadview International, he began his career at Oracle. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering as well as a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree from MIT and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Ruth Glass joined Sun Valley Community School’s Board of Directors in 2018 following a 46-year career as an independent school teacher and administrator, most recently as the Head of Lake Tahoe School in Incline Village, Nevada (2011-18).  
 
Over the course of her career, Ruth worked in schools around the country: Green Fields School, Tucson, Arizona; Colorado Academy, Denver, Colorado; Norwood School, Bethesda, Maryland; The Langley School, McLean, Virginia; Columbus Academy, Gahanna, Ohio; The Odyssey Program, Malibu, California; The Wesley School, North Hollywood, California; and Calmont School in Malibu. 
 
While Ruth was born in Connecticut, she claims native California status, having moved to Ojai when she was just a year old. She spent her youth shuttling between The Thacher School, where her father was a teacher, and Jackson Hole, where the family still has a ranch. School years were spent in Ojai and summers in Jackson. Between homes, the family drove with six horses, two dogs, and a cat, making most travel ever since a bit of a breeze. She attended Wells College in Aurora, New York before graduating from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in elementary education. She earned her M.Ed in curriculum and design from Ohio's Ashland University. She has been active and involved in regional associations, including serving on the Board and Accreditation Committee of NWAIS.
 
She and her husband, Wayne, reside in Incline Village, Nevada. They have two grown daughters, Hillary and Allison, and a granddaughter, Johanna. A life-long sports enthusiast, she looks forward to taking advantage of the opportunities to hike, paddle, ski, and otherwise explore and relax in the Lake Tahoe Basin now that she is officially retired. Long passionate about independent school education, she has accepted the position on the school's Board of Trustees as a way to remain involved and to give back a bit of the support and lessons that she has learned over the years.

Danielle Hansmeyer joined the Board of Trustees in 2021. She and her husband Kevin live in Ketchum. They have two daughters at Sun Valley Community School, Maeve and Mia, who are current 6th and 10th graders. Having experience with all three divisions at Sun Valley Community School, Danielle brings a range of educational perspectives and with her background in business and decades of experience in finance.

Danielle most recently held the role of President and Chief Merchandising Officer at Restoration Hardware, reprising her prior role of 16 years as Chief Merchandising Officer. Before assuming this role, she led multiple business categories for Restoration Hardware and previous to that, Pottery Barn. She holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Aly Harrington and her husband Brad moved to Sun Valley from the Bay Area in 2018 with their daughter Liv ‘30. Since her arrival, Aly has been an active member of the Wood River Valley community, lending a hand to numerous nonprofits.  Prior to moving to the Valley, Aly was involved in several successful fundraising campaigns for organizations in New York, Dallas, and San Francisco. 

Aly’s professional career in public relations began with Ferrari Maserati of North America. She also created and managed a privately owned surgical center and practice at California Pacific Medical Center (part of Sutter Health) in San Francisco, supporting five plastic and reconstructive surgeons along with eight residents. Additionally, she is the founder of a medical nonprofit to benefit reconstructive patients with little or no insurance by providing them with free physical therapy.

Aly earned her business degree with a focus on Marketing and Finance from St. Edward's University in Texas. In her free time, Aly enjoys hiking, skiing, traveling, and playing pickleball.

Peter LaFleur joined Sun Valley Community School's Board of Directors in 2018. He is the managing member of Consilium Group, a Seattle-based management consulting firm which he founded in 2001. Additionally, Peter is a partner at LMC Consulting Group in Seattle, which he co-founded in 2005. Consilium and LMC provide management consulting services primarily to the healthcare and technology sectors. Prior to founding Consilium, Peter led the Deloitte middle market management consulting practice for the Pacific Northwest services industry sector. Peter began his career at Deloitte in 1989 as a CPA.

As a management consultant, Peter spends significant time working with, advising, and educating the boards of his clients. He has also voluntarily assisted various boards as they work through strategy and finance issues, including the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF).  During his time in Seattle, he served as treasurer of the Seattle Fire Fighters Memorial Fund.

In the 2017-18 school year, Peter had the opportunity to work closely with the school’s administration and Board of Directors while co-chairing the Strategic Planning Committee. Having assisted in the development of the Strategic Plan, one of Peter’s primary goals as a Board Director is to help ensure that the plan is successfully implemented, and that the school continues to grow and thrive long into the future. 

As a parent of a competitive skier (son Alex competed for SVSEF for 10 years), Peter is also invested in the future success of the Sun Valley Ski Academy. “I believe the combination of Sun Valley Community School, SVSEF, and the Wood River Valley community provides an unmatched opportunity for student athletes, while also benefiting these stakeholders,” he said.

Peter has a degree in business administration from the University of Washington. Peter, his wife, Julie, and their children, Alex ’18 and Noelle ’21, have enjoyed a home in Ketchum since 2004. Julie has served in various leadership roles of the Parents' Association, while Alex has served as Student Senate President.

John Lee graduated from St. Lawrence University in upstate New York with a BS in Geology and moved to Ketchum in 1990. He met his wife Tracy (Grathwohl), who attended Sun Valley Community School from 1980-1983, in January 1991. They have two children, Tanner (Class of 2022), and Bodin (Class of 2025).

John is the co-owner of LeeGilman Builders, Inc. in Ketchum, Idaho, which he established in 2008 with his partner, Mike Gilman. LeeGilman Builders has grown to a firm of 50 full-time employees building 10 to 12 custom homes and remodels at any given time. Prior to LeeGilman, John’s passion for building and taking on large projects led him to focus on custom homes, building a number of spec homes with his wife, Tracy, and eventually co-founding JLC Construction. John started out, like many young people who move to the valley, as a ski tuner at Snug and broiler assistant/bartender at the Pioneer Saloon.  

Throughout what became a strong career in construction, John maintained an interest and commitment to youth programs in the valley. John spent seven years as the head of the Snowboard “C” Team for the SVSEF and nine years as a hockey coach for the Sun Valley Youth Hockey program. He remains an avid skier and outdoor enthusiast of all kinds.

Christopher Lyle moved to the Wood River Valley in 2020 with his wife, Lyndsay and three children (Emerson SVCS ‘28, Hannah SVCS ‘31, and Graham ‘33). He has loved all aspects of mountain life, from Nordic skiing to trail running. Christopher appreciates the tight-knit community that exists here and the key role that Sun Valley Community School plays in it.
 

Christopher graduated from Stanford University in 2003. He began his career at The Walt Disney Company and then entered the investment industry at Bain Capital. In 2008, he founded Sequoia Capital Global Equities and served on the global management committee for all of Sequoia’s investment funds. In 2016, Christopher left to form a family office, Skyline Capital, and began advising at Google. He served as Chief of Business for Google Cloud before returning to focus on investing, philanthropic impact, and his family.

Casey Lynch '99 joined the Board of Trustees in 2021. He and his wife, Dianne Dillingham, live in Ketchum; their son Hutch will be in ECC 2 and their daughter Cecily will be in 1st grade.

As a more recent alumnus, Casey provides valuable insight and connections with our Cutthroat community and is quick to credit SVCS as the formative experience of his educational career. With two children in the Elementary School, he brings new ideas and perspectives to the Board. Additionally, his background in sustainable design and building could help lead the school toward its aspirations of greener facilities management.

Casey founded and is currently the CEO of Roundhouse, a multi-family and community housing developer based in Boise, ID. He has expertise in developing innovative housing strategies and hopes to contribute solutions to the Wood River Valley’s housing affordability challenges. Casey began his career in finance and strategy consulting in New York.

After graduating from SVCS in 1999, Casey went on to earn a BA in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management. 

Rick Miller founded the Avamere Group in 1995 with a progressive agenda to keep seniors healthy, independent, and in their home of choice for as long as practical. Today, Avamere is one of the Northwest’s largest senior housing and healthcare providers. In 2010, Rick also co-founded the venture capital firm, Rogue Venture Partners. 

Rick currently serves on the boards of Diabetomics, Invivo Systems, and the Oregon Health Care Association. He previously served as chairman of the Portland State University Board of Trustees, Oregon Investment Council, Oregon Health Care Association, American Health Care Association, and the Portland-based chapter of the Young Presidents Organization.

Rick and his wife Erika live in Ketchum. Their youngest of six children is in the class of 2027 at Sun Valley Community School.

Tim Mott's vision, energy, and stewardship led to the recent founding of The Argyros where he currently serves as board Vice President and Executive Director. Tim is a serial entrepreneur, has been an independent private investor since 1994, and is also the Managing Partner of Blue Farm Wines.  

Tim co-founded Electronic Arts where he was a senior vice president from 1982-90 and a director from 1990-2007. He was a co-founder, CEO, and Chairman of Macromedia from 1990-94 and then he co-founded Audible where he was Chairman from 1994-99. Tim has been the founding investor and Chairman of several other technology companies including All Covered, Flixlab, and Futr. In addition to Electronic Arts, Macromedia and Audible, he has also served on other public company boards including Edmark and Globant. 
Tim was a trustee of the California College of the Arts from 2004-18 and has been a trustee on many other non-profit boards. His relationship with Sun Valley Community School is deep as he served as the board chair from 2002-03 and his children attended middle and upper school here. 

Tim earned his BS (with honors) from Manchester University in England and now splits his time between Ketchum, ID and Sonoma, CA. 

Courtney Noble currently works as an independent consultant advising municipalities, nonprofits, and foundations throughout the country on various strategic initiatives. Much of her work has been focused on homelessness prevention and housing instability. She began her career as a corporate attorney, focusing on entity formation, mergers, and business transactions.
 
Courtney and her husband Thomas live in Hailey and their young Cutthroats will graduate in 2028 and 2033. When she is not laser focused on solving housing issues, Courtney enjoys spending time with her family, teaching skiing for Sun Valley, and falling off her mountain bike. She has a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from New York University School of Law. She’s also a proud Canadian. 

Jeff Parks is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Riverwood Capital, a technology focused growth equity firm with over $6 billion in assets under management. Over its 16 year history, Riverwood has partnered with over 80 high growth companies across several industry verticals. A long time private equity industry veteran, Jeff was with KKR, Oaktree Capital Management, and UBS Investment Bank in Los Angeles earlier in his career.

Jeff sits on the boards of many private and publicly traded companies. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Pomona College. 

Originally from Washington state, Jeff studied Economics and Mathematics at Pomona College in Claremont, California. He and his wife live in the Wood River Valley and have two Cutthroats, one in 2nd grade and the other in 8th grade.

Deb Robertson, MD is an emergency physician at St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center. From 2011-2021, she also served as its Medical Director. At Sun Valley Community School, she has been a member of many substance awareness panels for drug and alcohol education for grades 8-12, provided first-aid training for faculty, and was an active member of the Risk subcommittee for the school's COVID Response Plan. She serves on various boards throughout the Wood River Valley including The Hunger Coalition, St. Luke's Wood River Foundation, and St. Thomas Playhouse. She also offers medical support to the Sun Valley Suns hockey team. 

A graduate of Duke University, Deb has a Master's degree in health administration from University of Washington and a medical degree from Oregon Health & Science University. She and her husband Jeff Lamoureux have been Cutthroat parents since 2010. They have two children, son Will, a current 8th grade student at SVCS, and daughter Lucy, a junior at Holderness School.

Elana Rose is a seasoned public relations and brand strategist. As co-founder of The Rose Group in 2001, Elana has worked with a wide range of partners across multiple categories, from technology businesses to consumer brands, delivering effective and impactful communication strategies. Her brand strategy and reputation management expertise have helped numerous companies establish themselves as industry leaders. Elana's innovative approach to public relations has helped countless companies achieve their goals, from product launches to crisis management.

Recently, Elana co-founded The Untold Agency, a firm focused on Web3, Metaverse, and technology culture. As an expert in emerging technologies, Elana is at the forefront of the latest trends and developments, helping her clients navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of digital media.

Elana and her husband Jeff live in Hailey and have two Cutthroats, Eden ’21 and Auggie ’23. 

Michael Shapiro joined the Board of Trustees in 2022. Michael and his wife Berger moved to Sun Valley in 2021 with their three kids Paisley (‘24), Marley (‘26), and Slate (‘29).   

Michael is a Managing Director at the global investment bank Jefferies & Company, where he has spent over twenty five years working in various aspects of Leveraged Finance in both New York and California.  He’s an avid spear fishermen, snow enthusiast, weekend pizza chef, and Dad. 

Brent Stevens and his wife Annette moved to the Wood River Valley full time in 2013 after having been frequent visitors since 1986. They have two children, Madison and Holland, a Cutthroat who graduated in the class of 2017. Brent previously served as SVCS Board Chair from 2017-2019.

Brent is the founder and Chairman of Peninsula Pacific, a private investment fund focusing on gaming, middle market companies, and credit. A founder of the Investment Banking Department of Jefferies & Company, Inc. in 1990, he was most recently the Head of Capital Markets until his retirement in 2011. Brent has also served as a director of numerous private companies and has been a member of the Board of Directors of the School of Accounting and Business School at the University of Southern California since 2008.

Brent received his B.S. from the University of Southern California and an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Hollis Zimmer has been involved at Sun Valley Community School as a parent, Class Parent, Parents' Association Co-President and, most notably, Bingo caller.

Her background as a registered nurse allowed her to explore the mountains, living and working in ski towns, the Navajo and Ute Mountain Reservations, and California's Bay Area.  In California, she served as the Operating Room Director at Marin Specialty Surgery Center where she led the surgical team and the Surgery Center to its AAA Accreditation, the gold standard for the highest quality healthcare. 

Since moving to Sun Valley, Hollis has taught skiing, volunteered for Sun Valley Community School, written for Big Life Magazine and, is presently, “working” at Backwoods Mountain Sports. She lives in the valley with her daughter, Eliza (Class of 2026).

Barbara W. Boswell has a love of and commitment to education. She holds a masters degree in administration and a doctorate in education and her teaching experiences spans third grade through college-level.

In addition to her role as a teacher and administrator, Barbara served on the board of the Paso Robles Joint Union High School District from 1981-1985 and was its chair for a period of time. She is a Life Trustee of Claremont McKenna College, an appointment she received in 2013 after serving as a Trustee for the college for 20 years.

Barbara moved to the Wood River Valley from Southern California in 1986 and has been a member of Community School's Board of Directors since 1993. She served two terms on the board before being appointed Chair of the Board and serving in that role from 1999-2001. During her tenure as Chair of the Board, Barbara led Campaign 2000, raising $6 million for the school, which funded the Student Activity Center, housing the gym and theatre. She has served as an emeritus member of the Board of Directors since 2001.

Michael Engl has been an active contributor to the arts and education for many years. He was Chairman of Board of Trustees of The Mountain School and was instrumental in the effort to merge that independent elementary school with Sun Valley Community School (at that time a Middle and Upper School) in 1988. He then served as the school's Chairman of the Board of Trustees for six years.

Michael has been actively involved with the Sun Valley Center for the Arts as a member of the Advisory Board and currently serves as President of The Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe. He also served on the Board of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe.

Michael was Dean and Chairman of the Visual Communications Division at New School University in New York and has spent many years managing and directing family trusts.

He received his BA from Williams College and completed graduate studies at Yale University and Columbia University.

Ben Pettit was appointed Head of School in 2015 and has more than 20 years' experience in education as a teacher, advisor, coach, counselor, and administrator. He joined  Sun Valley Community School in 2009 as Middle School Head, and, prior to assuming his current role, also served as Assistant Head of School and Upper School Head.

In his role as Head of School, Ben is continually inspired by the way the school’s faculty, staff, Board of Directors, students, and parents deliver on the school’s mission. “I am deeply impressed by the passion and dedication displayed by everyone—past, present, and future—who has worked and continues to work to deliver on the promise of the school. I wholeheartedly believe in our philosophy, which combines a vigorous and experiential educational model, with abundant opportunities in the outdoors, arts, athletics, and service learning,” he says. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be of service to our community and to help inspire our students to be their best, authentic selves.”

Prior to joining Community School, Ben spent 11 years at St. Anne’s Episcopal School in Denver, Colorado, where he served as a middle school math teacher, Math Department Chair, and as a soccer coach.

Before transitioning from teaching into leadership roles, Ben worked at McClelland School in Pueblo, Colorado and held counseling positions at Littleton High School, where he was also Varsity Boys’ Head Soccer Coach, and at East Elementary School in Denver, Colorado.

Ben holds a BA in English, with a minor in Psychology, from University of Denver and a MA in Applied Psychology and Counselor Education (Cum Laude) from the School of Counseling at University of Northern Colorado. He is the current Board President for the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS).