Warren "Chip" Brown - President
Term: 2021-2024
Mr. Brown and his wife, Mary, were publishers of community newspapers in the San Francisco east Bay Area, the Monterey Peninsula, and California’s Central Valley. They were also involved in several other business ventures over the years. Warren’s volunteer services have been extensive and have included Chair of both the Oakland and Alameda Chambers of Commerce and The Bay Area Tumor Institute. He also served as Commissioner of The Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Complex and was involved in programs for at-risk youth. Through his association with a local fly fishing club, Mr. Brown was deeply involved in the restoration of 2.5 miles of The Truckee River.
Warren’s and Mary’s family includes three children and eight grandchildren. Two of their children and six of their grandchildren also reside in Truckee. It is for them and other NCSD residents that he hopes to help find the balance between the region’s quality of life and the preservation of natural resources.
Nancy Ives - Director
Term: 2022-2026
In October, 2001, Nancy was selected from several applicants to fill the un-expired term of Ralph Owens on NCSD Board of Directors. She considers herself "almost a local" since she was born and raised in Carson City, Nevada, and lived most of her adult life in Reno. She purchased her Northstar home in 1980 and has lived here full time with her husband, Jerry, since 1993.
Part of a family land development company in Nevada for more than 25 years, Nancy is familiar with water and sewer systems, road maintenance, growth problems and the necessities of working with local agencies. She holds a BS in Business and a Masters Degree in Journalism, and taught classes at Truckee Meadows Community College as well as the University of Nevada, Reno. Nancy also worked many years as a reporter at the Reno Gazette-Journal newspaper and continues to write as a freelancer for several local and national publications.
Having been a business owner and having spent so many years in journalism, Nancy feels she's able to see all sides of various issues. She's been active in many community organizations and served on several boards of directors. Both Ives are avid outdoors people who love to hike, bike, ski and kayak in the Northstar/Truckee/Tahoe area. They have five grown children, and decided to settle in Northstar because "it offers the best of everything." Nancy appreciates our top-rated fire department, our trails and our road and water systems. She also understands the complexities of balancing quality of life with progress.
Mike "Spoon" Witherspoon - Financial Representative
Term: 2021-2024
In June of 2019, Spoon was appointed to fill the remainder of Jeann Green’s term on the NCSD Board of Directors. Having spent the previous ten years splitting time between Truckee and San Francisco, he moved into the Lahontan portion of the District in December of 2018. He is an avid mountain sports lover having spent his formative years in the Alps, Poconos and Appalachians.
Spoon has spent the past 19 years in the software consulting industry. His responsibilities have ranged from a COBOL developer of utility industry solutions on mainframes to founding CodeScience, which builds an array of cloud based SaaS products for enterprises. Spoon retired from operating CodeScience and remains as the Chairman of the Board at that company. Along the way, Mike took time out to become a professional SCUBA instructor and a Burning Man camp leader. Prior to entering the software profession, Spoon worked as a quality engineer on institutional construction projects in southern Virginia. Mike earned both a Bachelors of Civil Engineering and a Masters of Geotechnical Engineering from Virginia Tech. The engineering and executive backgrounds have helped him appreciate the wide variety of services NCSD offers its residents and the finances behind them.
“I have spent the past few decades architecting solutions for complex problems with no correct answer. Between carbon emission reduction, forest fuels management, maintaining the streets and keeping the water flowing, NCSD and the residents of the Sierras face serious challenges. I am excited to enter public service as part of a forward thinking board working with an innovative management team.”
Marilyn Forni
Term: 2022-2026
Appointed to the NCSD Board in February 2021 filling the vacancy left by Dee Cravens.
I have been a part of the Northstar community since February of 1974 when we purchased a Ski Trail condo. We brought the family up for a week that summer and returned home in September. We continued to spend each summer at Northstar until we bought a home on Martis Landing and moved here permanently in 1994.
I served on the Village Board in the 1980s and on the NPOA Board for 10 years in the 1990s. During my time on the NPOA Board I was part of the planning for and overseeing of the expansion of the Recreation Center. As a member of the NPOA Board I experienced the discussions that led to the eventual implementation of the Northstar CSD as well as the early planning stages of the Tompkins Memorial Trail.
After graduation from USF/Lone Mountain I taught in the San Francisco Unified School District. After moving to Santa Rosa, I managed my husband’s dental office, substitute taught, was active on school boards and raised 4 children. I’ve been a Docent at the California Academy of Sciences for the last 30 years. This has given me a wonderful appreciation of our area and a desire to help in its sustainability.
During the summers at Northstar, I ran the Snack Bar at the Rec Center and led Nature Walks on the Martis Creek Trail for 20+ years. I look forward to serving on the NCSD Board.
