Golden Ticket Giveaway!

Meet Our Team!

Staff

Dick Young

Executive Director

dyoung@zephyrpoint.org

Laura Mulato

Director of Guest Services

laura@zephyrpoint.org

Mark Ellender

Director of Facilities & Grounds

mellender@zephyrpoint.org

Jesus Preciado

Director of Housekeeping

jesus@zephyrpoint.org

Aaron Maffitt

Director of Food Services

amaffitt@zephyrpoint.org

Dayna Titus

Director of Finance and Business Operations

dtitus@zephyrpoint.org

Sara Tillema

Director of Programs

stillema@zephyrpoint.org

Kerri Wasko

Program Manager

kwasko@zephyrpoint.org

Kelsey Jones

Executive Administrative Assistant

kjones@zephyrpoint.org

Jesse Preciado

Staff Accountant

jessepreciado@zephyrpoint.org

Barrett Schuerman

Cabin Coordinator

cabins@zephyrpoint.org

Adena Edwards

Office Administrator

zephyr@zephyrpoint.org

Jose Palomera

Lead Maintenance Worker

zephyr@zephyrpoint.org

Cilvano Vasquez

Lead Maintenance Worker

zephyr@zephyrpoint.org

Pedro Vargas

Construction Mechanic

zephyr@zephyrpoint.org

Claudia Carizzoza

Kitchen Manager

zephyr@zephyrpoint.org

Laura Maffitt

Communications & Marketing Manager

lmaffitt@zephyrpoint.org

Alex Van Reenen

Guest Group Event Specialist

groupevents@zephyrpoint.org

Sheryl Wing

Guest Group Reservation Specialist

groupreservations@zephyrpoint.org

Tahoe Semester

David Williams

Director of Tahoe Semester

mwilliams@zephyrpoint.org

Michele Williams

Operations Manager

mwilliams@zephyrpoint.org

Scott Valentine

Faculty: Professor of Earth Science

mwilliams@zephyrpoint.org

Aron Tillema

Faculty: Religious Studies

mwilliams@zephyrpoint.org

Shelby Thompson

Community Life Coordinator

sthompson@zephyrpoint.org

Staff Bios

Dick Young

Dick Young joined the Zephyr Point Team as Development Director in August of 2019 after a 30 year career as a parish pastor in the PC(USA). Dick was appointed Executive Director in April of 2020. Dick and his wife, Colleen, moved from Western New York where Dick was Head of Staff at Orchard Park Presbyterian Church for the previous 18 years. Colleen is an RN who specializes in Hospice Care. Dick & Colleen have three grown children. Their middle child, Maura, also an RN, followed them to Tahoe and works as a nurse at Barton Hospital in South Lake. Richard and Michael are both engineers currently living in Buffalo, NY. When not taking in views of Lake Tahoe from his desk, Dick enjoys spending time in the mountains, on foot, bike, or snowboard, depending on the season.
dyoung@zephyrpoint.org

Laura Mulato

Laura Mulato is the Director of Guest Services at Zephyr Point. She brings over six years of experience in Retreat and Conference Center Administration and a Business degree from Bethel University to her role in Guest Services. In blending business operations with retreat ministry, Laura aims to foster a healthy and welcoming environment for guests to be inspired by the beauty of Lake Tahoe. As a Minnesota native, Laura appreciates the striking Sierra Nevada mountains and sunsets over the lake. Away from the office, she enjoys exploring through hiking, biking, backpacking and visiting new places, especially with her husband Levi and their collie puppy Luna.
laura@zephyrpoint.org

Mark Ellender

mellender@zephyrpoint.org

Jesus Preciado

Jesus Preciado is the Director of Housekeeping at Zephyr Point. Jesus Preciado started working at Zephyr Point on January 7, 2002, in the Housekeeping Department. Jesus obtained the position of Housekeeping Manager in 2003 and he came to live at Zephyr Point grounds with his wife Marisa and their two children Kevin and Jesse. Since then, he has been serving our guests and is currently the Director of the Housekeeping Department. For Jesus, the most important thing is to be able to cover all the needs and expectations of our guests so that they enjoy their stay at Zephyr Point. What Jesus likes the most is enjoying time with his family.
jesus@zephyrpoint.org

Aaron Maffitt

Aaron Maffitt is the Director of Food Services. Aaron brings 3 decades of experience running some of the west coast’s top restaurants. A professor of Culinary Arts, Aaron has a passion for teaching and brings his motto of “Nourishing a Community” to our food services as a mission to give the opportunity to our budding culinary team and to create nutritious and environmentally conscious food for our guests. During his free time, you may catch a glimpse of him and his wife Laura, sailing past Zephyr Point on their boat Enchantment, sauntering the trails of the backcountry or skiing the steeps of the Sierra peaks.
amaffitt@zephyrpoint.org

Dayna Titus

Dayna Titus is the Director of Finance and Business Operations at Zephyr Point. Originally from the east coast, Dayna received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.   She received her MBA from the University of Nevada, Reno.   Prior to joining Zephyr Point, Dayna worked in the healthcare industry in both sales and operations.  She is thrilled to have joined Zephyr Point in late 2021!   Dayna has three children – Andrew, Madison and Sage.   In her free time, Dayna enjoys all that the Tahoe Basin has to offer, especially skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and paddleboarding.
dtitus@zephyrpoint.org

Sara Tillema

Rev. Sara Tillema is the Director of Programs at Zephyr Point. Sara joined the staff in 2019, and serves as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the PC(USA). She loves walking alongside individuals of all ages as they explore life’s big questions, and empowering all to see how their faith and passions can intersect to create meaningful change in our world. Before joining the staff, Sara was a long-time participant at Zephyr Point and has experienced some of the most pivotal moments in her spiritual journey overlooking Lake Tahoe. In her capacity as Director of Programs, Sara aims to craft program opportunities that allow individuals to experience the fullness of the God who dances in Creation, and live in confidence that they are a beloved child of God. In her spare time, Sara’s favorite activities include curling up on the couch with a good book, drinking coffee, and spending time outdoors with her family.
stillema@zephyrpoint.org

Kerri Wasko

Kerri Wasko is the Programs Manager. She started her time here at Zephyr Point working on the waterfront in 2018 for our summer camp programs. She fell in love with Tahoe and the ministry at Zephyr Point. She has a degree in Psychology and a degree in Religious Studies from Virginia Wesleyan University where she was also a part of their NCAA DIII women’s basketball team. Kerri is passionate about helping kids foster a love for the outdoors and encouraging all to pursue restorative justice. In her free time, Kerri loves to do anything outside; snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking, hiking, and backpacking are some new sports she has grown to love. Kerri grew up with 3 wonderful sisters and an incredible mom and dad in Virginia Beach, VA. She misses the salt air but couldn’t imagine giving up the mountain life right now.
kwasko@zephyrpoint.org

Kelsey Jones

Kelsey Jones is the Activities Coordinator at Zephyr Point. Kelsey spent her summers in college as part of the Zephyr Point summer staff working with kids and teens in our Youth Programs. Her love for summers in Tahoe turned into a more permanent move in 2019. She loves Tahoe for all the beauty and adventure and she loves the mission of Zephyr Point because it creates such a welcoming atmosphere. She has a degree in Elementary Education from Azusa Pacific University and several years of experience guiding in the outdoors. As a Colorado native, Kelsey is used to enjoying the mountains with her family through a variety of activities. She loves skiing, mountain biking, swimming, running, hiking, backpacking, and trying new things. Her experience combined with Kelsey’s passion for adventure and fun inspires her to create activities that increase the guest experience at Zephyr Point.
kjones@zephyrpoint.org

Jesse Preciado

jessepreciado@zephyrpoint.org

Barrett Schuerman

cabins@zephyrpoint.org

Adena Edwards

Adena is the Office Administrator at Zephyr Point.
zephyr@zephyrpoint.org

Jose Palomera

zephyr@zephyrpoint.org

Cilvano Vasquez

zephyr@zephyrpoint.org

Pedro Vargas

zephyr@zephyrpoint.org

Claudia Carizzoza

zephyr@zephyrpoint.org

Laura Maffitt

Laura Maffitt is the Communications & Marketing Manager at Zephyr Point.
lmaffitt@zephyrpoint.org

Alex Van Reenen

Alex Van Reenen is the Guest Group Event Specialist at Zephyr Point. She joined the Zephyr Point team in May of 2022 after a 20-year career in Hospitality and Catering. As the Event Specialist, she helps groups through the process of preparing for their retreats, reunions, and celebrations. Born in South Lake Tahoe, and raised in Dallas, Texas, her connection to Lake Tahoe is life-long. Alex enjoys hiking and sitting quietly on the shores of the many alpine lakes in the area.
groupevents@zephyrpoint.org

Sheryl Wing

Sheryl Wing is the Guest Group Reservation Specialist at Zephyr Point. She has her degree in Business Management and brings over 30 years of experience working for Douglas County Community Services working in many roles including planning, organizing, and directing recreation activities and managing and scheduling the daily operations of two Community Centers and its many programs. Sheryl has two adult children, 7 grandchildren, and enjoys the outdoors and skiing.
groupreservations@zephyrpoint.org

Tahoe Semester Bios

David Williams

David Williams, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy and the director of the Tahoe Semester. In this role, he works with his Centre College colleagues to design the overall Tahoe curriculum while teaching humanities courses and facilitating the plenary course. He also arranges the co-curricular experiences (and really enjoys participating in them). By training, David is a historian of philosophy specializing in Classical Greek thought. His areas of special research are Aristotle’s philosophy of mathematics and his philosophy of biology. He and his wife Michele have four adult children. In his spare time, David enjoys skiing, mountain biking, dirt biking, backpacking and spending time with his family.
mwilliams@zephyrpoint.org

Michele Williams

As Operations Manager for the Tahoe Semester, Michele handles program logistics and serves as liaison to Zephyr Point staff. She has a degree in Business Administration. (Bethel University, St. Paul, MN) and has coordinated a number of college programs, including study-away and study-abroad programs for international students studying in the U.S. Most recently, she managed business and administrative functions for a K-12 charter school. Michele is married to David (surprise!) and they have four adult children. In her spare time, she enjoys trail running, hiking (sometimes with David) and spending time with her family.
mwilliams@zephyrpoint.org

Scott Valentine

Scott Valentine, Ed.D., is a professor of Earth Science for the Tahoe Semester. He is the lead faculty member of the Earth & Environmental Science Department at Lake Tahoe Community College and he teaches a variety of classes ranging from Oceanography to Geology and Meteorology. He’s also spent time working as a professional raft guide and a U.S. Forest Service Hydrologist prior to his teaching profession. Scott lives in the Lake Tahoe area and spends his time biking, skiing, and chasing his two kids around the mountains.
mwilliams@zephyrpoint.org

Aron Tillema

Aron Tillema is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in Religious Studies at the University of California, Davis focusing on Ancient Mediterranean Religions. Broadly, he is interested in the Hebrew Bible and language, but this interest manifests itself in a variety of theories, approaches, and fields that include semiotics and linguistic anthropology, parody and humor, and gender and sexuality. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, hiking, walking his dog, Pax, and spending time with his family. He was a student at Azusa Pacific University and studied abroad at the High Sierra program near Yosemite. He is looking forward to returning as an instructor for Tahoe Semester!
mwilliams@zephyrpoint.org

Shelby Thompson

Shelby Thompson attended Azusa Pacific University and majored in Liberal Studies for Special Education. During her time at APU she participated in an outdoors-focused study-away program that greatly inspired her passion for the Tahoe Semester. Shelby enjoys biking, running, hiking, surfing, and snowboarding, but also loves a good day indoors, enjoying a book or a movie. Most of all she enjoys quality time with good people and is looking forward to building a community through the Tahoe Semester!
sthompson@zephyrpoint.org