About MVSC

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Board Of Directors
Bill Tantau, President
John Barker, Secretary
Susan Pettinato, Treasurer
Ginny Liljefelt
Sally Tantau
Marnie Malpass

Staff
Alice Berg

About our Board Of Directors:

Bill Tantau, President

Mr. Tantau's parents purchased and built a homestead on the ranch that adjoins White Sulphur Springs to the north in 1960 and the family has been coming here part time since then. In 2007 he and his wife Sally moved to their ranch as full time residents. The Tantau's have used the facilities at WSS on many occasions in the 60s and 70s and have long been concerned at the recent demise of the property. They are active in this community and welcome the opportunity to participate in the rescue of this historic landmark. Mr. Tantau is a retired airline captain with prior non-profit organization experience.

Duties: The President will preside over all board meetings. The President will be the chief executive officer of MVSC, responsible for day-to-day administration of the affairs of MVSC. The President is an ex-officio member of all committees.

Susan Pettinato, Treasurer

Susan Pettinato is a third generation Californian.  She was born and raised in Sacramento, where she attended  Sacramento State University. Her summers, as a youth, were spent at Donner Lake.  Susan developed a deep connection to the  Sierra Nevada, and an appreciation for the natural history of her surroundings. In 1993 Susan and her husband Sam purchased a home and property in the beautiful Mohawk Valley. Susan devoted many years as the Volunteer Coordinator for Horses Unlimited, a Plumas County non profit therapeutic equestrian program.  Susan was responsible for recruitment, education, and coordination of 30 volunteers.  In 2005 Susan was introduced to the concept of land conservation and her dream of preservation for the White Sulphur Springs Ranch was given new life.   

Duties: The Treasurer will maintain the financial records of MVSC and will sign the checks of MVSC. The Treasurer will prepare an annual financial statement for the annual meeting and will be responsible for presentation of the proposed budget to the annual meeting. The Treasurer will ensure that any required tax filings are completed as per state and federal law.

John Barker, Secretary

John and Sugie Barker have spent all of their summers in the Lakes Basin region of Plumas County. They have lived in Eastern Plumas County since 1974. Their connection with White Sulphur Springs Ranch began because Mava Machomich, who owned White Sulphur Springs Ranch from 1954 to 1974, also owned Gold Lake Lodge from its beginning in 1912 until 1953. John and Sugie now own Gold Lake Lodge as well as nearby Elwell Lakes Lodge. They hope to use their experience with old, historic places to help in the restoration of White Sulphur Springs Ranch.

Duties: The Secretary will maintain the official records of MVSC. The Secretary will record and distribute the minutes of Board meetings. The Secretary will maintain a current record of the names and addresses of Board members entitled to vote and will send out notices of Board meetings.

Alice Berg, Executive Director

Ms. Berg grew up in Mohawk Valley and recently returned there to be near her extended family. Ms. Berg has a B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Natural Resource Management and currently works as a consulting fisheries biologist.  Ms. Berg has extensive experience with stream and watershed restoration, environmental monitoring as well as environmental planning pursuant to NEPA and CEQA requirements. Her husband is a district manager  for the US Forest Service, Tahoe National Forest.

Duties: The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors to implement the strategic goals and objectives of the organization, enables the Board to fulfill its governance function and provides direction and leadership toward the achievement of the organization's philosophy, mission, strategy, and its annual goals and objectives.

Sally Simon Tantau , Chairwoman MVSC Fundraiser

Mrs. Tantau was raised in Illinois and, after graduating from the U of Michigan, came west to teach.  She and Bill were married in l961 & have 2 daughters, Margo & Shelley, and one wonderous grandson, Cooper. They lived in the Napa Valley for 35 years where Sally was an interior designer.  She looks forward to restoring the buildings on the White Sulphur Springs Ranch.  One of her volunteer efforts in St Helena was working on the Napa Valley Wine Auction committee for it’s first 13 years thus giving her first hand experience in fund raising. 

Marnie Malpass, Director

Ms. Malpass is a third generation California native. Her father’s family lived in the Mohawk Valley for many years, and owned the White Sulphur Springs Ranch for more than 50 years. She spent many summers at the Ranch with her grandmother and great-aunts and uncles. She has a great interest in the restoration of the property to its former grandeur. She obtained a BSN from Washington State University and a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law. She lives with her husband and family in Seattle, Washington.

Duties: as per MVSC Bylaws, Article II, Section 3.

Virginia (Ginny) Liljefelt, Director
 
Ginny Liljefelt was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona where she earned a Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of Arizona.  She relocated to Northern California in 1978, where she married and raised two sons.  Her teaching career eventually evolved into a Corporate Human Resources Consultant where Ginny devoted twenty-five years in the Engineering, Financial, and Biotech sectors of the business world. Upon retirement in 2008, she and her husband moved to Whitehawk Ranch where their love for the natural beauty of the Sierra and the Mohawk Valley have fulfilled a deep desire to help preserve the history and pristine splendor surrounding those fortunate enough to live here.
 
Duties: To assist the Board in staffing key positions with qualified personnel and to assist with all Outreach such as Fundraiser Events and booths representing White Sulphur Springs Ranch and its' preservation.