MICHAEL LAUHER
Education DirectorMichael joined Connolly Ranch with his family as a volunteer in 2002. In 2003, Michael was hired on as a full-time employee for the ranch. His work experience includes coordination of community building projects to construct homes and gardens for low-income families using sustainable building materials like straw bale, adobe, and cob with passive solar design. Michael teaches at the Connolly Ranch and other partners including Napa City Parks & Recreation and was Chairman of the Environmental Education Coalition of Napa County.
THOM ARCADI
Ranch ManagerWith an MA in Education of Exceptional Children from Whittier College, Thom had been a teacher in the Vallejo City Unified School District from 1971 to 2010. Thom began his career as a special education teacher of severely handicapped students and held that position for five years. For the next 26 years he was the administrator of the Loma Vista Farm and Garden Center. Thom currently teaches young adult handicapped students. Thom has been with Connolly Ranch since 1991.
HYLAH EGELAND
Preschool Program DirectorCombining her diverse academic education and extensive world travels with the life experience of growing up on a farm, Hylah’s commitment to people, animals and a healthy planet Earth shines through in her programs. With a unique vibrancy, Hylah inspires and cultivates a passion for being a steward or caretaker of this world. Starting as a math tutor at age 12, Hylah has been educating children and adults in such varied subjects as anatomy, holistic bodywork, art, movement and dance, horseback riding, animal husbandry, gardening and her specialty, Early Childhood Education. Utilizing costumes and characters she has created (The ‘Barn Faerie’, ‘Grandma Luna’ and more to come!), she playfully brings an understanding of big concepts such as ecology and sustainability to even the youngest preschool age students. Hylah studied International Relations and Spanish at San Francisco State University and the University of Salamanca (Spain), Early Childhood Education at Napa Valley College and has a BA degree in Culture, Ecology and Sustainable Community from New College of California. From 2002 to 2011, Hylah worked with the City of Napa Parks and Recreation Department running its preschool program at Connolly Ranch. She has also worked directly with Connolly Ranch and the Napa Valley Unified School District activating people’s connection to our natural world. .
BOB PALLAS
Connolly Ranch Executive Directorand Chairman of the Board
Bob received his BBA from Western Michigan University with a major in Marketing and minors in Economics and General Business. He is the former President and founder of Pallas Advertising; and Vice President/Management Supervisor of J. Walter Thompson Company. Former board President of the Hamilton Family Center; current board member and past President of Summer Search North Bay; and former Chairman of the Environmental Education Coalition of Napa County. Bob joined Connolly Ranch in 2005. In 2010 he was named Outstanding Nonprofit Employee of the Year. Info here.
EILEEN GORDON CHIARELLO
Board MemberEileen Gordon Chiarello is an entrepreneur and business partner with her husband, Michael Chiarello. Together they have an organic vineyard and Chiarello Family winery, Bottega Restaurant in Yountville, and NapaStyle, and have collaborated on Chef Chiarello’s cookbooks, television shows and gourmet products. Eileen started her career with Apple Computer working with schools and teachers across the country to integrate manipulatives (physical materials), media/technology and authentic assessment into classrooms based on long-term research about teaching and learning. She then joined Tenth Planet, a small team of educators to develop award winning Math curriculum for elementary schools. She has a passion for media, learning, youth-empowered environments and sustainable living. She designed the Dirt-to-Dine adventure camp in collaboration with the team at Connolly Ranch, Chef Chiarello, and other educators in order to offer kids an exciting experience during which they can thread together some of the important links between what we eat, how to cook it and where it all comes from.
DR. BARBARA PAHRE
Board MemberDr. Barbara Pahre brings 35 years of curriculum, professional development, child development, labor negotiations and human resources expertise to the Connolly Ranch board. She has been involved with the Connolly Ranch since it was just a dream in Peggy Connolly’s eye – since before its inception as a community educational and environmental center. It was from her office with the Napa Valley Unified School District that Connolly Ranch became a partner with a local elementary school, began to be seen as a community resource for environmental education through the schools and received a yearly financial grant from the school district during the Ranch's formative years. She currently serves on a number of local boards, the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit Board and is Napa County's representative on the Golden Gate Bridge Board.
LEONA EGELAND SIADEK
Board MemberLeona is Senior Vice President of Government Relations for The Doctors Company; a physician owned medical malpractice insurance company headquartered in Napa. She is a former 3-term member of the California Assembly and a former Chief Deputy Director of the State Department of Health Services. Leona taught Biology and General Science In Arizona and California for 7 years. She moved to Napa in 1998.
BRUCE D. KETRON
Board MemberBruce D. Ketron has been a practicing attorney since passing the California Bar in 1970. He holds law degrees from the University of California, Hastings College of Law (Juris Doctor) and the University of London, London School of Economics (L.L.M.). He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara (B.A.). Mr. Ketron is certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in the area of Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. Mr. Ketron has a very strong commitment to community activities and an extensive record of local involvement including youth groups, civic organizations, including Rotary International and local government. He was elected to the Board of Trustees of Napa Valley College in 2003 and the Santa Rosa School Board in 1976.
GENE KELLY
Board MemberGene is the founder and president of CATCo. Inc; (DBA; Accelerated Training Institute) 1983 to present. The company specializes in distance education in the Mechanical Trades. Focus is training individuals in specific trades skills via video instruction nationwide. He conceptualized, developed, produced and marketed these video courses which have been approved by the California Bureau of Private and Postsecondary Vocational Education. Current courses include: welding, locksmithing, gunsmithing, plumbing and machining. He is also the founder and President of Executive Protection Products Inc. established 1986. The company specializes in high-end commercial security, surveillance and VIP protection in the USA and abroad. He was President of the Rotary Club of Napa 2004-2005 and Chairman Napa YoungLife 2001-2004. Gene is a 40+ year resident of Napa.
SARAH MITCHELL HANSEN
Board MemberSarah grew up in St. Helena. Her family lives in a turn-of-the-century farm house on 5 of land of land on the West side of the Valley. Her husband is in wine sales management for Seguin Moreau (based in Bordeaux, with a cooperage in Napa). Sarah is owner and manager of the Model Bakery with stores in St. Helena and Napa.
SARAH PURSELL
Board MemberSarah received her BS degree from the University of San Francisco and an MBA degree from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management. She has extensive experience in international marketing, sales and business development. Most recently she was Vice President of Business Development for Fair Trade USA (formerly TransFair USA) in Oakland. Before that she held the following positions at Cisco Systems, Inc.: Senior Manager, Global Small/Medium Business Campaign; Market Development Manager, Asia Pacific and Japan; and Business Development Manager, Optical Networking. Sarah lives in Napa.
ANNETTE SHAFER
Board MemberAnnette is the principal of Live Well Napa Valley LLC, a practice where she works with clients who are focused on energizing their commitment to living well in all aspects of life. She is also a Certified Personal Trainer, Nutrition Advisor, graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and she holds a B.S. from Boston University’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Management. She is the author of “The Wine Sense Diet” (Lifeline Press, 2000) and lives in St. Helena with her husband, vintner Doug Shafer and their two children. Annette embraces and promotes a philosophy of the ‘farm to table’ concept where an inceased awareness at an early age makes a big difference in both healthy living and living sustainably. Her passion in this area is working with both adults and children so that they understand the concept of seasonally available produce, sustainable farming practices and healthful preparations. Her two children joyfully often take a lead role in the kitchen at dinnertime with produce they have proudly foraged at the farmers market, the organic section of the grocery store or their own home garden.