BOB PALLAS

Named by the Napa Chamber Foundation as the Outstanding Nonprofit Employee of 2010, 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

Eileen 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 the educators below 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

Dr. Barbara Pahre brings 35 years of curriculum, professional development, child development, labor negotiations, and human resources expertise to the Connolly Council. 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.

JULIE HUNTINGTON de POLO

Julie’s love of the outdoors stems from her experiences as a student at the Thacher School in Ojai, CA, where since the 1800s, students have spent their high school years caring for animals, hiking, backpacking and learning about the environment. Twenty years later as a parent volunteer at Connolly Ranch, Julie recognized that same valuable connection between children and nature that is so vital for their character enrichment and development. Since 2006, Julie has served on the advisory council of Connolly Ranch, and is now a member of its board. In addition, Julie is a trustee for the Marin-based John Brockway Huntington Foundation, which has provided funding to the Land Trust of Napa County and Connolly Ranch for the past 8 years. She and her husband Dan have two daughters at the Napa Valley Language Academy, where Julie has recently served as President of the NVLA Charter Council. In addition, she has served as Vice Chair of the First 5 Napa County Children and Families Commission and on the NVUSD Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Board. Julie has a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from Lewis & Clark College and a Bachelors degree in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley. Currently, Julie is working for the grants division of the Napa County Office of Education.

LEONA EGELAND SIADEK

Leona is 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

Bruce 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

Gene 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, Machining. The company is currently producing several million dollars in annual revenue with expected continual growth. 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 Rotary Club of Napa 2004-2005 and Chairman Napa YoungLife 2001-2004. Gene is a 41 year resident of Napa.