Meet the Interim Executive Committee of Eastern Placer Future
Eastern Placer Future is a 501(c)4 organization formed by a group of engaged citizens exploring the potential to create an incorporated town with local decision-making in the North Tahoe area of eastern Placer County. Working committees are being formed to broaden involvement in this effort. Below is a short bio of each committee member.
Alex Min: Alex Min moved to Tahoe City in 2000 from Breckenridge Colorado where he started his Real Estate career. Upon arriving in Tahoe, Alex continued his Real Estate career with Sierra Sotheby’s International Realty where he remains today. Alex has also served on the Tahoe Sierra Board of Realtors for two consecutive terms and Alex has also volunteered with Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue for many years on the snowmobile team. The highlight of Alex’s life has definitely been raising his two amazing Tahoe kids who were born and raised in the area and are now in middle and high school, both of whom are outstanding athletes and thriving in the Tahoe region. “My kids are the main reason I am so passionate about taking care of the beautiful area we call home. I want to see our community grow into an area that we can all be proud of and that our kids can steward into the future generations.”
Andrew Ryan: Andrew Ryan has been a North Tahoe resident since 1997 and operates a local civil engineering business. He is a strong advocate for bottom-up, community-driven governance and believes that true stewardship grows from the lived experience of small business ownership, stable housing, and/or raising a family within the community. With decades of regional project experience—including his and his partner’s own small-scale local developments—Andrew supports incremental, resilient redevelopment. He prioritizes improvements that strengthen a community’s sense of place and reflect the needs of its people. He envisions North Lake communities that continually evolve and adapt in response to the stakeholders who live, work, visit and love them.
Christian Brown: A local attorney and longtime Tahoe City resident, Chris is a 1993 graduate of North Tahoe High School. After attending the University of Michigan Law School, he practiced with a large, international law firm in San Francisco for 10 years before moving home with his wife Jamie (a 1994 North Tahoe High grad) to raise their kids. Chris is the founder of Elevation Law P.C. in Tahoe City, where he focuses on litigation, real estate, business law and employment matters.
Danielle Hughes: Danielle is a dedicated advocate for sustainable balanced redevelopment and community-driven planning in Eastern Placer. With experience navigating land use policy, environmental review, and regional collaboration, she brings a pragmatic and future-focused perspective to local decision-making. Her work emphasizes solutions that protect the area’s character and environment while supporting community and local business needs.
Doug Hartline: 55yrs old Married w/ daughter currently student in the TTUSD. Moved to Tahoe in 1989 Lived in Tahoma from 89 to 99 where I started apprenticeship with Paul Arthur Construction. In 1998 I Moved to Olympic Valley and acquired my General Contractors License the same year. I established Hartline Construction Inc. in 1999 and have been building residential and commercial construction projects in the North Lake Tahoe area ever since. I’ve invested/partnered in many other community staples including the West Shore Market and Shadyside Lounge. I am also invested in many commercial and residential properties in the North Lake Tahoe community. I am currently the President of North Lake Tahoe Snowfest and have held this title since 2019. I am extremely proud of our community and a huge advocate for preservation of our lifestyle with responsible development and consideration of the needs of ALL our local residents.
Judy Friedman: After moving to Tahoe City over 50 years ago, Judy has worked in a variety of positions including conference sales at Cal-Neva Lodge, City Manager for Safaris & Tours, Executive Director of Festivals at Tahoe (which produced Snowfest and Music at Sand Harbor), VP of Marketing for Educational Field Studies, and is currently the owner of the 20-year old Paper Trail. Friedman has served on the boards of many non-profits in the community, most recently Sierra Senior Services and the Truckee Tahoe School of Music. She is currently President of the Board of the Tahoe City Public Utility District, having been elected to the Board for four consecutive terms.
Kevin Drake: Kevin is co-founder and CEO of Alibi Ale Works, which operates two community-centric brewpubs in North Lake Tahoe and Truckee. Prior to founding Alibi in 2014, Kevin spent 15 years working in watershed science and restoration consulting in the Tahoe area. He also serves on the Board of North Tahoe Community Alliance, as Placer County’s representative on the TRPA Advisory Planning Commission and is a member of the Kings Beach District Committee (formerly the NTBA’s Economic Vitality Committee). Kevin is a 20-year resident of Kings Beach and is passionate about creating lasting vitality and resilience in our community.
Sarah Coolidge: Sarah Coolidge has been deeply rooted in the North Tahoe region since the 1960s and has dedicated much of her life to the well-being of our mountain community. With decades of leadership and community organizing experience, Sarah brings both heart and strategy to local efforts that protect the environment, support working families, and foster long-term sustainability. She currently serves her third term on the Board of Directors for the North Tahoe Public Utility District, where she has held the role of Board President and worked to ensure responsive, transparent governance. Sarah’s passion for collaboration and local control is what fuels her involvement with Eastern Placer Future — a natural extension of her lifelong commitment to helping this region thrive now and well into the future.
Samir Tuma: Samir is active in local civic life as a board member of the Tahoe Housing Hub, North Tahoe Community Alliance and as a member of the Interim Executive Committee of Eastern Placer Future. He is the Founder of Kila Properties, a real estate development firm focusing on lodging and workforce housing projects in the Tahoe basin. Previously, Samir served as a planning commissioner, start-up executive and an attorney in private practice.
Steve Teshara: Steve has been active in community service for more than 40 years, with a focus on public-private partnerships and community-based initiatives. As a volunteer, he has supported various special events and programs unique to our region. Steve is widely recognized for his ability to “connect the dots” bringing people and organizations together to identify and implement solutions to a variety of community challenges and opportunities.
Wally Auerbach: Wally is a 45-year resident of North Tahoe and the President of Auerbach Engineering Corporation in Tahoe City. He served for many years as the Chair of the Infrastructure Committee of the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association (now the North Tahoe Community Alliance) and as the Chair of that board. He also served on the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation for many years, with several years as Chair. Wally has been an advocate for investigating the possibilities of local control in North Tahoe since assisting the Town of Truckee through their initial years of local government formation in the early 1990’s.