Ryan Ghelfi
November 13, 2024
An impactful nonprofit organization needs a strong board, period. Without committed board members who govern, direct, and help raise funds for the mission, any organization will slowly wither away like an unprepared hiker deep in the Frank under a hot August sun.
Four long-time board members retired from the SBFC board at our November meeting in McCall. They have all transitioned to ambassador roles and will continue to help us achieve our mission (without attending quite as many meetings). I would like to highlight each of these amazing people.
John Lloyd from Ketchum, Idaho served six years on the board. John is an avid outdoorsman and is one of the few people to have hiked all of the Idaho Centennial Trail. His love of the Wilderness and extensive time hiking and volunteering in the Frank Church-River of No Return has helped SBFC in so many ways.
From his first pack trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness at the age of fourteen, throughout his career as a medical doctor in the U.S. Military and during his fifteen years of invaluable service on the SBFC board, Chuck Miller, of Hamilton, Montana, has held a strong commitment to the concept and public enjoyment of Wilderness. Never lacking in energy, he enhanced his effectiveness on the board through his leadership role in backcountry horsemen chapters and his long days of project packing support and trail maintenance work in the Wilderness.
Nancy Feldman from Boise, Idaho served seven years on the SBFC board, two as the board chairperson. Nancy never let anything slip and was steadfast in her leadership of this organization. Our organizational policies have improved dramatically as she’s been the governance committee chair for the past three years. She and her husband Murray (also a former board member) have hosted events at their home and have always had a place for me to stay when I am working in Boise. I expect I’ll be visiting them for many years to come!
There is no one I called more often during my first year on the board than Joni Stright. Joni is from Boise, Idaho, and served on the SBFC board for six years. She was the board treasurer and helped see SBFC through so much, including the tumultuous COVID-19 era. When I arrived, I had a great deal to learn. We’ve made many changes, and Joni’s mentorship and advice have been invaluable as I navigated difficult situations.
Finally, we had a significant changing of the guard this November. As the ED, I work most closely with the board chair. Jim Heidelberger held this role for the past three years, and he’s done such an admirable job. His humor and wit are balanced by a steadfast work ethic, always chasing down every loose end, not to mention spearheading the largest SBFC volunteer project of 2024 (maybe ever) at Big Sand Lake in the Selway-Bitterroot. Jim passed the gavel, but he will remain on our board, for which I am grateful.
Taking Jim’s place as board chair is Shawn Donley, of Stevensville, Montana. Shawn is fairly new to the SBFC board, but he’s jumped in headfirst. He participated in four volunteer trail projects last season and has taken to learning the ins and outs of this sprawling organization. We are thrilled to have Shawn leading the charge for this dynamic board.
We welcomed two new board members in November as well: Ron Anderson of Ketchum, Idaho and Chris Lundy of Stanley, Idaho. We are grateful for their time, treasure, and talent!
From the staff and board, we want to thank each of these people for their dedication to the Wildest Place, and for doing more than their share of work to connect people to Wilderness. Our future, and the future of these amazing places, is brighter because of their efforts.