About

Ty Bemis

Ty Bemis is an entrepreneur, a highly skilled management professional, and certified change practitioner.  Growing up in Boulder, CO, where the Rockies were his backyard, he is an experienced backpacker and camper with a great appreciation for the outdoors.  Ty has personal experience with treatment and recovery along with a child who attended rehabilitation and treatment at a highly regarded dual diagnosis facility for PTSD and alcohol/drug addiction, as well as temporary residency at a Sober Living facility.  As a member of the Board of Directors, Ty is laser focused on using his skills and experience in passionately supporting Sky’s the Limit Fund.

Naomi Chavez Peters

Vice-Chair

Naomi Chavez Peters is a long-time community volunteer and board member, serving on many boards in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Naomi is currently the VP of Talent Development at Sprinklr.  Naomi and her husband have 3 children, and they have personally gone through the wilderness therapy and aftercare experience with their children.  She is very committed to giving other families the opportunity to have this life-changing therapy, providing children the time, space, and clarity to address their challenges from a place of healing and support.

Cathy Cioth

Cathy Cioth is a certified parent coach for the Partnership to End Addiction and is the community director for The Stream, a private online community that focuses on supporting mothers whose children are struggling with substance use. Cathy realized the powerful transformation of wilderness therapy when her own children were struggling years ago. She created several online wilderness therapy communities to support parents and provide resources. She is passionate to be on the Board and serves as a member of the Fundraising Committee.

Kim Friesen

Kim’s passion for helping families in crisis began unexpectedly during a health emergency with her then one year old son. She served on several boards at Chicago’s Lurie’s Children’s Hospital for ten years, chairing large-scale events and holding various leadership roles. As president of Lurie’s Children’s Service Board, Kim led several campaigns, raising over $5 million for hospital initiatives. Kim also served on the Board of Directors for Camp Kesem, a nation-wide camp supporting children through and beyond a parent’s cancer diagnosis. Kim, her husband and three children now live in Connecticut and have personally experienced the life-changing benefit of wilderness therapy. Kim is committed to sharing her story and speaking with others searching for first-hand feedback about wilderness therapy. Kim’s professional background is in marketing and advertising.

Andy Goldstrom

Andy Goldstrom is a certified parent coach whose practice, Parents Journey Coaching, provides individual coaching for parents wanting to make lasting changes for themselves and their children. As a parent of a child who was given the gift of wilderness therapy and a funding recipient from Sky’s the Limit Fund, Andy has an appreciation and a passion for the organization and its mission.

Andy also hosts a podcast, The Wilderness Therapy & Residential Treatment Journey Podcast, to provide inspiration and information to parents who are exploring, engaged in or transitioning from Wilderness Therapy with their children.

As a former owner and leader at two Inc. 500 firms, Andy brings strong business acumen to Sky’s the Limit Fund’s Board, where he is honored to serve.

 

Alicia Jennings

Alicia Jennings M.A. is the Executive Director of Camp Thorpe, a therapeutic camp based in Vermont. An experienced non-profit administrator and special needs program provider with over a decade of service, she specializes in designing and consulting with programs for individuals and families with a developmental and/or mental health diagnosis in need of long-term care. Growing up in Central California, her most meaningful family connections were spent hiking and camping in the Redwood Forrest. She believes that families with loved ones in crisis need community support and works towards providing program networks so that no one goes through it alone. Alicia served as a therapeutic guide for the Anasazi Foundation and has seen firsthand the deep transformative and healing nature of Wilderness Therapy.  Splitting her time between Vermont and her home in the Bay Area, Alicia is privileged to access beautiful hikes with her dog and her family and is focused on promoting the peace that is found in nature.

Sid Kapur

Treasurer

Sid Kapur is an Investment Banker at PJT Partners, based in Boston. Sid has a decade of experience advising Fortune 500, private equity investors and technology clients on a range of transactions including public and private company mergers and acquisitions, and capital raising. Sid is passionate about philanthropy, believes deeply in STLF’s mission and wants to make an impact on the lives of youth and young adults in mental health crisis.

Barbara Krancer

Barbara has lived in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, for over thirty years and divides her time between there and Stowe, Vermont.  In her professional life, she was an attorney in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia specializing in commercial litigation and environmental law.  She has served on numerous charitable boards including the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.  She and her husband Mike have four grown children and have experienced the transformative and life-saving benefits of wilderness and transition therapy with their family.

Lisa O’Hearn-Keck

Secretary

Lisa O’Hearn-Keck  grew up in the Bay Area and has been working with young adults for most of her career, first as a partner in the Windermere Group,  an organization that went into schools and provided outdoor adventures for special education students, and now in her current position as Dean of Students at Palo Alto Preparatory School. She is one of several professionals who started Pathways, a support group for parents with students in wilderness therapy programs or residential treatment centers, that has been meeting monthly for over ten years. She has worked with parents and students around wilderness therapy for over 20 years. She and her husband Chris have two grown daughters and have experienced wilderness therapy and the positive change it brought to their child and family. 

Tara Saul

Tara Saul joined the STLF Board in 2018, bringing both her passion for wilderness therapy and her expertise in fundraising.  Over the past 15 years, Tara has both led and been a member of the steering committee for many large, successful, fundraising galas. Tara’s passion for wilderness therapy stems from experiencing the transformative impact that it can bring not only to struggling adolescents, but also to the entire family. Tara lives in the Bay Area with her husband and three children. “To get through the hardest journey, we need to take only one step at a time. But we must keep on stepping” – Chinese proverb.  

Dave Segre

Board Chair

Dave grew up in the Bay Area and has practiced corporate law here since the mid-1980s, advising technology companies, their management, boards of directors and investors.  He has served on prior nonprofit boards, including the Membership Board of the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University.  Dave has two older and two younger children whose ages span a couple of decades, who continue to be a source of great joy and life experiences, including an increased understanding of the value of wilderness therapy in the growth and grounding of young adults facing challenges in a complicated world.

Jennifer Taylor

Jennifer Eve Taylor, JD, is the Founder of JET ED Consulting, a therapeutic educational consulting group based in San Francisco, CA. JET ED Consulting specializes in advising and supporting students and families in crisis from severe clinical and behavioral challenges. Jennifer believes every child is inherently loving and that behaviors and mental health can be healed with the right kind of therapeutic interventions. Navigating the wealth of therapeutic options available can be a logistical and financial nightmare, but Jennifer knows her way through, because she’s been there with her own child. She gets it. Jennifer’s professional career compliments the mission and goals of Sky’s the Limit Fund and she brings a unique perspective to the Board.

Brenda Zane

Brenda Zane is a Mayo Clinic Certified health and wellness coach and CRAFT-certified parent coach whose work supports parents of adolescents and young adults with substance use disorder. Her mission is to help parents maintain their health and sanity as they navigate the chaos and confusion of having a child in addiction. Her podcast, Hopestream, and private, online community, The Stream, provide connection, strength, and resources related to holistic health, addiction, and treatment. Brenda also writes for various publications and is available to speak on topics such as parenting kids in addiction, purpose and transformation, self-care and coping strategies, and the impact of the opioid crisis.