Leadership

Nancy Moore brings 10 years of non-profit and community development experience to her role. Prior to STLF, she served in a variety of roles including President and Technology Director of an educational non-profit, Silver Oak Educational Partnership. Her focus and passion has always centered on advocating for children in need. Prior to working with non-profits, Nancy was an experienced manager with Accenture delivering technology solutions for Fortune 500 companies. Personally, she enjoys spending time with her family, playing tennis, cycling, skiing and volunteering in the community.

Vanessa Haug has ten years of experience with program evaluation and assessment in the areas of domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, and youth delinquency. As part of her commitment to STLF, Vanessa conducts follow-up phone interviews with former STLF grantees and their families to assess the extent to which their participation in wilderness therapy improved their well-being. In addition, Vanessa also volunteers as a Court Appointed Child Advocate, where she advocates for children placed in foster care, and received her 40-hour domestic violence training certification. She is fluent in French.

For over 10 years, Lauren has worked with individuals and their families helping them to find the answers for positive growth and change. Doing most of her clinical work in Colorado, she moved back to Illinois in 2013 to be closer to family.
She received her Masters in Counseling Psychology from the University of Colorado in 2005 and is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. Lauren has worked with children, adolescents, young adults and their families ever since. Lauren has extensive experience with parents helping to teach, support and nurture their relationship with their children. She is a very collaborative professional, reaching out to all who might help promote the growth needed for a client to reach their individual goals.
While working as a wilderness therapist and then the Admissions Director at a nationally known program, Lauren became affiliated with Sky’s the Limit Fund and helped to place the Fund’s first students. She has remained an ally of the program and is very excited to be a part of its new family coaching services program.
In addition to her work as a therapist in her private practice, Lauren also works as a parent coach. Lauren is able to help explore an individual family dynamic to assess and provide the best support while balancing this with the proper tools to help move a family in a better direction. Her services include working on proper communication, setting boundaries appropriately as well as teaching patience, respect and listening skills.

In addition to her private practice in Boulder, Colorado, Heather is a Family Coach for STLF. She has a deep appreciation and understanding of how challenging it is to incorporate changes that are made in the wilderness setting into daily life. Heather is eager to prepare and coach families through the challenges and rewards of this transition. Earning her MA in Counseling Psychology from Naropa University, Heather specialized in studying Wilderness Therapy. She worked as the Family Services Director and as a Wilderness Therapist at a nationally known Wilderness Therapy Program for seven years. Over the last ten years, Heather has co-developed and implemented two distinct Family Programs that have been based in mindfulness approaches and attachment theory: The Strong and Mindful Family Program and Family Quests. Both programs have involved bringing family members together in the wilderness to interrupt existing patterns that disrupt health and wellness, to celebrate the strengths of each individual and the strengths of the family, and to help families find new and healthier ways to relate to each other so that they have a stronger and better functioning system. Heather is collaborative in nature and will work closely with your family in a practical, mindful, and heart centered way. She is eager to share her skill set, guidance, and warmth as a Family Coach for STLF families.

Rochelle Bochner is a long time community volunteer, philanthropist and an alumni parent of wilderness therapy graduates. For the past 20+ years, Rochelle has maintained extensive community involvement by serving on numerous non-profit boards and is a past president of the Junior League of Palo Alto Mid-Peninsula. In addition to her commitment to Sky’s the Limit Fund, she currently sits on the board of The Children’s Health Council in Palo Alto. Honored by San Jose Magazine as “Women Making A Mark” for her service to the community, Rochelle continues to give back to her community and the surrounding areas. Rochelle is a former small business owner. She co-founded and co-owned Show Off Talent Inc, a Los Altos based SAG/AFTRA talent agency that serviced Northern and Southern California. A native Californian, Rochelle was born in San Francisco and raised in the Silicon Valley. Rochelle has lived for the past 30+ years in Los Altos with her husband Steve and has two grown children, and two grandchildren.

Lani Dorff recently finished out a two-year term serving as the President of the Board of Directors of Sky’s the Limit Fund. She combines two professional careers, as a high-tech sales and marketing executive, and as a fundraising professional for non-profits, to the arenas where her skills match her passion. Lani has extensive experience leading local non-profits as the Director of Development & Marketing at the Los Altos Community Foundation as well as Family & Children Services, where she raised funds to serve low-income families to assist youth coming out of the foster care system, those dealing with substance abuse and/or family violence, and children failing to thrive. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Junior League of Palo Alto-Mid Peninsula, Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, and Vintage Affaire, benefiting the Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She is a recent recipient of the John Gardner Award honoring outstanding non-profit leadership, bestowed by the Los Altos Community Foundation. Lani is a Bay Area native, and the proud mother of two who loves traveling with her husband.

Jeff took over Alhouse King Management and changed the name to Alhouse Deaton in 1991. He has been in the commercial real estate business for over 25 years. From the beginning, Mr. Deaton built a portfolio of third-party commercial properties focusing on the mid-peninsula markets of Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Mountain View.
Jeff oversees the business and management operations of the company. His duties include management, leasing, and consulting.

Sid Kapur is a Technology Investor at Symphony Technology Group, an operationally-oriented private equity firm which transforms software businesses into industry-leading companies. His professional experience includes roles in strategy and finance at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York where he was part of the Leveraged Finance group as an Investment Banker. He also consults and invests in early-stage start-ups which focus on blockchain technology and enterprise software. He is a member of the Babson Alumni Association of the Bay Area. Sid lives in San Francisco and enjoys all that it has to offer including its vibrant dining community and its scenic outdoors.

Alexis King, CID, received her BFA with high distinction in Interior Architecture from the California College of the Arts in 2000. After working for award winning design firms such as Gensler and Barbara Jacobs Interior Design, she started her own residential interior design practice. Alexis has worked on projects from Carmel Valley to Portland, OR and thoroughly enjoys the interior design process. She has served on the California College of the Arts Interior Design Advisory Committee as well as having served on the board for Theatre in the Mountains, a local non-profit community theatre organization. Alexis has recent personal experience with wilderness therapy and feels truly connected to the process of helping youth in crisis. She has been sober over 22 years and knows, first hand, how hard it can be to get one’s life back on track. She is grateful to be serving on the STLF board, as it affords her the ability to honor and give back to the process of recovery. She loves being mom to two amazing daughters and spending time in Maine at her family’s coastal property, paddle boarding in the cove.

Barbara Krancer has resided in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania for over twenty years. In her professional life, she was a partner in the law firm of Dilworth Paxson in Philadelphia, specializing in commercial litigation and environmental law. Following her retirement from active practice, she has served on numerous charitable boards of directors, including the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Montgomery Child Advocacy Project, a nonprofit organization that provides free legal representation to abused and neglected children. She has also served in leadership positions on the Home and School Associations of all of the divisions in her school district over a period of seventeen years. She and her husband Mike have four grown children, and have experienced wilderness and transition therapy with their family.

Lisa O’Hearn-Keck is Dean of Students at Palo Alto Prep School, an alternative high school working with students who need a smaller more personal learning environment. Lisa is also a founding partner of The Windermere Group, an experiential learning company for youth, providing “education outside the box” by taking students on ropes courses, climbing and outdoor activities. She serves on the advisory board for Parent Education Network, (PEN Silicon Valley). Lisa is married and has two daughters. For the past decade Lisa has worked with families transitioning to and from wilderness therapy and has personally navigated the process with her own daughter who is now successfully attending UCSC.

Shirley Wantland is the co-founder of Recovery Consultants LLC, which provides a full continuum of services to individuals & families struggling with alcohol/substance abuse, mental health, and behavioral issues. She graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas with a Bachelors of Science in Biology and Psychology. She has been in healthcare for the past 10 years with experience in the pharmaceutical & behavioral health industries. Prior to co-founding her current company, Shirley worked at CRC Health Group as a Regional Outreach Specialist in Northern California, which ignited her passion for working with people in crisis. She is dedicated to serving and advocating for those who feel shamed and stigmatized by addiction or mental health issues. She also currently sits on the board for the National Council on Alcoholism—Bay Area, an affiliate of the NCADD (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence), founded by Marty Mann over 70 years ago. She lives in San Rafael with her husband and two daughters and also enjoys traveling, cooking, and entertaining friends & family.

Kathy Bridgman has devoted her energy and full-time professionalism to the Los Altos community as a teacher and now as a top-producing real estate agent with Alain Pinel Realtors. Holding the distinguished Broker designation puts Kathy in the elite 15% of all Bay Area real estate agents. San Jose Business Journal lists her in the top 20 as real estate agents in the Silicon Valley. A Los Altos resident for 26 years, Kathy raised three children there and spent 15 years as a teacher and curriculum developer for the Los Altos and Cupertino School Districts. As an active community member Kathy is involved with the Community School of Music & Arts, the Center for Innovation at Foothill College, the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce, and the Los Altos Community Foundation. When away from her office, Kathy enjoys working out at Equinox Fitness, traveling, trying new restaurants, walking downtown for her morning coffee, spending time with her 6 grandchildren (all under the age of 6!) and is continually striving for the ever-elusive perfect golf score!

Mike Gass, Director, Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Research (OBHRC) is a Professor & the Coordinator of Outdoor Education in the College of Health and Human Services at the University of New Hampshire. He is the current Director of the NATSAP (National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs) Research Database. He also serves as the Editor of the Journal for Therapeutic Schools and Programs, published by NATSAP.  In 1990 he wrote the first set of accreditation standards for the Association of Experiential Education with Jed Williamson and served as the first Chair of AEE’s Accreditation Council for six years. In 1998 Mike received the Association for Experiential Education’s Outstanding Experiential Teacher of the Year Award, and in 2002 he delivered the Kurt Hahn Address for AEE. In 2005 he received the UNH College of Health and Human Service’s Distinguished Career Research Award. He has published over 100 research studies in his career and made over 200 professional presentations. Mike also serves on the REAP and CORE Committees for the Association for Experiential Education.  Mike has a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, has completed post-doctoral work in marriage and family therapy, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of New Hampshire, and is a clinical member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy.  His research Interests are: Wilderness and Adventure Therapy program effectiveness, Social Development of Adolescents in Adventure Programs, Program Accreditation, Effects of adventure therapy on specific psychological issues with adolescents, and Effective facilitation techniques with therapeutic populations.

Jay Silverman has excelled as a leading Director, Producer, and Photographer for over 30 years specializing in award-winning television, digital, and print campaigns; having worked with renowned celebrities such as Denzel Washington, Beyonce, Quentin Tarantino, Jamie Foxx, and Ray Charles. His advertising clients include IBM, Coors, Panasonic, Disney, Budweiser, CBS, ABC, Pepsi & Apple. Jay Co-Created and Executive Produced A&E’s “The Cleaner”, starring Benjamin Bratt; an hour long drama based on a real life interventionist who uses unorthodox methods to save lives of those who battle with addictions. Other notable shows include “Roots 30 Year Anniversary Special” for TV One, “The Secret Things of God” for Fox, and “D’jango Unchained”, a one hour special for Weinstein Company. A graduate of Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara with a Master of Science Degree, Jay founded Jay Silverman Productions in 1979 in Hollywood, California, and built a 40,000 sq foot facility including 3 sound stages. Jay currently lives in Santa Monica, California, with his wife and three wonderful daughters.