Mission, Board & Staff

Staff

Jessica Penman

President/CEO
530-587-8808
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Jessica Penman took over the President & CEO position of the Truckee Chamber of Commerce in October 2022. As the new President & CEO she is excited to make sure the Truckee Chamber continues to be the voice of business and a champion for our community. Before coming to Truckee, Jessica was the Director of Community Relations at the Yountville Chamber of Commerce, in Napa County, for the past five years. Jessica has extensive experience in marketing, sales, membership relations, community development, and workforce issues. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a BA in Anthropology and Classical Civilizations and a MA in Egyptian Archaeology from University College London. In addition to her chamber work, she has taught at community colleges for the past eight years. Jessica has lived in Italy, Egypt, and England and loves to travel to new places. Jessica grew up spending her weekends and holidays in Truckee and could not be more thrilled to be making Truckee her permanent home. When she is not working, she loves hiking with her boyfriend and paddle boarding and playing with their puppy, Auggie, and reading far too many books.

Ruth Geresy

Manager of Truckee Welcome Center; Director of Operations
530-412-7062
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Ruth Geresy has been with the Truckee Chamber of Commerce since 2001. Ruth is the Manager of the Truckee Welcome Center in the historic train depot downtown. The Truckee Welcome Center assists over 220,000 visitors annually. Ruth also serves as the Director of Operations for the Chamber. Ruth graduated from CSU, Chico with a BA in Social Psychology and Business Administration. Her passion for skiing landed her in Truckee in 1980 where she met her husband, Don Geresy of Don Geresy Construction. Their daughters, Katie and Jenny, were both born and raised in Truckee, only leaving Truckee to obtain their college degrees. Prior to joining the chamber, Ruth worked at the Truckee Tahoe Airport for 19 years. In that role, she produced the annual Air Show that attracted thousands of spectators. Ruth was the guiding force creating Relay For Life of Truckee Tahoe for ten years. Ruth has been recognized on numerous occasions for her significant contributions including 2010 Volunteer of the Year Award by the Truckee Donner Chamber of Commerce; honored in 2011 by Rotary Club of Truckee and the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International with a Paul Harris Fellow; and in 2013 named Truckee’s female Citizen of the Year by Truckee Interclub.

Melissa Williams

Marketing + Communications Manager; Truckee Jobs Collective
530-448-9351
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In her role as Communications Manager, Melissa is responsible for producing several Chamber publications, including the Big Life email, New Jobs This Week, and Big Life Connections e-newsletters as well as daily social media. She develops and edits content for Truckee.com, including monitoring and promoting member events and news. She also writes and edits articles for Truckee.com: An Insider’s Guide magazine. Melissa helps connect job seekers and employers through the Truckee Jobs Collective and is responsible for managing, growing, and enhancing the program. Melissa has been with the Chamber since 2016 and brings more than 30 years of experience writing, editing, and building teams. After receiving a BS in Communications, she was an AP reporter, then worked in hotel/travel-related and political public relations in Washington D.C. She moved to San Francisco in the early ’90s and worked for book publishers, becoming managing editor of a team of 40+ for the national McGraw-Hill Higher Education Humanities and Social Sciences list. From 2012-2016, Melissa worked as a freelance writer and editor for TTUSD and Truckee businesses. She was a volunteer founder of Sierra Expeditionary Learning School, has served on nonprofit boards, and has volunteered for the North Tahoe-Truckee Homeless Services since it opened. Melissa loves being a part of the Truckee-Tahoe community, especially dancing to great local music, mountain biking, skiing, and paddle boarding with her family and friends.

Marissa Yakaitis

Membership & Programs Manager
530-412-7074
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Marissa is excited to join the Chamber of Commerce as Membership and Programs Manager. She was born and raised in Vermont and comes from a long line of small business owners. She holds a degree in Agricultural and Resource Economics with concentration in Regional Food System Development and a minor in Agricultural Business from Colorado State University. For the last eight years Marissa has worked in the food and farming sector, managing food hubs which support regional producers committed to sustainable and regenerative farming practices reach markets in rural communities. Marissa moved to Truckee in 2019 and spent the last four years at Tahoe Food Hub where she managed all aspects of a small nonprofit. She launched two pivotal programs in her tenure that have helped strengthen the Truckee-Tahoe community: their hunger relief program known as the Giving Box and their online farmers market, Harvest to Order.  She is excited to continue her involvement in the community and support local businesses grow and thrive through her new role here at the Chamber of Commerce. Marissa comes from generations of farmers and food lovers; when she isn’t experimenting in her kitchen or attempting to grow tomatoes in the Tahoe Basin, you can find her out running in the high peaks or skiing in the backcountry, usually with her dogs Lucy and/or Stu by her side.

California Welcome Center Concierge Staff

  • Stefani Barton
  • Randy Braun
  • Lori Clemente
  • Eric Davenport
  • Betsy Ford
  • Vicky Myer
  • Carolina Pacheco
  • Brenda Stark