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IVGID officials eye Oct. 7 for GM candidate interviews

Kevin MacMillan
kmacmillan@sierrasun.com
The search for a new leader of the Incline Village General Improvement District — which oversees water, sewer, trash and recreation within Incline Village and Crystal Bay — has been narrowed to six finalists.
File photo |

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — One woman, a vice president with the San Francisco Giants and a former longtime public works director here are among six finalists to replace Bill Horn as leader of the Incline Village General Improvement District.

Sacramento-based Peckham & McKenney Executive Search and Consulting presented IVGID trustees with the finalists at the Sept. 11 board meeting.

Keven Burnett, Tom Masterson, Richard Mears, Rosemary Menard, Eric Severance and Dan St. John will participate in an interview process scheduled for Oct. 7.



According to the district, the process will include separate panel interviews with the board and the district’s management team.

Further, “a group of professional peers made up of members from regional agencies with similar organizational roles” also will conduct interviews that day, according to an IVGID statement.



That evening, a public “meet and greet” will take place, the time and location of which is to be determined. There, candidates will introduce themselves, and comment cards will be provided for public feedback.

The board may discuss the finalists and the schedule for Oct. 7 at its next meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, at The Chateau at 955 Fairway Blvd.

See Page 5 for information about each candidate, as included in their resumes and applications for the position, as well as portions of their answers to this question as by the search firm: “At the Incline Village General Improvement District everything you do will be challenged. By satisfying one group you’ve automatically disappointed another. How do you succeed in an atmosphere like that?”

Keven Burnett

• Current experience: Executive Director of the Stapleton Master Community Association, a 501(c) 4 nonprofit community development organization in Denver, since 2006. Reports to the MCA’s board of directors; oversees agency budget of $5 million and a staff of 130.

• Recent experience: Executive Director of the Keystone Neighborhood Company n Keystone, Colo. (2004-2006); Executive Director of the Downtown Boise Business Improvement District in Boise, Idaho (1999-2004).

• Answer: “This may be true if your goal is to simply placate one group over another or if the organization’s leadership is supporting an agenda that fails to meet the needs of the greater community. The goal of any community — as I would believe it would be in the Incline Village — is to provide universal service “fair” and “equal” where possible.

Tom Masterson

• Current experience: Vice President of Business Development at Printer Essentials, a direct importer and wholesaler of various printer and copy supplies based in Reno, since 2012. Reports to the company’s Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing; oversees budget of $25 million and a staff of 12.

• Recent experience: Vice President/General Manager at Xerox/Sierra Office Solutions in Reno (2008-2012); Branch Managing Partner at Summit Accommodators in Incline Village (2003-2008).

• Answer: In many situations you don’t satisfy all groups. That is a reality. You succeed by making an informed decision that meets the majority of needs and criteria and then insuring it is implemented in a timely and professional manner. I am experienced at assessment of all factors and arriving at a decision that is the best of all options at the time.

Richard Mears

• Current experience: Vice President of Guest Services for the San Francisco Giants professional baseball team since 1999. Reports to Senior Vice President of Facilities and Administration; oversees budget of $2.5 million and a staff of 62-plus.

• Recent experience: Director of Guest Services at San Jose Arena Management Corporation (1997-1999); general manager of Recreation Hall at the University of California, Davis (1992-1997).

• Answer: I am hopeful that when the board reaches agreement on a project, a policy, a procedure, etc., we will stick to it for a length of time sufficient for the implementation, evaluation, improvement cycle to make a few turns. I am also hopeful that all points of view will be given consideration with any major decision, and those in the minority opinion will at least be made to feel they were heard and their thoughts were given careful consideration.

Rosemary Menard

• Current experience: Special Advisor with Management Partners, a professional management consulting firm specializing in helping government organizations with offices in Cincinnati, San Jose, Calif., and Orange County, Calif., since 2013.

• Recent experience: Director of the Washoe County Community Services Department (2012-2013), where she reported to the county manager and oversaw a budget of $114.3 million and a staff of 290; Washoe County employee since 2007; held various administration positions with the Portland (Ore.) Water Bureau from 1995-2005.

• Answer: As the new manager learns about the community’s issues and concerns, he or she will need to work with the board to decide how to approach them. Having the new manager prepare a product from his or her listening and learning tour, perhaps in the form of something like a “State of the District” report, would be one possible approach to getting everything on the table in a professional and neutral manner.

Eric Severance

• Current experience: Managing Partner with Fairview Partners, an Incline Village-based investment company since 2010.

• Recent experience: CEO of CKP, Inc. a hedge fund based in Incline Village and Sausalito, Calif. (2005-2011); co-founder and CEO of Sound Pix, Inc., in Incline Village (2000-2008); COO at Corporate Visions in Incline Village (1998-2000); COO of REO Software Company in Incline Village (1996-1998); General Manager and Director of Planning at Northstar California (1994-1996); General Manager at Diamond Peak Ski Resort (1990-1994).

• Answer: Is the old adage applicable here? “You can’t please all the people all the time…” — but I believe you can please most of the people most of the time … by being honest about the process, open and transparent in one’s dealings, and respectful of everyone’s roles and agendas.

Dan St. John

• Current experience: Director of Public Works and Utilities for the city of Petaluma, Calif., since 2012. Reports to the city manager; oversees budget of $63 million and a staff of 102.

• Recent experience: Public Works Director for Washoe County (2007-2011); Director of Public Works for IVGID (2000-2007); Engineering Director for IVGID (1989-1998).

• Answer: The GM must maintain the high ground through professionalism, approachability, open communication, and validation of the expressed concerns of all groups. By listening and validating each groups concern, I would show them that I am listening and am communicating with the decision makers.


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