Benny Romero
President
Retired Ranch manager (Sweetwater Ranch Land and Cattle Co.) after 31 years. Benny has served on many local and regional advisory boards. Living at a former stage stop for travel during the Bodie days has given him a special connection and appreciation for the old mining towns in the vicinity such as Aurora and Silverado. He currently owns the Kirkwood Ranch in Bridgeport which was a livery stable for those traveling to and from Bodie. He feels preservation of this history is a must and it is an honor to serve on the Bodie Foundation Board.
Jessica Schneider
Executive Director
Jessica is our brand-new Executive Director as of February 1, 2020! With her experience as the Vice President on the Bodie Foundation’s Board, she is more than excited to be on the staff side of the Foundation.
With experience in the non-profit world coming from years working for the Mono Lake Committee, and for-profit experience in marketing, events, and construction, Jessica is uniquely qualified to take on such a position.
Jessica lives in Bridgeport with her husband and two sons.
Dr. Dydia DeLyser
Secretary
Dydia comes to the Board with a wealth of Bodie knowledge. She was a maintenance worker in Bodie from 1988 through 1997, when she completed her doctoral dissertation on Bodie. She has volunteered at Bodie since then, continuing to do maintenance work. She has been a Professor of Geography since 1997.
Jon Elliott
Trustee
Jon has resided in Bridgeport, California for 52 years. For 33 of those years he has lived and worked on the Hunewill Ranch, which has historic ties to Bodie’s early days, with his wife Betsy Hunewill Elliott and her extended family. As a child, he remembers going to Bodie on a house call with his father, a local physician. Helping to preserve and share the history of the area has always held his interest and he looks forward to continuing doing so with this Board.
Paul Friesen
Treasurer
A California native, Paul is an avid volunteer focused on preserving the old west in his home state. He has spent the past decade exploring the eastern Sierra on horseback and loves riding in Bodie and the surrounding region. He owns a construction management company and has spent the past 25+ years building commercial and non-profit structures around the globe.
Douglas Urbani
Trustee
Doug retire in 2009 after 34 years as a State Trooper for the Nevada Highway Patrol and Investigator with the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. He and his wife enjoy spending time with their grandchildren. Doug is thankful for the opportunity and looks forward to serving on the Board of Trustees and assisting Bodie, Mono Lake and Grover Hot Springs in as many way as possible.
Beth Olsen
Trustee
An avid outdoors-woman, Beth has been fishing, camping, hiking and riding the Eastern Sierra for over 30 years. She first visited Bodie in the late 1980s and has been fascinated with the history of this area ever since. She travels to the area year-round, and delights in discovering hidden treasures off the main roads while exploring either by horseback or hiking with her Labrador — imagining the stories to be told behind an overgrown abandoned building, or wondering where a dirt road leads, keeps the area fresh and new with each visit. Beth has a B.A. in Political Science/International Relations and has worked in Tourism and Hospitality since 1988 with several resort hotels in Santa Barbara, CA. She has an extensive background in destination marketing, sales, and special event planning.
Dick Canton
Vice President
Dick is a founding member of the Friends of the Bodie Railway and Lumber Co. and is their current treasurer. He and family have been enjoying the Eastern Sierra region for over 40 years and love Bodie (and its railroad history). Dick brings extensive management experience to the Board from his time as a high-ranking Los Angeles County manager - now retired.
Betty McCunniff
Bodie Lead
Betty McCunniff, office assistant since 2016, will now be the Bodie Lead. Betty first arrived in Bodie for Friends of Bodie Day, 2011. Though she didn’t know it at the time, she was bitten by the Bodie Bug, and returned every summer, first as a volunteer, and then as a Bodie Foundation Staff member. Betty currently is leading tours, working in the museum/bookstore, scheduling photo workshops and private tours, and providing visitor services and information.
Chris Spiller
Editor & Tour Guide
Chris Spiller joined the Bodie Foundation in Fall 2015. She guides private tours for the Foundation in Bodie and Mono Lake, helps with social media and publicity, and edits the Foundation’s twice-yearly newsletter for members. She also helps produce the Bodie Foundation’s yearly photo calendar.
She worked for California State Parks from 1997 to 2015, with 15 of those years at Bodie, presenting history talks, school group programs and stamp mill tours. Her state park career also includes interpretation at Monterey State Historic Park and Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Previously, she worked three seasons with the U.S. Forest Service, presenting natural and cultural history programs in the Mammoth Lakes and Mono Lake regions.