Board of Trustees

Shelley Bolen | Board Member

Shelley Bolen has been part of the Tahoe Expedition Academy community since before its doors opened in 2011. She founded TEA’s Parent Association, served as President for three years, and has remained an active contributor—bringing programs and events to life. Professionally, she has over 20 years in Tahoe real estate, spanning luxury property management, sales, and remodel project management and design. She is also a Nordic ski instructor, a personal passion she enjoys sharing with others.

Originally from the Bay Area, with formative years in Minnesota, Shelley is a Boston College graduate. She moved to Tahoe in 2002 for a winter and never left. Her late husband, Scott, Lahontan’s Head Golf Professional, founded and led TEA’s after-school Golf Club. Her oldest son, an artist, began teaching at 14 and now volunteers in a 4th-grade art classroom while attending Reed College. Her youngest is a nationally ranked Nordic skier and pianist, graduating from TEA in 2026 after 15 years.

Jeff Hull | Board Member

Jeff moved to Truckee in 2006 to join the original development sales team at Martis Camp, where he gained invaluable development experience from inception to full build-out, completed in 2016. After the developers’ exit, Jeff transitioned to Martis Camp Realty. Originally from La Cañada Flintridge, CA, Jeff earned a BA in Managerial Economics with a minor in Communications from UC Davis. Jeff was a four-year member of the UC Davis Men’s Soccer team; he spent his off-seasons skiing, golfing, and enjoying the natural beauty of Tahoe—a passion that ultimately inspired his move to the area.

Jeff’s wife, Annie, runs a small business in Truckee, and together, they are deeply rooted in the Tahoe community. They have two children in the Lower School at TEA.

As a TEA Board Trustee, Jeff is passionate about supporting the school’s mission: to inspire a new generation of creative problem solvers with a social conscience. He is dedicated to helping TEA thrive and reach new heights for years to come.

Vice Tori Long | Board Chair

Tori Long is the owner and principal broker of Carr Long Real Estate, a premier luxury firm in Truckee, North Lake Tahoe, with offices in the Village at Northstar and the AAA Five Diamond Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe. With 25 years of experience, she has overseen the sale of nearly $2 billion in luxury Tahoe properties, representing publicly traded companies such as Kennedy Wilson (KW), Ashford Hospitality Trust (AHT), and Braemar Hotels (BHR) in high-profile transactions. Tori was the top salesperson for East West Partners during the successful development of four ski and golf communities in Truckee.

Tori is co-owner of Tahoe Exclusive Vacation Rentals, demonstrating her leadership in the region’s luxury hospitality and property management markets. She is serving her ninth year on the Tahoe Expedition Academy Board of Trustees, following a two-year emeritus role, bringing local business expertise and a strong commitment to community development.

Originally from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Tori graduated from Susquehanna University. She lives in Truckee with her husband and three boys, who attend TEA, and is passionate about exploring the outdoors and supporting local community initiatives.

Kevin Lunney | Board Member

Kevin Lunney is a physician scientist and emergency medicine specialist committed to service on a local, national and global level. He is Chairman of Emergency Medicine at Emanual Medical Center leading a group of 35 providers and 20 employees. In addition, he serves as a reservist in the US Navy. Having recently completed his joint chiefs of staff duties at the Pentagon, CAPT Lunney currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer for NMRTC Camp Pendleton and has had a wide variety of experiences from caring for Marines in the desert, humanitarian missions in SE Asia, and assisting the State Department with peacekeeping negotiations at the United Nations. In addition, he brings to the board 14 years of experience as the founder and CEO of PLeDGE Health, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit providing global emergency medicine development services, and starting the first ever emergency medicine residency in Mozambique.

Twenty-three years after getting married in Lake Tahoe, Kevin and his wife Jennifer moved to Truckee in 2024 and have quickly focused on developing community connections and growing their Tahoe roots. The youngest of their four daughters started immediately in 5th grade at TEA and her older sister quickly made the transfer to TEA after realizing the tremendous opportunities available to high schoolers through the unique approach to education. Kevin is grateful for the opportunity to support and contribute to TEA’s mission and future success. 

Traci Mason | Board Member

Traci Mason is an attorney with Porter Simon Law in Truckee, with more than two decades of litigation experience. Over the course of her career, she has served both sides of the courtroom, as a criminal defense attorney and as a prosecutor with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.

In 2018, Traci and her family moved to Truckee specifically so their children could attend TEA, reflecting a deep personal commitment to the school’s mission and model. Her daughter graduated from TEA in 2022 and is pursuing a career in foreign affairs, building on her academic foundation with advanced studies in international relations and Spanish. Her son is currently a senior at TEA and a dedicated member of TEA’s alpine race team, where he will represent TEA for the third consecutive year at the alpine state championship competition in Colorado. As both a Trustee and parent of a TEA alumni, she offers a comprehensive understanding of the student experience and the long-term value of expeditionary learning.

Traci is also an active civic leader in the Truckee–Tahoe community. She serves on the Truckee Police Chief’s Advisory Committee and is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe, contributing her legal expertise and commitment to community service across sectors. Grounded in integrity, accountability, and service, Traci is committed to supporting TEA’s continued growth, academic excellence, and strong community culture.

Carrie Melgard | Board Member

Carrie brings a lifelong passion for education, child development, and the outdoors to the Tahoe
Expedition Academy Board of Trustees. A retired educator, she spent much of her teaching
career at a small charter school in a rural farming community in California’s Central Valley. Her
firsthand classroom experience gives her a valuable perspective on how children learn, grow,
and thrive, as well as the important role teachers and supportive school communities play in
their development.

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Carrie earned her B.S. in Child Development from
UC Davis and her teaching credential from California State University, Stanislaus. Her
educational background and experience working directly with students complement TEA’s
commitment to academic excellence, character development, and learning through experience.

Carrie’s connection to the Tahoe region spans generations, beginning with her grandparents,
who became part of the South Lake Tahoe community in the 1950s. Childhood visits fostered a
lifelong love of the mountains and outdoor activities, including hiking, skiing, and sailing.
Following her retirement, Carrie and her husband spent considerable time at their vacation
home in Truckee, where she also worked a winter season as a ski instructor at Northstar.

After 35 years of living and farming almonds in California’s Central Valley, Carrie and her
husband now reside in Gardnerville, Nevada. A mother of five and grandmother of seven, she
continues to enjoy family, outdoor adventure, and the opportunity to contribute an educator’s
perspective to TEA’s mission.

Hayes Parzybok | Board Chair

Hayes is a Managing Partner with Paradigm 8 (P|8), a Tahoe-based real estate development investment and asset management firm. Hayes has spent more than two decades in the Tahoe region leading large-scale commercial and residential projects on behalf of private and institutional partners.

Growing up in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, the outdoors and expeditionary learning is in his blood. After attending boarding school in the Aspen Valley, Hayes earned a BS from the University of Denver as a Provo Scholar with a degree in Real Estate Finance.

Hayes, both personally and professionally, has a track record of advocacy and engagement, including the Workforce Housing Association of Truckee Tahoe, involvement in the Mountain Housing Council, support of the Tahoe Fund and the Truckee-Tahoe Community Foundation, as well as a formal and ad hoc advisor to the Truckee Donner Land Trust. He has also served previously as a Trustee of Colorado Rocky Mountain School.

Hayes lives in Truckee with his family. His wife Katie is often found volunteering on campus, welcoming new TEA families and engaged with TAP. Hayes has two daughters attending TEA, one each in the lower school and upper school. When not dad-ing, working or volunteering, you'll find Hayes in the backcountry.

Aaron Peterson | Treasurer

Aaron Peterson has worked in the construction industry for the last 20 years. He has extensive experience leading large construction projects through all phases of design and construction and has built facilities in the Commercial, Advanced Tech, Life Sciences, Higher Education and Healthcare sectors. While at DPR Construction for the last 17 years, Aaron has led internal initiatives related to design management, sustainability and LEED, personnel development and coaching. Over the last 5 years Aaron has lead a construction technology start-up, VueOps, to help customers transition from construction to facility operations with connected data solutions that improve facility uptime and performance. Aaron has served on HOA Boards, coached many of his kids sports teams and volunteered at events that leverage engineering and construction education and skills. Aaron is an active member of TEA’s Campus and Capital Development Committee (CCDC) and is focused on helping TEA achieve its goal to design and build a campus that is at the forefront of educational facility design.

Aaron is a Colorado kid and grew up in Boulder where he went on to attend the University of Colorado Boulder School of Engineering. At CU Boulder Aaron met his wife Anne who is also a Colorado kid from Glenwood Springs. They relocated from Piedmont, CA in 2020 to the West Shore of Lake Tahoe and have 2 boys who attend TEA. The Peterson family now lives in Olympic Valley where the boys ski on the Palisades Tahoe ski teams.

Mia Poirier | Secretary

Mia Poirier spent a decade in the Alternative Investment sector of financial services both on Wall Street, in New York City and in the Bay Area. Mia found a career in Investor Relations, and thoroughly enjoyed helping pair institutions and individual investors with appropriate investment vehicles within the alternative investment space. She took a step back from the financial services sector when she had her first child, instead choosing to focus on her expanding family.

Mia graduated from Columbia University with a BA in history. She visited Truckee every winter break in college, continuing to snowboard and ski every year, even while living in Manhattan.

Mia, her husband and her children have deep ties to Truckee, CA. Growing up, her family had a second home in Tahoe Donner, and all family holidays and summers were spent in the greater Tahoe / Truckee area. Mia’s greatest wish was to be able to raise her children in Truckee as that is where all of her favorite childhood memories originated. This wish was fulfilled when the family moved to Truckee full time in 2020. Mia has two children in the lower school.