Board of Directors

Leo Granucci, President

Leo Granucci has been active on several boards including the Friendship Club, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Board and the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley. Leo has a degree in Business Administration from Sacramento State University. He retired from the pharmaceutical and grocery distribution industry after forty-two years, the last six spent running his own company. Leo is a skilled pilot and member of Angel Flight, a volunteer organization of pilots who fly people in need of medical treatment.

Richard E. Keene, Vice-President

Richard Keene is a native of California and graduate of the University of California at Berkeley (graduated 1986), and Santa Clara University Law School (graduated 1992). Mr. Keene has been practicing law continuously for 15 years. Mr. Keene has served as staff counsel to a nationwide insurance carrier and to a venture capital group, in addition to advising individuals, families and small business regarding estate planning. For the past 5 years, his practice has dealt almost exclusively with probate and estate planning.

Sharon Gebur, Secretary

Sharon is a Registered Nurse and moved to Nevada County with her husband Bill in 1974. Over the last 33 years she worked in various aspects of healthcare before retiring three years ago. She has expertise in Pain Management, Palliative Care and Case Management. She obtained her B.S. degree at San Diego State University and then her Master’s degree at Sacramento State. Sharon served on the Board of Directors for the Lutz Adult Day Care Center and has been active in local Soroptimist clubs, both Sierra Foothills and Grass Valley. She is active volunteering for the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation as well. Sharon and Bill enjoy boating, gardening and traveling. Their daughter Michelle is married and lives in the Sacramento area.

Chuck Zavitz, Treasurer

Chuck is serving his second term on the Hospice Board of Directors, his first term was from 1995 to 2002. He has been living in Nevada County since 1988. Chuck retired from his tax practice in 2000 and is currently President of Cranmer Engineering, Inc. He is past president of Penn Valley Rotary and has been active in a number of local non-profits.

Bob Altieri

Bob Altieri is active on two corporate Boards and currently serving his fifth term on the Nevada County Board of Education. He served on the Nevada County Grand Jury in 1987. Bob has an extensive business management background with an emphasis in business development and a former CEO and founder of two local software companies. Bob has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Indiana Institute of Technology and an MBA from California State University. Bob is a Certified Business Appraiser accredited by the Institute of Business Appraisers (since 1992) and a licensed real estate broker.

Barbara Belmer

Barbara moved to Grass Valley from New Hampshire in 1996 and has been very active in Friends of Hospice, including serving as President 2000-2001, and also Music in the Mountains, where she has served on the Board since 2005 and is a member of the Allegro Alliance Council. She has been a member of several HOF committees relating to the new Hospice facility and joined the Board of Directors July 1, 2008. Barbara travels extensively when not busy with her many volunteer activities. Barbara received her BA from Elmira College and had a successful career in grants management in two hospitals in New York City, and then in administration of a research institute in a hospital in NYC before her retirement.

Vida Fassler

Vida moved to Grass Valley in 2003 from Los Angeles. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors at the Alta Sierra Country Club. She is a member of the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital foundation. She is a supporter of InConcert Sierra. There is a history of family support for the Hospice of the Foothills, with her mother-in-law having served on the Board of Directors in the late 1990′s and another family member having served as President of the Friends of Hospice. Vida has lived in several of the western states, raising her family of four children and participating in her husband’s many philanthropic activities. She served as a Trustee of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles and has worked in city government in Portola Valley, California and Bellevue, Washington.

Robert D. Liddle

Robert Liddle is an investment advisor and has been since 1968. He moved to Nevada County in 1989 and soon thereafter joined Paine Webber Securities. He is currently working with Stifel Nicolaus & Co. Inc. as Vice President/ Investments. Bob has been the chair of the Miner’s Foundry Board, the secretary of the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation Board and has just completed his term as chair of the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Board of Directors. Bob believes in giving back to our community.

Valerie M. Logsdon

Valerie M. Logsdon established her business in Grass Valley in 2004, assisting elderly clients with estate planning issues. A Certified Elder Law Attorney, she has helped families as an attorney since 2000.  She served as the Chair of the Adult and Family Services Commission and currently is a member of the Grass Valley Rotary. She wholeheartedly believes in the hospice mission and has seen the positive difference hospice makes in a person’s end of life.

Frank Santos

Frank is a chemical engineer with a MBA that worked 35 years in various executive positions for Chevron Corp. He retired in 1993 as Director and President/CEO of Valent USA Corp. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical Corp.) He is a third generation Californian raised in Sacramento , traveled extensively and lived in five different countries. He is currently active in many local organizations including the Advisory Panels for the Sierra Nevada Medical Hospital and the Center for the Arts; Financial Secretary and webmaster for the Knights of Columbus; Music in the Mountains and their Festival Chorale, Grass Valley Male Chorus and St. Patrick Church choir and webmaster. A past director of many corporations and locally the Alta Sierra Country Club and Music in the Mountains. He was inspired to join the board to try to give back the excellent care given by Hospice during his wife’s passing in 2011.

Dan R. Wilson

Dan and his wife Debe moved to Grass Valley from Alamo, CA in 2003. He was raised in a small town in Eastern Oregon. Dan received his B.S. from Oregon State University, School of Pharmacy in 1964. Later that year he started as a staff pharmacist with Longs Drugstores. He retired 38 years later in 2002 after holding several senior management positions and serving on the Board of Directors of the operating company for the last 13 years of his career. He retired as Sr. V.P. Pharmacy and Business Development. Since moving to Grass Valley he has been a member of the SNMH Community Advisory/Outreach Panel, and is currently serving on the Board of Directors of Alta Sierra Country Club.

Cathy Jostes (Friends of Hospice Board Liaison)

Cathy and her husband Larry moved to Nevada City from Danville, CA in 1999. She graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in English and Education. Cathy joined Friends of Hospice in 2010; served as Vice President/Event Chair in 2012, and is currently the 2013 President of Friends of Hospice. Her work experience includes teaching elementary school. She retired as the Office Manager and Senior Management Meeting Planner of Long’s Drug Store, corporate headquarters. Since her retirement in 1993, Cathy has volunteered for Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Nevada County, Music in the Mountains and First Alumni of WW.  Cathy had family members cared for by hospice organizations and understand the need for these services in Nevada County. She looks forward to the leadership opportunities presented through fund raising events with Friends of Hospice and serving on our Board as the Friends of Hospice liaison.

Randy Young

Randy is well known in the community as the owner of Youngs Carpet One and Packard Discount Carpet. He graduated from Nevada Union High School and attended Sierra, San Jose State and Sacramento State Colleges. He is proud to have two of his sons and their wives working in the business with him. He has lived in Nevada County for 44 years and been in business here for 36 of them. Randy became involved with Hospice after losing his brother, father and mother to cancer and experiencing first-hand the service Hospice provides.