Our Board of Directors:
Susan R. Gearhart, President
Susan Gearhart has been an original board member of Friends of the West Shore and stands as one of the group founders. She and her husband James W. Gearhart, MD have lived in Homewood part time since James Gearhart built their cabin in 1960 off of Tahoe Ski Bowl in Homewood. Susan is a retired critical care nursing supervisor. Susan has worked with her local League of Women Voters as the Environment Director and President. Later she transferred regionally with the LWV of the Bay Areas as the Natural Resources Water Director. Susan helped lead the successful campaign of preserving 33,000 acres or rolling grasslands in the hills of East Bay. In 2002, the Hill Area Initiative became a wildlife cooridor. When Susan and James W. Gearhart realized the threat that development posed to the West Shore of Lake Tahoe they united with the community and formed Friends of the West Shore.
Judith Tornese, Vice-President
Judith Tornese and her husband, Jerry Winters, have been part-time residents of Tahoma, on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe, since 1968, the year that Jerry built their house.
Judith is an independent risk management and insurance consultant to organizations, government and private entities. Prior to that time, she was Vice President – Risk Management for Transamerica Corporation, a $10 billion company. As Vice President, she managed Transamerica’s consolidated Risk Management and insurance programs, including risk financing, all insurance purchasing, claims handling, loss control and safety and business recovery. She managed three captive insurance companies and was President of ARC Reinsurance Corporation, a run-off operation for $400 million of reinsurance claims. She also handled risk management issues involving company mergers and acquisitions and related contractual agreements.
Judi holds the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation. She attended the University of Pittsburgh and Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She is Chair of the Development Council and on the Board of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco. She has also served on a number of other Boards.
Bruce Carswell
Bruce Carswell was born in Wilmington, DE on October 22, 1927. He is married with four children and holds a BS from USMA at West Point, MS in Engineering from Texas A&M, and a MS from UC Davis. Bruce has a very interdisciplinary background as a Army Corps of Engineers Officer; research coordinator for the defense atomic support agency; tours in Vietnam; staff director for the Atlantic Pacific Interoceanic Sea Level Canal; and much more. Bruce has a very deep interest and love for Tahoe, specifically the West Shore. Bruce’s wife, Mary Alice (Nee Turner) spent summers at 4840 West Lake Blvd. from 1935, living in a tent until the house was completed in 1937. Since his marriage with Alice, Bruce has been enthralled with Tahoe and its West Shore. Bruce is highly concerned about the preservation of its character, environment, and integrity thus the reason for his active help with FOWS as a board member.