Board of Directors

Hal V. Hall joined the WSTM as the President in 2020. Hal currently serves as President of the Placer County Historical Foundation and is past President of the Placer County Historical Society and the Western States Trail Foundation. Hal is an active member of the trail community, co-producing a 2008 film documentary and publishing four interpretive guides on the history of the Western States Trail. He joined the History Expeditions Team in 2022, a non-profit dedicated to reprising trans-Sierra routes to share tales of human endurance. Hal is an accomplished endurance rider, having competed in both the U.S. and internationally, as well as completing the 1,950-mile Pony Express National Historic Trail.  He is a 33-time finisher of the Western States 100-Mile Trail Ride (Tevis Cup), including a three-time winner of the Lloyd Tevis Cup and the James Ben Ali Haggin Cup. Hal earned his BS in Business Administration from CSU Sacramento and has spent over 50 years as an executive and consultant in the banking industry.  He resides with his wife Ann, also an accomplished endurance rider, on the infamous Robie Point, known as Mile 99 of the WSER and the final few miles of the Tevis Cup.

Preston Ketcherside, an Auburn native and avid endurance rider, joined the WSTM board in 2021 and currently serves as Treasurer. Preston grew up on Robie Point in a family of endurance riders. His father, Gilbert Ketcherside, completed the Western States 100-Mile trail ride (Tevis Cup) in 1964, and Preston has successfully completed it multiple times. For over 27 years, Preston has provided leadership in the Gas and Electric Utility Industry, managing multimillion dollar infrastructure and energy efficiency projects and developing communication strategies aimed to educate about emerging regulations specific to his industry.  Preston is a member of the Lassen County Sheriff’s Posse, a citizen volunteer group that assists on horseback with search and rescue and community events to support law enforcement, and a podcast host and content developer on all things Gen-X. After a 40 year absence, Preston has recently returned to live in Auburn near the Western States trail, where he can be found riding and training for the Tevis Cup.

Dave Allen joined the WSTM in 2020. His interest in Western Nevada and Lake Tahoe Region history is a direct result of being a descendent of late 19th and early 20^th century pioneers who inhabited the region. Born in Palo Alto and raised in Menlo Park, Dave earned his BA in Forest Management at Humboldt State University and spent 13 years as a professional forester in the Pacific Northwest. He later joined Hewlett Packard in Oregon before settling down in the Sierra Nevada foothills. A longtime volunteer with the Native Sons of the Golden West (NSGW) representing Auburn Parlor #59, he served as Grand (State) President in 2012 and Chairman of the NSGW Historical Preservation Foundation for 11 of his 20 years of service. For his work and representation of activities surrounding the NSGW, he was awarded the California Honorary State Park Ranger for 2020 by the California State Parks Ranger Association. Dave lives in Meadow Vista with Shirley, his wife of 54 years, with his daughter and grandchildren living close.

Jennifer Hemmen joined the WSTM in 2021. Born in Massachusetts, she moved to California after getting her Masters of Environmental Law from Vermont Law School. She  served as a regulatory compliance specialist at Jones & Stokes Biological Consulting, and currently manages a small environmental company, focusing on implementing conservation projects that benefit wetland and wildlife habitat. Jennifer has completed over 100 road, trail, adventure and ultra-distance races including the EcoChallenge Fiji. The Western States trail holds a special place in her heart and she has volunteered, paced and crewed at the WSER since 2005. In 2015, she earned her silver buckle at the race, finishing 15th woman overall, and again in 2023, finishing second in her age group. In 2020, Jennifer joined locals on two historic 100-mile expeditions to honor the bravery of the emigrants whom rescued the Donner Party. Together they become the History Expeditions team, combining endurance and story-telling to educate on the historical events of the American West. Jennifer’s passion for trail stewardship includes efforts to secure National Recreation Trail status for the WST as well as protect it in perpetuity. She lives in Fair Oaks with her husband Travis, three children and their five pets.

Bruce Falzarano joined the WSTM in 2020. As an avid American history buff and endurance runner, he has spent decades exploring the lost mining towns and abandoned gold mines along the Western States Trail and in the wildly inaccessible North and Middle Forks of the American River canyons. Born near Boston where he grew up immersed in Revolutionary War history, Bruce moved to Roseville after earning his degree in Computer Engineering from Cornell University. He worked as a software engineer and project manager for Hewlett Packard for 43 years, developing networking products from concept thru commercial release. Bruce has completed over 100 marathons and ultra distance races, including the WSER as well as ten Boston Marathons. He is also a whitewater kayaking and backcountry skiing enthusiast. He serves on the Board of the Western States Endurance Run (WSER) ham radio club and is Assistant Captain of the Devil’s Thumb Aid Station for the WSER.  He also served multiple years on the Board of the Buffalo Chips Running Club, Sacramento’s oldest running club. Bruce lives in Roseville with his wife of 36 years, Diane, with whom he shares two daughters.   They spend as much time as possible in the Sierra Nevada mountains enjoying its challenges and beauty.