Board of Directors
Biographies of the Officers and Board Members who make up the Western States Trail Museum Board of Directors
Hal V. Hall, President
Officer
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.
Terryl Reed, Vice President
Officer
Terryl A Reed serves as the founder and Vice President of the WSTM. She opened the doors to the idea of the Western State Trail Museum in the fall of 2018. By July 2019, there was enough enthusiasm and support to move forward and establish the WSTM’s non-profit status. In 2020, she invited Hal Hall to join the team and nominated Hal to become the President of the WSTM Board. Terryl has been an active member of the Western States Trail Foundation (WSTF) Board and the Tevis Cup ride. Before opening the door to the WSTM she was the chairman of the WSTF Historical Committee and organized many of the videos about the WS trail that you can watch on YouTube. As a longtime endurance rider and professional trainer, Terryl has finished the Tevis Cup several times and has trained and conditioned many horses that have not only finished Tevis but also earned a spot in the top ten podium. Terryl earned her BA at Sacramento University and her teaching credential at National University. She taught 16 of her 20 years of teaching at the one room school in Emigrant Gap California.
Preston Ketcherside, Treasurer
OFFICER
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
Board Member
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 20th 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
Board Member
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.
Phil Sexton
Board Member
Phil Sexton joined the WSTM in 2023. He is a cultural and natural history interpreter with a focus on the role that modes of transportation over the Sierras have played in California’s early development. Phil currently consults with the 1882 Foundation in Washington, DC, providing research on the contributions of thousands of Chinese who built the transcontinental railroad and various trans-Sierra roads and trails. He worked with Stanford University’s Chinese Railroad Workers in America Project and consulted with the UC Davis History Project Office. In 2024, Phil was part of a successful effort to designate the Summit Camp National Historic Landmark, America’s only recognition of Chinese workers’ contribution to building the first transcontinental railroad. Phil graduated with a B.S in Natural Resource Planning and Interpretation from Humboldt State University, working for over 35 years with the National Park Service, US Forest Service and California State Parks. He has also served as the Executive Director of the North Lake Tahoe Historical Society. In 2017, he was presented with the Outstanding Interpretive Manager Award by the National Association for Interpretation and in 2023, he received the Placer County History Award. Phil and his wife live in South Auburn on an historic pear and apple orchard.
Bruce Falzarano
Board Member
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.
Kate Riordan
Director Emeritus
Kate Riordan was an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor, and television producer whose career has been defined by her dedication to the Western States Trail Foundation and the historic Tevis Cup Ride. Beginning her work with the trail in the 1970s, Riordan spent more than 25 years on the Foundation’s Board of Governors and now serves as Director Emeritus. She created and edited the Tevis Forum, a yearly full-color magazine that became the ride’s most important marketing and historical publication. Riordan also coordinated international film coverage of the event and executive-produced the documentary They Crossed the Mountains, which aired on PBS. Beyond storytelling, she helped launch major fundraising efforts, supported the Western States Trail Museum, and helped establish the Wendell Robie Trophy to honor founder Wendell Robie. In 2022, she received the Dru Barner Award, recognizing her lifelong leadership, creativity, and commitment to preserving the trail’s heritage.
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1103 High Street, Suite 300
Auburn, CA 95603
PO Box:
P.O. Box 7715
Auburn, CA 95604
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