Brett came to Yosemite in 1985, two days after graduating from high school in the Midwest, for what was just supposed to be a summer job. He started selling burgers and frosty cones at the Village Hamburger Stand (now the Village Grill) and quickly graduated to Cook and Assistant Manager. Brett then decided he wanted to get into the hotel side of things and transferred to Curry Village as the Assistant Front Desk Manager, Front Office Manager and then Housekeeping Camp Manager until 1993. Brett found hospitality to be his calling and began honing his skills at The Ahwahnee as the Rooms Manager for the next ten years. Ready to take the next step and coming full circle, he returned to Curry Village and took the helm as General Manager in 2003. It was an excellent place to spread his GM wings and oversee Yosemite’s largest and most dynamic operation. The eight years spent at Curry Village prepared Brett for his dream job: The Ahwahnee General Manager. To return to the crown jewel and carry on the rich tradition of hospitality there was an honor and a privilege. In 2018 with children grown, Brett and his wife were both presented opportunities outside the Yosemite at the same time. While he thought that they were Yosemite “lifers,” this seemed to be a sign, so they packed up and moved, literally and figuratively, down the road to Oakhurst when he joined the Tenaya at Yosemite leadership team. Brett also did an 18-month stint at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and returned to Tenaya at Yosemite as GM in 2021. 

On the personal side, Brett met his wife, Ceci, in the Yosemite. In fact, she had come to Yosemite a year or two before. They have three children who got to grow up in the Park with Yosemite as their backyard; something they don’t take for granted. Two of the kids live in the area with their youngest residing in Santa Cruz. Brett and Ceci are now grandparents and fully enjoying the whole new level that brings.

See Brett’s full profile at LinkedIn

Les Marsden founded the Mariposa Symphony Orchestra in 2002 and re-organized it in 2022 following that ensemble’s COVID hiatus as the Mariposa Yosemite Symphony Orchestra. He’s served as the organization’s Music Director, Conductor and Executive Director since its founding.

Due to a stage accident, Les was no longer able to perform his trademark highly physical roles, he retired at age 42. With no need to maintain homes on both sides of the Atlantic he, his wife Diane and young son Maxfield returned to their native California to live near their beloved Yosemite. Finding the ennui of retirement at age 42 impossible to take, he plunged into a life of volunteerism in Mariposa County. He created his MSO “Young Master Composers Celebration,” “Meet Classical Music!” and “Acting in Mariposa” (AIM) programs for the Mariposa County Arts Council.

He’s been honored with the Golden Apple Award from the Madera-Mariposa Charter of the Association of California School Administrators for his arts education volunteer work in Mariposa County’s schools. Marsden has been an Arts Lecturer at the University of California, Merced. He served as a Board Director for 21 years and was asked to serve as President following the devastating 2012 fire of the Mariposa County Arts Council. He’s spent nearly two decades on the Board of the Mariposa County Economic Development Corporation, including multiple terms as President. He was elected to the maximum allowed six years on the Board of the Yosemite Gateway Partners, with half that time as President. Marsden was honored to be named a National Park Service Centennial Ambassador in 2014.

Les Marsden is a member of Actors Equity, SAG-AFTRA, the Conductors Guild, the National Association of Composers USA and is an American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) Artist. When not spending all his waking hours on this orchestra, he’s asleep. But never for more than 15 minutes.

See Les’ full profile Here

Dave has lived in Sonora for 45 years, teaching and working as a school administrator. He most recently retired as the superintendent of Big Oak Flat/Groveland USD in 2018. He visit Yosemite often and became involved in Yosemite Gateway Partners during a 6 year stay in his position in Groveland.

Dave enjoys working with the YGP committee and the National Park people for the betterment of the experience of visiting Yosemite National Park.

Kevin Shelton has been a resident of Mariposa County since 1994. He is currently the National Director of Tour and Travel for OTO Development who owns and/or manages 67 hotels across the US including 3 hotels in Oakhurst, CA. Prior to working with OTO, he worked 28 years for Yosemite Management Group ending his tenure as Vice President of Operation and Marketing for their hotels, vacation rentals, and campground in Mariposa County.

Kevin currently holds board of director positions on the following boards: Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, Yosemite Gateway Partners, Mariposa Fairgrounds, Mariposa Friends of the Fairgrounds, Mariposa FFA Boosters, and Mariposa County Sheriff Foundation. Kevin understands and appreciates the dynamics of rural mountain economies that depend on tourism as a major source of income.

See Kevin’s full profile at LinkedIn

Candy O’Donel-Browne was a founding member of Yosemite Gateway Partners. Her young family arrived in Mariposa County over three decades ago to take over management of the original KOA RV Park and Campground in Midpines. Now she is a retired business owner who takes a great interest in community affairs. She became involved in starting Yosemite Gateway Partners because she saw a need to draw Yosemite together with its surrounding gateways through enhanced mutual communication. She feels that this creates a positive experience for tourists and residents alike. Besides acting as secretary of YGP and the Alliance for Community Transformations (which administers the following social services: Mountain Crisis Services in Mariposa, Valley Crisis Center in Merced, Mariposa Heritage House, Connections (emergency shelter for the unhoused), Mariposa CASA, Ethos and Pathos for youth), she serves on the Mariposa Commission on Aging, the Midpines Community Advisory Committee, the YARTS Advisory Council, the Mariposa Economic Development board, and the Mariposa Yosemite County Tourism Bureau. In the past, she has served on the boards of the John C. Fremont Healthcare District, the Mariposa County FireSafe Council, and the Mariposa County Arts Council among others. Her children and grandchildren have scattered to more populated California municipalities, leaving her plenty of time to enjoy the rural life style of the Yosemite region, and pursue her passion for making this a place where people of all ages can thrive. 

See Candy’s full profile at LinkedIn

Brian Deninger is the Co-Owner and President of Incredible Adventures which he has operated since 2000. In 2000, Incredible Adventures provided travel services for 500 clients to Yosemite National Park. Today Incredible Adventures continues to service Yosemite National Park and its gateway cities with departure from San Francisco, Mariposa, Groveland, and Oakhurst. Additionally, Incredible Adventures is recognized a leading US destination management company operating white label departures throughout the United States including Hawaii and Alaska and focusing on national park itineraries.

Brian found a passion for exploring and preserving our natural areas in his early 20’s. It was this passion that Incredible Adventures embarked on a journey to reduce carbon emissions in their fleet.  In 2002, Incredible Adventures transitioned to running 100% of its fleet on non-petroleum domestically produced fuel.  Since 2003 Incredible Adventures has been off setting about 60,000 barrels of oil in its fleet every three years. Becoming a market leader in sustainable travel.

In addition to serving on the YGP Board Brian also sits on the SF Travel Tourism Board.

Jonathan has had a 40-year career in hospitality, serving as a general manager in luxury hotels and in various corporate leadership roles. He has overseen lodging operations, restaurants, and multi-unit sales and marketing efforts. A native of rural Monterey County, Jonathan has maintained a home in Madera and Mariposa County since 1997. After finishing college and spending four years with the National Park Service, he moved into a career in hospitality, including formative years overseeing special events at Pebble Beach while in his early 20s. Ultimately, his career led to destination resort management. In 1997, he worked at Tenaya Lodge, where he became the director of sales and marketing and was eventually promoted to general manager. He later went on to become general manager at the Inverness Hotel in Denver, The Stanford Park Hotel in Menlo Park, and the world-renowned Ventana Inn and Spa in Big Sur. In 2008, Jonathan returned to the Yosemite region as Delaware North’s corporate regional director of sales and marketing for California, overseeing ten hotels, including the Yosemite hotels, Tenaya Lodge, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Asilomar Conference Center, and the Queen Mary. After spending two years as Harris Ranch’s vice president of hospitality, Jonathan now serves as executive director of the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau.

Jonathan was involved with the Yosemite Gateway Partners as a Board Director and first vice president between 2013 through 2015 and was a natural fit when he rejoined the board in 2018. In addition to Yosemite Gateway Partners, Jonathan volunteers on four other boards and committees, including Mariposa EDC and YARTS AAC.

See Jonathan’s full profile at LinkedIn

Chelsie Layman moved to Yosemite National Park in the Spring of 2022 and currently works as the director of communications for the concessioner, Yosemite Hospitality. In this role she wears many hats including all marketing, public relations and many creative design projects. She comes from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, although she grew up all along the west coast being in a military family.

Chelsie has a strong background in travel, tourism and hospitality, spending most of her career in one of those industries, whether it be for the Tourism Bureau of Milwaukee or a local restaurant group, ever since her first job bussing tables at a local breakfast restaurant, she can’t stay away from the industry.

She currently serves as a board member on the Yosemite Gateway Partners, and is on the Marketing Committee for the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau. While not working, you can find Chelsie out hiking and exploring the park, on the coast or cozied up at home with her husband and Australian Shepherd, Poppy.

Teri Marshall has been a part of the Yosemite landscape for decades, including four memorable years living and working in Yosemite Valley, carefully managing marketing and communications for the park’s concessionaire.

Teri has hiked extensively throughout Yosemite’s 1,200 square miles of wilderness, skied Badger Pass, white water rafted and floated the Merced River, toured on the Green Dragon, and participated in signature events at The Ahwahnee. Despite a fear of heights, she learned to rock climb on an amateur level at Swan Slab and has the scars to prove it!

As a native Californian, a natural love of people and the outdoors is part of her DNA. Teri believes in the power of nature, especially Yosemite, to change people’s lives for the better. Everyone deserves their Yosemite moment, and Teri helps make it happen in ways that are sustainable as well as socially and environmentally responsible.

In 2013 this love of Yosemite paved the way to a marketing role with Evergreen Lodge and sister property Rush Creek Lodge & Spa at Yosemite, both certified B Corporations that use business as a force for good, self- funding on-site Youth Programs and innovative environmental stewardship efforts.

See Teri’s full profile at LinkedIn

Bob is finishing his second term on the Mono County Board of Supervisors, having been elected in 2016 and 2020. He lives in June Lake, CA. From 2014 to 2016 he served as the Executive Director of the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, which operates 11 local bookstores and provides various interpretive programs in partnership with the US Forest Service and other public lands agencies.  Before that he was the Vice President of Finance and Administration at California State University San Bernardino.  He also served on the Redlands City Council from 2010 to 2014.  He completed 30 years of federal government service in 2009, with the last position as CFO at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center.  Prior to that he served as CFO and in other financial management positions in Washington, DC with several other federal agencies.

He graduated from the University of Redlands with a degree in Government, and from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University with a degree in Public Administration.

Serving as the first Executive Director at Yosemite Gateway Partners, Sheila Gow, is an accomplished leader in the field of hospitality and event management. Sheila brings over two decades of expertise in fostering partnerships, optimizing operations, and orchestrating memorable events.

Sheila is currently the Senior Sales Manager at Yosemite Hospitality in Yosemite National Park, where strategic planning and team leadership allows Sheila and her team to direct high-profile events such as the Yosemite Conservancy Centennial Gala, Western Caucus Foundation Summer Field Tour and legacy events such as Vintners’ Holidays, Bracebridge, Chefs’ Holidays, and New Years Eve Dinner Dance at The Ahwahnee. 

Sheila began her Yosemite career in 2004, as a Front Office Clerk at Curry Village and was quickly promoted to Assistant Front Office Manager. Over the years, Sheila has also served as Manager of The Ahwahnee Dining Room, Human Resources Specialist, General Manager at Yosemite Valley Lodge, and Events Manager at The Ahwahnee.

Sheila holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, where she served as Vice Chairperson for the Cal Poly Rose Float program which Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly Pomona campuses create one float for annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.

Sheila’s dedication to excellence, strategic thinking, and leadership skills, has made significant contributions to the Yosemite Gateway Partners organization.

See Sheila’s full profile on LinkedIn.