Our Staff

Darcie Goodman-Collins, PhD / Executive Director

Born and raised in South Lake Tahoe, Dr. Goodman-Collins first became involved with the League to Save Lake Tahoe as a summer intern in 1996. In 1997, she was the Tahoe community’s youth representative at the first Tahoe Presidential Summit. She went on to earn two Bachelor’s degrees from the University of California at Santa Barbara in Biology and Political Science. She also earned her Ph.D. at UCSB’s Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, where her dissertation topic explored how environmental restoration and science can integrate with community engagement and public policy. Dr. Goodman-Collins went on to found and serve at several nonprofit organizations in Santa Barbara including Shorelines and Watersheds and the Environmental Defense Center. She also interned for Senator Barbara Boxer working on Environmental legislation. She has worked with the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, is the Board President of the Tahoe-Baikal Institute, and a former Board member of the League to Save Lake Tahoe. Most recently, Dr. Goodman-Collins served as Habitat Restoration Director at Save The Bay, where she developed and implemented science, policy, and community-based strategies to ensure that 100,000 acres of San Francisco Bay wetland habitat will be restored by 2020. She joined the League as executive director in February, 2012. 

Carl Young / Program Director

Carl obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from U.C. Berkeley and Master of Science in Atmospheric Science from University of Nevada, Reno. Carl focuses his efforts on scientific environmental analysis and review, with specialties in air and water quality.  

Prior to his employment with the League, Carl worked on a study to characterize and quantify the emissions from passenger vehicles during actual driving conditions for the EPA and conducted meteorological research throughout the United States.

Michael Rubovits / Director of Finance, Administration, and Human Resources

Growing up in the rugged beauty of Colorado and Arizona instilled in Michael an early reverence for all places wild and scenic. His natural curiosity about the world led him to Reed College and a B.A. in cultural anthropology. He spent the next 10 years working both as an instructor and an administrator for the Pacific Crest Outward Bound School. In 2004, Michael completed his M.B.A. in sustainable business and began to focus on nonprofit finance, working as the financial director for the Watershed Project.

Michael joined the League in 2008 as the director of finance, human resources and administration. Whether he is biking the Tahoe Rim Trail, back-country skiing Rubicon Peak, or hiking in Desolation Wilderness, Michael is actively working to protect Lake Tahoe so that we can all continue to enjoy it for many years to come. 

Cozette Alojzya Savage / Operations Manager

Cozette hails from beautiful Bloomington, Indiana, and moved to South Lake Tahoe in 2006 after working at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Denali National Park, Alaska. Soon after discovering the Jewel of the Sierra, Cozette found a home at the League as operations manager. 

Along with managing day-to-day operations at the League's new facilities, Cozette coordinates Keep Tahoe Blue merchandising with the goal of providing fun and informational resources for Tahoe enthusiasts. She holds a B.S. in kinesiology from Indiana University with a concentration in exercise science. In her free time, Cozette enjoys skiing, swimming, cycling, running, and exploring Northern California.

Nicole Gergans / Environmental Program Advocate

Nicole has been with the League since 2008. Her work has included advocating for stricter regulations relating to Quagga mussel prevention, supporting projects that will reduce sediment to the lake, and working to ensure that TRPA's Community Enhancement Program projects supply substantial environmental benefits to the Tahoe Basin. 

Nicole joined the League after receiving her Master of Science in Environmental and Natural Resources Sciences in 2007 from the University of Nevada, Reno. Her graduate research, "Runoff Water Quality from a Sierran Upland Forest, Transition Ecotone and Riparian Wet Meadow," was published in the September/October 2011 edition of the Soil Science Society of America Journal. Nicole takes her dog Casper to the river every day for continued inspiration on what we are working so hard trying to protect.

Shannon Eckmeyer / Land Use Specialist

Shannon was born and raised in Reno, Nevada where she knew she wanted to be involved with environmental law after growing up around Lake Tahoe. She attended the University of California at Santa Barbara where she earned two Bachelor's degrees in Environmental Studies and Law and Society. Shannon continued to pursue her passion in environmental law by attending Vermont Law School. At Vermont Law School she earned her Juris Doctor and a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy. She is a member of the California State Bar and returned to the state to focus in natural resource protection. Her main focus within environmental law is natural resource protection and land use. Lake Tahoe was what inspired Shannon to become an environmental attorney and she believes her position within the League will allow her to aid in the conservation and protection of one of the most beautiful and unique ecosystems in the world. She enjoys camping, hiking, and outdoor activities around the Lake. She has always admired the League to Save Lake Tahoe and is enthusiastic about her role as the Land Use Specialist and her involvement with keeping Lake Tahoe blue.

Flavia Sordelet / Information Center and Outreach Coordinator

Flavia joined the League during the spring of 2008. As a Northern California native and a resident of the North Tahoe area for the past six years, she brings a diverse range of knowledge and experience to the League from working with such organizations as California Department of Fish and Game, CalTrans, and California State Parks in the Tahoe Basin. Flavia's educational experience includes an associate's degree in natural resource management from American River College, and a bachelor's degree in environmental studies with a minor in biological sciences from California State University Sacramento. Flavia coordinates the League's outreach and education programs.

Marissa Meyers / Administrative Assistant

Marissa joined the League in April 2011. A native New Yorker, she has always loved nature and outdoor activities. Back East, she enjoyed hiking in the Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountains, and Adirondacks, as well as rafting in the Delaware River Valley. But she always dreamed of settling in the Bay Area, and on her first visit to California was completely enamored of Lake Tahoe.

For many years, she worked at Wilderness Travel in Berkeley, a job that included travel to destinations like the Himalayas, Galapagos Islands, and several countries in Central America. More recently, she worked at the East Bay Regional Parks -- helping with membership and hiking and nature programs. Marissa lives in the East Bay.