John Beckert spent most of his professional career in the hospitality business. He was the CEO and President of Club Corp, which owned and operated approximately 200 golf courses, private business and sport clubs, and numerous resorts. Previously he was the COO of Bristol Hotels and Resort. Bristol was a fast-growing publicly traded company, operating 110 hotels with nearly 30,000 rooms throughout the US. Currently, John serves as the Chairman of the Board for the DallasNews Corp, which owns and operates the Dallas Morning News. He has served on numerous nonprofit boards including the North Texas Food Bank and Uplift Education in his home state of Texas. John and his wife Pam recently chaired a successful $55 million capital campaign for the North Texas Food Bank. John and Pam split their time between Dallas, Texas and Sun Valley.

Currently a student at the College of Southern Idaho, David expects to graduate in 2024 with a degree in Drafting Technology. He graduated from Wood River High School with honors in 2022, where he was a member of the diversity club, Nosotros United. David was born in Guatemala City and has recently been granted asylum in the United States. While in high school he supported himself, working full-time and living independently here in the valley. In addition to volunteering with The Alliance, David also volunteers with the Hemingway Chapter of Trout Unlimited. His hobbies include skiing, hiking, and fly fishing.

Courtney Gilbert is Curator of Visual Arts at Sun Valley Museum of Art. Prior to joining SVMoA, she worked in the Latin American Department at the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin, and taught Latin American Art History at Texas State University. Courtney received a Fulbright Fellowship for her dissertation research in Mexico and completed her term as Chair of the Ketchum Arts Commission. She holds Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in art history from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College. She lives in Hailey with her husband, Jim Keating, and two children.

Rebecca De León is the owner of Lion Heart Consulting, LLC, a PR firm specializing in bilingual and bicultural marketing to Latinx and Spanish-dominant communities. She also works as the Communications Director for Caminar Latino/Latinos United for Peace and Equity and is enrolled in a bilingual Master’s of Fine Arts program at the University of Texas at El Paso for creative writing. She previously worked for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates and the National Latin@ Network. She lives in Meridian with her lovely family.

Jaime Lima is an immigrant who came to the US at age 14. At 23, he joined the US Marines, and after the selection and assessment process, became a Marine Raider in Marine Special Operations Command. In 2015 he and his wife decided that it was time to start a family outside of the military, so they returned home to Idaho with their pet pig, Napoleon Bonapig. He has created, managed and maintained key relationships at the city level, to collaborate with clean energy companies, music festivals, and nonprofits. Currently he is a Muay Thai Coach at Combat Fitness, where he teaches the Foundations Classes to new members.

Dave, a San Francisco native, spent 42 years in advertising after graduating from Arizona State University. Starting in LA, he joined Chiat/Day LA for seven years before moving to Wieden + Kennedy in Portland in 1987 to run the Nike account. Dave rose to be President and Chairman of W+K and helped the agency expand from 25 people to a staff of 1,500. He was instrumental in the opening of offices in NY, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Shanghai, Delhi and Sao Paulo. Now retired, Dave resides in Sun Valley, where he enjoys fishing, skiing, and hiking. He is actively involved in community initiatives, serving on the board of Visit Sun Valley and contributing to the Sun Valley Film Festival. Dave played a key role in the successful 2023 campaign to allocate a portion of LOT taxes to affordable housing.

Alan, a founding partner and former President of Scali, McCabe, Sloves International, a renowned New York City-based advertising agency, retired in 1986 with offices in 15 countries. A dedicated philanthropist, he served on various boards, including those of his alma maters and humanitarian, educational, and arts organizations. In 1997, Alan and his wife, Wendy, established the Lee Pesky Learning Center in memory of their son, a leading not-for-profit aiding children with learning disabilities and providing teacher training in Idaho. Their 2011 creation, the Pesky Award for Inspirational Teaching, annually honors four public school teachers at Boise State's graduation.

Wendy was born in New York City. She graduated from Boston University and from Hunter College of the City of New York. While raising her young family of 3 children Wendy’s main focus was on the lives of her children and family. In 1979 she joined Parfums Stern, marketer of the fragrances and related products for designers like Oscar de La Renta, Valentino and others. Upon leaving Parfums Stern in 1988 she moved to Ketchum, Idaho. After the loss of their son in 1995, Wendy and her husband founded the Lee Pesky Learning Center (LPLC) to serve children with learning disabilities. Over 100,000 children have benefitted from the work of the Center since it opened its doors.. She joined the board of The Alliance of Idaho because she believes strongly in the mission of the organization.

Read Her Bio Here

Through her role as the associate director of The Hunger Coalition, Naomi Spence has had the tremendous privilege to work with hundreds of families in our community who are seeking a better life for their families. She has also witnessed the injustices many individuals face as they navigate their path to citizenship because of structural racism and oppression. She has seen our community through the lens of the oppressed and finds it impossible to turn away from her obligation to bring this pressing issue to light. The Alliance of Idaho will fill a substantial gap of services for our community of color. She is committed to serving as a support to staff and board of directors who reflect the people they serve.