About us

Chris Plastiras is a dedicated resident of Incline Village, where he has made significant contributions to the community for many years. With over a decade of experience on the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District Board, Chris has been a passionate advocate for safety and emergency preparedness in the region.  His previous commitment to public service extends to his role as a past president of the Incline Village Board of Realtors, where he worked tirelessly to promote responsible real estate practices and support local economic growth.

In addition to his service in real estate and emergency management, Chris is one of the founding members of the Incline Star Follies, a beloved community event that showcases local talent and fosters community spirit. His enthusiasm for celebrating the unique culture of Incline Village is evident in his ongoing involvement with the annual Red White And Tahoe Blue II, DBAIncline Fireworks, where he is currently serving his second year on the board.

Chris’s deep-rooted connections to the community and his diverse experiences make him a respected leader and advocate for Incline Village, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all residents.

Shelia Leijon is excited to be serving as the Co-Chair of (RWTB II DBA) INCLINE FIREWORKS and to bring July 4^th Fireworks to the Incline Village/Crystal Bay Community. Shelia’s goal is to produce a spectacular fireworks event while working with community partners to maintain and substantiating the minimal impact to Lake Tahoe and the surrounding area. 

Shelia Leijon is a 50+-year resident of North Lake Tahoe, spending the past 37 years in Incline Village. She is the former IVGID Director of Parks & Recreation (2021-2024), collaborating with key community partners to maximize recreation opportunities as well as the health & wellness of residents in Incline Village/Crystal Bay. Shelia is credited with serving Incline Village/Crystal Bay through the creation of the award-winning IVGID Senior Programs (2005 – 2013), is the co-founder of the Incline Village/Crystal Bay Veterans Club, and the former IVGID Health Wellness and Fitness Manager (2016 – 2021). During her tenure with IVGID, she secured and managed many local and county grants that provide alternative funding options for IVGID’s programs and facilities. From 2001-2004 she gained valuable experience servicing area non-profits as the Operations Manager for the Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation.

​As a volunteer for over 25 years Shelia’s roles have included local involvement as the Incline Elementary School Jog-a-thon Chair (1998 – 2003) and Incline High School Boosters Club Vice President and President (2007 – 2009). She is the co-founder and a current board member of the Incline Tahoe Foundation, focusing on community projects that support recreation, fitness and health & wellness in the Incline Village/Crystal Bay Community. Shelia was a board member of the original Red White Tahoe Blue organization for nine years facilitating the festival’s veteran events and is currently serving as Co-Chair of the newly formed Red White Tahoe Blue II board. She is a former Co-President (2022 – 2023) and current member of the Rotary Club of Tahoe – Incline and a founding Board member of IVCBA currently serving as Vice President. 

At the state and national levels, Shelia has served as the Auction Chair for the Michael Bolton Charities Foundation, which supported the State of Nevada Attorney General’s council in their efforts to protect women and children at risk. Internationally, she has served as a board member for Point of Hope, an organization promoting education in Nairobi, Kenya.

Shelia is married to Ken Leijon, is the mother of two adult children and G-Ma to the three amazing grandchildren.

Kristie Wells is a versatile, tech-savvy leader in customer success and marketing, known for her ability to connect people, ideas, and resources to foster education, inspire action, solve problems, and create exceptional customer experiences. With a proven track record of driving collaboration, communication, and data integration, Kristie excels at optimizing technology, marketing, sales, and customer success strategies to build trust and deliver measurable growth for organizations.

Her extensive experience includes developing influencer programs for global brands such as Lenovo and Southwest Airlines, leading global social media and content marketing strategies for Ancestry.com, and partnering with top fitness brands like lululemon, Alo Moves, iFIT, and Echelon to enhance engagement through the transformative power of music.

A Bay Area native, Kristie grew up skiing the slopes of Tahoe, cultivating a lifelong love for the mountains and the lake. She is equally passionate about a well-poured dark beer, crisp white wines, and engaging conversations about life, community, and local politics.

Deeply committed to giving back, Kristie serves on several boards and is currently President of Incliners, IVGID’s 49+ active adult community. Outside of work, you can find her exploring museums, attending live music events, or hiking mountain trails – until her knees remind her it’s time for a well-earned rest.

Parisa Lotfi enjoys identifying, analyzing, and solving all kinds of problems. With a background in engineering and user experience (UX) design, she is deeply passionate about UX because it allows her to engage directly with users, empathize with their experiences, and uncover the real challenges they face. Parisa is convinced that UX principles can enhance any product, service, or experience. A favorite aspect of problem-solving for Parisa is simplifying complex processes, problems, or solutions making them easily understandable for everyone—whether stakeholders, customers, or even her grandma. 

While Parisa’s experience has been primarily working with software and tech companies, she recently transitioned to state government, where she is gaining new insights and adapting to the state’s finance processes.

Outside of work, Parisa cherishes spending time with family, who hold a special place in her heart, connecting with friends and hosting dinners. Grateful for the support that shaped her educational journey, she dedicates free time to mentoring students, guiding them in selecting a major, crafting compelling college essays, and applying for scholarships. She also loves taking advantage of all the outdoor activities Tahoe has to offer—camping, hiking, and swimming to backpacking, snowboarding, and biking— while soaking in the beauty of nature. She equally treasures quieter moments enjoying a book at a coffee shop or the beach or striking up conversations with strangers.

Mitch and his family came to Incline Village in 2004 after 13 years in Seattle, WA. He immediately dove into community participation, coaching girls soccer and softball, and participating in many local committees promoting local initiatives.

His advertising and graphic design experience spans over 35 years leading the creation, implementation, and marketing of high-level campaigns and platforms for companies like Hallmark, Motorola, Mattel, Nordstrom, Boeing, Microsoft, and Eddie Bauer. For over 40 years, Mitch’s true passion is as a musician/drummer, and is the guy behind the Incline Spirits Summer Live Music Series on Incline Beach.

Kristen has lived in Incline Village since 1992.  After graduating Sierra Nevada College, she began a career in television media that is now going on 3 decades. Besides hosting Lake Tahoe active outdoor lifestyle television shows, Kristen can be found at the Incline Village Recreation Center either personal training, teaching fitness classes, lifeguarding, and helping people with their resident cards. 

Kristen loves the outdoors. She is an avid trail runner, skier, mountain and road biker, swimmer, and adventurer wherever the great outdoors beckons her. Kristen has 2 kids – Joseph and Katie, both went through Incline Village schools. Kristen is passionate about her community and her country.  It’s been her honor to emcee every Local Heroes 4^th of July celebration parade here in Incline Village since the parade’s inception.  She has been involved with Incline Village fireworks for just as long.  “There is an inexplicable sense of pride in community and nation when we come together and celebrate Independence Day here in Incline Village.” 

Steve is a believer in Peace and Love as He taught us, and that we should serve one another as brothers and sisters. Growing up with a single mom he learned to work hard and not complain. Since the age of 12, he has built large and small companies, and a global children’s charity. His latest adventure is turning Bowl Incline into the best family fun center, diner, restaurant, and event center in the world!

Steve is married to his best friend and they have five kids who have given them three better versions of themselves so far!

For Steve, the Fourth of July represents freedom from hatred and tyranny and he is proud to be a part of a celebration that allows us to reflect on our blessings and teach the same to our children. Peace. Love. Freedom.

Melissa grew up in Washington state and Colorado.  After graduating from the University of Northern Colorado she started her accounting (CPA) career at Deloitte, where she met her husband Mick.  She went on to get her MBA and spent the majority of her career in Health Care Administration.   She has always enjoyed working with numbers.

Melissa likes to give back to organizations that are important to her.  She has volunteered and been on Boards for non-profits for many years, from school organizations to the Greater Cincinnati Golf Association, where she helped start and run a scholarship foundation for college women golfers. 

Melissa is always on the move, literally.  She is an avid golfer.  As a way to give back, Melissa works for Northern Nevada Golf Association as an USGA rules official and Course Rater.  In addition, she enjoys everything Tahoe has to offer:  hiking with her dog, mountain biking, paddle boarding, swimming, skiing, snowshoeing, and pickleball. Most of all, she loves spending time with family, who all love sports.