Meet the CFF Board and Volunteers
Joe Contaldi
Board President
Joe is a fly fishing guide with decades of experience. His career started pioneering saltwater fly fishing charters and seminars throughout Southern California. Currently, Joe spends the warmer months of the year guiding on Crowley Lake and the rest of the year guiding on Pyramid Lake. Joe brings to Crowley Fish Foundation his experience as a former board member of the successful Hot Creek Hatchery Foundation. He raised his family in Mammoth Lakes, and Crowley Lake is now his home base.
Danny Corral
Board vice president
Danny is an investment advisor and UCLA alumnus. An avid trout angler all of his life, Danny began to fish the Eastern Sierra in the 1990s and now frequents the area with his family throughout the year to both fish and ski. He administers some of the largest Eastern Sierra Facebook groups, and is a dedicated advocate for the region’s fisheries. He resides in Whittier, California.
Hodges Glass
Board Treasurer
Hodges has lived in Mammoth Lakes for over 20 years, and has fished all over Mono County. A saltwater fishing enthusiast, he loves to fish all types of water and enjoys being out on Crowley Lake with friends. He is dedicated to fishing with our nation’s veterans, and taking kids out on his boat to learn the sport.
Chris Leonard
Board Secretary
Chris Leonard is a career history-social science educator at Mammoth High School, and part-time fly fishing guide. Chris’s favorite fishery is Hot Creek, but he spends a lot of time on Crowley Lake with his two dogs. His greatest passions include fly fishing, travel, and live music. He resides in Bishop, California.
Christopher Meyers
Board Member at large
Christopher Meyers is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and a long-time ethics consultant for multiple California hospitals. He currently resides in Crowley Lake, having lived at least part-time in the Eastern Sierra for three decades. His favorite pastime is standing on the bank of a trout stream, watching trout laugh at him as his fly drifts over their head.
Andre Nersesian
Board Member at Large
Andre is a full-time fly fishing guide and camping outfitter. He’s an avid outdoorsman, conservationist, and musician. As owner of Eastern Sierra Sportfishing and Eastern Sierra RV Rentals, he’s passionate about providing services to anyone who wants to experience the Eastern Sierra. His goal with CFF is to help conserve and preserve our truly special fisheries, and spread awareness about responsible angling. For Andre, working with the next generation is paramount. He lives in Big Pine, California.
Matt Rodrigues
Board Member at large
Matt is an avid fisherman and lover of all things Eastern Sierra. He is a passionate catch and release trophy trout angler, as well as an accomplished fishing lure builder and painter. Matt is always looking forward to the next outing on the water. He lives in Claremont, California.
Ernie Gulley
Board Member at Large
Ernie is a professional fly fishing guide who spends a lot of time on Crowley Lake. For most of his life, he has been fishing lakes throughout the glorious American West. Ernie shares his skills and knowledge of stillwater fly fishing not only on the water with guests, but as a speaker at fly fishing clubs. He is reputable for recording meticulous notes of fish data on Crowley Lake. Teaching fly fishing tactics to new and experienced anglers is his utmost passion. He is easily recognizable on Crowley Lake.
Michael C. Tu
Legal Advisor
Mike is a volunteer special advisor to the Board of Directors of the Crowley Fish Foundation. He has had a nearly three decade legal career, including as a partner in two international law firms, specializing in securities litigation and corporate governance matters for public and private companies and their executives. He graduated from UCLA law school and the University of California at Berkeley, and is an avid – and quite mediocre – fly fisher.
Scott Luke
Tax Advisor
Scott is the owner and enrolled agent at TLC Action Income Tax Service Inc. in Placentia, California – servicing over 1,800 clients annually – personal and small business. A lifelong June Lake summer resident and twelve year full-time resident of the Eastern Sierra, Scott was an educator for both Mono County Office of Education and Mammoth High School before returning to Orange County to take over his practice full time in 2017. He now spends his year outside of tax season enjoying the outdoors with his wife Dasha and son Nicholas in Montana’s Flathead Valley.
Jarett Coons
Board Member at Large + Youth Events & Bishop Paiute Tribe Liaison
Jarett was born in Bishop, California, and has been fishing the cold and warm waters of the Eastern Sierra since he could swing a rod. Owner of Sierra Mountain Trout Guide Service, he guides year round for trout, bass, carp and sunfish. Jarett is a co-founder of the Bishop Kids Fish Camp, and he donates much of his time each year to youth fishing programs. Of Paiute descent, he enjoys sharing his knowledge of the area and the Nüümu language.
Michael Lueders
Advisor
Michael Lueders was born the son of an immigrant. As a young child, he started vacationing in the Eastern Sierra. In 2018, Michael relocated to Bishop. He is a volunteer and board member of Inyo Search and Rescue. Michael started Valley Outdoors, a stewardship non-profit of which he is currently the director. He is a federally appointed member of the Bureau of Land Management Resource Advisory Council for Central California. Michael’s previous career working for government agencies has given him a strong background in land use, project management, and conflict resolution skills. He now spends his time giving back to the place he loves and calls home.
Tim Alpers
Advisor
Tim needs no introduction to anglers. A third generation Eastern Sierra resident, he owned and managed Alpers Trout Hatchery from 1979 – 2012 where he raised the legendary “Alpers trout.” He was a teacher and coach at Mammoth High School in 1974, before heading to Tulsa University as an assistant basketball coach from 1974 – 1979. He returned to the area in 1979 when he began growing the finest rainbow trout on the Alpers Ranch. Tim served on the Mono County Board of Supervisors multiple times, including twice being Board Chairperson. Tim has received numerous accolades for his service to the Eastern Sierra. He has served in several advisory positions, including the briefing of President Barack Obama on the creation of the Upper Owens River Wilderness. He is currently retired and living full-time in Reno, Nevada, enthusiastically bringing all his experience to Crowley Fish Foundation.
Philip Nguyen
Video Production
Philip is a supplier quality engineer in the semiconductor industry. He regularly frequents the Eastern Sierra as a weekend warrior. Philip has been fly fishing for over a decade, and has since picked up a camera to help document his colorful adventures to share the experiences of being on the water. The blending of these two skills makes Philip a great videographer for the Crowley Fish Foundation. He is passionate about creating, editing, managing, and sharing video content that will bring its positive message to a wide audience. He lives in San Diego, California.
Ryan Heavican
Website
Ryan is deeply passionate about all that his home in the Eastern Sierra offers, from fishing pristine lakes to scaling the tallest peaks in the Lower 48. When sadly not in the backcountry, he works as an IT Director and has a background in web development. Ryan holds degrees from Georgia Tech and UC Berkeley.