The Leadership Team is the heart of Reno Inspiring Connections Outdoors. We work to sustain Reno ICO and to attract, train, retain, and support the Trip Leaders and Volunteers that are at the center of our mission.
Rob Schamberg, Chair
Rob is an educator who first started working with ICO in 1978 in San Francisco. He has led hundreds of young people backpacking, snowshoeing, whitewater rafting. downhill and cross country skiing, and snow camping. He believes that all young people should graduate high school with skills needed for college, work and life, as well as a passionate interest. He believes that time in the mountains is the very best way to achieve that.
Trish Shaffer, Washoe County School District Liaison
Trish is the Coordinator of Social and Emotional Learning at Washoe County School District (WCSD), with a deep commitment in getting the young people of Reno and Sparks into the Wilderness. Trish continues to be instrumental in making connections between Reno Inspiring Connections Outdoors and WCSD Educators and Programs. Trish herself is no slouch! She is an active trail runner and is always training for the next race!
Suzy Bank-Schamberg, Treasurer
Suzy graciously stepped in as our interim treasurer as our inaugural treasurer had to step out of the role. But she loves it so much and is doing a great job, so she is now our full-time treasurer. Suzy is an American Sign Language Interpreter and is enjoying her new role as she gets to know her two granddaughters in New York and New Zealand! Suzy is an active outdoors person including cross country skiing, skate skiing, backpacking and trekking!
Jean Lau, Volunteer Coordinator
Jean moved to Reno in June 2025 from the Bay Area and quickly fell in love with the incredible outdoor opportunities this area has to offer. Jean works as a software engineering executive at a large high-tech company, but outside of work, the outdoors is where she finds the most joy and inspiration. She loves hiking, biking, camping, swimming, yoga, skiing, and snowshoeing, and is passionate about sharing that enthusiasm with others, especially the younger generation. Jean believes outdoor experiences can help young people build confidence, resilience, curiosity, and a lifelong appreciation for nature. Jean is excited to volunteer her time, share her experience, and hopefully inspire young people to explore, challenge themselves, and discover their own connection to the outdoors.
John Arsenault, Equipment Coordinator
John teaches English at Hug High School in Reno, but he does so much more. He is also the Adventure Club Advisor, the Green Club Advisor and has just started a group of students who are working on their social, emotional and leadership skills to promote college and career success. Along with that he is a professor at Sierra College in Truckee! John has a rich experience as an outdoor guide and adventurer, working with the Appalachian Mountain Club, Outward Bound, and many other organizations.
D'Lisa Crain, Member at Large
D'Lisa is the Family and School Partnerships Coordinator for Washoe County School District. For a couple of years, D'Lisa coordinated social media and the ICO Instagram before she stepped down from that role. But D'Lisa continues to play a huge role as a connector - Two or our partner groups came to us through D'Lisa and she has also brought in a number of volunteers. In 2023, D'Lisa was recognized as Staff Member of the Year by the Human Services Network representing nearly 50 organizations supporting the provision of quality human services in Northern Nevada.
Jeremy Lin, Member at Large
Jeremy is the Lead Interpreter for twelve California State Parks in the Sierras. He has sparked many programs and innovations in his role, including guided mountain bike trips, group rafting on Donner Lake, and a backpacking program for middle school students at Big Basin State Park near San Francisco. Jeremy has connected so many groups and people, leading to a vast number of ICO trips to California State Parks, funding for ICO, and deepening community connections with ICO. Jeremy has a diverse set of outdoor skills, including scuba diving, which he now does regularly at Lake Tahoe as part of his job!
Joyce Huang, Outdoor Logistics and Support Specialist
Joyce moved from Vermont to Reno in 2024 and currently works as a telehealth registered dietitian. She began volunteering with the Sierra Club Toiyabe chapter in 2025, which is when she was first introduced to Reno ICO through their annual outdoor leadership retreat. Joyce is passionate about breaking down barriers to getting others into the outdoors and believes that outdoor recreation should be accessible to everyone. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, aerial arts, swimming, biking, running, climbing, snowboarding, hiking, and more!
Current Open Positions on the Leadership Team
The Leadership Team is the heart of Reno Inspiring Connections Outdoors. We work to sustain Reno ICO and to support the Trip Leaders and Volunteers that are at the center of our mission. We try to limit our volunteer time on Leadership Team tasks to 5-10 hours per month. This allows us to go on ICO trips, to attend to our families and the rest of our lives, and to take care of ourselves.
- Trip Coordinator: In collaboration with Trip Leaders, schedule trips, coordinate trip resources, assure there are enough volunteers/assistant leaders, safety requirements, post trip reports, and insurance reports. Be able to keep electronic records, communicate easily with volunteers - training provided as needed.
- Social Coordinator: ICO is all about creating a wonderful and warm community of adult volunteers, trip leaders, supporters and donors -who are striving together to create an ideal world for young people, steeped in the outdoors. We need someone who likes planning parties, events, get togethers, potlucks, and celebrations to help us strengthen our community. Working with the leadership team, the social coordinator will help us to make these things happen. If you have these skills, please come see us.
- Social Media Coordinator: We need someone who will coordinate posting on our Instagram and Facebook pages. There is a wealth of content and we need someone to get us out there.
- Assistant Coordinator - Stepping in to help in all areas: Each of our coordinators (Equipment, Volunteers, and Social Media) can provide training and guidance to share the workload! This is a great way to get started on our Leadership Team! We need you!
If you are interested in joining the leadership team, please contact Joyce Huang, Reno ICO Outdoor Logistics and Support Specialist at RenoICOinfo@gmail.com. No outdoor experience needed.