Board of Directors

Dave House sees the intersections that exist between his personal and professional life and excels at integrating the two in ways that benefit both. Dave recently retired from law enforcement as a Lieutenant with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. Dave joined the board in 2016, just as the agency was launching a specialized program to serve young adults with autism. Claudia and Dave’s son, Isa, was among the first class of students in the program, and there he has made great progress in achieving his personal life goals. Recognizing that misunderstandings between law enforcement and people with disabilities too often result in disastrous consequences, Dave encouraged BI to create educational training to help law enforcement professionals better understand and respond to people with developmental disabilities. He is passionate about providing the community with the information they need in order to be sensitive to the unique needs of people with autism and other disabilities, and thanks to his leadership, 350 members of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department have benefited from BI’s training. Dave served on the Board of our local National Alliance for Mental Illness chapter and has served several years on the Planning Committee for Autism Speaks’ annual North Bay Walk.

Donna Cates became involved with BI in 2013 when she agreed to participate in a 12-session planning process created to help the agency develop services to better meet the immediate needs of our region’s rapidly expanding population of young adults with autism. Donna’s experience as a mother of a son with autism complemented the team of behaviorists, researchers, and BI staff, and she worked tirelessly to help ensure that no stone was left unturned when it came to research into best practices and effective approaches being implemented by experts such as the Mind Institute at UC Davis. Donna’s engagement continued as BI raised funds to build its state of the art Passport to Independence program, and her son Geordi was among the first class of participants. After serving as Board President, Donna is now a member of the board’s Executive Committee where she plays a role in ensuring a smooth leadership transition. Donna and her husband Bryan live in Occidental. Together, they have owned and operated Telecommunications Designs, a network integrator for Fortune 500 companies, for 25 years. Donna previously spent six years on the board of the Harmony Education Foundation, where she helped raise funds for her son’s school. In recognition of her many contributions, Donna received BI’s Volunteer of the Year Award in 2014.

Carrie Mauritson was born and raised in Durban, South Africa, but established deep roots in Healdsburg after meeting and marrying Clay Mauritson, the owner and winemaker of Dry Creek Valley’s Mauritson Family Winery. She moved to Healdsburg in 2004 and learned all facets of the multigenerational family wine business. She currently oversees Direct-to-Consumer Sales and Hospitality for the enterprise. She and Clay have three children and together are co-founders of Project Zin, an annual fundraiser inspired by their personal journey with their son, Brady. The fundraiser has raised more than $1 million for the Down Syndrome Association North Bay. “I know personally that what these individuals can contribute to our community is so enriching,” she says. “Our mission is to make sure more people realize that.” Carrie joined BI’s Board of Directors in 2019, bringing a strong commitment to BI’s mission and an active engagement in fundraising.

Terry is a banking professional with 30 years of experience, currently as a Vice President, Branch Manager III with Exchange Bank and previously with Bank of America and Citibank. His experience and skills include regional sales team coaching and leadership, relationship-focused business development, cross-divisional teamwork, and consumer and commercial lending. Terry and his wife Nicole have been staple supporters at many BI fundraising events over the years. Terry also has a sister with a disability who has recently relocated to the area from Oregon and who receives similar services to those offered by BI. Terry is passionate about supporting BI due to the significant impact that BI has on individuals and families in our community.

Denee Locke joined BI’s Board of Directors in 2022, bringing her unique perspective as a professional artist and a dedicated community volunteer. When Denee joined BI’s Professional Art Program in 2014, she already had experience with art in many different forms, including cartooning, architecture, figure drawing, pastels, sketching, and painting, having attended art classes at Piner High School and Santa Rosa Junior College. Denee enjoys exploring and creating art in different mediums. Denee is extremely talented at bringing people’s beauty and humor to life in her works. Her paintings are bold and colorful, and have been displayed and sold in many local venues and selected for the labels of multiple wine releases. Denee also volunteers with the homeless community, her church, her Kashia Pomo Native American Tribe, and at polling stations during elections.

Sheri Wenzel first connected with BI when she and BI’s CEO, Luana Vaetoe, were part of Leadership Santa Rosa Class 36 together. Sheri joined BI’s Board of Directors in 2022, bringing a wealth of experience in strategic planning, business development, marketing, and personnel management. After decades of experience as a program manager in the electronic test and aerospace defense industries, Sheri now serves as the Global Solution Partner Program Manager with Keysight Technologies. Sheri also holds a Master’s of Business Administration focused in Marketing from Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Sheri also serves on the Board of Directors of the Redwood Empire Food Bank.