Events

Nicole McNeely has served as the Executive Director of Child Advocates of Nevada County (CANC) since the fall of 2022, where she leads the organization’s strategic vision, fundraising, and community partnerships. During her tenure, she has strengthened board governance, guided long-term planning, and increased the organization’s budget through expanded donor engagement and government contract support.

Melinda Douros graduated from Stanford University with a degree in English Literature and an abiding interest in mentoring, nurturing, and educating young people. She has been active in various youth and educational organizations while raising five children, both biological and adopted, with her husband of 45 years. Acquainted with the challenges of trauma, loss, and grief in the lives of children, Melinda has pursued training opportunities in related fields of knowledge for over 25 years. Melinda served on the Board of Directors for Heartsent Adoptions, Inc. for 16 years and in 2010 joined the staff of Child Advocates of Nevada County. After directing the Child Safety Puppeteers program for two years, she moved to the position of Program Manager for CASA where she has served since. Her focus remains on providing a well-trained, supported, effective, and committed CASA for every child who needs one. Melinda also serves as chair of the Juvenile Justice/ Delinquency Prevention Commission for Nevada County and is a member of the Critical Incidents Citizen's Review Panel for the state of CA.

Anne Greco trained to become a CASA volunteer 14  years ago and has served 8 foster youth, aged 3 to 18, as a volunteer.  In 2015 she joined the staff of Child Advocates as a CASA Case Manager, where she supervised foster youth advocacy in dependency court.  In 2019, Nevada County joined one of the few programs in California to serve delinquency youth, which Anne developed with local judges, the DA’s office and probation.  Today, she is the Youth Justice Program Manager.  In addition to managing and continuing to build the delinquency side of the CASA program, Anne oversees a new program, called One 2 One, which focuses on prevention and serves at-risk youth who are referred by schools and community partners.

Celine Negrete is the General Manager of the Onyx Theatre in Nevada City, where she has led operations for the past 16 years. With a background in arts management and hospitality, she has helped shape the Onyx into a beloved cultural hub for film lovers.

She also serves on the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce board, the Nevada City Public Arts Commission, and the Rüdiger Foundation board, and previously served for more than ten years on two local school boards. She and her husband moved from San Francisco to Grass Valley in 2004, where they raised their two sons.

Steven Holt will entertain us with personal stories about his Travels to the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. 

Steven is Chief Marketing Officer for Caravanserai Pictures , a motion picture company dedicated to creating films and series that inspire and resonate with audiences worldwide. At the core of our storytelling is a focus on cultivating themes of love, faith, and joy—exploring the human journey through authentic narratives.

Steven is a media, public relations and marketing executive with more than twenty years of experience. His passion for films and series spans the gambit including action/adventure, science fiction (on and off the planet), historical fiction and romantic comedies. AFI’s top 100 films are as often on the rotation as Netflix and Apple TV. 

Steven served as a senior communications executive with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company for over twelve years, developing strategy and launching hotels in Lake Tahoe, Rancho Mirage and celebrity chef restaurants throughout the western U.S. He held Market Director roles in San Francisco and Los Angeles leading PR & Marketing for Northern California, Southern California, Hawaii and Colorado. Ultimately, he was named Regional Director, Public Relations, The Americas with responsibility over media relations, influencer, C-suite and crisis communications for the brand. 

Steven left The Ritz-Carlton to form his own consultancy and partner with a former CBS executive in New York City to join 360Bespoke, a bi-coastal PR/Marketing firm. He has written public relations, marketing and brand strategy across multiple industries including luxury, lifestyle, hospitality, entertainment, design, the arts, events and real estate. 

Steven, like a filmmaker is a master storyteller with a global perspective, from his hospitality-driven business experience to his American and European education. Steven is a lifelong foodie and loves to cook, developing that passion while working on the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen festival team for nearly two decades. He loves the mountain lifestyle and is an avid skier and hiker.

Mike Bratton, long-time State Farm Insurance Agenda will speak on "the Future of Insurance in California."

Mike has been a local State Farm Agent since 1984. A graduate from Chico State University with a BA in communications/marketing, Mike is a highly recognized State Farm agent and generous community member.  Over the years his agency has qualified for State Farm Awards including State Farm Legion of Honor, State Farm Ambassador for Life, State Farm Life Honor Club, State Farm SVP Club, and State Farm President’s Club.

He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and an Active Rotarian with the Nevada City 49er Breakfast Club. MIke and is family sponsored founded A New Day and the annual MEB2 Turkey Trot Race at Thanksgiving in memory of his son Michael E. Bratton, II.

Chris and Lynda will share highlights of their February visit with our student Wendy and our partners with Amigos de Guatemala. Join us for a wonderful update on our Menstrual Hygiene project, the work of Amigos de Guatemala, and the students Lynda and Nevada City Rotary are sponsoring!