BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CHRISTIE WHITE
Board Chair
Christie has over 20 years of experience in the commercial real estate and interiors industry from office leasing and office furniture to audio visual technology.
Her years of experience managing and designing large-scale commercial installations for clients in various industries has been of immense value in helping the organizations she volunteers for grow their missions. She retired in 2024 so she could spend more time volunteering in her local community.
When she is not volunteering you can find her doing the things she loves most: working in her garden, walking and hiking with her dog, or cooking up a new recipe in the kitchen.
GINA LYLE-GRIFFIN
Board Member
Gina worked for the Lake County Office of Education for 18 years in many capacities involving Early Childhood Education & Development, including Administrator, Coordinator, and Child Development Specialist. In addition to her BS in Early Childhood Education from Pacific Union College, Gina holds two CA credentials in adult, parent & family education, and a CA Child Development Program Director Permit. She serves on the Lake County Child Care Planning Council, Resilient Lake County, and the Lake County Children’s Council.
After 6 years as a Project Director at the County of Lake Health Services Division, she retired from public service in 2022. She is now an independent consultant working as a public policy advocate. Gina believes that Shade Canyon offers local children a quality, developmentally appropriate environment that will stimulate learning through discovery and exploration.
Gina enjoys the ocean, genealogy, and time with family, friends, and her beloved pets.
LEWIS LINCOLN
Board Member
Lewis Lincoln brings extensive experience in tribal health, grant management, and public safety to the board. He currently serves on the board of the non-profit United Food Tribes and previously served as Chairman of the Head Start Program for the California Rural Indian Health Board (CRIHB) in Sacramento.
His extensive background in grant implementation and management includes work with the Round Valley Indian Tribes EPA and serving as Program Director for the Suscol Intertribal Council in Napa, where he oversaw grant initiatives supporting IEP services and mental health programming.
A retired Correctional Deputy with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, he has also served as a U.S. Forest Service Wildland Firefighter and Engine Operator, Hazard Mitigation Specialist, and CERT Team Trainer. Deeply committed to youth development, he has spent over a decade coaching elementary through high school sports teams.
SAVANNAH MITCHELL
Board Member
Savannah is a co-founder of Shade Canyon School. After serving as a grades teacher during SCS’s first three school years in operation, she returned to the board, bringing her extensive institutional knowledge from both the administrative realm and the classroom. Early in her teaching career, Savannah Mitchell taught at Head Start in Clearlake and was an early interventionist for Easter Seals, working with children with developmental disabilities all over Lake County. Before she had her first child in 2017, she taught at a Waldorf-inspired charter school in Sonoma in grades 1-3. Savannah holds a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Pacific Union College and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from Fresno State University. She also earned a Waldorf Teacher Diploma from the Center of Educational Renewal, which represents four years of deep study.