Meet Our Board Members

Meet the dedicated board members of Tri-Valley Seek & Save, committed to guiding our mission and ensuring that we make a lasting impact in the community. Their leadership and passion drive our efforts to bring hope and stability to those we serve.

Roland Ellingsen

Executive Director

Roland Ellingsen is the Executive Director of Tri-Valley Seek and Save. His wife Pamela, is a co-founder of Tri-Valley Seek and Save. He focuses on supporting vulnerable individuals, including single mothers, low-income families, and people in crisis. Roland oversees various forms of assistance such as groceries, housing resources, therapy, church, and agency partner relationships. Roland leads regular missionary training sessions and outreach events aimed at helping at-risk populations and sharing the Gospel.

Roland was a youth pastor and high school coach during his college years, followed by seven years as Program Director for Charis Youth Center and five years leading Mediation Services for the courts and Board of Supervisors for Alameda County. Roland then had twenty-two years as a Global Sales Director for Market Research Companies. His focus was selling consulting and advisory services to the C-Suite of companies including Intel, Oracle, Salesforce and HPE.

Roland Ellingsen is married to Pam Ellingsen, (36 years) and has four adult children, two of whom are married. Roland and Pam have six grandchildren. He has a BS in Phys Ed and a Master of Public Administration both from Cal State East Bay.

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Allan Cerro

Chairmain

Alan Cerro is the Chairman of the TVSS Board and is a man of faith and action. He strongly believes in focusing on and supporting people and organizations whose mission is to strengthen the fabric of their local communities. Alan enjoys the fact that he spends much of his time serving and working with these like-minded partners. From developing unique housing for individuals on the autism spectrum to consulting for school districts in the sale or redevelopment of their surplus property, Alan helps to create strategic real estate-based solutions for those whose business is enhancing the lives of others.

Alan works with many faith-based non-profit organizations around the Bay Area helping them to build strong Boards and employ methods to assist in organizational development. He spends focused time helping to lead Men of Hope Tri-Valley which exists to connect and spiritually edify
men in our community. He is also a founding Board Member for Tri-Valley Seek and Save.

Alan works closely with this organization which comes along side those struggling in our midst to show them the love of Jesus and provide them access to a myriad of valuable resources. He has been married to his wife Cathy for 27 years and they live at Cerro Vista Ranch in Livermore where they raised their five children. They now have three grandchildren, five dogs and some beautiful Gypsy Vanner horses which Cathy breeds and sells. They also produce their own estate olive oil. Cerro Vista is home to many community events as the Cerros are committed to blessing other with that which God has blessed them.

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Ed Wilson

Vice Chairmain

Ed Wilson is Vice Chair of the Board of TVSS, having served as a TVSS missionary since 2020 and as a Board member since 2023. Ed worked at Chevron for 38 years in a variety of technical and management positions and has experience in business planning, organizational design, meeting and workshop facilitation, program management, public speaking and has been responsible for managing budgets up to $25 million annually.

Ed was raised in Oakland and committed his life to Christ through discipleship and encouragement of his wife-to-be, Barbara. He is the primary TVSS support person for several TVSS families, participates in weekly food distributions, and drives Old Faithful (emphasis on “Old”), the TVSS box truck, for moving families and conducting dump runs. As a Board member, Ed’s goals are to:

Improve TVSS’s effectiveness in connecting new believers that have come to faith through TVSS to discipleship in local partner churches
Build structure within the organization so more responsibilities can be distributed and delegated
Document our processes to help in on-boarding new missionaries, helping existing missionaries take on greater responsibilities as God leads them, and allowing TVSS to meet our 10-year vision of spawning 100 Seek and Save organizations beyond the Tri-Valley

Outside of TVSS, Ed enjoys singing in the San Francisco Bay Area Chamber Choir with Barbara, doing construction projects with his son Andrew and hiking in the hills around the Tri-Valley with his dog, Lola.

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JoAnne Duarte

Director & Secretary

JoAnne Duarte is a Director and Secretary of the TVSS Board. She has been a follower of Jesus since she was 8 and was fortunate to have grown up in a Christian home. She currently serves on the board of TVSS because she wants to be faithful in the call to love God and to love others. She truly believes in the purpose of this ministry and what God is doing to transform lives through TVSS.

She has a wonderful husband and beautiful daughter. Her family has been serving with TVSS since it started. Prior to TVSS, they had volunteered at the 3 Crosses Church in Castro Valley helping with their food distribution and were very open when they heard the vision of bringing this type of ministry to the Tri-Valley.

Outside of the ministry, she has worked in the grocery industry for over 30 years, currently as a Business Manager with a focus on trade management and financial analysis. She is a native Californian and currently lives in Dublin with her husband and daughter. She loves to visit the Oakland Zoo, hike the ridge along Highway 580, walk her dog and spend time with her family.

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Tom Truman

Director & Treasurer

Tom Truman has been a volunteer with Tri Valley Seek and Save since its inception in 2016 and joined the Board of Directors in 2023, currently serving as Treasurer. Tom’s passion for helping families in need is a response of gratitude for the help and financial support his mom received when raising him and his three siblings.

Tom previously served the on the boards of Grace Christian Church and Outreach Red Bank, both in Monmouth County, New Jersey, and co-led leadership development programs at Cornerstone Fellowship in Livermore, California.

He is a business leader in the semiconductor industry, and seeks to follow God’s call to bring the light of Jesus into the marketplace. He and Andrea, his wife of 30 years, have 3 sons and live in Pleasanton, California, and enjoy hosting gatherings at their almost-empty nest.

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Ron Winter

Director

Ron Winter is a Director on the TVSS Board. He was born in Long Beach, CA and has resided in California his whole life. He was raised in Bakersfield and active in the Mammonite Brethren Church during his youth. In 1972, after college, he married Kimberly. Later, after several moves, they settled in Pleasanton, CA.

In 1980, Ron began a career in commercial real estate development in which he remained for 40 years until his retirement. Kim and Ron raised 4 children in the Pleasanton area where they have remained active as members of Valley Community Church. They are thoroughly enjoying their 4 adult children, their spouses and their dozen grandchildren.

After retirement, Ron helped form Tri-Valley Seek and Save from its inception. He and Kim have also been involved with Young Life Ministries since 1972 in a variety of capacities.

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Vanessa Gutierrez

Director

Vanessa Gutierrez is a Director on the TVSS Board and is a passionate advocate for social change with a strong commitment to empowering underserved communities. With extensive experience in compassion based leadership and sustainable housing solutions, Vanessa has worked to create impactful opportunities for those in need.

She strives to secure economic opportunity for families and individuals in crisis. She is dedicated to fostering collaboration and driving future change that uplifts individuals and local communities. Throughout her work, Vanessa strives to create a more equitable and inclusive society all while spreading the love of Jesus Christ in all she does. On her free time, she enjoys spending time with her three beautiful children in the Livermore area where she lives.

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Jim Meehan

Director

Jim Meehan is a Director on the Tri-Valley Seek and Save Board and currently serves as a supervising Assistant District Attorney assigned to the East County Hall of Justice in Dublin. Jim and his wife Arlene are longtime Pleasanton residents. Jim and Arlene regularly attend services at Cornerstone Fellowship’s Livermore campus where they have been active on the Prayer Team. Arlene also plays keyboards with the Worship Team. Jim is a fourth generation San Francisco native who was raised mostly in San Rafael (Marin County).

After graduating from Terra Linda High School Jim earned a B.A. degree at UC Davis followed by a J.D. degree at the University of San Francisco. After passing the California Bar examination Jim was sworn in as a Deputy District Attorney for Alameda County. Jim serves as a supervising Assistant District Attorney assigned to the East County Hall of Justice in Dublin. Jim is an adjunct instructor in the Administration of Justice Programs at both Las Positas and Chabot Colleges. Jim also serves as an instructor for the Trial Practice Workshop at Stanford Law School.

Jim was raised in the Catholic Church where he first learned of Jesus Christ’s love for all of us. Jim accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior in 2006. Jim and Arlene were early supporters of Tri-Valley Seek & Save and are thrilled at how the ministry has grown in the years since its founding. Jim and Arlene have a heart for the core mission of TVSS and have been blessed to personally walk alongside one of TVSS’s single moms and her three awesome boys. Jim and Arlene’s adult daughter Rachel is a graduate of Foothill High School and earned a B.S. in Biology at UC Riverside.

Jim embraces his superhero name, “Lawman,” bestowed upon him by Roland.

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The Meaning Behind The Words Of The Vision Statement

Comfort & Relief

To be known by every neighbor in need as an organization that promotes sustainable life change through hope in Christ and access to valuable resources and services.

Neighbor in Need

Everyone has needs – financial, spiritual, emotional, etc. Tri-Valley Seek & Save wants to be a potential support to those who come for resources and services as well as those who volunteer and donate to the ministry.

Sustainable Life Change

To be known by every neighbor in need as an organization promoting sustainable life change through hope in Christ and access to valuable resources, supported by our volunteers.

Hope in Christ

We model Christ to neighbors in need through our actions: prayer, listening,caring, celebration events, Bible studies, invitations to churches, providing resources and services.

Valuable

We are not a “one and done” ministry. We strive to look at the whole person/family and provide support over a period of time to help them achieve God’s plan for their lives.

Collaboration

Working alongside sister organizations, both secular and faith-based, to enhance the effectiveness of what Tri-Valley Seek & Save can offer.

Services

Counseling, completing documents, tutoring, identification of rental opportunities, car repair.

Resources

Financial (funds for rent, food, gas, bills, laundry, etc.), and Material (food, furniture, cars, trailers).