Meet The Team
Kailee Stevens
Executive Director
Kailee is a native of Sandpoint whose family roots go back generations. She is happily married to her husband, Oliver Stone and they have a beautiful two-year-old daughter named Piper. Her hobbies include spending time outdoors with her family, horse-back riding and enjoying all that Sandpoint has to offer.
Kailee has extensive history in the medical field including in depth training with oncology patients. She is excited to take on the role of Executive Director and eager to help with supporting our clients.
Lexie McIntire
Program Facilitator
Lexie has lived in Idaho for most of her life where she enjoys being outside and spending time with family and friends. She joined the CCS team in the fall of 2022 as the Program Facilitator. She is excited to take on this new role and to witness first-hand the huge impact that CCS makes in our local community. She states, “I am constantly inspired by the kindness of the clients and their journeys”. She’s at our office 3 days a week and would love to meet you all!
Pamela Mulligan
President
Pam has called Bonner County home for the past 30 plus years. She has two daughters and five grandchildren. She enjoys gardening, walking, hiking and most recently ice-fishing in Montana. She served 12 years with the Bonner County Chapter of the Idaho Chaplin Corp. She was an active chaplain in the youth detention unit and in the women’s jail and for three years, served as a rotating
chaplain at the Bonner County hospital.
In 2012, Pam became a family patient advocate for her brother when his wife was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. She realized the need of cancer patients and their families to have people stand beside them through their journeys.
In January of 2023 she was elected Board President of the CCS Board of Directors. She states “I am honored to accept knowing this position comes with great responsibility which will not be taken lightly. Let’s take CCS to greater heights of success in serving our community and those cancer patients in need.”
Kate Nees
Vice President
Kate was drawn to the CCS organization after her uncle was diagnosed with cancer in 2021. She feels lucky to be a part of a community that has an organization with a mission to ease the burden of those affected by cancer. Kate hopes to use her 15 years in merchandising, buying, leadership, and brand management roles across apparel and consumer packaged goods to support this important cause.
In Kate’s free time she enjoys spending time with family, friends and traveling. Her husband and chocolate lab recently moved back to Sandpoint in 2021 and are enjoying being back in the community they call home.
Penny Schardt
Secretary
Penny was born and raised in San Francisco and has called Sagle, Idaho home since 2016. Her
family includes her two cats and one dog and she is “Grammy” to 3 beautiful grandchildren. She
retired as a VP/Training Director at Wells Fargo Bank and her late husband retired Lieutenant
from San Francisco Police Department after 33 years. Together, they enjoyed karaoke, dancing,
boating, traveling, and wine tasting, but most of all entertaining their family and friends.
In 2002, Penny was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. After undergoing a complete
hysterectomy she was lucky enough and didn’t have to have chemo or radiation at the time. In
2019, after going for her routine mammogram and then a biopsy, she was diagnosed with
Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. After much research and discussion, she elected to have a bilateral
mastectomy with the DIEP Flap Reconstruction. She is now a two-time cancer survivor and
looks forward to living life every day.
Her first experience with Community Cancer Services was when her friend Pam, who is
currently President of the CCS Board, asked her if she wanted to visit the office in Sandpoint.
After meeting and talking to the CCS Executive Director, she was happy to learn there was a
place in her small town that could provide her with emotional support as she continued her
journey.
Her greatest joy was when she was asked to consider being a CCS board member. This was
just another way she could give back to such a great cause. She states "CCS is an amazing
organization and she feels it’s an honor to now serve as Secretary on the board and give back
to other cancer patients, survivors and their families."
Cassy Watters
Treasurer
Cassie has been a resident of Sandpoint for 4 years. After the birth of her son, Cassie was diagnosed a year later with Metastatic Breast Cancer in March of 2021. Supported and cared for by a great team of doctors, nurses, friends and family, Cassie is back on her feet and is living life abundantly. Here at Community Cancer Services, she is the Treasurer and uses her prior professional background as a bookkeeper to support our program. When she is not wearing the Treasurer hat, Cassie enjoys her time being a mom, a wife, off-roading, camping, fishing and enjoying the great outdoors.
Tara Rumore
ED Liason
Tara Rumore moved to the area from the East Coast and has now proudly called Sandpoint her home for over 15 years. She has an amazing husband, Dante who was/is/always will be a Marine and currently works with Combat Veterans. Together, they have a crazy-awesome son, Sandro, and a sassy and sweet daughter, Eva. Tara teaches preschool one day a week with Selkirk School and also gets to hang out with a close family friend’s two kiddos. She is completing her Early Childhood Development and Education Degree, has a degree in Photography and another in General Education. Helping out with baskets for the CCS “A Night to Remember” event many years ago and having family affected by cancer, has led her to realize she wanted to be more involved. Tara has been with CCS for 10 plus years, with her current role being the Liaison between the Executive Director and the Board. She has worn many hats in her lifetime, but the one that is the most important for her is being a “supporter." A supporter to her family, friends, and community and she couldn’t be more thankful for this opportunity.
Sherri Lies
Board Member
Sherri originally was a military brat from Oakland, California and have proudly called Sandpoint home for over 37 Years. She is very blessed to be married to her husband, Scott, her best friend and high school sweetheart, for more than 31 years! Their family includes three sons, one daughter and three adorable grandchildren! She is very fortunate to have her eldest son and her daughter, along with her three children, living in Sandpoint to be able to love on them a lot!
She has also been a beauty consultant with Mary Kay for 23 years and loves to help women with all their skincare needs. She is a teacher at Sandpoint Children’s Learning Center, which helps fill her passion for healthy environments for preschoolers. She and her husband love to be outdoors and explore our area. She has many hobbies including walking, biking, reading, knitting, trying to garden, wine tasting, but most of all she just enjoys being surrounded by friends and family!
Her first experience with CCS was as the Program Director for over 3 ½ years beginning in 2009. Her experience with cancer has been as a support system to close family and friends dealing with the disease. And like many, she has lost close personal friends to cancer. As the Program Director at CCS, her passion quickly grew for Heather’s (the founder of CCS) vision of a need-driven organization whose goal is strictly to do what they can do; to support a person with a cancer diagnosis and not have the support be defined by income. CCS is truly an amazing organization!
Rick Decker
Board Member
Rick is an accomplished professional with over 20 years of experience in software, systems, and project management as well as a decade of success in real estate investing and development. He is a dedicated husband and father; who previously split his time between Steamboat Springs, Colorado and Sandpoint with his wife Mariah, and their two daughters, who share his passion for outdoor activities like kayaking, skiing, biking, wake surfing, and running.
In February of 2020, Mariah was diagnosed with breast cancer and Rick was right there by her side through the surgery, chemo and radiation. He felt the toll that cancer has on families, which led Rick to pilot the “Rad Love” program in October 2022, a national support group for other co-survivors. He is excited to serve on the board of CCS and help families affected by cancer in our community. Additionally, Rick is a member of The City of Sandpoint Arts, Culture, and Historic Preservation Commission, where he is committed to fostering community engagement and promoting local art and culture.
In his free time, Rick is a CrossFit enthusiast, music lover, and avid adventurer, who loves to explore the beautiful Pacific Northwest. With his impressive background in software, systems, and project management, combined with his success as a real estate investor and developer, Rick brings a unique set of skills and experiences to everything he does.
Valerie Luce
Board Member
Valerie Luce joined the board of CCS in July 2021. She and her husband moved here
from Austin Texas in 1999. Their son and was born and raised here in Sandpoint and
makes his living now as a commercial diver in Florida. Her husband is an IT
professional for a small consulting firm which allows him to work remotely. Valerie is a
retired Registered Nurse, who also worked locally as a teacher's aide in elementary
education. She and her family love Sandpoint and the close-knit community here.
Valerie is a breast cancer survivor who was declared cancer free in May of 2020, while
fighting cancer she was also a recipient of services at CCS. With the support of the staff there and help from her friends and family, she was able to get through chemo and multiple surgeries during the COVID pandemic. She has been wanting to give back to the community and is excited to have the opportunity to serve on the CCS board.
She looks forward to being a part of the empathetic, supportive team that has helped
many emotionally, physically, and financially challenged get the support they need while battling cancer.
She hopes to be effective in sustaining and growing CCS in the future.
JoAnna Quick
Board Member
JoAnna Quicks experiences with the non-profit organizations in Bonner County started in 2008 when she moved to the area from Colorado. She decided to join the board of CCS because she discovered a warm connection to their mission, a close friend died from cancer in 2015 and her mom is a survivor. She truly loves the community of Bonner County and is honored to volunteer with CCS in a capacity where she may help make a difference.
Maria Alberg, B.A., M.Ed. PHD
Maria has worked with CCS for 12 years and cancer survivors for 30 years.
Maria’s current role at CCS is leading our metastatic group and providing yoga classes to our clients. Her diverse education, training, and experiences provide our clients with the strategies and skills to thrive through life's challenges.
Cynthia Dalsing
Co-Founder of Heather's House
Cynthia Dalsing has been with Community Cancer Services since before the opening day of Heather’s House in 2002. Dalsing has been in Sandpoint for 19 years and started serving the Sandpoint Community as a Nurse Midwife. Currently, Dalsing owns a successful Nurse Practitioner business called Women’s Health Care, located next to Community Cancer Services.
Dalsing fondly remembers, “Heather and Greg were in Thailand when I moved to Sandpoint. My friends were telling me, that I needed to meet Heather. When Heather came back from Thailand, we met and became friends. I remember the days of raising our kids together, and becoming the infamous “Soccer Mom” team. Heather was a part of my son’s soccer career.” It seems as time went on, Heather and Cynthia just naturally became an unstoppable pair. Cynthia has an innate ability to provide service, as it shows with her compassion towards healing and listening.
Dalsing states, “This whole thing (Community Cancer Services) started with two prongs in 1998. Heather was diagnosed with breast cancer, and my best friend was diagnosed with lung cancer. Heather was a philanthropic leader; she would see a need, and get it done. If I just stood close to Heather for long enough, I would be involved in her legacy of service projects.”