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Sheriff's Council - Directors



Chris Altobell, President

Ed Gervais, Secretary

Tony Dias, Treasurer

Sean A. Lehmann, Past President

John Wallauch, Executive Director

Kurt J. Halverstadt

Don E. Vanderschoot

Don Gwinn

Patrick J. Henry

Devon Bell, Undersheriff

Chris Altobell, President

Chris Altobell currently serves as Vice President of the Placer County Sheriff's Council.

He owns a Farmers Insurance Agency in Roseville where he helps families and business owners build walls of protection for their most treasured assets.

Chris is active in the local community as a youth soccer coach and participates in the Roseville Chamber of Commerce's BECOME committee, which helps build partnerships between local schools and businesses.

Chris moved to Granite Bay in 1999 with his wife Sue. They have an 11-year old daughter, Sydney and a nine-year old son, Casey.

Chris earned a Masters degree in Business Administration from the Graduate School of Management at UC Davis and an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from St. Mary's College of California.

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Ed Gervais, Secretary

Ed serves as a Director of the Placer County Sheriff's Council. He and his wife Quay have been residents of Roseville since 1993, relocating from the warm climes of Southern California to a more seasonal climate with better fly-fishing locations.

Ed is a Connecticut native who graduated with degrees and certificates in English, Psychology, and Teaching from Connecticut State University system. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran, and an honors graduate of the Connecticut Chief’s of Police Academy. He participated in several advanced law enforcement educational programs throughout his career. Ed has a California Community College instructor credential, and formerly taught business communication classes for United Technologies Corporation training college.

He has been a senior consultant for Athena Consultancy Group, LLC specializing in real estate analysis, residential and commercial real property financing. He is a specialist in resolving real estate related business issues. He has served as a consultant for the State of California regarding programs in the Department of Health Services; Employment Development Department; MediCal; Healthy Families Program; Department of Justice; and others. Ed was instructor evaluator for Electronic Data Systems (EDS) for the Healthy Families Program for Department of Health Services.

Ed is currently with the State of California, Housing and Community Development Department, Supportive Housing Unit, serving as an underwriter for low-income housing programs.

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Tony Dias, Treasurer

Tony Dias brings 12 years of corporate business experience to the Sheriff's Council.

During his career at Hewlett Packard in Roseville, he held a variety of technical and business positions, with experience in engineering, marketing and business operations.

His past not-for-profit experience includes volunteering in the classroom at the elementary school level as well as a member of the finance committee.

Tony earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Sacramento State, and an MBA from UC Davis.

He enjoys living in Granite Bay with his wife and kids and enjoying the outdoor recreation Placer County offers!

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Sean A. Lehmann, Past President

Sean has been a resident of Granite Bay, California since 2002. Sean moved with his wife, Pamela, and two children to Granite Bay from Lodi, California after considering a number of potential new "home-towns." Important factors in this decision were Placer County's low crime rate, diverse geography, and proximity to numerous recreational opportunities.

Sean's appreciation for the dedicated service and professionalism of the Placer County Sheriff's Department led him to a meeting with Sheriff Ed Bonner. During this meeting, Sean expressed a desire to help Sheriff Bonner and his deputies as a way of saying "thank you" for a job well done. This desire evolved into the creation of the Placer County Sheriff's Council.

Professionally, he serves as a Managing Director -- Investment Officer of The Sullivan Group, a premier division of one of America's largest investment firms. Sean also serves on the board of directors of The California Capital Airshow, the finance committee of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and is a past board member of the California Musical Theatre Foundation.

Sean graduated from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations/ Political Science; concurrently, he served as a Congressional Intern for United States Congressman E. Clay Shaw (R-FL). Following graduation, Mr. Lehmann served as a US Naval Aviator, stationed primarily in California. His interests include flying, scuba diving, boating and travel.



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John Wallauch, Executive Director

John recently completed two years with the Placer County Grand Jury, the last year as the Jury Foreman. Professional experience covers over 30 years in the air pollution control and consumer protection field. John also has over 12 years experience in the aerospace industry as a Materials Engineer and Quality Control Manager with the Apollo and Saturn programs.

In 1973, John joined the State of California serving 14 years with assignments with the Highway Patrol, Department of Consumer Affairs, Automotive Repair and Air Resources Board. As Deputy Chief of the Bureau, he implemented and managed California's first biennial inspection and maintenance motor vehicle program (Smog Check).

John left state service in 1985 to accept a position as Vice President of Engineering and Operations with a company involved in the design, implementations and operations of motor vehicle emissions inspection programs within North America.

John is a native Californian and attended California State University at Chico and Compton College. He was a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and Society of Quality Control. He has authored both technical and training papers on motor vehicle emission testing and inspections.

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Kurt Halverstadt

A native of Sacramento, Kurt proudly served as a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) and graduated from California State University - Sacramento with a Degree in Business Administration/Finance.

Professionally, Kurt works as a Wealth Manager with a national investment firm. He also frequently broadcasts financial market updates and news stories on KCRA Channel 3 television and NewsTalk 1530 KFBK radio.

In his spare time, Kurt coaches little league baseball and is the head coach for the Granite Bay Junior Grizzlies football team. He also volunteers his time as an ad-hoc member of several investment/ venture boards and serves as an advisor to a number of local businesses. He has been involved in financing and merger/ acquisition activity for several companies headquartered in the Greater Sacramento area. Kurt resides in Granite Bay, California with his wife Laura and four children.

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Don E. Vanderschoot

Don E. Vanderschoot serves as a Director of the Placer County Sheriff's Council. Don was born in Napa, California and is a graduate of Vintage High school.

Growing up in the automotive industry, Don's family owned the Oldsmobile dealership in Napa. He started his career in automotive service at Taylor Classic Motors in Vallejo in 1977 and moved to The Von Housen Automotive Group in 1989. After 4 years as shop foreman with Von Housen, Don was chosen to manage the first ever Mercedes Benz Service Center in Rocklin, California. Don's success with the Service Center has resulted in the decision to open a new Mercedes dealership at the Rocklin location.

Don, his wife Lynnette and their family have been residents of Placer County for the past 10 years. On September 1, 2003, a tragedy struck the Vanderschoot family when Don's daughter, Justine, was lured from her home and murdered. This event and the support from organizations like the Placer County Sheriff's Department, spurred the Vanderschoot family to find a way to give something back to the organizations involved in the search for their daughter and the prosecution of her killers. That desire led to the formation of "Justine's Fund" in 2004.

Don increased his commitment to the community when he joined the Placer County Sheriff's Council as a director in 2005.

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Don Gwinn

Don has been a resident of Auburn, California since 1984 and currently serves as Secretary of the Placer County Sheriff's Council. Don and wife, Katie, are involved with many regional and local charitable organizations. The reason for Don’s involvement with the Placer County Sheriff's Council is his belief that the organization is an excellent opportunity for individuals to participate and "constructively influence" the improvement of public safety in our local community and county.

Don serves as president of Gwinn Construction, a general and electrical construction firm, engaged in commercial and public construction projects throughout Northern California and Nevada. Gwinn Construction's main office is located in Auburn.

Don graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology from San Jose State University.

Don has served on and chaired several community boards in addition to the Sheriff's Council. His interests include flying, fly fishing, golf and travel.

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Devon Bell, Undersheriff

In November of 2007, Sheriff Ed Bonner appointed Assistant Sheriff Devon Bell to the rank of undersheriff. Undersheriff Bell was named Placer County's first-ever assistant sheriff in December, 2006. The position was created because of the county's tremendous growth and need for additional administrative support.

Bell, 40, has been with the Sheriff's Department since 1992.

"Devon is a highly respected leader in the Sheriff's Department," said Sheriff Bonner. "His positive attitude, energy and work ethic have been demonstrated throughout his years here. He has a bright future as the newest member of the senior staff."

"We are clearly an agency in transition with all the growth in Placer County," said Bell. "I look forward to being an active participant in managing that growth and planning for the future."

Bell is a Loomis native and a Del Oro High School graduate. He has worked in many capacities within the department, including corrections, patrol and the Special Investigations Unit. As a sergeant, Bell directed the Community Services Unit, which includes school and youth services. He has also served as the administrative support lieutenant and later became a captain overseeing that division. In 2005, Bell graduated from the FBI National Academy. He is also a member of the Auburn Rotary.

Bell and his wife Sue, who is a registered nurse at Shriner's Children's Hospital, live in Roseville with their four children. In his spare time, Bell enjoys spending time with his family and "making sure my kid's lives are as full as possible."

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