Fred Bates

Fred Bates began his career as a real estate developer and builder in 1976 and has been successful in developing residential, commercial and golf course communities in California and throughout the United States. Bates Homes is owned by Fred and five of his six children, where they are developing homes in the Mountain West including Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Nevada.

Fred served on the board at Notre Dame High School and Santa Catalina School in Monterey. Fred has 6 children and 10 grandchildren, and his wife Becky has 3 children and 2 grandchildren.

Christina Erland Culver

Christina Culver co-founded Sun Valley Policy Forum in 2022. A nationally recognized leader in education, technology, and rural policy, she has advised organizations, investors, and policymakers on strategic growth and public affairs for two decades. Culver previously held senior leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Education and served in the White House under President George H. W. Bush. She also co-founded Imagine Idaho Foundation and holds a master’s degree from the U.S. Naval War College.

Randy Thompkins

Randy Thompkins has been a Sun Valley
resident for seven years and a donor and
volunteer with the Sun Valley Policy Forum
for five, advising on the policy issues and
intellectual content behind its newsletters
and speaker events. He came to the Valley
after a career in investment in San Francisco
and Silicon Valley, where he worked with
international energy companies and
technology executives. He is a graduate of
the University of Pennsylvania and the
University of California, Berkeley.

Don McGrath

Don is an Illinois native and joined Bank of the West in San Francisco in 1975 and spent 35 years with the Bank and its parent company Bancwest Corp, before retiring as Chairman and CEO of both in 2010.

He has served on numerous Boards over many years including The Pacific Stock Exchange from 2001-2008, and the Financial Services Roundtable. He continues to serve on the Boards of Deluxe Corporation and The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation where he was Chairman in 2013 and 2014. He was appointed by President Bush in 2009 to The President’s Council on Financial Literacy.

Other previous non-profit boards include Operation HOPE, Inc., the Resources Legacy Fund, the Commonwealth Club of California, and Dominican University of California.

R. Michael Murphy

R. Michael Murphy grew up in a small farm town in Wisconsin. He graduated from Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, the University of Arizona in Tucson, and the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management in Phoenix.

After graduate school, Mike joined General Motors Overseas Operations and lived in Scotland, Eastern Europe, Greece, and West Germany for five years. Murphy Development
Company, with Mike as its CEO, master-planned and completed over 10,000,000 square feet of corporate industrial and R&D/technology buildings in San Diego for Fortune 500 companies.

After decades of summers and winters in the Wood River Valley, enjoying the area’s skiing, golfing and back country beauty, Michael and Susan Ann Evans made Hailey their permanent residence in 2019.

Bill Potter

William S. Potter, “Potter” is a seasoned leader with a rich background in both military service and community engagement. Growing up in Northwest Ohio, Potter graduated from the University of Arizona and went on to serve in the U.S. Army. His dedication in Vietnam earned him a Bronze Star. Following his military career, Potter cultivated a diverse professional path in the food service industry, venture capital, and farming.

From 1972 to 1988, he served as Vice President of Operations and as a board member for Harry M. Stevens, Inc., a prominent sports concessionaire. His entrepreneurial spirit flourished as a partner at Hobie Sports Center in San Diego and through various board positions, including Eco Soil Systems Inc. during its IPO in the 1990s. He also founded and led initiatives such as the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club and the Torrey Pines High School Foundation, showcasing his dedication to fostering community development.

After relocating to Blaine County in 2001, Potter served on boards, including The Valley Club, Higher Ground, and Sun Valley Culinary Institute. As the founder of the R4 Alliance, he united over 80 organizations to serve veterans, merging with America’s Warrior Partnership in 2018 to enhance their collective impact. He is also an active member of the USS Idaho Commissioning Committee and supporter of the USS Arizona Legacy Foundation. He and his wife, Linda, reside in Hailey, Idaho.

James Reid

James A. Reid is the Co-Founder and CFO of Supply and Equipment Foodservice Alliance (SEFA), a nationwide network of leading foodservice equipment dealers and suppliers that serves as the industry’s leading buying, marketing, and training group. Prior to joining SEFA in 1989, Reid was a Senior Vice President for Planmetrics, Inc., a national management consulting firm servicing electric and gas utilities.

Reid and his wife Tedde are deeply dedicated to numerous charitable organizations. In 1999, the Reids worked with World Vision in Zambia to build and open a small hospital in a community of 21,500 people severely affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the establishment of sustainable feeding programs and the development of housing for students. Reid was also the Chairman of the Dream Big Capital Campaign to benefit Breakthrough Urban Ministries, an organization on Chicago’s West Side dedicated to serving the homeless, teaching life skills, and helping equip youth for the future. The campaign will fund a $15 Million “Family Plex” being planned for an impoverished and gang laden community.

His more recent, non-profitable contributions include serving as the governing board and executive committee at Living Water International, in addition to serving as the Vice President for Sun Valley Museum of Arts. The Reids reside in Hailey, ID.

Jean-Paul Montupet

Jean-Paul Montupet received his M.B.A. from École des Hautes Études Commerciales in Paris before serving as Chairman of Leroy-Somer, Inc. and Chairman of Montupet SA in Paris, Europe’s largest aluminum foundry. He joined St. Louis-based Emerson Electric in 1981, serving in a variety of senior executive positions before being named Executive Vice President in 1990.

Now retired from Emerson, Montupet serves on the boards of several global corporations. He has served as Chair of the ICS-US Executive Committee since 2016.