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Sheriff's Council - Directors



Chris Altobell, President

Jay Williams, Director Emeritus
 
Sean A. Lehmann, Past President

Rick Brown, Secretary

Don Gwinn

Patrick J. Henry

Darrell Williams

Tom Keith

Marie Saunders

Rob Adams

James Regan

Devon Bell, Undersheriff

Chris Altobell, President

Chris Altobell currently serves as 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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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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Rick Brown, Secretary

Rick and his wife Susan have been Loomis residents since 2002. A native Californian, Rick went to UC Berkeley earning a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and was the Chairman of the student branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers at UC Berkeley. Rick spent his career in technical and later senior management roles in the data storage and IT industries including co-founding a data storage company. Rick currently works in Folsom.

Rick’s hobbies include sports car racing, aviation, golf and travel. Rick is also a board member and Secretary of the Sacramento Chapter of the Sports Car Club of America which organizes annual charity motorsports events in support of Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Rancho Cordova Police Activities League. Rick’s professional affiliations include the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Sports Car Club of America, Society of Automotive Engineers, and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

Rick’s parents live in Roseville and Rick and his family embrace the lifestyle and sense of community one experiences as a Placer County resident. He appreciates the opportunity the Placer County Sheriff’s Council provides to give something back to that community.

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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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Darrell Williams

Darrell and his wife Trudy moved from Irvine to Auburn in 2000. Darrell was born in Emporia, Kansas and graduated from Emporia State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business. After graduation Darrell joined the  Navy accepting a commission as Ensign and entered the Air Officer's Candidate School.

After leaving the Navy, Darrell and Trudy moved to Irvine, California where they raised their two children. They also started a business and became involved in community activities. Darrell coached youth soccer and baseball. He served on the Board of Directors of the local YMCA, and was the Chief Coach for Irvine's American Youth Soccer Organization. Currently the family operates two businesses in the Auburn area.

As a director on the Placer County Sheriff's Council, Darrell serves as a co-director of the 2011 Community Services Expo and Car Show. It is through the businesses that his interaction with the sheriff's department led to his appreciation of the Sheriff's Office professionalism and dedication.

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Tom Keith

Tom Keith joined the Council in August 2009 after donating the production of a Sheriff's Council Promotional DVD on behalf of Soundstrategies located in Loomis, where he holds the position of Visual Communications Director.

Tom attended Sacramento State College majoring in Journalism and Broadcast TV Production. He was employed at KOVR-TV in Sacramento for seventeen years, occupying various positions including Public Affairs Programming Director, Newscast Director, and Commercial Producer/Director.

After leaving KOVR, Tom operated Tom Keith Mobile Marketing, an independent television production company which was launched in 1988. Tom has lived with his wife Joan in the South Placer community of Granite Bay since 1971. Their son Kevin is a Placer County Deputy Sheriff who also worked as a DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Officer.

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Marie Saunders

Marie moved from southern California to Sacramento 13 years ago and more recently moved to Auburn.

Marie is a graduate of UC San Diego and a life-long banker. She currently manages the North Auburn branch of Umpqua Bank where she has worked for the last 5 years.

Marie is a people and animal lover and thoroughly enjoys living in Placer County. She has always been interested in law enforcement and enjoys working with the fine men and women in the Sheriff's Office and serving on the Placer County Sheriff's Council.

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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 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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