Advisory Council

The Festival Advisory Council is a five-member group of volunteers that provide guidance, advice and historical context for Festival events and activities.

Dan Drackett

Dan Drackett

Dan Drackett has been an active supporter of the Trailing of the Sheep Festival almost since its inception. After a career as an advertising/marketing consultant, writer, advertising creative director and filmmaker in New York, San Francisco, Phoenix and Cincinnati, Dan and his wife, Martine, moved full-time to the Wood River Valley. Dan has served on the boards of directors of the St. Luke's Wood River Foundation, Sun Valley Museum of Art, The Nature Conservancy, Idaho Field Office, Sun Valley Music Festival, Hospice and Palliative Care of the Wood River Valley, Croy Canyon Ranch Foundation, San Francisco Ballet in Sun Valley, 5BRC, Mountain Humane, and currently serves on the board of The Argyros Performing Arts Center. They live in Greenhorn Gulch with, over the years, their Alaskan Malamutes and now their Petite Basset Griffon Vandéen (PBGV) named Raphael – also known as Raffie. They like to hike, ski, and visit their children and grandchildren in New York City. Dan joined the Festival Advisory Council in 2016.

Wendy Jaquet Jan 2024 - Laura Drake

Wendy Jaquet

Wendy Jaquet and her family moved to Ketchum, Idaho, from San Francisco, California, in January 1977. Her husband Jim had been hired to serve as the City Administrator for the City of Ketchum. Wendy and Jim managed the Ketchum Wagon Days Celebration for several years. In addition to serving on several boards and committees, Wendy managed N. Taylor Stonington, Inc., a multiple art gallery and wholesale art operation, from 1980-1983 and was the Executive Director of the Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber of Commerce for thirteen years from 1983-1997. In 1994, Wendy was elected to the Idaho House of Representatives where she served for the next 18 years in various leadership capacities including Minority Leader. Her last four years were spent on the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee where she worked on many budgets including those of the Department of Health and Welfare. She now serves on the Idaho Board of the Department of Health and Welfare, a gubernatorial appointment. Wendy currently coordinates City Tours for elected and NGO leader as well as staffs the Resort Cities Coalition. She also organizes a once a year “day at the capitol” for educators considering administrative positions such as superintendent. Wendy joined the Festival’s Advisory Council in 2016.

diane

Diane Josephy Peavey

Diane Josephy Peavey writes stories from her family’s Idaho sheep and cattle ranch about the history, people and the changing landscapes of the American West. Many of her stories aired weekly for 18 years on Idaho Public Radio and are collected in her book Bitterbrush Country: Living on the Edge of the Land. Her writings have appeared in numerous magazines, journals and anthologies and her librettos on Lewis and Clark in Idaho and the history of the Nez Perce Indians were set to music and performed throughout the region. She was the Literature Director for the Idaho Commission on the Arts from 1992-1997 and currently is on the Idaho Humanities Speakers’ Bureau. Diane is a board member of the Idaho Center for the Book, is on the Regional History Committee for the Ketchum Community Library and, in 2014, was appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to the 13-member national American Lamb Board.  She and her husband John co-founded and are both still active with the Trailing of the Sheep Festival.  Diane joined the Advisory Council for the Festival in 2016.

frank

Frank Shrontz

Frank was born and raised in Boise, Idaho, graduated from the University of Idaho with an LL.B degree, earned an MBA from Harvard and was a Sloan Fellow at Stanford. He joined the Boeing Company in 1958 serving 38 years in sales, contracts, production and general management, and spent the last 10 years as Chief Executive Officer.  He served his country in the Army and later was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Air Force and of Defense. He has served on a number of non-profit Boards, including the Trailing of the Sheep Festival, joining the Festival's Advisory Council in 2016.

CarolWaller

Carol Waller

Carol Waller has been actively involved in the Wood River Valley community and the Trailing of the Sheep Festival for over 25 years. During her previous 13 year tenure as Executive Director of the Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau, Carol recognized the tourism potential to showcase a unique part of the community’s heritage.  She worked with John & Diane Peavey to create the Trailing of the Sheep into a festival in 1997, providing critical organizational, funding and marketing support through the CVB during the Festival’s formative years.  Carol now works as director of the non-profit Fly Sun Valley Alliance, which works on strategic initiatives to improve air service to our community, and also provides strategic marketing & PR consulting services to a variety of other organizations and events. Her PR work with the Trailing of the Sheep Festival has garnered national and international media coverage in a variety of outlets including CBS Sunday Morning, USA Today, MSN.com, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, NPR, Huffingtonpost.com, Smartertravel.com, Northwest Travel & Life, Alaska Airlines, and many more.  The Trailing of the Sheep Festival, and the unique sheep culture that remains in the Wood River Valley, continues to capture her heart. She enjoys sharing this unique story with a national audience, as well as roaming the Valley with her camera to capture iconic images of the event, and the sheep herders whose work remains a true slice of the authentic American West. Carol joined the Advisory Council for the Festival in 2016.