The Mountaineers
The Mountaineers remain a volunteer-led organization that depends on non-employee initiative and leadership. We are grateful for the service that all board members and branch leadership provide and are humbled by how much they devote to our mission. As a member, we value your participation in the election process for these organization-wide leaders!
ElectionS
The Mountaineers Nominating Committee is pleased to present the following slate of candidates to the membership for consideration in the upcoming Board of Directors elections: Evy Dudey, Martina Kozar, Steve McClure, John Ohlson, and Steve Yi.
The Nominating Committee and the Board of Directors believe the candidates are the best slate for at-large directors for 2016. Each of these candidates is eager to serve The Mountaineers, and possesses the professional skills and personal commitment needed to further The Mountaineers' mission.
Nominations were taken from the floor at the Annual Meeting on September 20 (and no names were put forward).
This year, the Everett Branch has aligned its branch election timeline to coincide with that for the Board of Directors. Ballots will allow Everett members to vote in both elections. Learn more about the Everett Branch Candidates and issues by clicking here!
Proposed Bylaw Amendments
There are also amendments to the organization-wide bylaws that are being proposed and must be approved by the membership. In sum, they are updates to reflect the 1) renaming of president-elect to vice president; 2) establishment of a new director/officer position of vice president of branches; 3) renaming of the Executive Director to CEO; 4) anticipated dissolution of the nominating committee; and 5) establishment of the governance committee. The amendments were presented and then endorsed to the board at the May 2016 meeting of the board. you can review them at this link here.
HOW TO VOTE
Voting will open on Saturday, October 1 and close on Friday, October 21. All active members and children over age 14 are eligible to vote. Duplicate votes will not be counted.
Online
The Mountaineers will be sending members an electronic ballot for the upcoming elections on October 1 (note: we've discovered that Comcast.net emails often block our digital voting links. If you want to assure your participation, please update your email with us to be something other than Comcast). If you're a member in good standing and you do NOT receive an email from us, please check your junk mail or spam folders. Due to the nature of our online ballot, if you do not receive an email ballot for any reason, you will have to submit a paper ballot. This includes people without a valid email address or who share an email address with a family member.
Check your email and see if your ballot came the morning of October 1st. If you can't find it, use this button to access the ballot:
By mail
Mail-in votes will also be accepted if received before October 21. Send your votes to:
PLEASE MAIL TO:
The Mountaineers - BOARD ELECTION
7700 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115
*To learn more about the Everett Branch elections, which are occurring st the same time, click here.
Board CANDIDATE STATEMENTS
The following board candidates possess the professional skills and personal commitment needed to further our mission: To enrich the community by helping people explore, conserve, learn about and enjoy the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Evy Dudey
Member Since 1986
On the board since 2011
Evy originally joined The Mountaineers in order to take the Sailing Course, after moving here from Wisconsin. She served on the Board of Directors from 2014-2016 as the Secretary, from 2011-2013 as the Everett Director, and currently serves as a Director at Large. She also volunteers with the Governance Committee, Mountaineer magazine, and Advisory Council.
As an active member of the Everett Branch, she has served on the Everett Branch’s Executive Committee, Climbing Committee, Basic Climbing Committee, and Intermediate Climbing Committee, and has instructed Leading on Rock, Basic Climbing, Instructor Review, Sport Climbing, MOFA, Nordic Skiing, and Scrambling courses.
With a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, Evy spent 23 years in the telecommunications industry, and is now the Product Certification Manager at Beanfields PBC. She’s a member of the Everett Sail and Power Squadron and the Upper Edmonds Book and Cake Society. Her passions include sailing with her husband and their dog, cross-country skiing, pumpkin carving and reading Mountaineers books.
"I believe that my professional background, my own enjoyment of the outdoors, my appreciation for the volunteers that have helped me, and my community all give me the right background to move the organization forward in the best possible manner. "
Martina Kozar
MEMBER SINCE 2005
Martina is a graduate from Princeton University and received her MBA from Harvard Business School. She brings over 10 years of retail experience in product management and strategy at Amazon.com, Starbucks Coffee Company, and The Parthenon Group.
Martina has shared her passion for the outdoors by volunteering with the Peace Corps, Youth Enrichment Services (Boston), and is a past co-chair of the Sierra Club’s Seattle Inner City Outings. Martina and her husband, Mike, love to explore the outdoors with their daughter, and are avid hikers, bicyclists, sailors and skiers.
“The outdoors has always been an important part of my life and my family’s life. I am passionate about introducing youth to the outdoors, and ensuring we protect our natural places for future generations to enjoy. I am inspired by the Mountaineers mission, the positive impact it has on our community, and its future.”
Steve McClure
MEMBER SINCE 2010
ON THE BOARD SINCE 2012
After receiving a hot-off-the-press Mountaineering
Freedom of the Hills, 2nd Edition, from his folks in 1967 — followed by decades of good intentions — Steve finally joined The Mountaineers in 2010. A Seattle native, Steve gained a love for our wild spaces from Scouting and his family of hikers and skiers.
Steve just completed a rewrite of two chapters for the upcoming Freedom, 9th. He was also a contributor to the Mountaineers' new Crevasse Rescue Pocket Guide: A Field Reference.
Since 2011, Steve has been an instructor for Scrambling, Climbing, Wilderness Navigation, and GPS courses. He is the Co-Chair of the Intense Basic Alpine Climbing course, is an intermediate climbing student, and active with the Navigation, Alpine Scrambles, and Climbing Committees. This summer, Steve completed the second leg of the cross-country "Sierra High Route," first publicized in The Mountaineers title of the same name.
Steve is a CPA and a partner with Tatum, a national consulting firm of CFOs. He served on the finance committee from 2010-16, and was Board Treasurer from 2012-2016.
John OHlson
MEMBER SINCE 1999
ON THE BOARD SINCE 2009
John has been on the Board since 2009, including a term as Secretary 2012-14 and was The Mountaineers Leader of the Year for 2010.
After gaining Basic Climbing Equivalency, he completed the Intermediate Climbing Course in one year, and has been a Seattle Climb Leader and Climb Committee member since 2001. He co-founded the 9-day Intense Basic Climbing course with Gene Yore in 2013. He received the Mountaineers Seattle Branch Service Award in 2013 and was a Seattle Climb Volunteer of the year for 3 years.
He recently authored the Safety chapter of Freedom of the Hills, Edition 8, and is a section editor for the in-process Edition 9. Previously he was Chair of the Magnuson Building Committee where he successfully renegotiated our lease with the City of Seattle to obtain 10 more years of free rent due to our renovation cost. He also was the Seattle Branch Safety Officer.
John grew up in Seattle. He graduated from MIT and has a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford. He was an EE Professor at USC and the Naval Postgraduate School, then
20 years as a VP and Chief Technical Officer in satellite communications, followed by two years as Adjunct Professor at the University of Washington, now retired. He belongs to the Sierra Club and American Alpine Club.
“Leadership is action, not a job title.”
Steven Yi
MEMBER SINCE 2008
Steven is a technology product marketing executive and software architect focusing on developer technologies and strategy initiatives with major technology firms. In 2009 he led Microsoft’s global launch of the company’s cloud computing efforts, Azure, and has since worked with top firms on their cloud, mobile, and IOT business strategy and marketing efforts. Most recently he was Head of Product of Marketing for Xamarin, a mobile startup acquired by Microsoft in 2016.
Steven is active with the Mountaineers and climbing programs. A graduate of the Basic Climbing program in 2009, he became a climb leader in 2011 - mentoring and instructing climbers in the basic, intermediate and sport climbing classes. Steven has been a member of the Advisory Council since 2011.
In addition to being an avid climber, he is also a hiker, backcountry skier, amateur photographer, and is now discovering aerial drone imagery. He keeps a blog at http://blog.stevenyi.com. Steven resides in Bellevue with his wife of 16 years and two rescue dogs.
