John Rosenberger
As a 501(c)(3) volunteer-led organization, The Mountaineers depends on the generosity, initiative, and leadership of our volunteers to steward the future of our organization. We are humbled by the service provided by Board and branch directors whose positions are confirmed by members each year. Thank you for all you do as members to elevate our mission, and for your participation in the forthcoming election process for these organization-wide leaders.
Each year we host elections for our Board of Directors and participating branches. This year we are voting on seven Board candidates. The slate of at-large Board candidates were nominated by our Governance Committee and unanimously endorsed by our Board of Directors.
Branch members from our Everett, Foothills, and Olympia Branches can also vote for their branch leadership in this election. Ballots will allow these members to vote in both the Board elections and the branch elections.
HOW TO VOTE: September 1 - 22, 2024
Voting will open Sunday, September 1, and close on Sunday, September 22 at 11:59pm. All active members over age 14 are eligible to vote. Duplicate votes will not be counted. Results will be announced on October 1, 2024 via a blog post.
ONLINE
The Mountaineers will send members an electronic ballot for the upcoming elections on either August 31 or September 1 through our online voting tool, Alchemer. Please note that comcast.net email addresses will block all digital voting links, so members with a Comcast email should receive an email from development@mountaineers.org.
If you are a member in good standing and you do NOT receive an email from us, please check your junk mail or spam folders for the voting link from Alchemer. Due to the nature of our online ballot, if you do not receive an email ballot you will need to follow the link provided on this blog once voting is open or submit a paper ballot. This includes individuals without a valid email address or those who share an email address with a family member.
Keep an eye out the morning of September 1 for your ballot. If you don't see an email from us (either in your inbox or in your spam folder) by 12pm on September 1, please vote via the link below.
VOTE BY MAIL
Mail-in votes will be accepted if postmarked by September 22. Paper ballots are now available in the Seattle Program Center Bookstore, or you can print the ballot at home and mail it in. You can also print the ballots for Everett, Foothills, and Olympia Branch elections.
Mail to:
The Mountaineers - BOARD ELECTION
7700 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115
BOARD ELECTIONS
The Mountaineers Governance Committee is pleased to present the following candidates to the membership for consideration in the upcoming Board of Directors elections: Serene Chen, James Henderson, Takeo Kuraishi, Ramki Pitchuiyer, Carry Porter, Alex Pratt, and Anita Wilkins.
This year’s candidates were selected by the Governance Committee from members who submitted a detailed self-nomination form. This rigorous, open nominations process, new in 2021, was designed to deepen the diversity of perspectives and lived experiences represented on our Board. We are confident this excellent slate of candidates will help inform better policies and strengthen relationships between Board members, Mountaineers members, and the wider outdoor community.
BOARD ENDORSED 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. Their candidate statements have been edited for length and affirmed as true. The candidates are presented in alphabetical order.
Serene Chen
Member since 2020
Serene is a proud first-generation Chinese-American and a seasoned leader with global experience at the intersection of people and organizations. Since joining The Mountaineers in February 2020, Serene has completed a variety of courses from Basic Climbing to Waterfall Canyoning, served as the chair of the Equity & Inclusion Committee, and currently helps instruct Seattle's Intensive Basic Climbing course each year.
Serene is deeply inspired by nature and driven to make a positive impact on sustainability. She is the Vice President of People & Culture at Carbon Direct, a carbon management startup on a mission to enable companies to take meaningful, equitable, and science-based climate action. She started her career with Barclays at its London headquarters, holds a Master’s in Management from the London School of Economics, and a Bachelor’s in Learning & Organizational Change from Northwestern University.
Personal Statement: “Spending more time in nature is one of the primary reasons I moved to Seattle nearly five years ago. And while the COVID-19 pandemic hit within my first few months living here, getting involved in The Mountaineers in 2020 helped me learn new skills and explore the region in ways I never imagined. Even after 10 courses (and counting), the variety of interests and the passion of our community still amaze. One of my favorite mornings with The Mountaineers was a Moss Workshop with the Naturalist committee last year, spending hours identifying and simply appreciating the varieties of moss, lichen, and liverworts in our local forests. After my first term on the Board, I am even more inspired by our volunteers, and I firmly believe in this organization's role in creating welcoming, inclusive spaces where everyone feels belonging. I'm humbled by the opportunity to serve The Mounties for another term.”
James Henderson
Member since 2015
Born and raised in Washington State, James is a Pacific Northwest local. His earliest outdoor explorations were with his dad and grandfather hiking and scrambling in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and Mount Rainier National Park.
James has been a member of The Mountaineers since 2015 and is grateful for all of the support The Mountaineers staff and volunteers have provided to help him recreate safely and responsibly in the outdoors. James served as the Vice President of Branches from 2022 to 2024 and is very excited about this opportunity to continue giving back to the organization by serving as an At-Large Board Member. He strongly supports The Mountaineers strategic plan, Adventure with Purpose, and looks forward to working with The Mountaineers Board, staff, and members to achieve the plan’s goals. While outdoors, James enjoys hiking, backpacking, scrambling, bikepacking and, most of all, backcountry skiing.
James currently works as the Economic Development Manager at the City of North Bend. Throughout his career he has worked with communities to reach their economic and workforce development goals. Through this work, he has gained experience in government and nonprofit management, fiscal analysis, strategic planning, and operational management. James has founded offices and programs focused on economic and workforce development in city and county governments and nonprofits. He is passionate about working with local communities to help them define their goals, develop strategies, and implement projects for the betterment of the community.
James is married to his wife Melissa, a technical writer and local stage and screen actor, and is a proud father of their daughter Madeleine and the family’s big Newfoundland dog, Guinness.
Takeo Kuraishi
Member since 1999
Takeo has been an avid climber since childhood, continuing on as mountaineering club leader in high school, climbing guide on Mt. Fuji, and climb leader with The Mountaineers. He has served as Climbing Committee Chair and Branch Safety Officer for Seattle and At-Large Board director since 2021. His passion is Aid & Big Wall Climbing, and he spends at least a week in Yosemite every year. When not making slow progress up an aid route, he enjoys mentoring new climb leaders on local rock and glacier climbs.
As a member of the Board, Takeo is currently serving on the Risk Management Committee and Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Prevention Committee. He aims to bring an objective perspective to deliberations, making sure that everyone's position is represented and all sides are considered. He has been a member of The Mountaineers since 1999. For Takeo, it has been an amazing journey to see how much the organization has grown, not just in number of members but also in maturity of its vision, goals, and organizational strength.
Outside of The Mountaineers, Takeo pursues his other childhood passion in aerospace. He is a senior manager at Boeing, focused on product safety enhancements. During winter, he works as a PSIA certified instructor with the Boeing Ski & Snowboard Club. He admits to a preference for lift-assisted skiing and riding, but enjoys the occasional foray into the backcountry. He enjoys travel and seeing new places, though he is most at peace in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.
Ramki Pitchuiyer
Member since 2022
Carry Porter
Member since 1999
Carry’s love of the outdoors started with childhood hikes to the Paradise Ice Caves on Mount Rainier with her family. In 1999, she joined The Mountaineers to take the Sea Kayaking course through the Tacoma branch, and has gone on to graduate from the Seattle Basic, Crag, and Intermediate Climbing courses, as well as the Foothills Trail Running and Fastpacking courses. She has also been involved as a volunteer instructor and trip leader for the Climbing, Scrambling, and Cross-Country Skiing Committees.
Most recently, Carry has served the organization on the Board as Secretary and VP of Outdoor Centers. Over the last eight years, she has led efforts to ensure the fiscal security of Mountaineers lodges and connected Mountaineers leadership with legal counsel who guided the organization though successful resolution of the Keta lawsuit. Carry is now leading a Board subcommittee that is evaluating member concerns regarding sexual assault and sexual harassment, and making recommendations on ways to further improve the physical and emotional safety of members.
When not volunteering with The Mountaineers, Carry is a practicing attorney. Prior to becoming an attorney, she spent nine years working as a marketing executive for MSR, Cascade Designs, Cascade Bicycle Club, and other local companies.
Personal statement: "I am deeply inspired by the community of people in The Mountaineers - by their enthusiasm, accomplishments, friendships, and love of adventure. I am humbled by the opportunity to help the club continue to grow and thrive.”
In January 2024, Carry’s term as Secretary of the Board of Directors ended. She was appointed by the Board to an open at-large position. Per The Mountaineers bylaws, she is now standing for election by membership.
Alex Pratt
Member since 2018
Alex joined The Mountaineers in 2018 with the objective of becoming proficient on Cascade glaciers, first earning his Basic Climbing equivalency, and shortly after completing Intermediate Glacier Travel. Driven by an insatiable drive to accumulate gear, he has steadily expanded to additional outdoor activities, most recently completing the Single-Pitch and Multi-Pitch Trad Climbing classes. For the past three years, Alex has had the honor of serving on the Board of Directors, including as Chair of the Risk Management Committee. In that capacity, Alex has led several strategic initiatives for The Mountaineers including the development of an organizational risk statement, a refresh of the general liability waiver, and multiple risk reviews.
Professionally, Alex has spent over a decade working in clean technology companies, developing and deploying solutions to accelerate the adoption of renewables and distributed energy resources. He currently leads business development for Span, a company dedicated to enabling residential electrification through smart electrical panels. Alex holds a Civil Engineering degree from Duke University and served as a Navy SEAL officer for five years, including three overseas deployments. Following the military, Alex earned a dual degree MBA and MS in Environment and Resources from Stanford. Through his career Alex has developed extensive practical experience across operations, strategy, finance, partnerships, and more, and he is eager to contribute his expertise to advance the mission of The Mountaineers.
Anita Wilkins
Member since 2006
Anita was awed by Mount Rainier as a child when she hiked with her father to the Fremont Lookout, where she watched climbers through binoculars and wondered how she could do this, too. After 25 years of hiking, scrambling, and backpacking, along with the stuff of life – work, marriage, and two children – Anita marked her 40th birthday with a guided Rainier climb. That experience inspired her to join The Mountaineers to learn the skills to access these beautiful places on her own.
As a 17-year Mountaineers member, Anita has completed the Basic and Intermediate Climbing courses, volunteered on the Basic Climbing Committee, chaired the Ice Climbing Committee, and mentored climbing students. She has also contributed to Freedom of the Hills editions 8 and 9, and participated on The Mountaineers Advisory Council. As an At-Large Board member in her first term, Anita served on the Equity & Inclusion Committee, working to cultivate a community of belonging, and joined the newly chartered Development Committee, eager to put her professional skills to work for The Mountaineers.
Anita recently retired from a career in marketing communications, public relations, and development. She worked primarily in the healthcare sector and with nonprofit human services organizations centered on housing and educating women and youth experiencing poverty.
Personal Statement: “As I pursue passion projects in this new chapter of my life, I feel called to serve The Mountaineers community that has influenced me so deeply. Many people I met through Mountaineers activities have become my dearest friends and most trusted adventure partners—even supporting me through the loss of my husband (also a Mountaineer) in a skiing accident. During my 17 years of membership, I’ve seen some organizational growing pains, but most importantly, I’ve witnessed a cultural and operational transformation that genuinely supports The Mountaineers community to ‘Adventure with Purpose.’ It has been an honor to give back as a Mountaineers Board member for the past three years, and I look forward to contributing to the continued growth of the organization as we lead, engage, and advocate together for the next three years.”
Branch ELECTIONS
Three branches, Everett, Foothills, and Olympia are also holding elections from September 1 - 22 and branch members are invited to vote for their leadership. For members of these branches, the online election survey will allow you to vote for your branch leadership at the same time. Your vote counts, so please take the time to learn more about the candidates and cast your vote.
Our other branches - Bellingham, Kitsap, Seattle, and Tacoma - will be conducting their branch leadership elections in the coming months. Please keep an eye on your branch newsletter for more information about these important elections.
The Everett Branch has four candidates up for election this year. Robert White for Chair-Elect, Lydia Gillis for Vice Chair, Billy Anthony for Treasurer, and Janelle Schank for Secretary. More information can be found on their Everett Branch election blog post.
The Foothills Branch has two candidates for election. Erik Jensen is running for Treasurer and Liz McNett Crowl is running for Foothills Board of Directors Representative.
The Olympia Branch has three candidates for two roles in this election. Katja Hurt is running for Olympia Chair-Elect, while Sam Pskowski and Justin Fuehrer are both running for Olympia Branch Secretary. More information about the Foothills and Olympia candidates can be found on the election survey.
Thank you for joining us in shaping the future of The Mountaineers by participating in the 2024 Fall elections. Your vote will play a crucial role in steering our organization's legacy of outdoor education and environmental stewardship. Results will be shared with membership no later than October 1, 2024 via a blog post.
