Marko Pavela
The Olympia Branch has three outstanding candidates for two open positions in the 2018/19 Officer’s Council. The open positions are Chair-Elect and Secretary.
To cast your vote online, learn more about each candidate, and learn more about each position, click on the link below. Voting will begin on June 24 and end on Sunday, July 15, 2018 at 11:59pm. Your vote counts, so please take a few moments to learn more about our candidates and cast your vote.
A sincere thank you to all of our candidates for volunteering to run and your interest to serve on Olympia Branch’s Officers’ Council!
About our candidates:
Branch Chair-Elect
During the first year of service, the Chair Elect studies and learns about The Mountaineers and Olympia Branch governing documents in preparation to serve as Branch Chair. Additional duties and responsibilities are assigned by the Branch Chair. In the second year of service the Chair Elect becomes the Branch Chair. The Branch Chair presides over all meetings of the Olympia Officers and appoints all committee members. The Branch Chair (or the Chair’s designee) also represents the Olympia Branch at all meetings of the Mountaineers Branch Leadership Committee where the Chairs of all other branches convene with staff and board members.
BOB KERANEN
I joined the Mountaineers in 2008. I had climbed/kayaked/ backpacked back in college (in New Mexico) and after career & family was ready to get back into the outdoors. I graduated from Basic Climbing and a Mofa Instructor course and was volunteered for a service role or two, starting with Alpine Scrambling (2 years as Chair) and a stint as Chair Elect/Branch Chair (2010-2012). I found that I enjoyed teaching so much that Basic Climbing Chair, Mofa Co-Chair, & Branch Climbing Co-Chair kind of naturally followed one another. I currently serve on 10+ committees, teach in several classes and field trips, and am an active trip leader. I enjoy downhill skiing (working on my backcountry skills), peakbagging (now @ 46 of the “100 Peaks of Mt Rainer”), and might actually graduate from Intermediate Climbing one of these days! One of my proudest moments of recent years came a few weeks ago at a Basic Climbing Field Trip (Z-Pulley Park practice) when I realized that of the 22 instructors teaching that day, 18 to 20 of them were former students of mine. I’m proud to be an Olympia Mountaineer and look forward to continuing to serve.
MEGAN RASMUSSEN
I joined the Olympia Branch of the Mountaineers in 2016 after my lack of navigation skills got me lost in Capitol Forest. Since joining, I have been able to gain new skills and new friends. I am continuing to build upon my teaching and climbing skills as an Olympia Intermediate Climbing student. I am interested in becoming Olympia Branch Chair because I believe in this organization's ability to encourage and empower its members. If elected, I plan to spend time supporting our programs, empowering and investing in our volunteers and increasing opportunities for people to get outside and explore. I want to continue to work towards transparency between the Olympia Branch and other branches of the Mountaineers by ensuring that Olympia feels heard at the organization level. In this role, I hope to contribute to the work of the Progressive Climbing Committee to offer new opportunities to members and volunteers. I will invest in providing more opportunities for underrepresented communities to engage in our programs and progress into leadership positions across the branch. I am excited to a be a member of this branch and I would be honored if provided the opportunity to serve as the Olympia Branch Chair.
Branch Secretary
The "Secretary-Communications Chair" shall be the recording officer of the branch and shall be the official custodian of all branch records and reports (which shall include an inventory of branch properties), other than treasurer's records. The secretary may delegate responsibility for the custody of, and may prescribe rules for the custody of, branch records which relate to the work of any branch committee.
DOUG HANSEN
Doug “Hug” Hansen has lived in Olympia for over 30 years and has been a member of The Mountaineers Olympia Branch since September of 2015. Doug took the Basic Climbing course in 2016 and has since been involved in many aspects of The Mountaineers Olympia Branch. Currently, Doug is the lead instructor for the Introduction to Leading Bolted Routes course; a Hike Leader, Climb Leader, Scramble Leader; and working to finish Intermediate Climbing by next year. Outside of The Mountaineers Doug works for the Washington State Department of Revenue. During which time he has worked as a Revenue Agent and Management Analyst both of which require very good interpersonal skills and written communications skills. doug would like to represent you as your Olympia Branch Secretary. Doug will strive to make the Olympia Branch an even better Branch than it already is!
