Mount Baker Theatre

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2007-2008

Mount Baker Theatre is a non-profit organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors

DENNIS ARCHER - Treasurer
GARY BARNETT - President
LOUISE BJORNSON - Ex Officio
JANICE BUTLER
MARGARET CURTIS
RICHARD KAISER
MARK KUNTZ
DANIEL LARNER
IRWIN LECOCQ
JAN MARCHBANKS
KENNETH MARZOCCO - Past President
BRIAN PAPE
MATT ROSE - Secretary
BETH SEILS - Ex-Officio
SATPAL SIDHU
JIM STEVENS
DR. CHARLES WALTER
LISA WOO

Board of Directors Biographies

G. DENNIS ARCHER, JD, CPA/ABV/PFS, CFP- Treasurer
Dennis is the founder of Archer Group, PS, and is the director of tax services. Dennis holds both a Bachelor's and Masters of Business Administration in finance from the University of Washington, and a law degree from the Seattle University. Dennis is an Accredited Business Valuator and a certified Financial Planner. Dennis has practiced public accounting in Bellingham since 1981, after serving as a tax manager with an international CPA firm. Dennis is currently President of the Northwest Washington Estate Planning Council. Dennis is also a member and current secretary of the Bellingham Bay Rotary Club, Visiting Nurse Foundation board member and a past president, and a Director of Bank Northwest.

GARY BARNETT, President
Gary vacationed in Bellingham for fifteen years before moving to this community permanently in 1989. Gary previously served on the Mount Baker Theatre Board from July 1996, through June 2002, and held the positions of Building Committee Co-Chair, Secretary of the Board, and Vice President of the Board. During his tenure, he was also on the Program, Nominating and Executive Committees. He is the owner of Sehome Car Wash, Sehome Xpress Lube, and Espresso Express (The Coffee Hound) and will soon open Safe and Sound Heated Storage and Office Suites. He is presently serving on the Board of Directors for Northwest Soccer Park (Sportsplex) and was previously a Board member of Bellingham Bay Rotary and Hospice.

LOUISE BJORNSON, Ex-Officio
Bellingham City Council member Louise Bjornson currently chairs the Planning, Neighborhoods and Community Development Committee and the Legislative, Committee of the Whole. Louise is also a member of the Parks and Recreation Committee. In addition, she has several other council assignments, including serving on the Mount Baker Theatre Board, the Parks and Recreation Board, the Whatcom Transit Authority Board, and chairing the Open Space Committee. Louise has always been interested in serving her community and this genuine interest for the community has kept her in office for the last fourteen years, longest of any current member. Louise was born in the Midwest and came to the area to attend the University of Puget Sound, majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry. She later graduated from Western Washington University with honors and a degree in science education.

JANICE BUTLER
Janice received her both B.A. in Economics and her M.B.A at Stanford. She worked for ARCO (now BP) for twelve years in a wide range of positions, including exploration and development and corporate staff units. She retired from ARCO in 1995 when she and her family moved to Bellingham, becoming a full time Mom. She has been very active in our public schools, serving on levy campaign committees, site council and countless PTA activities. She also has served on the United Way Board and is currently on the St. Luke's Foundation Board. Her husband Glenn has formed his own consulting company after retiring from BP/ ARCO in 2000. They have one child in high school and two children in college.

MARGARET CURTIS
Margaret is the Managing Member of Wilson Engineering, L.L.C., a civil engineering and surveying firm working throughout Washington and southeast Alaska. She holds BA and MS Degrees from Rice University and is a registered professional engineer. Margaret and her husband, Marc, moved to Bellingham from Houston in 1991. They have been married since 1976 and have two children - Zach, a student at Sehome, and Meredith, a student at Dartmouth College. Margaret has been on the Bellingham/ Whatcom County Housing Authority Boards since 1997 and is active in student recognitions for the Rotary Club of Bellingham. Her other interests include her parents, walking, thinking about cooking, and real estate transaction voyeurism. With appreciation for, but minimal background in, the arts, Margaret represents segments of the community requiring a hard sell.

RICHARD KAISER P.E.
Richard has earned both his B.S. and M.S. at University of Washington in Oceanography and Mechanical Engineering, respectively. He has worked as an instructor, a mechanical engineer and currently is employed with the Seaprest Company, where he is under contract with ConocoPhillips. He has served on the board of both the Bellingham Bay Aquarium and the Chuckanut Community Firefighter Association. He has managed and created vital databases for our community, including the Mount Baker Theatre. He is married to former Board Member Ann Kaiser.

MARK KUNTZ
Mark is on the theatre faculty at Western Washington University after spending eleven years at Eastern Oregon University. His BA in Theatre Arts is from the University of Washington, and his MFA in Directing is from the University of Oregon. Mark's artistic accomplishments encompass a wide range of areas in the theatre arts. In the spring 1997 he played Prospero in WWU's production of The Tempest, and his new script, People in a Pen, was performed in winter 1998 at WWU. His work as a director has received regional productions with KC/ACTF, and his production of Lips Together, Teeth Apart was recognized as a runner-up for the Kennedy Center National Festival. Mark's new experimental theatrical form, Splash, was performed in 1998 at University of Colorado, Denver, University of Iowa, Boston University, and Western Washington University. Mark is currently the producing director of Western's Summer Stock and is also the Nation Vice Chair of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and past Chair of KC/ACTF Region VII and Past-President of The Northwest Drama Conference. He served on the KC/ACTF National Selection Team in 1999 and 2000.

DANIEL LARNER
Daniel is a playwright and theatre scholar. He took his A.B. from Harvard College and his M.S. (in the History of Science) and Ph.D. (in Speech/Theatre) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has taught at Western Washington University since 1968, in the English, Speech, and Theatre Departments, and currently is Professor of Theatre at WWU's Fairhaven College, Western Washington University, where he has been since 1982. Daniel was one of the founders of the College of Fine and Performing Arts at WWU in 1976. He has served as Director of Graduate Study and Acting Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts, as well as serving as Dean of Fairhaven College for seven years, 1982-1989. Daniel's scholarly work is widely published in theatre, literature and law journals, and has published plays as well. Currently he has two plays commissioned, one in Nicosia, Cyprus, and one by the Floyd and Delores Jones Foundation, Seattle. He first joined the MBT Board of Directors in 1983, just after its founding, and served 1983-1994, and 1998-2004. Has served on the MBT's Building Committee since its inception (except 1995-1998), chairing it 1983-1993, and has also served on the Program Committee. Daniel has also worked as a consultant to theatre architects (R.F. McCann) and developers (David Houck). He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington 1969-85, 1990-present.

IRWIN LECOCQ
Irwin has lived in Whatcom County most of his life. He served in the air force for three years in the 1940s, subsequently earning his degree from Linfield College. For the past 50 years he has been employed by Peoples Bank, eventually working up to Chairman of the Board of the Bank. He has served on numerous boards, including but not limited to St. Joseph's Hospital, YMCA, Whatcom County Development Council, Agriculture and Forestry Education and Foundation, and Lynden Planning Commission. Irwin has an extensive and impressive resume of public service, particularly here in Whatcom County. He and his wife Frances have two children.

JAN MARCHBANKS
Jan has over forty years of experience as an educator, therapist, administrator and consultant. Highlights of her impressive career include employment as an adjunct faculty of Western Washington University, Assistant Superintendent of Ferndale School District and Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Staff relations for Bellingham School District. She recently retired after ten years as a personnel consultant. Jan has served as a Board Member for both Whatcom Crisis Services and Bellingham Festival of Music. She has been an active Board Member of Bellingham Rotary since 1989, including service as Rotary Board President during 2004-2005.

KEN MARZOCCO- Past-President
Ken Marzocco is President and General Manager of VECO USA, Inc., an engineering company with approximately 500 employees. Ken resides in Bellingham with his wife, Lilian, and their two children, ages 11 and 14. Ken is active in a number of non-profit groups, including being a Rotarian, Chairman of the Pacific Energy Association, and member of the United Way Campaign Cabinet. His hobbies involve many outdoor activities such as hiking, golf, mountain biking, skiing, and he has competed in the Ski to Sea Race for the past three years.

BRIAN PAPE
Brian was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He accepted an NROTC scholarship at Northwestern University and graduated with a Business Degree and a Naval Science Degree in 1961. He served four years active duty in the Navy and continued as a reservist, attaining the rank of Captain in 1983. He met Joan while in the reserves, and they married in 1973 and lived in Chicago where Brian had begun an insurance career. They moved to Bellingham in 1994 when he left the Sedgwick Commercial Insurance Brokerage Company as First Vice-President and secured employment with one of his largest clients who owned a chain of duty-free stores. Upon retirement in l999, Brian began his new career volunteering in many worthwhile endeavors starting as Finance Project Manager for Assumption Parish's expansion and renovation for its school and church. He and Joan helped found and establish The Hope House at 207 Kentucky Street, a one-stop shop for the poor and disadvantaged. Brian is Past-President (2000-2003) of The Family Advisory Council, Catholic Community Services-Northwest. In May, 2002, Brian accepted a position on The Whatcom Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors where he assumed Chair of the Marketing, Advertising, and Special Fund-Raising Events Committee. During the winter of 2002-2003, he began serving on The Mount Baker Theatre Program and Development Committees. “Joan and I are thrilled to be giving back to the Bellingham community that we so love.”

MATT ROSE, Secretary
Matt is the Chief Operating Officer of Northwest Radiologist/Mt Baker Imaging, a medical imaging services corporation serving Northwest Washington. In addition, he performs administrative consulting for Massachusetts General Hospital’s Trauma and Disaster Institute and Project Hope’s China operations. A Bellingham native, Matt has served throughout the world as a U.S. Navy pilot, administrator and policy officer. He is a member of Bellingham Bay Rotary and serves on the boards of the Bellingham Technical College Foundation and Mt Baker chapter of the American Red Cross. His education includes a B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MPA from Harvard. He enjoys athletic and cultural activities with his wife, Sarah, and three young children. His other interests (and struggles) include guitar, acting, and writing. Locally, he performed minor roles in Western’s Summer Stock 2006 production of the Sound of Music.

BETH SEILS, Ex-Officio
Beth, a native of the Chicago area, claims the beauty and lifestyle of the Pacific Northwest lured her and her husband to live in retirement in Bellingham. She enjoyed a 30-year career in public education as a teacher of middle school, where she taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade English and specialized in reading diagnosis and instruction. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Illinois State University and a Masters in Reading from Concordia University, Forest Ridge, IL. In her career she served as English Department chairperson and conducted numerous workshops for district staff. A highlight for her was the honor of Outstanding Teacher Award from her district in 1987. She has devoted many years to the direction of drama productions for her school where she specialized in musicals and popularized an all-school talent show called “Airband.” She is married to Herb Seils with whom she shares parenthood of four adult children, two daughters and two sons, and two adored grandchildren. Her interests include reading and learning to draw and paint with watercolors. Mount Baker Theatre is a “gem” for which she is proud and pleased to volunteer.

SATPAL SIDHU
Satpal has been Dean of Professional Technical Education at Bellingham Technical College since 2002. He is a licensed professional engineer and holds an MBA. He emigrated from India in 1979 and is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States. He moved to Whatcom County in 1988. Satpal has served on the Advisory Board of Northwest Clean Air Agency since 1998. He is also on the Community Council of St. Joseph Hospital and the Board of Directors of Whatcom Counseling and Psychiatric Clinic. His wife, Mundir, owns Spice Hut, a small business on West Kellogg Road in Bellingham. They have three sons: Mandev is an engineer with Boeing, Tanvir is pursuing a Business Degree, and Aman is a senior at WSU, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Satpal is quite involved in the community and loves to cook authentic Indian food.

JIM STEVENS
Jim Stevens is a native of Washington State. He and his wife, Linda, have two sons, Tyler and Blake. Jim has worked for the Bellingham School District for twenty years and is currently the Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations. He is retiring in 2005. Jim has a BA and MBA from Western Washington University. Jim enjoys boating in the islands, spending time on Eliza Island, and traveling with his family.

CHARLES HUGHES WALTER
Chuck was born and raised in Ames, Iowa, home of Iowa State University. He attended the University of Iowa in Iowa City and graduated from the College of Dentistry in 1978. He graduated from Ohio State University in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 1982. My wife, Elsie, and I moved to Bellingham in 1982 where I joined Dan Cheney in his practice. In 1976, Elsie Hoff and I were married, and we have been ever since. In 1984 and 1988, they were blessed with two daughters, Chelsea and Tiffany. Over the years, we have enjoyed Bellingham. Chuck has served on the Community Committee to build the swimming pool at the Aquatic Center, on the Executive Committee for St. Joseph's Hospital, and on the Board of Directors of Bellingham Bay Rotary. In 1994, he became the President of the Washington State Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Since 1996, he has served on the Board of the Western Regional Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, as Treasurer, Vice-President, and President. He has also served on our National Committee of Intergovernmental Affairs, as well as being the delegate from Washington State to our National Convention. Chuck and his family have enjoyed the benefits of Bellingham and have actively supported the Museum, the pool, the Festival of Music, and the many activities that make Bellingham a very special place to live. They have a special love for the Mount Baker Theatre and have had season tickets ever since the Theatre was purchased locally. They have enjoyed the marvelous transformation they have seen in the Theatre from a run-down movie house to the restored jewel of Bellingham and “the” place to see in Bellingham.

LISA WOO
Lisa owns Red Berry, a yogurt store in downtown Bellingham. She is also a real estate developer who buys and sells properties. She owns the mixed-use building at the corner of Holly Street and Railroad Avenue that houses businesses including Red Berry and Bob’s Burgers and Brew. Lisa serves on the Bellingham Sister Cities Advisory Board and is planning a trip to Korea with Sister Cities in September 2008. She serves on the Board of Directors of Western Washington University Foundation and is a past member of the Board of Directors of Downtown Renaissance Network. She and her husband, Dr. Ron Woo, have two grown daughters.