Mary Fisher - WIN FounderMary grew up on the eastern seaboard and attended college at California Arts & Crafts in Oakland. She met her husband Tom in Alaska where she lived for nine years. They moved to Whidbey in 1983 and Tom built the home where they raised their three children. Once their kids were out of the house, Mary felt a strong desire to do something that would be helpful for the community. During that time she volunteered for a Power of Hope project and discovered how many homeless teens there were on South Whidbey who were struggling with food insecurity. Mary founded WIN In 2007 to address childhood hunger on South Whidbey.
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Beth Quigley - Co-Board PresidentBeth is a Northwest native with two grown kids.
Her son was diagnosed with severe allergies and celiac as an infant, and since this was before the internet, she had to rethink foods and create healthy meals for the whole family. He is now a certified gluten-free baker, and Beth's daughter is the assistant director at the Smart Art Museum at the University of Chicago. Beth enjoys gardening, reading, hiking, traveling, and volunteering! She's currently on the board for The Friends of Clinton Library and assists with I Support the Girls on Whidbey Island. |
Janice Brockway - Co-Board PresidentBorn and raised in the Northwest, Janice has had a home on Whidbey for ten years. In 2019, after a 30-year career in program management for a large aerospace company, Janice retired to the island. She began volunteering for WIN at that time - appreciating that WIN is a volunteer-driven organization that meets a critical need in the local community. Some of her other interests include fly fishing, reading, gardening, and travel. She has recently taken up Tai Chi.
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Sue Ross - Vice PresidentAfter years of visiting Whidbey, Sue and her husband Mark bought a home on the island in 2019 and remodeled. Sue started volunteering in the WIN kitchen and learned about the organization, and the nutrition needs of the families and school system. Sue and Mark grew up in the Northeast where they went to college and separately found their way to Seattle for their work. Sue and a co-worker eventually started a consulting firm specializing in strategic marketing and financial services until her retirement in 2015 to care for her parents and pursue her hobbies - gardening, cooking and the arts. She has been involved with a number of Boards during her career– non-profit and for-profit, with a focus on education, social services and finance. The Rosses have two children, Adam in NYC and Anna in Berlin, Germany.
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Gayle Shea - TreasurerGayle grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and attended college at San Jose State. She relocated to Washington state in 1975 and settled in the Renton area until 2013. Gayle and her husband Pat built their family home together and never thought they'd move. After a day trip to Whidbey in 2016, they fell in love with Whidbey, retired a couple of years early, and bought a home in Clinton. Gayle worked in the non-profit sector for 30 years before retiring, including several years with adoption agencies and the last ten years with an organization that provides homeownership opportunities for low-income and first-time homebuyers.
Gayle volunteers in the WIN kitchen and is a backup delivery driver for WIN's Weekend Meal Program. Over the years, Gayle has volunteered for many organizations and served on several boards, primarily for organizations supporting children. She is an avid gardener and loves to cook and travel. Pat and Gayle have three children, Mike, Aimee, and Chris living in South King County. |
Christine George - SecretaryChristine was born and raised in NW Illinois, the youngest of six children. After graduating from Southern Illinois University with a BA in Communications/Journalism, she stayed in Carbondale working at the local newspaper. One brother had moved "west" which was a spark for her imminent move in 1985. Christine was fortunate to work in marketing at the quintessential NW company; REI for 14 years, where she met her husband, Marc George. They were married in 1990 have 2 sons, Simon, 27 and John 25 living in Portland and Puyallup respectively. Volunteering at her sons' elementary school kitchen led to a 10 year stint with Seattle Public Schools in the Nutrition Dept as Kitchen Manager at John Hay Elementary School on Queen Anne. Marc & Christine bought property on South Whidbey in 1998 and proceeded to build a home/garden during the next 24 years, retiring in 2019 led to finally living here full time! Pastimes include, bicycling, gardening, sketching, and travel/hiking. - All things Whidbey!
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Michele VenetisMichele Venetis is a native Californian who moved to Whidbey Island with her husband, Steve. in 2015 from Los Angeles. She has worked in the film industry for over 40 years and when arriving to the Island found two of her favorite volunteering experiences with Whidbey Island Center for the Arts and Whidbey Island Nourishes. The community of caring people is what made Michele want to be part of WIN and subsequently become a Board Member. Michele also serves on the Board for WICA.
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Nancy ThompsonNancy was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from USF with a BSN in Nursing and Public Health.She relocated to Washington State in 1980 working twenty-five years in the outpatient surgical setting.
After retiring from nursing she and her husband, Brad, moved to Whidbey Island.In 2012 they purchased land and developed Dancing Fish Vineyards-Winery and Event center. A long time business donor and now officially retired she now can focus on volunteering. She currently volunteers in the WIN kitchen and has joined the WIN Board of Directors. She is also a member of Soroptimist International of South Whidbey Island. She enjoys her nine grandchildren, fishing, reading, photography and the arts. |
Nancy BellNancy grew up in New Jersey and attended Keuka College in upstate New York. After one year of teaching, she changed careers and moved to San Diego to work at a local TV station. Subsequent career moves took her to Memphis, and ultimately to San Francisco, where she met her husband of 33 years.
2009 marked a total life change with her introduction to the threats of climate change. Over the next 15 years Nancy focused on adult education in environmental issues and voter education. During that time, she was Program Director and co-President of the Environmental Forum of Marin and served on the Board of the Marin League of Women Voters. In 2018 Nancy and her husband, Bruce, visited Whidbey for the first time. They loved the cycling and slower pace on the island, which led to more frequent and extended stays. In 2022 they decided to move to Whidbey permanently. With that, Nancy started volunteering in the WIN kitchen, impressed with the commitment of the organization. In 2023 they sold their Sausalito condo and bought their house in Freeland. In addition to cycling, Nancy enjoys cooking, hiking, dancing and Ikebana flower arranging. |
Claudia BridgesClaudia's career includes 10 years of academia as a Marketing professor from which she retired from when she and her husband moved from Sacramento to the Las Vegas area. Transitioning into community service, Claudia dedicated eight years to volunteering as a grant coordinator/administrator for a non-profit organization focused on emergency aid and food provision. Her commitment to public service continued as she spent the subsequent four years serving on the Boulder City City Council and participating in various Clark County commissions before moving to Whidbey Island in 2022. With expertise in marketing, non-profit operations, civic engagement, and grant management, Claudia hopes to lend her skills to support the non-profit sector, particularly organizations like the Whidbey Veterans Resource Center and WIN.
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