Board of Trustees

Norm, Kathy and their son, Spencer, have an abiding connection to the cultures, places and residents of the Salish Sea. They have owned property on Whidbey and San Juan Islands; Spencer and Norm are alumni of Camp Nor’wester on Lopez and Johns Islands; and the Smiths are boaters, who have been regular visitors and contributors in the region for decades.

Norm is President Emeritus of The Ford Family Foundation in Roseburg, OR, and is a Senior Fellow at the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust in Vancouver, WA. He is past board chair of Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington and a former board member of Philanthropy Northwest in Seattle.

Norm is a retired attorney, who started with the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C.; then had a private practice in Portland, OR; and became an executive in the Law and Government Affairs division of AT&T in Portland, Denver and San Francisco. Norm served three terms in the Oregon House of Representatives and is a graduate of Northwestern and Willamette University College of Law.

Barbara has owned a home on San Juan Island since 2000. She spent many summers here while wintering in Pebble Beach, CA before making San Juan her permanent home in 2014.

Barbara grew up in Montreal and is now a dual citizen. Majoring in Musicology and Music History at Wellesley College in MA, she also has an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Barbara retired in 2001 after a long career in business and finance. Her last position was Senior Vice President Strategic Planning at Visa International in Foster City, CA.

Barbara’s past board experience includes Treasurer of Merola Opera Program and San Francisco Performances, Director of the Friday Harbor Labs Advancement Board and Chair of the Monterey Symphony. Barbara has been a trustee of the San Juan Community Theatre since 2014 and Co-Chair of Peace Island Volunteers from 2011 to 2014, now a Director. She joined the San Juan Island Community Foundation board in 2007.

Rebecca was introduced to the San Juan Islands in 2001. She splits her time among Minneapolis, Palm Desert and San Juan Island, but San Juan has increasingly become “home” since 2003.

After many years of active community service in the Twin Cities, including twelve years on the Walker Art Center board, Rebecca has quietly but consistently been active in her local community. She serves as an advisor to the Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor and was an instrumental part of the new shelter building project. Rebecca currently serves on the board of Peace Island Medical Center and has served on the board of the San Juan Island Community Foundation since 2008.

At the pleasure of the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, Rebecca served for six years on The Kennedy Center Board in Washington, DC as the chair of the development committee.

Rebecca’s respect and appreciation for the San Juans complements her long-time love and support of community, children and animals. Even with this enduring dedication and effort, Rebecca is first and foremost a homemaker and mother. She and her husband, Bob, have three sons, three daughters-in-law, nine grandchildren and three German Shepherds.

A forty-year resident of San Juan Island, Charles Anderson served as the Foundation’s chairman for 12 years. During his tenure, annual grants to the community have grown by an average of 50 times. In 2018 the Board honored his dedicated service by naming him chairman emeritus.

In 1976 Charles founded Cogent Data Technologies, a successful computer hardware networking company headquartered in Friday Harbor with offices in Seattle, Europe and the Far East. He sold the privately held company in 1996 and ‘retired’.

Charles was educated at M.I.T (BSEE) and received a PhD in Physiology and Molecular Biophysics from The University of Washington. Charles spent several years overseas involved in postdoctoral research at the University of Leiden and at the University College London as the guest of Sir Bernard Katz, Nobel Lauriat in neurophysiology.

Charles, as chair of the San Juan Island Community Foundation, spearheaded the creation of the Peace Island Medical Center, co-directed the $10.5 million hospital capital campaign and served as the founding chairman of the Board of Directors. The Cancer Care Center is named after his former wife Deanna, whose passing served as an inspiration to create the hospital.

Charles also serves on the Board of Directors and member of the investment committee of the Aspen Music Festival and School in Aspen, Colorado.

In 2022 Charles was honored with the National Distinguished Service Award for his philanthropic work.  Distinguished Service Award winners are chosen by the Council of Foundations on the basis of their demonstrated leadership, innovation, courage, integrity, trust, and impact on their community.

In his younger days, Charles was a pilot, a sailor and mountain climber. He is an avid skier and an active philanthropist.

As a third-generation San Juan Islander, Steve is a very familiar face on San Juan Island. He grew up on a cattle ranch on the southwest shore of San Juan Island and remains devoted to the island’s health and vitality.

Steve has been active in the local real estate business since the early 80s, when he joined San Juan Properties to assist his father, the late Sam Buck II. He’s the current owner of Coldwell Banker San Juan Islands, where he enjoys working with a tight-knit group of realtors with 20 years of history together.

Steve graduated from Friday Harbor High School and earned a BA in Business Administration from Washington State University. He also studied International Business at the University of Washington. In addition to his active real estate business, Steve fills his time with a variety of volunteer efforts. He helped establish United Way of San Juan County and has served on a number of boards, including Paideia School.

When not at work, Steve enjoys spending time with the most important people in his life – his family. He has four children and three grandchildren.

A native of the Pacific Northwest and originally hailing from Port Angeles, Madelyn has enjoyed being a full-time resident of San Juan Island since 2009. She previously lived in Austin, TX, Fircrest, WA, Chicago and Denver.

Madelyn holds a BA and MA in Theology and an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy.  She spent thirty years in professional leadership with the Lutheran Church at the local, regional and national levels facilitating program and leadership development.

Madelyn is an active volunteer who has served as a Hospice volunteer, is a member of the SJICF Women’s Fund grants committee, served nine years on the board of San Juan Community Theatre (including two years as President), and is an active member of Lutheran Church in the San Juans. She joined the San Juan Community Foundation board in 2018.

Madelyn enjoys walking the many beautiful island trails, kayaking, reading and knitting. She and her husband, Dennis, have two sons and five grandchildren who love visiting San Juan Island.

Maude Cumming has recently retired from working in the local public school system. From the esteemed position of volunteer, to bus driver, to high school attendance secretary (best Mom job ever), to Executive Assistant to the Superintendent (best public service job ever), she is grateful for her 30-year career and believes wholeheartedly in the mission of public education. Maude and now-retired Sheriff Bill Cumming raised two fine young men, Dan and Tim Cumming. She is now back to volunteering in the community, committed to the ever elusive task of making the world a better place.

Maude is a graduate of Western Washington University (BA Biology), has functioned on many local boards, including (predictably) the PTA boards at each school, Dollars for Scholars, 4H, Little League, and every sport in which her boys were ever active. She loves her boat (1947 Troller, “Kath-Ell”), her tennis shoes, and her dog, Blue.

Maude was elected to serve as Board Chair in February 2021.

Pamela traveled the world on a small sailboat for 10 years before settling in Friday Harbor in 1997.  She sailed over 10,000 nautical miles from the Intercoastal Waterway to the Inside Passage and dozens of places in between.  At one time, in true island fashion, she juggled four different jobs to make ends meet.

She served on the board for the San Juan Community Home Trust in its early days and assisted youth as a volunteer Reading Buddy.  She co-taught English as a Second Language to refugee women, volunteers for the Maltz Museum’s Stop The Hate program and was active in the leadership and design of the PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center.  For PIMC, she also coordinated the landscaping; ensured that a fruit orchard was included to honor the property history as a former farm and along with her husband, donated the stately Garry Oak trees to help preserve island character.

In recent years, she has pursued a life-long interest in the regulation of industrial animal agriculture and its catastrophic effects on the animals, workers and the environment.  In partnership with the burgeoning Animal Law program at Lewis & Clark, she co-created Law Scholars for Change, a scholarship-clerkship-fellowship program that supports animal law students who seek to advocate for and advance industrial farmed animal rights and protections.

Pamela is an accomplished landscape designer and master gardener. She loves to hike, ski, read and explore places of wonder and artistic expression.  She joined the SJICF Board in May 2008.

A long-time donor and resident of San Juan Island, Carolyn moved from Southern California to San Juan in 1999 as she accepted the position as principal of Friday Harbor Elementary School. She refers to this opportunity as life changing as San Juan Island gave her a “sense of place.”

Now retired from 40 years as a public school teacher, district coordinator of professional development, principal and superintendent/principal, Carolyn finds avenues to give back to this community she cherishes calling home. Her commitment to learning, family, the arts, animals, and the environment are reflected in the missions of the eight non-profit boards on which she has served since moving here.

Carolyn is grateful to begin a second term on the SJICF Board.

Also she continues to serve on the University of Washinton – Friday Harbor Labs Advancement Board and on the Advisory Boards for Animal Protection Society-Friday Harbor and PADs for Parkinson’s.  (She was a member of the PADs organizing board. She and her “super-sniffer” dog, Rowan, are one of the two longest serving teams participating in PADs since it began in 2016.)

In addition to community service Carolyn enjoys walking, reading, writing, travel, and family time with her daughter Krissy and son-in-law Michael Soltman.

Having grown up in the Midwest, Philip Johnson first discovered San Juan Island in 1999 as the result of a visit to sail and kayak this unique island. After falling in love with the San Juans, Phil and his spouse, Peg Gerlock, chose to become permanent residents more than 20 years ago. Over that time, he has come to know and respect the community members who live and work here.

During his 40-year career as a market research professional, he became an owner and the CEO of Leo J. Shapiro & Assoc., a market research and consulting company located in Chicago. Phil has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Loyola University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Professionally he has been a researcher, analyst, manager, mentor, and marketing consultant. Currently, he is president of JJG Group LLC, which provides survey research for intellectual property litigation.

Phil has served the Community Foundation as a member of its investment committee over the past eight years. For many years he was the chair of the annual San Juan Concours, and he is an active member in the San Juan Island Yacht Club.

Phil enjoys sailing, mountaineering, backpacking, and kayaking as well as visits with his two children and three grandchildren, who live in the Denver area. He also treasures long hikes with Peg and their dog Dylan.

Laura is a sixth-generation islander who became a full-time resident of San Juan Island in 2009. A Graduate Gemologist by trade, Laura spent nearly twenty years traveling throughout the country while working and exploring the many facets of the jewelry industry – from national sales rep and designer to buyer, appraiser and business owner.

Laura started a career in banking with Heritage Bank in 2010. Her role as an executive officer in a community bank suits her commitment to exceptional customer service, relationship building and giving back to her beloved community. She joined the board of the San Juan Island Community Foundation in 2017.  Additionally, she sits on the boards of Spring Street International School and the San Juan Chamber of Commerce.

Laura and her husband, Thomas, have two adult daughters and a teenage son. She is a passionate advocate for the educational rights of people on the Autism Spectrum and travel for humanitarian work. A favorite such trip was to Honduras with her eldest daughter where they built a water purification system and painted a local orphanage.

When not working or volunteering, Laura can be found hiking with her family, watching her husband’s band at local venues, or discussing the latest novels with her book club.

Michael Soltman is recently retired from public education and many Islanders will remember him as Superintendent of the San Juan Island School District from 2002-2009. Throughout his thirty-five year career in education, Michael made time to serve on a variety of boards and committees including educational foundations, non-profit child/family focused organizations, and professional organizations. A large portion of the Foundation’s work supports educational opportunities across multiple areas of interest. Michael’s expertise will help inform and grow this important area. Michael is a native of the Pacific Northwest, grew up in Seattle, and received his master’s degree at the University of Washington. He is delighted to return and serve the San Juan Island community as a member of the San Juan Community Foundation Board of Directors.