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Tacoma Mountaineers Branch Council Election 2019

Tacoma Branch Council Elections

1. Membership Verification
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2. Candidate: CURTIS STOCK
Position: Council Chair
Candidate Statement: Curtis Stock originally joined the Tacoma Mountaineers in 1985, primarily to find mid-week activity partners. He completed the Basic Climbing Equivalency but primarily participated in Scrambling. After leaving the Pacific Northwest region due to a career move Curtis remained affiliated with the Tacoma Branch, although not an active participate. Upon returning to the region in 2005 he renewed his Basic Climbing credentials. He started the Intermediate Climbing Course in 2007 and graduated in 2012, after becoming a climb leader in 2011. Curtis served on the Basic Climbing Course committee in 2011. Since then he has led numerous trips throughout the northwest. Most recently he has qualified as a Scrambles leader. Curtis has leveraged the training and experience he gained through the Tacoma climbing program to climb outside the Pacific Northwest. He has successfully completed climbs in Mexico (Pico de Orizaba), Russia (Elbrus), Alaska (Denali), Argentina (Aconcagua) and Ecuador (Chimborazo). Professionally Curtis served in the U. S. Coast Guard for twenty year, serving first in operations (cutters, boats and rescue center) and then as a telecommunications specialist. After leaving the Coast Guard Curtis worked at AT&T as a project manager for wireless data products and services. Curtis left AT&T in2017 and has been working as a tax and non-profit financial consultant. He has been serving as the council chair of his local church for the past two years. Curtis is inspired by the innovative programs opening the outdoors to our youth and others who are underrepresented and is interested in giving back to the organization. He would be honored to serve the Tacoma Branch as the Council Chair.

Are you in support of electing this candidate to a 2-year term on the Tacoma Mountaineers Branch Council?
3. Candidate: NATALIA MARTINEZ-PAZ
Position: Council Vice Chair
Candidate Statement: The Mountaineers has shaped countless lives over the last hundred years, including my own. I have seen first-hand the transformational experiences of people as they challenge themselves, confront their fears, and then excel through the guidance of dedicated volunteers. By engaging the community to explore, conserve, and play in our home mountains and waters, the Mountaineers excels in an exceedingly difficult task: building an engaged and dedicated community with the potential to shape the future. Empowering people is the essence of the Mountaineers, and it is because of this mission that I am humbled and honored to apply for the Tacoma Branch Council Vice Chair position. I joined the Mountaineers in 2013 after being abroad for 6 years and graduated from the Basic Climbing Course in 2014. I have been an active member of the Tacoma Mountaineers since then as Tacoma Basic Climbing Lecture Chair 2015-2017, Co-Chair 2018, and Basic Climbing Chair 2019 - present. I also serve on the club-wide PCE Curriculum Committee and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. In this work, I collaborate with other branch leaders to establish curriculum standards and to develop a club wide strategy for inclusion and equity at all levels. As Vice-Chair, my focus will be to support the Branch Chair and the programs at the Tacoma Mountaineers. The Tacoma Branch is a leader in the breadth of programs it offers and supports. Our members are constantly innovating, and I will strategically engage our members and partners to support the ground level work of our chairs and leaders, so Tacoma remains a model for the Mountaineers at large. My professional background in Public Health is a natural fit with the work of Branch Council. I work with national, regional, and local leaders to support our most underserved hospitals. As a founding partner in an award-winning program, I’ve worked directly with national leaders at the CDC and state departments of health to develop robust and sustainable programs for antimicrobial stewardship and infectious disease education. In addition to my Mountaineers volunteer work, I am also a PSIA level one certified instructor at Alpental, a backcountry ski patroller at Mt. Rainier National Park, and have been a King County ESAR member since 2002. The Mountaineers has changed my life. I will always be humbled and honored to serve the Mountaineers in whatever way best serves the club.

Are you in support of electing this candidate to a 2-year term on the Tacoma Mountaineers Branch Council?
4. Candidate: MARK E. KERR
Position: Tacoma Representative to the Mountaineers Board of Directors
Candidate Statement: An avid lifelong outdoor enthusiast, I have always been inspired by organizations which promote and educate individuals, to enjoy unimpaired access to the natural world, and maintain an emphasis on human powered activities. I joined The Mountaineers in 1996 to build on an already strong assortment of outdoor experiences and to advance my knowledge of mountaineering. Over the years, I have been consistently impressed with the level of dedication, passion, commitment, and professionalism of The Mountaineers community. While there have been times that, due to geography, I’ve let my membership lapse, I recently returned to the Pacific Northwest and reengaging with The Mountaineers was at the top of my list. As I further focus on being a part of a strong community, who share my values on exploring the local opportunities here in the Pacific Northwest, I’m excited at this opportunity to give back to The Mountaineers. For context, in addition to the classes I’ve taken with The Mountaineers, my outdoor experiences includes: Eagle Scout, staff member Philmont Scout Ranch, the BSA’s premier High Adventure base, multiple classes and guided trips with the Wilderness Education Association, Outward Bound, Wilderness Medicine Institute (now with NOLS), American Alpine Institute, International Mountain Guides, and the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education among others. Outside of the outdoor environment, I am extremely fortunate professionally to have skills and experience which I’m confident will fit with the ongoing council activities both here in Tacoma, and in Seattle, as Representative to the Mountaineers Board of Directors. I’m a Registered Architect with the National Park Service (NPS) in the Western Pacific Regional Office, a Lieutenant Commander (LDCR) in the reserve component of the Navy Civil Engineer Corps, and a National Fellow of The Explorers Club. The older I get the more I appreciate the simple things like spending my free time, in a tent, with my wife of 23 years, three children, and our chocolate lab.

Are you in support of electing this candidate to a 2-year term on the Tacoma Mountaineers Branch Council?
5. Candidate: HARLEY SANDOVAL
Position: Branch Treasurer or Secretary (TBD)
Candidate Statement: Having moved to Tacoma from tropical Guatemala, I initially joined The Mountaineers to find activities to explore the backcountry of the Pacific Northwest. It all started with the Alpine Scrambling Course in 2014. The scenery, the people, etc., it was just wonderful, and I couldn’t have enough of it. From scrambling, I quickly moved into Glacier Travel and then Intense Basic and Intermediate Climbing. It has been a great experience, and I cannot wait to share this with so many other people in the coming years. I want to give back, and if possible, make it an even better experience for the new members of the Mountaineers community in the future. Needless to say, at this point, The Mountaineers has become a year-round venture for me! I would like to continue giving back to The Mountaineers and serve on the Tacoma Leadership Committee. I'm specifically interested in finding and implementing ways to make Mountaineering activities more accessible to diverse populations in the Tacoma area. I am looking forward to returning to serve at the council for a new term and continue giving back to the organization.

Are you in support of electing this candidate to a 2-year term on the Tacoma Branch Council?
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