Our Starting Line-Up

As we head into 2008, I thought it would be helpful to make sure all of you know who to call at the office when you have questions. There are 10 of us at the NMTA to serve your needs. I’ll introduce each one of them and give you a “conversation starter” when you give them a call. I’ll close with a chart to help steer you to the right person. We are all here to serve you.

But first, some factoids about the team: George Harris and I have been here the longest, at 8 years while Brad Vickers and Katie Groseclose are the most recent arrivals having started this past summer. On average, the staff has been at the NMTA 3.5 years and our average age is 35.

In reverse alphabetical order by first name… just to show we’re willing to change things up just for fun:

Trudy Mower – Trudy grew up in Auburn. She is our Staff Assistant and most of the time, she will be the first one you talk to when you call. When she is not at work, you’ll find Trudy going to school at nights to become an elementary school teacher. (2 years).

Tony Floor – Our Director of Fishing Affairs lives in Olympia with his wife Karyl. If he is not out fishing in his Osprey, you will find him in the driveway washing the family cars while deep in the garage, another load of salmon is being smoked for gifts and winter sustenance. (4 years).

Marina Hench – Marina grew up in Shoreline and graduated from the University of Washington in 2006. She is our Director of Government Affairs and when she is not at work, she enjoys taking dance classes around town and no, she did not change her name just to get a job at the NMTA. That’s her real name. (February 2007).

Laura Snodgrass – Laura has two young girls, Morgan aged 11 and Riley aged 9. She is our Director of Finance. When she is not work, Laura is getting coffee on Saturday morning with her best friend Lisa and driving the girls to sports events from one end of West Seattle to the other. (4 years).

Katie Groseclose - Our newest employee and the only “Coug” graduated from WSU. She came to us from Fisheries Supply where she seemingly memorized the name of most everyone in the marine business. Katie is our Membership Assistant and is still celebrating the recent Apple Cup win at Husky Stadium. (June 2007).

John Thorburn – He graduated from UWT, which in case you don’t know it is the University of Washington Tacoma. John and his wife Tolena live in Tacoma with their 5-month old daughter Mackenzie and their dog Joey. He is our Communications Director. (4 years).

George Harris – Our longest-serving employee, he and his wife Lisa live in Seattle with their two daughters Bailey aged 9 and Jackie aged 4. George is an early riser who, if not in the office first thing in the morning, can be found fishing for salmon from the family sailboat (yes, with downriggers) on Elliott Bay. George is Vice-President of Member Services and Events. (8 years).

Brad Vickers – The only University of Puget Sound grad on the staff as well as the only person to row across the Atlantic Ocean, Brad is from Santa Barbara, California. He is our Boat Show Assistant and also lives closer to the office than anyone; he is just a few blocks away in Wallingford. (June 2007).

Alashia Freimuth – Pronounced (Ah-lay’sha). As she says, the second “a” is long. She is a Spokane native and a graduate of Western Washington University. When she is not at work, she is planning her wedding to Dan Wartelle next April. Alashia is our Director of Corporate Partnerships. (April 2007).

When you need help, please refer to the directory below.

I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays as we come to the close of 2007. I also want to wish all of you health, happiness and success in each of your organizations in 2008. I hope to see all of you at the Annual Meeting on December 12th so we can celebrate the many accomplishments of your association this past year thanks to the hard work and commitment of our staff and volunteers.

With warm regards,

Michael Campbell
President
michael@nmta.net