SAVE Board Officers:
Bill Knutzen - President
After years as a local business owner, Bill served his community as a Whatcom County Council member. When his time on the council came to an end, he decided to pursue a career in the insurance industry. Bill enjoys salmon fishing with his friends and spending time with his wife and kids.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. “ ~ Teddy Roosevelt
David Spring - Vice President
David was born and raised in Seattle, WA. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Science Education from Washington State University and a Master’s Degree in Child Development from the University of Washington. David started a successful small business in Bellevue, WA in 1985 and spent 20 years teaching courses in Leadership, Problem Solving and Technology at Bellevue College. In 1994, David started one of the world’s first online stores. Some of his students went on to start their own small website called Amazon dot com. For the past 15 years, David has focused on Computer and Website Security and written several books which can be read for free on his course website College in the Clouds dot org.
Kristin Keyes-Halterman - Secretary
Kristin Keyes-Halterman is a third-generation Whatcom County resident who married her husband Steve in 1981. Her family operates Park Bowl, a family entertainment center founded in 1954. Kris also is owner-operator of ABC’s of Bookkeeping, which she launched in 2009. In 2012, Kris began as the host of KGMI’s “Saturday Morning Live,” a live radio talk show which focuses on local issues. At the same time Kris created with the help of many other people an online website to post about local issues that affect the citizens of Whatcom County and all around Washington State.
Lorraine Newman – Treasurer
Lorraine was raised on a farm west of Billings, MT where her family raised beef cattle and grew corn, beans, sugar beets, alfalfa and wheat. During her career she has worked in the Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Health industries. Currently she is managing partner of Lenhardt Property, LP and also works as an independent accounting contractor. She, her husband and children moved to Bellingham in 1986. Lorraine’s volunteer time includes working with St. John’s Lutheran Church, Lenhardt Square Master Assn. Board, Bethel 25 Jobs Daughters, and Whatcom County Citizens for Freedom. She believes it’s necessary to understand the bottom line if you wish to manufacture a useful product, provide access to energy, heal the sick, feed the world or feed your family.
SAVE Board Directors:
Ed Kilduff
An environmental consultant for over 20 years, Ed has worked on environmental cleanups for the Navy and the Department of Energy in both California and Washington. He is licensed as both a hydro-geologist and engineering geologist. Ed has particular experience with groundwater monitoring and cleanup in shoreline areas. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Geology and Mathematics from Tufts University, a master’s degree in Geophysics from the Colorado School of Mines, and a master’s degree in Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Former SAVE Board Members:
Dave Brumbaugh
Dave is president of Brumbaugh Co., a Lynden-based public-relations firm founded in 2002. He is a member of the Bellingham and Lynden Chambers of Commerce. He is a former editor of the Lynden Tribune and Business Pulse magazine. Dave is a graduate of Lynden High School and Washington State University. He serves on the church council of Hope Lutheran Church in Lynden and is a former board member of Lydia Place. Dave lives in Lynden with his wife Bonnie.
Dave Courtney - President
Dave was born and raised in Chicago, IL, graduated from DePaul University in Chicago with a BA in mathematics and finished his formal education with an MBA in finance and small business at the University of Chicago. He went to work at IBM in June 1967 in a career that included technical, marketing, development, and management positions. Dave retired from IBM in 1992 and started a new endeavor with two colleagues from IBM, EDJ Enterprises, Inc. EDJ is a software development company specializing in add-on applications for the IBM point-of-sale system. Dave served as EDJ’s President and CMO until he retired at the end of 2012.
He and his wife, Mary Lynne, discovered Bellingham, WA and moved here in June of 2008. In December of 2012 Dave sold his share of EDJ to live full time in beautiful Whatcom County. Dave has a passion for technical and professional education. This passion attracted him to become involved with local organizations like: The Boys and Girls Clubs of Whatcom County, numerous museums, and the Mount Vernon Rotary Club. Dave recently completed his term of service as President of the Mount Vernon Rotary Club. Dave developed the slogan “Literacy is our Legacy” to define the mission of the club.
Jacob Deschenes – Past Vice President (founding Board Member)
Jacob is an investment advisor and portfolio manager for Era Capital Management, LLC, specializing in quantitative analysis and portfolio risk management systems. In 2008 he received his bachelor’s degree in Finance and minored in Economics from Western Washington University. Jacob also is a substitute host for Saturday Morning Live on KGMI AM790. Raised in an unincorporated area near Auburn, Jacob has lived in Bellingham/Whatcom County for 12 years and recently married his wife Crystal.
Dick Donahue
Dick has been a Whatcom County resident since graduating from Washington State University in 1965. He entered the financial services industry in September 1966 as a self-employed independent financial advisor. He owns and manages Asset Advisors, LLC, located in Fairhaven. As host of two weekly radio shows on KGMI, Dick is known for his incorporating “conservative political opinions” along with market commentaries and the impact of politics on the ability of his listeners to accumulate and protect their assets. Dick has been married to his wife Fontene for over 30 years.
Mike Hudson
Mike Hudson is the Founding Executive Director of The AWB Institute a not-for-profit affiliate of the Association of Washington Business. The Institute serves as an “intermediary” between the public Workforce Development System and employers who rely on that system to provide qualified workers.
Washington Governor Christine Gregoire appointed Mike to the state’s Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, the Veterans Innovation Programs Board and the Washington Rehabilitation Council. Mike also serves as a member of the Education, Employment, and Training Committee of the United States Chamber of Commerce and as the Chairman of the National Work Readiness Council.
Mike’s work at the Institute has covered all aspects of workforce development and work readiness focusing on development of both hard and soft skills and is dedicated to the development of the Washington Work Ready program to ensure that all employers in the State of Washington has access to a fully qualified workforce.
Prior to coming to AWB, Mike had a thirty-year career in private business, most recently serving as President/CEO of North Coast Credit Union in Bellingham, Washington.
Mike has authored two books on credit union marketing. He was recognized as the Credit Union Executives Society’s “Marketer of the Year” in 1988 and voted into the Credit Union National Associations’ “Marketing Hall of Fame” in 1997. Mike has had numerous articles published in various business publications including the series Workforce Washington! appearing in AWB’s magazine Washington Business. He is also a popular speaker having delivered programs and presentations for many business groups in the United States and Canada.
Mike received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Organizational Management from Bethel College in Mishawaka, Indiana, and a Certificate in Project Management from the University of Washington – Tacoma.
Todd Hausman – Past Director (founding Board Member)
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, Todd Hausman is an elementary teacher in the Burlington-Edison School District. He has more than two decades of experience in the field of education and brings perspective from the private, public and non-profit sectors. Todd earned a Bachelor of the Arts degree from the University of Oregon in 1992 and a teaching certificate from Western Washington University in 2000. He worked as an Assessment Consultant for Riverside Publishing and as the Director of Leadership for Teachers United. While employed by the Bellingham School District, he served as a “Future of the Teaching Profession” fellow with the National Education Association and was featured on The Teaching Channel. In 2015, he accepted a position at innovative Bay View Elementary. Todd has lived in Whatcom County since 1999 and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in School Administration. When not in school, he likes to ski and kayak with his family.
Robert T. Patton, Ph.D., Financial and Economic Consultant
Vita
ACADEMIC PREPARATION
D. Min Administration, 1984, Western Conservative Baptist Seminary
Ph.D. Business Administration, 1969, University of Washington
Major Areas: Finance, Economics, Management, and Personnel Administration
MBA 1966, University of Minnesota
Major Areas: Finance and Management
BSME 1962, University of Michigan
Major Areas: Mechanical Engineering
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Professional Investment Experience
Registered Investment Advisor, State of Washington, 1982 to 2001
Specializing in market timing of mutual funds
Registered Representative, LINSCO/Private Ledger, 1982 to 1996
Teaching
Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, 9/70 to 9/79
Professor in the College of Business and Economics
Subjects Taught: Business Finance and Investments
Voted Outstanding Professor, 1970-71
Awarded “Excellence in Teaching Award”, 1967-77
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 9/69 to 6/70
Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Management and Organization
Subjects Taught: Personnel Management and Organizational Behavior
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 9/67 to 6/70
Lecturer in Business Finance
Industrial
The Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington, 7/66 to 9/69
Financial and Management
3M Company, St Paul, Minnesota, 6/64 to 7/66
Market Research and Product Development
The Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington, 8/62 to 6/64
Manufacturing Development
University of Michigan Research Institute, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 5/61 to 8/62
Leslie J Rogers - Vice President
Born in Eugene, Oregon, Leslie first moved to Bellingham in 1973. She received a B.A. in Education from Western Washington University in 1988, and began her teaching career in Long Beach, Washington. While teaching elementary school in Long Beach, she won Microsoft Foundation and Apple grants – bringing computers to classrooms, and served as director of the district’s migrant summer school. Leslie earned an M. A. in Special Education from Central Washington University, in 1996. Returning to Bellingham in 1999, she teaches at Lowell Elementary School. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, book club, and the outdoors.
Samuel Sefzik
Samuel was born in Dallas and lived across the Southwestern United States during his childhood. Upon moving to Washington in 2009, Samuel gained an appreciation for the unique and beautiful northwestern states. As a college student studying finance, his chief interests are in teaching, learning about business, political organizing, public speaking, and getting young people engaged in the issues of our day that will affect them for years to come. He particularly enjoys taking challenging topics and communicating them in a way that is concise and understandable for the benefit of his audience.
