Sara Chapell
Board Chair
Sara Chapell grew up outside Philadelphia. She packed her bags and moved to Fairbanks in 1996 after receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy from Trinity College. She fell in love with the landscapes and communities of interior Alaska and never found her way back to the East Coast. Sara worked in grassroots organizing and wilderness lands policy in Fairbanks and Anchorage before transitioning to parenting and community projects. Sara and her husband, Rich, moved to Haines in 2003, where they raised their three children: Dylan, Sal, and Lucia.
In Haines, Sara served on the Friends of the Library board, the Chilkat Valley Preschool board, and the Haines Borough School Board. She was part of the volunteer leadership that fundraised for the Chilkat Valley Preschool addition to the Senior Center. Sara served as the KHNS Development Director, and was Chilkat Valley Community Foundation’s first Program Director. She is the SAIL (Southeast Alaska Independent Living) Development Director and was the Campaign Coordinator for Juneau’s social services hub, Teal Street Center, a $10 million project that anchors a campus of supportive services for seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income community members. When she’s not at the office, Sara enjoys running, backpacking, gardening, and hosting big, loud dinner parties with her family and friends.
Austin Badger
Vice Chair
Austin Badger grew up in beautiful Haines, Alaska, spending countless days on the banks of the Chilkat River, swimming in Rutzebeck Lake, and exploring the upper valley logging roads. After graduating from Haines High School, he earned a degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of British Columbia and the University of Northern British Columbia. Austin spent several years working for an engineering firm in Anchorage before returning to Haines to help his brother Jordan open Dandelion Dispensary. After participating as a member of CVCF’s grantmaking committee in 2023, Austin was and continues to be inspired by CVCF’s mission to help provide the non-profits of the Chilkat Valley with the support necessary to make Haines a wonderful place to live.
Beau Bradley
Secretary
Beau Bradley (they/he) was raised in southeastern Pennsylvania, where they began an 18 year-long career in community service and public safety, starting as a volunteer junior firefighter, working up into Fire and Emergency Medical Services, County Dispatching and Emergency Communications, and most recently in Federal Emergency Management. Beau is passionate about community building and public policy, and holds a BS in Communication Sciences and Disorders, along with a Masters Degree in Homeland Security with a focus on Public Health Preparedness, both from Penn State University, and is currently working on a Post Graduate Public Leadership Credential through the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Beau first fell in love with Haines while visiting family here during the 2023 Southeast Alaska State Fair and ended up moving here just a handful of months later in Spring 2024, from Seattle, Washington, with their spouse Zane and various pets. Beau and Zane bought Haines’s local independent bookstore, The Bookstore, in May 2025 and have been enjoying working on Main Street and interacting with locals and visitors ever since. Beau enjoys volunteering and has served on the board of a variety of non-profits including a volunteer fire department, and local, national and international sporting organizations. He is looking forward to helping CVCF continue to have such a positive and lasting impact on the community.
Ann Myren
Treasurer
Ann Myren grew up on a farm in central Illinois. After graduating from Carthage College with a History degree she attended graduate school at the University of Montana where she met her husband, Tim McDonough. They moved to Bethel, Alaska in 1980 where she worked as the Media Coordinator for the Lower Kuskokwim School District developing libraires in twenty-five village schools.
Ann was the Library Director for the Haines Borough Public Library from 1985 to 2006 and enjoyed working with staff, board members and volunteers to create services that led the library to receive the Best Small Library in America award in 2005. When she retired in 2006 she started Resources and Results Consulting, LLC and has worked with nonprofits, tribes, and municipalities on projects across Alaska. Ann has been involved with CVCF since its inception in 2008. In all her work and volunteer efforts she believes that creating strong teams and partnerships leads to success.
Ann and Tim are pleased to be active members of such a vibrant community and enjoy volunteering for and serving on the Boards of various nonprofits in the community.
Cynthia Allen
Cynthia Allen grew up near the beach in San Diego, California. She moved to Maui in 1979 and worked for ten years there as co-owner of a business that designed and distributed windsurfing products. She attended massage school in Seattle in 1993 and moved fulltime to Haines in 1994 with her husband Russ Lyman. She worked as a massage therapist until her 2022 retirement. Cynthia was a founding board member of Hospice of Haines, serving on that board for 10 years in various officer positions as well as helping to develop and co-facilitate the annual Haines Grief Group. Cynthia has been on the CVCF board since January 2015. She has been Chair of CVCF’s Communications Committee since 2015, and she and her husband Russ do most of the graphic design and layout for CVCF newsletters and other informational materials. Cynthia enjoys time in nature, alone or with friends, and spends winters in Hawaii snorkeling and gardening. She appreciates the opportunity to serve Chilkat Valley nonprofits as a seasonal board member of CVCF.
Matthew Craig
Matthew Craig, originally from Dallas, made a life-changing decision in 2017 when he relocated to Haines along with his husband, Terry. Prior to that, Matthew had already gained global experiences through his studies in Marrakech, Morocco and Rome, Italy. With an illustrious career spanning 37 years, Matthew recently retired as an International purser at American Airlines. Beyond his professional achievements, Matthew’s true passion lies in exploring the great outdoors and embarking on adventures all around the globe, with Terry by his side. However, nestled in the scenic beauty of Haines, he firmly believes that it truly stands out as the most breathtaking destination in the world. Matthew is grateful and overjoyed to call Haines his home, cherishing the sense of belonging and contentment it brings to him. Matthew’s zest for life, coupled with his profound love for Haines and his adventurous spirit, continues to fuel his enthusiasm for new experiences and maintaining an active lifestyle.
Debbie Gravel
Kristin Hathhorn
DeLise Keim
DeLise Keim was born along the Mississippi River in Davenport IA. After graduating from the University of Iowa in Business Administration and Economics, she relocated to Seattle WA where she started her corporate career in Investor Relations. After 20 years of helping public companies communicate to shareholders, media and other constituents, she retired as VP of Corporate Communications for a nationwide utility company. She first came to Haines in 1992 where she worked for the SE Alaska Fair, a local rafting company and a local commuter airline.
DeLise and her husband, Doug Evenden lived aboard their sailboat in southern California for several years but were both anxious to return to the beauty and life style of the Chilkat Valley. They returned to Haines in 2016 and became commercial fishermen trolling SE Alaska every summer for Chinook and Coho Salmon. She loves the life and community of Haines. She also enjoys volunteering as a DJ at KHNS, is a member of the Lynn Canal Community Players and a seasonal member of the CVCF Advisory Board.
Gregory Podsiki
Greg Podsiki grew up in Rochester NY, and after receiving an Associate degree in 1972 in Natural Resource Conservation at Finger Lakes College in Canandaigua NY, he moved to Fairbanks to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management. Just 12 credits shy of his degree, Greg left the program to answer Alaska’s call, taking wonderful, adventurous, seasonal employment throughout the state for a few years. He moved to Haines in 1979, and never left. He continued seasonal work with Fish and Game, Forestry, the Haines Borough, gill net fishing, construction, and built his own cabin. He married and built a three-bedroom home for his family, off the grid, and has always had horses, ponies, and every kind of farm animal you can think of other than a cow. Greg and his wife had 4 kids, and now have 8 grandchildren, all of whom still live in Haines! Greg retired in 2022 after 32 years at the Haines Post Office, and is happy to now have more time to give to the wonderful Haines community, draw cartoons, travel, and relearn to play his guitar. In Greg’s own closing words, “I’m honored to be a member of the Chilkat Valley Community Foundation board. My life is golden!”
Greg Schlachter
Marcia Scott
Co-Secretary
Marcia Scott is a seasonal member of the CVCF board and serves as co-chair of the Donor Development Committee and chair of the Program Committee. She and her husband, Glen, moved to Haines in 1980. They built their home at 32 mile and raised two daughters there. Marcia worked at the Haines Medical Clinic/SEARHC for 20 years, the last 11 years as clinic administrator, retiring in 2014. She has been the secretary of the Haines Assisted Living board of directors since its inception in 2007, and is a member of St. Lucy Senior Living board of directors. Marcia enjoys cross country skiing, snowshoeing, gardening, berry picking, camping, cooking, traveling, and spending time with grandchildren in Juneau and Maui.
Molly Sturdevant
Molly Sturdevant grew up in a large family of a fisherman and a teacher in Wrangell, Alaska, where she loved tidepooling and looking for critters under beach rocks. She completed B.S. degrees in Biology and in Fisheries Science and an M.Sc. in Fisheries Ecology at the U of A in Juneau while working at remote field jobs for hatcheries, ADFG, and NOAA. Her research career at NOAA Auke Bay Lab in Juneau focused on salmon, forage fish, and plankton ecology. Career highlights included studies on the Exxon Valdez oil spill in PWS and climate change in Icy Strait. Molly raised two boys and volunteered in their classrooms, school site council, Cub Scouts, and sports. Other favorite volunteer activities included Seaweek, the Science Fair, and teaching plankton identification & microscope skill workshops in Juneau schools. Always wanting to retire back to another small town, Molly moved to Haines in 2014. In addition to being a 3-year board member of CVCF, she is a past Vice Chair and a board member of Haines Friends of Recycling, where she manages the fish net recycling program. She and her husband, Dave Nussbaumer, built their timber frame home from spruce milled off the property and enjoy camping, snowshoeing, boating, gardening, projects, and daily walks with their Australian Shepherd, Aikau.
Natalie Williams
Natalie Williams grew up in the Southwestern US and came to Alaska in 1992 for a summer job. She instantly fell in love with the down-to-earth lifestyle and breathtaking landscapes. For several years she worked seasonally in Alaska while working part time and traveling in the winter. She eventually made her home in Yakutat, where she raised her daughter, later blending families with her husband, Sam, and his two children, before relocating to Haines in 2014. She enjoys life in beautiful Haines and their cozy home, a garden, one very affectionate dog, and traveling whenever possible.
Natalie has worked for the State of Alaska as an office assistant for Public Health, as an agent at the Haines Ferry Terminal, and currently for the PFD Division. This work serving the public reminds her daily that while we all have something to offer, we are equipped with very different skills and resources as we navigate life’s challenges. She deeply values the role nonprofits play in supporting one another. She served on the board of Haines Animal Rescue Kennel for four years and has volunteered for the SE AK State Fair. As a new CVCF board member, she looks forward to learning the ropes and hopes to make a meaningful contribution.
Chun Williamson
Chun Williamson was born and raised in the Chilkat Valley and is a tribally enrolled member of the Chilkat Indian Village. She is a Haines High School alumni and has completed two years of college. Chun served as the tribal council secretary and was also a 3 year council member in Klukwan. Chun is a single, disabled mother of two college students, and hopes her unique life challenges will help her bring different views and perspectives to the board.
Amanda Hamell
Program Manager
Amanda Hamell moved to Haines in October 2022 with her husband and 2 young children. She currently homeschools her kids enjoying all Haines has to offer. She is also a member of the Friends of the Library Board and a co-leader of the Haines Girl Scouts Troop. Amanda hopes to introduce CVCF to other young families in the Chilkat Valley and continue to connect with Nonprofits. When she’s not working or taking care of her children, she enjoys crocheting and traveling with her family.
