Board Of Directors

Members of the Board of Directors are volunteers. They are elected by City Club members at the annual meeting, scheduled just before the regular May meeting. Board members serve up to three two-year terms.

The Board of Directors meets on the second Tuesday of each month in person or by Zoom at 7:30 a.m. unless that day is a holiday or the meeting needs to be rescheduled for the anticipated lack of a quorum. Board meetings are open to City Club members. To attend a meeting, please contact the Board President at

Mary Anderson

Mary Anderson is the Senior Transit Planner at the Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA). In her role at WTA, she has worked on numerous projects including writing the WTA Sustainability Plan, managing the Lynden Hop pilot project, and coordinating the May Bike Parade and the December Lighted Bike Parade.

Mary has a Master of Sustainable Transportation degree from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from Western Washington University. Mary and her husband moved to Bellingham for college in 2001 and like many people, fell in love with the town and didn’t want to leave. Mary enjoys reading and talking about books, riding bikes, and spending time with her family. After months of crushing defeat, Mary finally beat her 5th grade son at Pokémon and has now set her sights on winning a chess game against him. Mary joined the Board of Directors in 2024.

Jill Bernstein

Jill Bernstein moved to Whatcom County from Illinois in 1981. A graduate of Loyola University school of law, she began her legal career with legal services but spent most of her professional life working as a criminal defense lawyer. For almost 30 years she represented individuals charged with crimes, half of that time as a public defender and the rest in private practice. She had the privilege of serving on the board and later as the President of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

She has been active with the League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County and have served in many roles including President of the Board of Directors. However, the role that she most enjoyed was helping to organize informational programs for League members and the community. In 2020 she helped to organize a year-long series of programs and activities celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the League and 100 years of women’s right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment.

Since retirement, she has continued to work on issues related to justice including serving as the President of the Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force and hosting a variety of radio shows on local stations that focused on topics of law, justice, and politics. She briefly served as the Interim Director for LAW Advocates. Recently, she served on the Board of Directors for the Salish Current as she believes that fact-based news and information is our best tool to strengthen democracy and foster a sense of community. Jill thinks one of her defining characteristics is curiosity which drives almost everything that she does….including a love of travel, reading and conversation. Jill joined the Board of Directors in 2024.

Jane Bright

Jane Bright is a graduate of Brandeis University and was a lifelong resident of Massachusetts until 2015 when she and her husband moved to Bellingham. It was the grandchildren.

Professionally she spent 28 years in executive positions in Human Resources at The Gillette Company and then at Fidelity Investments. Following retirement, she co-founded HealthLink, a regional environmental group formed to evaluate the high rates of multiple cancers in her community and assess the impact of living under the pollution of a coal-burning power plant. Following several years of advocacy with the State while acquiring a thorough understanding of the health effects from pollution, the State adopted the toughest pollution standards for coal plants in the nation. She received recognitions from both Governor Mitt Romney and the MA State legislature for her volunteer work. During her advocacy, her professional retirement ended, as her husband recruited her to run the business side of his software development and website company.

Since arriving in Bellingham, Bright has volunteered on numerous committees. She was elected President of the South Hill Neighborhood Association, serving for several years, and is still actively involved in upgrading the safety of train crossings across the Port and City. A sailor by marriage, she is active at the Bellingham Yacht Club where she has been elected to the Board twice. She joined the Bellingham City Club Program Committee several years ago and will assume the chairmanship in May of 2023.

She has been politically active in Bellingham, seeking to understand how laws and jurisdictions work in WA vs MA as well as to fulfill her commitment to civic responsibility and community. Bright believes it is important to leave the world a better place than you found it. Jane is chair of the program committee and joined the Board of Directors in 2023.

Jim Britain, Immediate Past President

Jim Britain has a BA from WSU, a JD from Duke University and a LL.M. from Temple University. He and his wife Pat have lived in Bellingham since 1995. Before that, Jim was on the faculties of University of Dayton Law School and New England School of Law, a judicial clerk for the Chief Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit and practiced in the litigation department of the Cincinnati law firm of Taft, Stettinius & Hollister. He continues to engage in the full-time practice of law in Bellingham as an attorney with Barron Smith Daugert PLLC. Jim was the President Whatcom County Bar Association and Chairperson and Board member of LAW Advocates, which provides free legal services in civil matters to those in need. He has also been the President of, and Board member with, the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra. Jim joined the Board of Directors in 2018 and continues through 2025 as past president.

Todd Elsworth

Todd Elsworth is a Bellingham-born, Pacific Northwest native who likes to play outside, go on adventures, and share stories with others. He is an alumnus of WWU, with B.A. in U.S. History, 1992. In 2013, Elsworth turned his outdoors passion into a profession, founding Recreation Northwest on the solid foundation created in 2002 with the Bellingham Traverse – an iconic multi-sport relay that celebrated the life cycle of wild salmon- invented as an extension of Elsworth’s values and personal interests.

Volunteer efforts include service with: City of Bellingham Tourism Commission, 2009-present (LTAC 2019-2022); Fairhaven Lions, 2016-2025; Team Whatcom, 2020 – present ; Kulshan Community Land Trust, Trustee/Secretary 2023-present; Big Tent Outdoor Recreation Coalition, 2019-2021; Sustainable Connections, founding board member, 2002; and Whatcom Events, founding board member, 2010.

Today, he is a proud single dad of Violet, currently a BHS Junior! They live in a Kulshan Community Land Trust home in the Lettered Streets neighborhood. His driving light is Recreation Northwest’s evolving mission Todd Elsworth, is a Bellingham-born, Pacific Northwest native who likes to play outside, go on adventures, and share stories with others. He is an alumnus of WWU, with B.A. in U.S. History, 1992. In 2013, Elsworth turned his outdoors passion into a profession, founding Recreation Northwest on the solid foundation created in 2002 with the Bellingham Traverse – an iconic multi-sport relay that celebrated the life cycle of wild salmon- invented as an extension of Elsworth’s.

Sam Humphreys

Sam Humphreys has lived in Bellingham since his family moved here in 1999 when he was three years old. He feels fortunate to have attended the Bellingham Public Schools, where he had opportunities to learn hands-on about the various animals, plants, and other organisms that inhabit the PNW with us. Sam’s love for living things led him to pursue sustainability studies at Simon Fraser University. In 2018 he graduated with a degree in Sustainable Business and certificate in Sustainable Community Development, and he promptly moved back home to Bellingham.

Since his return, he has become increasingly interested and invested in this bioregion and the various communities that it supports. As one can expect from a childhood Bellinghamster, he loves to ride all over town on two wheels, explore our local trails on foot, learn more about the ins-and-outs of our local natural and human systems, and to interact with all the folks who add flavor to our town. He has a deep and growing connection to this bioregion and is keen to put his “youthful” energy to good use by facilitating its continued success and sustainable growth.

Professionally speaking, Sam currently serves as business manager and sustainability consultant at Peak Sustainability Group. He has over four years of business development, relationship building, and account management experience in professional services and business-to-business sales. He is a capable generalist whose years of experience working on small, dynamic teams has given him excellent communication and teamwork skills and has given him a love of learning from others. Sam supports Peak with internal business systems management as well as consulting on multiple client projects. He is passionate about finding solutions to climate challenges and improving human wellbeing, whether it is through innovative technologies, novel thinking, or reintroducing traditional practices into the modern day. Sam joined the Board of Directors in 2024.

Forrest Longman, Vice President

Forrest Longman has lived in Bellingham for nearly 20 years and has worked for the City of Bellingham as the Budget and Finance Officer since 2017. He is an alumnus of Western Washington University and earned a master’s in Public Administration from the University of Washington after several years running his own yacht maintenance business. Forrest lives in Happy Valley with his wife, Sarah and two sons, Henry and Alden. Before small children commandeered all his free time, he helped create the Bellingham Bay Community Boating Center and Millworks Cohousing. For fun, Forrest enjoys playing with his boys, riding bicycles and sailing in the San Juans. Forrest joined the Board of Directors in 2019.

Greg McCracken

Greg McCracken: “Having lived in Bellingham for more than 20 years, I have devoted my time to community service in schools, Samish neighborhood and city commissions. We followed my wife Eileen’s career to the Pacific Northwest where, as a stay-at-home father, we raised our two daughters, Emily and Maggie. Before this — and four years in Houston, I was a newspaper reporter in Billings, Mont. I’ve used these skills in Bellingham as a freelance writer and photographer. My wife Eileen and I have been members of City Club since 2023.”

Greg served in the Peace Corps in Africa, is an excellent craftsman (woodworking, glass blowing, and uke player), and worked as a journalist. Eileen is president of the League of Women Voters. Greg joined the Board of Directors in 2025.

Zach Nordwell, Treasurer

Zach Nordwell came to Bellingham from the Olympic Peninsula in 2001 to attend Western Washington University. In 2006, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and began working as a tax accountant at a Bellingham firm. In 2009, Zach left the firm where he started his career and began as an accountant at Larson Gross, a local Bellingham firm. Zach recently celebrated his 10-year anniversary at Larson Gross, and is currently a CPA Manager at the firm. Zach works with local businesses and individuals in Bellingham and the surrounding areas. Zach is married and he and his wife Sonja Nordwell are starting a family. In his free time, Zach enjoys following the Seattle Mariners, watching movies, hiking, and is a craft beer enthusiast. Zach joined the Board of Directors in 2019.

Heidi Persson

Heidi Persson: “I was raised in the Pacific Northwest and am a graduate of Central Washington University with a major in Mass Communications and a minor in Political Science. My mother was an elementary school teacher and developed the first reading classroom in the state featuring computer learning. My father was an oyster farmer in Grays Harbor and was the manager of Coast Oyster Company. I consider myself blessed to have had an exceptional upbringing with my feet planted in both the academic and natural worlds. I have one sister – a recently retired teacher herself. My son, daughter-in-law and grandson live in Ferndale and were a major consideration in accepting my current position at Pacific Northwest Radio Group in Bellingham. (We changed the name from Cascade Radio Group in January of this year)

“I’ve worked in the broadcast industry since 1987 – for both corporate owned station groups and independent, local media groups in Aberdeen, Olympia, Las Vegas and now in Bellingham and have held almost every position in a radio station including being an on-air DJ and the General Sales Manager for a Olympia/Tacoma based country station, KAYO. Managing the PNW Media Group five radio stations and launching our online news site, My Bellingham Now is definitely the highlight of my career and I’m proud of the contributions our people and stations make to the local community!” Heidi joined the Board of Directors in 2025.

Liz Purdy

Liz Purdy has always called the PNW home (even when she lived outside the region for a few years). After keeping her eye on Bellingham, she returned to Washington in 2018 and settled into the Birchwood neighborhood. Liz currently serves as the Manager of Community Affairs for Puget Sound Energy (PSE), a role that keeps her learning about the latest clean energy opportunities, connecting with local partners, and supporting creative collaboration for today’s energy needs.

Liz is a proud graduate of Gonzaga University, and holds a Masters in Sustainable Development from SIT Graduate Institute. She loves to navigate the complex intersection of community, economics, policy, and culture. Prior to her role with PSE, she served as the Executive Director of Bellingham SeaFeast, helped launch the Bellingham Dockside Market, and worked with the City of Bellingham Planning and Community Development department during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her prior work in Alaska and Montana took her to fishing vessels in Bristol Bay, on rivers in Southeast Alaska, and exploring public lands throughout Greater Yellowstone.

But Bellingham is home. When she takes a break from work, you can find her in the garden, running the neighborhood trails, skiing at Mt. Baker, spending time with family, or on the water with her husband in their (very) old Boston Whaler. Liz joined the Board of Directors in 2025.

Allison Roberts, President

Allison Roberts grew up in Huntsville, Alabama and Burien, Washington, and lived in Olympia for 17 years before moving to Bellingham in 2002. She graduated from Western Washington University with a teaching degree which she applied for about 13 years as a middle school teacher and substitute teacher. A sort-of “Jill of all trades,” she has worked in the nonprofit, government, education, and business sectors. Ultimately, she is most fulfilled when connecting people to each other, to new information, and to issues and solutions.

She served on the Board of Directors for Wild Whatcom for six years. Allison and her husband were co-owners of Peak Sustainability Group, an environmental consulting firm, which they operated for 13 years before selling it to a like-minded consulting firm, Maul Foster & Alongi, in October 2024.

Now in “pre-retirement” and working part-time, you can find Allison in her garden, making art, at the gym, camping in an A-frame trailer, attending cultural events, and exploring trails on her electric bike. Allison, who was introduced to City Club in 2002, has enjoyed being a City Club Board member since 2023 and a member since 2009.

Ben Scholtz

Ben Scholtz is the owner of Mallard Ice Cream and Bantam Restaurant in downtown Bellingham.

Prior to acquiring Mallard in 2001, Ben attended The Evergreen State College, earning a BA with an emphasis on literature. After graduation he worked for ACT Theater and the Seattle Art Museum. His interest in art and literature led him to move back to Bellingham with the goal of creating a business serving the community with a cultural mission. Ben also attended WWU as a post-bac and studied math and computer science.

Ben enjoys parenting his 11-year old son, playing basketball, mountain biking, playing drums, (badly), and, of course, exploring food and cooking. He grew up in a musical family and has a lifelong love of music, poetry and literature. Ben has served on the board of the Pickford Cinema and on the Public Health Advisory Board, and has also volunteered on healthcare reform projects with WAHA.

Ben believes in an interdisciplinary approach to business and building community. Our ideas come to life when we incorporate them into our decision making, and we build better things when we draw from a range of influences. Ben joined the Board of Directors in 2025.