Board of Directors
Board of Directors
To say PTSW owes its success to the hard work of our board is dangerously cliché, but it’s true. The work of a board during an institution’s initial stages of development requires members to be involved in the minutiae of daily operations and problem solving, while simultaneously attending to the big picture and long-term planning necessary for sustainable growth. It’s both a lot of work and a balancing act. The School is sincerely grateful to the individuals listed below for their countless hours of time and financial donations. It’s true; we wouldn’t have made it this far without you!
Member since 2019
Paul brings 23 years of not-for-profit management and international program development experience as the Director of Global Strategy of Unbound to the Port Townsend School of Woodworking (PTSW) board.
Unbound is an education and livelihood empowerment program operating in 19 countries. As Unbound grew in size and outreach, Paul traveled extensively and worked domestically and internationally with board governance, human resources, organizational change management, and leadership support and coaching.
Before Unbound, he designed and installed software for the medical field for 14 years with an entrepreneurial company called Cerner Corporation. At Cerner, Paul led software development teams and spent much of his career on client sites.
Paul’s formal training is in chemistry, computer science, and business administration.
Paul has had a lifelong passion for architecture, craftsmanship, and sailing craft. He has restored family residences and was drawn to pursue his appreciation of woodworking as he restored windows, cabinets, and woodwork and saw the intelligence and care the maker put into the piece. He attended the Foundations of Woodworking course at PTSW in the spring of 2019 and is on the journey of building his own craft skills. In the summer of 2019, he participated in boat building workshops, constructing a traditional Viking fearing and a traditional Japanese river boat in Port Townsend. He continues to take additional coursework at the PTSW school. His plans are to work in the woodwork or boat trade. He is currently fixing up a small cabin on Samish Island and commutes regularly to Port Townsend.
“I appreciate greatly the spirit and depth that PTSW and other woodworking projects reach with students and instructors alike. I believe in craft, social justice, and lifelong learning. I really look forward to supporting PTSW’s vision and development as a student and board member.”
Vice Chair, Member since 2022
Programming Committee
Equity & Inclusion Committee
Kirsten grew up in Washington State and has spent most of her life exploring the mountains and sea of the Pacific Northwest.
During her studies at Western Washington University, she purchased a wooden 32’ William Atkin sailboat to live aboard, and spent years sailing throughout the Puget Sound, the San Juans and Gulf Islands, as well as distant oceans.
Her interest in whittling wood from a young age, and working in a wood shop building yurts developed into a keen desire to take carving courses at PTSW. With her mother hailing from Haines, AK, Kirsten was introduced to the Tlingit art and culture at a young age and fell in love with it. It’s become her passion to bring local Indigenous carvers as well as Northwest Coast Formline artists to the school.
She is working with the Programs Committee and the Equity & Inclusion Committee to acknowledge the land we work and live on here in Port Townsend. This means honoring, celebrating, and educating the tradition, culture, spirit, and art of our local and distant tribes from their own voices.
Member since 2025
Cindy is a native Washingtonian who grew up appreciating the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. She has always been drawn to the many types of beautiful woodworking displayed at street fairs, farmer’s markets, and art galleries. Her grandfather in Wisconsin was a creative carver and woodworker whose craft she admired. She was also influenced by the native artists in Southeast Alaska during her time there.
Her professional education at Bastyr University in Seattle led to a rewarding career in naturopathic medicine. For 25 years, she worked at HealthPoint, a non-profit organization of community health centers in the Seattle area where she was a naturopathic physician providing primary care to the underserved and refugee populations. She eventually joined the administrative team where she ended her career as the Regional Director of Clinical Care. She has served on the Board of Directors for the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
Since retiring she enjoys learning the art of woodworking at the Port Townsend School of Woodworking. The high-quality instruction, welcoming culture, and joy in learning and creating have been inspiring. She is excited to join the Board of Directors to further the valuable contribution the PTSW is providing to the community.
Member since 2022
Programming Committee
Raphael first came to PTSW as a student in 2016. After taking the Foundations of Woodwork intensive, Raphael joined the school as a staff member, holding many responsibilities from teaching assistant, instructor, and program manager. He moved on from his staff position at the school to start his own woodworking business in 2022 and has since joined the board in the interest of continuing to support PTSW and its mission.
Member since 2025.
Mika brings a newfound passion for woodworking and woodturning to the Board, and a 40 year background in medicine and medical administration. He is a recently retired Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington where is spent his career. His medical training was at Johns Hopkins (MD), the University of Washington (surgical residency), and University of British Columbia (PhD). His clinical focus was on gastrointestinal and reoperative surgery and research interests were in surgical robotics and applications of surgical simulation to the measurement of performance.
He is a past President of the University of Washington Physicians, (leading the 2000 physicians at the UW), and a past Board member and past President of the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA). He is the current President of the WSMA Foundation and also serves on the Board of the Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the American Association of Woodturners (OPCAAW) as club treasurer.
With retirement from medicine at the end of 2022, Mika started to engage a passion for woodworking and woodcraft, building skills through numerous weekend and week-long hands-on courses. In 2023, he was immersed in the Fall intensive course with Philip Shelton at PTSW. He has also taken courses at the Arbutus School (Olympia) and Woodcraft, and through the Olympia Woodworkers Guild, Woodturners of Olympia, the OPCAAW, and nationally. Over the past two years, he has built and outfitted a shop so he continue building his skills in flatwork (cabinets, tables, boxes, and now, a rocking chair!.) and woodturning (spindle work, lidded boxes, and bowls mostly).
“I so much appreciate the rich diversity of people (instructors and staff, leaders, and classmates), classes, cultures, perspectives, and energy at the PTSW. It’s really an honor to be able to serve on the Board and be part of the School. My time in courses at PTSW has shown me what real expertise is. I’ve got a long way to go to get there, but fully intend to keep taking classes and improving my skills! Serving on the Board is one way to give back.”
Past board members
We also extend our gratitude toward past board members:
Shelley French (first Board Chair), Vicki Davis, Jan Hopfenbeck, Jim Tolpin - ex officio
Founding Advisory Board
Richard Berg, Shelley French, Jaap Romijn, Kate Burke, Vigo Anderson, aided and abetted by Kevin Palo, Jock Patton, Phil Johnson, Michael Colbert, Amy Hiatt and Alex McMurry
Member since 2022
Programming Committee
Holly Varah stumbled into a last-minute open spot in a weeklong course and fell in love with PTSW and their mission. She’s a lifelong artist across many mediums and an enthusiastic beginner when it comes to woodworking. Holly is a Port Townsend staple and hopes to use her time on the board to broaden awareness of PTSW’s course offerings and scholarship opportunities for underrepresented folks in the world of woodworking. After 15 years tending bar, she’s now happily in an apprenticeship learning the art of fiber chair seat weaving with a PNW master.