Meet a few of our volunteers
By: Anne Frances Owen ~ 9/14/2023

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Barb de Michele

Barb is an Issaquah City Councilmember, chairman of the board for Influence the Choice, and a past President of Kiwanis. She joined the club because of its focus on supporting children, youths and families, and the club's long history of positive contributions to the greater Issaquah community.


 

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Judy Beal

Judy has lived in Issaquah since 1986, after 17 years in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her husband, John, daughter Maya, and son David also live in the Seattle area.  After 37 years as a middle-school teacher with the Snoqualmie Public School District, she retired in 2012. She volunteers with Sound Generations, Allied Arts Foundation, and TELOS Bellevue College. She also participates with the City of Issaquah Parks and Recreation Program at the Julius Boehm Pool. Community service has been her lifetime engagement.


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Josh Schaer

Josh lives in Issaquah with his wife and three children. Josh works as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Washington, and he served on the Issaquah City Council from 2008-2015. Josh's career goal is to become a judge in a local court. He also enjoys playing golf, softball, poker, and board games. Josh joined Kiwanis because he is dedicated to helping others through community service.


Owen_BBB2022.JPGAnne Frances Owen

Anne joined our club in 2022, just in time to enjoy our Boots, Barrels, and Brews event. She won a prize with her raffle card (ace of hearts for the win!), but the real delight was chatting with new friends and learning a few moves on the dance floor. Anne has lived in the Pacific NW most of her life, loving the big-city culture nestled between mountains and ocean. She looks forward to working on the Communications committee, spreading the good word about all the club does to help our community.


LizRector2017.jpgLiz Rector

Liz retired after working 20 years for the City of Bellevue in Procurement Services and 11 years prior to that with Washington Mutual. She is married to Doug Rector, a fellow Kiwanian, and together their blended family consists of four adult children and seven grandchildren. She loves to travel, read, knit and, most of all, spend time with family. She joined Kiwanis because she wants to serve and support our local community.


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Ruben Nieto

Ruben retired from the City of Issaquah in 2011 as the Human Resources Director. Prior to that, Ruben had been in Human Resources for 40 years in various cities and counties in California and Washington. Ruben serves on a number of nonprofit boards and city commissions. He and his wife have lived in Issaquah for 28 years. He enjoys giving back to the community and invites you to join the Issaquah Kiwanis to make our community even better for our children.


 

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Marilyn Boyden

Marilyn is a lifelong resident of Issaquah, a product of our school district, and a club member since 1989. She has seen the community rise from barely 1,000 in the 1950s to the idyllic, heavily populated suburb it has become today. Through it all (and to the credit of its civic leaders), Issaquah has maintained much of its small-town character. "Growing up, I knew the mayor, police chief, local merchants, school-district employees, all the way to the funeral director. And I still do!"


TonyBanic_s.jpgTony Banic

From Banic Chiropractic and Massage, Tony has been a part of the local community for the past 12 years. As a chiropractor and small-business owner, he has been involved in the Downtown Issaquah Association, a past board member of the Greater Issaquah Chamber, sponsored local events such as the Relay for Life and Salmon Days, and generally provided a helping hand where he can.


DebbieBerto_s.jpgDebbie Berto

As a board member of Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park, Debbie serves as Chair of Project Play Ground to raise funds for an all-accessible park at that park. Debbie, the past publisher of the Issaquah Press for 41 years, is now retired.


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Fred Butler

Fred was Mayor of the City of Issaquah and remains a longtime member of the club. Fred says, “I am proud of the work Kiwanis does in our community and the commitment to those in need. Come join us and help serve our community!”


ConnieFletcher01102016_s.jpgConnie Fletcher

Connie has been a member of Kiwanis since 1993, when the publisher of the Issaquah Press (Debbie Berto) informed her that, as a new school-board member, she needed to join Kiwanis. She didn't know that she had a choice at the time, but she's very glad that she did! Kiwanis has been a lifelong source of friendship and community service.

Connie served as president of our club in 2009-10 and is proud to have brought the Aktion Club into being during her tenure. She also started the May Valley Summer Reading Program, which continued for 14 years, thanks to Liberty High School's Key Club and the volunteer and financial support of our club.

Connie's career in human-service planning, administration, and fundraising was very rewarding, but her service on the Issaquah school board, followed by her tenure on the state board of education, occupied most of her life for 26 years.

Kiwanis has been a huge part of Connie's life, and she encourages others to join and become involved in our community.


DougR_0014.JPGDoug Rector

Doug is a private investigator, an owner of a mystery-shopping company, and a notary. He has lived in Renton for 20 years and has two children, two stepchildren, and seven grandchildren. His past career was as a loss-prevention manager for a major department store for 17 years. Doug's favorite pasttimes are travel, spending time with my grandchildren, and just staying at home. He joined Kiwanis to be more involved in the community and to meet new friends.