Greg grew up in Montana.  As a child of a single mother who (at times) relied upon USDA Food Stamps, he grew up to attend college and graduate school in Boston. After working as a teacher/counselor at a public alternative high school, he graduated from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He moved closer to home to complete residency training in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at the University of Washington Medical Center.

Greg established a private practice in therapy-based psychiatry on Seattle’s Eastside. He crossed paths with a high school classmate, Susan, and they married. Greg and Susan have had a second home on Whidbey for over 20 years. Since their respective retirements, they have been spending much more time on Whidbey. They are active with local and national organizations working to mitigate food and employment insecurity. Greg in also an active volunteer with the Washington State Animal Response Team (WASART) and local Medical Reserve Corps.

 Term ends 12/31/26

Cindy is originally from California’s Central Coast where she raised her family and worked in the accounting profession for over thirty years. Fifteen of those years she spent in the non-profit sector, first at NCI Affiliates, Inc. and then at Cal Poly Corporation in San Luis Obispo, an auxiliary for Cal Poly State University. At both organizations, her duties covered a wide spectrum, ranging from general accounting, payroll and auditing, to state and federal compliance, budget preparation, and project management.

After retiring from Cal Poly in 2019, Cindy relocated to her son and daughter in law’s farm on Whidbey Island after falling in love with the beauty and magic of the landscape. If she’s not working on the farm or spending time with her granddaughters, you will find her hiking in the woods or bird watching. In addition, Cindy has also filled her time volunteering at the Good Cheer Bayview location for the past 3 years, working in the kitchen and garden. She is very excited to serve Good Cheer as a board member, contributing her experience and support to its mission and to the Whidbey
Island community.

Term ends 12/31/2025

While earning her B.S. in Biology at the University of Washington, Arwen Norman concluded that more ecologists need to be involved in sustainable food production. Upon receiving her academic degree she pursued a hands-on farming education through several internships in western Washington, eventually moving to Whidbey in 2014 to help run SkyRoot Farm with a friend from UW.

From the gleaners picking up produce at the end of the farmers market to talking shop with the garden team, Good Cheer has been part of Arwen’s Whidbey community. She looks forward to broadening her contributions to island food security by serving on the Good Cheer board.

Term Ends: 12/31/26

Chris and his wife Kelly are 1977 graduates of Langley High School.  In 1995, following a ten-year career in commercial aquaculture, Chris became an appellate attorney. In 2001, Chris and Kelly returned to South Whidbey to raise their two boys.

Chris joined Good Cheer in 2021, after serving ten years on the South Whidbey Schools Foundation board, eight as Board President. Chris is active in the community and a regular shopper at Good Cheer.

Term Ends: 12/31/26

Joan was born and grew up in the greater Seattle area, graduating from Bothell High School. She attended Washington State University, graduating with a BA in General Studies in 1970, and then entered the Management Training program of what was then Peoples National Bank (Now U.S. of Washington). She worked in Auditing for 16 years and eventually becoming an Assistant Vice-President and Lending Officer working with clients in Business Banking.

Joan left banking to work as a business manager for a local public relations firm and pursue a masters decree in Pastoral Ministry at Seattle University. From there she entered Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (Episcopal) in Evanston, Illinois, earning a Masters in Divinity in 1991. She has served congregations in Western Washington and Arizona, retiring in 2014 from the Diocese of Olympia where she had been on the Bishop’s staff.

In retirement Joan spent time traveling with her husband, also a retired Episcopal priest. After his death in 2015, Joan worked as an interim pastor in several congregations in search of a permanent priest. Most recently she was the interim at St. Augustine-in-the-Woods, Freeland. During that time she moved to Langley on a permanent basis and retired (for the 4th time!) in 2022.

Term ends 12/31/25

Carol and her husband, Kerry, moved to Whidbey Island to retire in 2019, six months prior to the COVID shut down. Finding a place to fit in and contribute in a new community was difficult during that time. Volunteering in the Good Cheer garden provided a place to learn about and be a part of the community.

Carol and her husband are both long time western Washington residents. She has a degree and work history in Education, raised three boys and ran a small business with her husband before moving to Whidbey. Carol and her husband are loving island life.

Term ends 12/31/25

An avid storyteller, Allyson Meyer is the founder of Allyson Meyer Communications, a marketing and communications firm that uses videography, photography, writing, and social media to tell clients’ stories. Located in Langley, Meyer partners with clients nationwide to hone their messaging while creatively pursuing their mission in the communities they serve. She is also a contributing writer for Whidbey Life Magazine and in 2023, she joined the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts marketing team. Meyer currently serves on the board for South Whidbey Hearts & Hammers and Good Cheer Food Bank & Thrift Stores.

Descended from Oak Harbor’s 1858 Irish pioneers, Meyer moved to Whidbey Island from California in April 2022 to be closer to her family and to explore her ancestral connection to the island. She serves as the Corresponding Secretary for the Whidbey Island Pioneer Burial Association and enjoys opportunities to connect with the island that her family has called home for generations.

Meyer received her undergraduate degree in Communication Studies and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Managerial Leadership from the University of San Diego (USD). She also earned a project management certificate from USD Professional and Continuing Education.

Term ends 12/31/2026

Phil is a retired journalist who spent almost all of his career at The Chronicle of Higher Education, where he started as a reporter and ended up as president and editor in chief. Along the way, he started The Chronicle of Philanthropy to serve nonprofit organizations like Good Cheer.

He began coming to Whidbey in the 1960s in the company of his soon-to-be wife, Robin, who spent her childhood summers at her grandparents’ house on Sunlight Beach. When it came time to retire, there was no question that Whidbey was where they would go.

Phil got involved with Good Cheer through Robin, who is a long-time volunteer and former board member. He is impressed by the vital work done by Good Cheer’s dedicated staff and volunteers and is excited about supporting its mission as a board member.

Term ends 12/31/2027

After starting and managing a small vegetable farm in Snohomish for 5 years, Cooper moved to Whidbey Island to attend the 2017 class of the Organic Farm School.  He came to love the Whidbey island scene and community and decided to make it his permanent home.  Through his work in agriculture, Cooper has seen first hand the positive effect access to good quality locally sourced food and services can have on a person and decided that joining the food bank board was a great way to be involved.

When he’s not working on or around his clients houses, he can be found in his small garden or playing music at some of our local venues.

Term ends 12/31/2027

Kathryn Stevens inherited a commitment to service from her parents, Bob and Ethel Waters. They moved to Whidbey Island in 1979 where they built their own green home and became active in several organizations and community projects.

During her career as a leader in finance, hospital administration, and as a consultant in organizational transformation projects for healthcare systems, Kathryn expanded her understanding of human behavior in organizational settings. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Management, followed by an MBA, both from Pepperdine University. Kathryn later completed an MA and PHD in Human and Organizational Systems.

Kathryn and her late hubby, Tucker, moved from So Cal to Whidbey Island over 21 years ago to be close to her parents, enjoying the beauty and magic of island life. While continuing to do business consulting engagements, she and Tucker became active in the community they both loved.

Having previously served on the board for 7 years, the last 3 as officers, she returns to support staff and leadership in the implementation of creative processes surrounding the services Good Cheer provides to the South Whidbey community.

John is a 15 year resident of Whidbey Island along with his spouse Mary. Retiring in 2008 from a sales career in the horticultural industry he has a degree in Landscape Architecture from Syracuse University.

His volunteer work with Good Cheer began in 2010 as a weekly truck driver to Seattle for Food Lifeline pickups. He previously served on the Good Cheer Board from 2014 until 2000.