IATC President Update and Board Transitions

Update from the President

The IATC has had some big transitions over the past few months!

In January 2023 I started my 3-year term as the IATC President and Kelly Jiang was elected Vice President in addition to chairing the revitalized Advocacy Committee. Kelly and I are partnering closely to lead the organization by building on the success of our previous President David Dunphy. During his term, David helped realize Kirt Leonard’s vision of bringing on a younger generation to the Board and a youthful spirit to IATC! Despite challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, David assured the IATC continued to grow and oversaw the creation of our 2021-2026 Strategic Plan to highlight one major accomplishment. David continues to be an active Board member and serves on the Advocacy Committee.

Ryan McIrvin joined the board in summer 2022. He brings a wealth of experience as a current Renton City Councilmember and government relations professional. Haley Hayes left the Board in February and James Li joined the Board and was elected as the IATC’s new Treasurer.

In January, longtime board members Kirt Lenard and Tom Anderson both cycled off of the board of directors. Kirt is continuing his volunteer involvement as a member of the Governance Committee, while Tom continues to serve on the Communications Committee and is working on the finishing touches for the IATC history book. Thank you both for your years of contributions on the Board, and we are very fortunate to have you continue your involvement in the IATC as volunteers.

I am really excited about what we have planned for 2023 and beyond and look forward to sharing and celebrating our accomplishments with the IATC community!

Anne Newcomb

IATC President

Retiring Board Members

Kirt Lenard

Kirt with his famed mosaic art work “Thank You” gift

Kirt has been a very active board member with IATC since 2014 and even served as both Board President and Treasurer 2016-2018. In this first quarter 2018 Alpiner article Kirt shares his vision of “continuing the IATC mission of preserving and protecting the green spaces within the Issaquah Alps, planning for the next 40 years by bringing the operations of the club into the digital age by updating our online presence and making sure we communicate and share our work with our members and the general public in ways that effectively reach the broadest possible audience. Even more importantly, it means reaching out across generations and into a wider, more diverse cross section of groups within our community. This is an important and difficult challenge, but one that will ensure our mission continues so that future generations can enjoy the benefits of living in harmony with our natural environment.” IATC has made great progress towards achieving this vision and we are so grateful to Kirt recognizing what was needed to create a future where we can continue to work together to preserve, protect, and promote the land, wildlife, and trails of the Issaquah Alps for present and future generations.

Tom Anderson

Tom with his famed mosaic art work “Thank You” gift

Tom has been a vital member of the IATC board of directors since 2015. IATC has been lucky to have Tom as our dedicated historian and photographer. The Issaquah Alps Trails Club has a rich 40-year history, much of which is captured in the Alpiner Archive Tom created. Thanks Tom for taking the time to archive IATC history and making it easy to access and read! Tom is also in the process of creating the IATC history book, called 40 years with IATC, which will be available soon. Tom also documented and helped plan the big celebration of IATC's 40th Anniversary in 2019! You have most likely enjoyed one of Tom’s hikes, Alpiner articles, social media posts, and/or Sasquatch appearances. We are grateful for Tom’s continued involvement with the communications committee, even as his term on the Board of Directors has come to an end.

New Board Members

James Li

James is the IATC Treasurer and is a Senior Technical Product Manager at Amazon Prime and has a background in finance and accounting, holding a CPA and Masters in Accounting. James is an active trail runner as a new resident of Issaquah. James is an advocate for equity and access on the trails and feels public goods should be shared and accessed equitably amongst all. You may see James out running on the trails with his newly adopted husky, Nico, who has been loving the snow in the Issaquah Alps!

Ryan McIrvin

Ryan is currently the Assistant Director, Government and Community Relations for University of Washington Bothell. As a Renton City Councilmember, Ryan has worked tirelessly to expand housing affordability, while preserving open space, and brings that background and experience to the IATC board. Ryan advocated for funding to support the restoration of salmon habitat while serving on the WRIA 8 Salmon Recovery Council and Cedar River Council, advocated to save DeLeo Wall on Cougar Mountain from logging/development, and previously served on the King Conservation District Advisory Committee. He supported efforts to expand May Creek Trail and has consistently advocated for new trail connections needed to complete our regional trails network through the Leafline Trails Coalition. Ryan is a proud father of two daughters who are budding IATC advocates - they’ve even made an appearance at several board meetings and the Save Coal Creek rally!