The board of directors is the policy-making and oversight body for Gig Harbor Now. It comprises longtime area residents with backgrounds in business, government, education, journalism and technology. Members have participated extensively in volunteer and nonprofit efforts to create a better community in which we live.
Candace Savage retired after 30 years with USA TODAY and its parent company, Gannett, where she held regional and national positions. She has always been an active community volunteer, serving on a number of Boards, including a current position with the Gig Harbor Film Festival.
As a witness to the decline of print media and the consolidation of regional news organizations, Candace is passionate about what Gig Harbor Now represents: both a return to a true local newspaper and a business model that is not dependent on advertising but rather the support of the community it serves.
Lynda Filson is a 20-year resident of Gig Harbor after a search for the perfect retirement town. She and her husband John found it here! Lynda brings executive corporate experience and extensive board and volunteer work in Gig Harbor to Gig Harbor Now. She is thrilled to be on the Board of Directors and to see local, factual, informative news in Gig Harbor again.
Stace Gordon joined the Gig Harbor Now Board in May of 2022 after retiring from a career in Human Resources. He worked with large companies like The Coca Cola Co., Georgia-Pacific and Equifax. He also owned his own restuarant. While he grew up in Florida, he has lived in the Pacific Northwest for over 20 years and in Gig Harbor for the last 6 years. Stace looks forward to giving back to the Gig Harbor community and participating in all the great activities of Gig Harbor.
Sandy Jeter is 27 year resident of Olalla and a huge fan of all things Gig Harbor. Currently a member of the University of Washington’s outstanding Advancement team, she has put her Master of Library Science degree to work in medical and scientific information research for various local organizations over the years before moving into the fundraising/nonprofit realm in 2013. Now that her children are grown she is excited to have more time to volunteer locally and her passion for accessible and factual information and her librarian background make Gig Harbor Now a perfect fit.
Dave Martens made his career as the Publisher of small community newspapers believing in a strong local report. The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association recognized him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. He served as a mentor to small businesses through the Tacoma chapter of SCORE, a service of the Small Business Administration, after moving to Gig Harbor in 2012. Given the extraordinary growth of the Gig Harbor Now audience driven by its expanding community reporting, he feels fortunate to serve on the Board of Directors.
Thelma Brown comes from a family of educators and has been a life long educator as well since 1968. Thelma began her career as a teacher of Health, Science, and Gymnastics, and then served both as a middle school and a high school counselor for several years. Thelma was then asked to become the principal of City Honors College Preparatory High School in Inglewood, California where she worked for ten years. During her tenure, City Honors received the 2007 U.S. News and World Report award for being one of the best high schools in America.
Since moving to Gig Harbor in 2016, Thelma has become of member of the Rotary Club of Gig Harbor Midday and the President of the Gig Harbor/Key Peninsula Suicide Prevention Coalition. Thelma is enthusiastically looking forward to serving on the board of Gig Harbor Now.
Patricia (Pat) Lantz has been asking who, what, why, when, where and how during a lifetime of community activism in Gig Harbor. Whether as a new mom volunteering in the school district, a young lawyer working to create the first Gig Harbor land use plan, a trustee building the public library or a representative in the Washington State Legislature when issues regarding the second Tacoma Narrows bridge consumed the area, she has sought answers and found solutions. As past president and a founder of Gig Harbor Now, she is eager for the community to have the essential information it needs in answer to questions about issues it cares about today.
Jenny Wellman is a native Texan whose wanderlust has taken her to several parts of the country and the world during her lifetime. She and her family landed in Gig Harbor in 2009 and now call it home. Jenny has supported a number of causes through the nonprofit world, including the arts and children’s health. She was formerly the Executive Director of the Gig Harbor Film Festival. She is a member of Midday Rotary of Gig Harbor. Her passion for community connection makes being the Executive Director of Gig Harbor Now a perfect fit.
