Our Board
Board of Directors
We have the pleasure of working with Board members representing seven local South Whidbey churches.
Our Board members head the THINC support committees in their churches, as well as report back to the committees on the progress and needs of the project.
· Coyla Shepard: Visionary (Island Church, Langley)
· Eileen Harper: Secretary (St. Hubert Catholic Church, Langley)
· Maralie Johnson: Treasurer (St. Hubert Catholic Church, Langley)
· Victoria Ritts: Designer (Langley United Methodist Church)
· Dave Clark: Building Consultant (Trinity Lutheran Church, Freeland)
· Adam Breedlove: Building Consultant (Assembly of God, Langley)
· Debra Hedllund: Legal Counsel
Coyla Shepherd, Visionary
Coyla Shepard volunteer, and member of Island Church. As a retired public school teacher, I volunteered at The Hub, the free after-school program in Langley. There I met a family of three teens and their widowed mother who needed housing. That meeting inspired me to join the Board of the newly formed South Whidbey Homeless Coalition. The need for more permanent housing led me to bring others together to form the nonprofit THINC Whidbey.
Eileen Harper, Secretary
Eileen Harper volunteer, THINC Whidbey Secretary, and member of St. Hubert's Catholic Church. I’m a retired dietitian and became interested in helping the homeless through participation in a downtown Seattle meal program with which our local church youth group was involved. I moved from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island in 1970.
Maralie Johnson, Treasurer
Maralie Johnson volunteer, living on Whidbey Island for 14 years and I attend St. Hubert’s Catholic Church in Langley. I’ve been concerned about housing homeless people for years. My mother and I bought an RV for a family of six several years ago. The family was going to split up the marriage in order to get housing in Everett. At the time, there were no services available to them on Whidbey. Since that time, I’ve remodeled my garage for a friend who was going to be homeless because her income was not enough to support local rental rates. I believe God cares about people in need and expects us to use the skills we have to help them.
Victoria Ritts, Interior Design
Victoria Ritts, volunteer and member of Langley United Methodist Church. I’m an Interior Designer. I packed up and moved my home and my business from Seattle to Whidbey Island in 2013. I originally became interested in the needs of the homeless while volunteering at Phinney Neighborhood Association serving dinner to unsheltered and low-income men and women. I went on to become a Board member of the Whidbey Homeless Coalition and a Mentor for House of Hope guests.
Dave Park, Building Consultant
Dave Park volunteer and member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Freeland. I became interested in construction working with my grandfather, who built his own home. I went on to build two homes and remodel several others. I've enjoyed donating time to Habitat for Humanity and Central Whidbey Hearts and Hammers and am now looking forward to using my building and construction skills with THINC. I've enjoyed living on Whidbey for the past four years.
Adam Breedlove, Building Consultant
Adam Breedlove volunteer and member of South Whidbey Assembly of God Church. I own and operate Breedlove Construction and am a third generation resident of South Whidbey. I'm fortunate to have been on several short term mission trips, have been involved in other community outreach organizations, and have a real desire to show the love of God with service to others. I'm pleased to do that with THINC by mentoring our construction crews during our building phase.
Deborah Hedlund, Legal Counsel
Deborah Hedlund volunteer and attorney. My legal career includes being a criminal law professor, prosecutor, public defender, City Attorney of a small community, and corporate counsel. I then served for 33 years as a State Court Trial Judge in Minnesota. I retired to Whidbey Island in 2013 and serve on the Board of the University of Northwestern (MN), Hope for the Hurting Home, and THINC. There is a critical need to provide affordable housing on Whidbey Island, and l am dedicated to being a part of the solution.