A Trustee is a representative of the High Point Community. Trustees help engage residents to get involved, represent the concerns of their neighbors and plan events to build community within High Point.
View a map of current pictures: Big Map Trustees July 2012 Marilyn Savage, President Msavage007@yahoo.com Originally from Kansas, Marilyn moved to Seattle last year. Marilyn enjoys seeing the diversity in the community and immediately wanted to do her part. Marilyn is a nurse at Overlake Hospital. She wanted to become a Trustee becasue she cares about the community that she lives in. “I believe that being a trustee will allow me to help everyone keep High Point a safe, clean, friendly and culturally diverse place to live. I want to learn about the concerns, needs and desires of my community and be instrumental in making changes that benefit the community as a whole.” Deborah Vandermar, Vice President dvandermar@comcast.net My name is Deborah and I am a native of Chicago, Illinois. I settled in the north end of Seattle in 1994 with my husband, Robert Poor and our twins, Maggie and Josie. After raising our daughters, we decided to move to an area where we could enjoy beautiful surroundings and connect with our neighbors. High Point was the perfect choice. I worked in the apparel industry for over 30 years as an engineer, traveling to factories all over the USA, Asia, Europe and South America to supervise production and quality for major brands including Nordstrom. Throughout my career, I have volunteered in schools, colleges and community centers, sharing my knowledge of sewing and tailoring. Bob and I started ESL sewing classes in February at Neighborhood House in High Point. I have a BA in Anthropology from San Francisco State University and an MA from Washington State University. I am also on the Board of International Textile and Apparel Association. Deborah’s term expires June, 2014. Lauren Englund, Treasurer lcenglund@yahoo.com Lauren has lived in High Point for four years now. She works as an inpatient pharmacist at the Veteran’s Hospital. Lauren wanted to get involved and do more for this community. She wanted to become a Trustee and make this community the place everyone envisioned it to be. Lauren’s interests are physical health and getting everyone more active. Her term expires June, 2013. Sandy Montgomery, Secretary sandyandjim@comcast.net My husband and I recently moved to West Seattle from Michigan. We looked at houses in several neighborhoods but were most attracted to the diversity and sense of community at High Point. Prior to retiring in 2005 I spent many years working as an administrator for several local public agencies in the Lansing, Michigan area. I was also active in community and school volunteer organizations, serving on the school board, coordinating the parent volunteer group for the school theatrical group as well as chairing United Way fund raising campaigns and serving on several United Way committees. Retirement has allowed me more time to pursue my interests in photography, travel, gardening, and grandchildren. Sandy’s term expires June, 2014. Fatima Diakite, Trustee Diakitem27@yahoo.com Fatima is originally from Niger. She has lived in West Seattle for six years. She is new to High Point and moved in January, 2011. Fatima wanted to become a Neighborhood Association Trustee because she sees the need in the community to improve it and bring people together. Fatima’s term expires June, 2013. Shuto Osman, Trustee fowziyayassin@gmail.com Shuto has lived in High Point since the redevelopment. She has seen this community in many different stages and admires how much it has changed in a short time. Shuto believes that the children of High Point need services and leaders who understand their issues and can follow through. As a mother, Shuto belives the “Children are our future, and I will do whatever I can to engage them.” Shuto’s term expires June, 2013. Audrey Turpaud, Trustee Audreyt@nhwa.org Audrey has three children and has been an active resident of High Point. She has attended several meetings and events in the community before being nominated to become a Trustee. Audrey has a son named Lazaurus who was vocal about children’s needs’ in High Point. At meetings, Lazaurus voiced his concerns about the lack of swings in the parks. When the community applied for the grant to build Bataan Park, Lazaurus demanded swings. He got his wish with four swings at Bataan Park. Audrey and her family continue to be engaged as members of High Point. Her term expires June, 2013. Nicoles Hoyes Wilson, Trustee hoyesn@seattleu.edu I am honored to serve on the High Point Neighborhood Association. I feel blessed to be part of such a vibrant and diverse community, and I am looking to take a more active role in it. The values of High Point align with my personal values and my professional experience. My husband, 2 year old daughter, and I bought our first house here in June and could not be happier with our decision. Participating in the building of the Bataan playground, and witnessing so many community members invest in our children, is what made me fall in love with this community. Living and raising our family in a diverse community is important to us and we feel we found our piece of the American dream in High Point. For the past six years I have worked at Seattle University as the Associate Director for Housing and Residence Life. In this role I help to create a home away from home for our students. My goal is to create opportunities for all of us to build relationships beyond the casual hello. I believe the key to building and maintaining strong, safe, and vibrant communities – is to getting to know our neighbors and looking out for one another. Nicoles’s term expires June, 2014. Cynthia Clouser, Trustee cynthiaclouser@yahoo.com My name is Cynthia Clouser. I am a mother of seven children, one of whom is my granddaughter that I have adopted and raised. I have lived in the new High Point since August 2008 and also lived in old High Point for five years. My mission as a resident is to enjoy our wonderful housing and help all my neighbors to do the same. I am a member of the Community Action Team (2+years). We have sought out various issues in our community and done our best to find solutions. We are still an ongoing group. I have been involved in the Fruit and Veggies group and worked with our neighborhood Walgreens in getting affordable fruits and vegetables. I am also going to be involved in helping residents create backyard gardens, hopefully this Spring. My goal is to work with families to create a healthy and safe High Point, giving families great ideas on food that is good for you and making it safe for our children, youth and adults to play and visit any where in the community with no fear. I am a peaceful person and I am an activist against racism and discrimination in any form. Cynthia’s term expires June, 2014. Samuelu Oto, Trustee soto5465@hotmail.com I love the High Point community and it’s my home. The first thing that is very important to me is safety in the community and happiness. The second thing is families and friends and also our elderly people. I have a non profit program that I run for seniors. I just opened a program for all kids to enjoy and practice their own language. Volunteering and helping others is what I enjoy and love to do. Volunteering is what gives me joy and also spending time with my family. I am campaigning for the Trustee position because I would like to problem solve and get people to get along. I believe every problem has a solution. If we work together as a community we can accomplish incredible things. Samuelu’s term expires June, 2014. Pauline Theam, Trustee paulinetheam@hotmail.com My name is Pauline Theam. I am Cambodian American and a High Point resident since 1991. I recently graduated with a Masters degree in Social Work and currently volunteering at Neighborhood House as a Community Action Team member. As a long-time resident and an active community volunteer, I would like to work with you to address any concerns to better our community. I have seen the changes from the old and the new High Point and I am committed to bringing our residents together. The sense of community and the value of giving back are important to me. I was a youth in SafeFutures Youth Center and a partner with Neighborhood House. I love High Point as we all come from diverse backgrounds and have many stories and ideas to share. Pauline’s term expires June, 2014.
We are thrilled to have recently purchased a home in High Point and are looking to become more involved. What’s the best way to go about it?