Susan Martin serves as the President of the League of Women Voters in the San Juans.

 

Susan also chairs the LWVWA Study Committee on Immigration and Immigrant Integration and serves on the steering committee of the LWVUS interest group on immigration. She is also the President of the local Rotary International club and a member of the board of trustees of Rutgers University. Susan is the Donald G. Herzberg Professor Emerita of International Migration at Georgetown University.

 

Susan and her husband, Michael, moved permanently to San Juan Island in 2016.

I first came to San Juan Island in 1977, and like many islanders I knew  I had to come back to live someday. My husband Gary and I moved here in 2002.   

 

I am a retired attorney with a BA degree from Miami University (Ohio) and a JD degree from BYU Law School. I have worked as a judicial clerk for an appellate court judge; staff attorney for an insurance company; and assistant attorney in the Bellingham Regional office of the Washington Attorney General.   After I retired, I spent five years on the Friends of the Library board, joined Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor, and later served as a Commissioner on Public Hospital District #1 from 2016-2018.    I joined the board of the League of Women Voters of the San Juans in 2014, and have served as Director, Treasurer, and President, in addition to my current position as Vice-President.   Currently, I am also active in Soroptimists and in my first term as a trustee for the San Juan Island Library.

Diana serves as Secretary on the LWVSJ Board of Directors.

 

Since retiring from a career in hotel and project management and moving to San Juan Island in 2014, she has volunteered with several local organizations. Diana currently volunteers with Hospice of San Juan, and she serves as a child advocate in the Volunteer Guardian ad Litem program for San Juan County.

Michael Martin serves as the Treasurer of the League of Women Voters Washington State as well as our local LWV league. He is also the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Rotary International club on the island.

 

Michael is a cybersecurity expert who teaches graduate classes at the University of Maryland Global College and the University of Montana. He has a B.A. from the University of Montana, MBA from St. Louis University, M.S. in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University, and a PhD in Information Technology from George Mason University.

 

He and his wife, Susan, moved permanently to San Juan Island in 2016.

Stephanie moved to San Juan Island in 2021, after retiring from her position as Executive Director of the

Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education. She served as one of Alaska’s commissioners on the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), president of the National Association of State Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP), and board member for the Education Finance Council (EFC).

 

In retirement, she works coordinating the Doctor of Ministry in Contemplative Leadership program at the Claremont School of Theology in California. Stephanie is a licensed lay preacher in the Episcopal Dioceses of Alaska and of Olympia, and she preaches periodically at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Friday Harbor.

 

Stephanie holds a BA in English from Barry University, a master’s degree in business administration from Boston University, a master’s degree in theology from Gonzaga University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Claremont School of Theology.

 

She has two children and two grandchildren, who live on the East Coast.

Jill spent her early years in South Africa and with the travel bug hitting hard after matriculating from school, she left to study art in Florence, Italy. Initially working in advertising agencies in both Cape Town and Vancouver, BC, she later moved with her family to the Bay Area and spent many years working as a personal assistant to high-profile celebrities.

 

Jill’s life took a turn when she transitioned to work for a non-profit organization dedicated to women’s reproductive health in the developing world. This role allowed her to travel throughout Africa and India, gaining invaluable experiences and insights. When it came time to look for a long-term retirement place with her husband, Joe,  a chance escape to the San Juans led to a decision to buy a home and settle here.

 

Jill enjoys working part time for a private client, serving on the Board of the League and volunteering with both of the local land conservation organizations in the area.

Necia is a retired Foreign Service Officer of the Department of State born and raised in Washington state. She served for 26+ years as an economics officer with tours in eight countries overseas--Guyana, East Germany, Zambia, Kyrgyzstan, India, Ukraine, and Nigeria, with her final tour as Deputy Chief of Mission in Tajikistan. She also served in the State Department in Washington DC and did a one-year Corporate Exchange with Boise Cascade in their Idaho headquarters. 

She retired in 2011 to San Juan Island. In 2017 she did a five-month stint as a volunteer with the UN in Bangladesh.

 

Necia has been on League Board for 8 years and served as President in 2021-22.

Chita Miller  worked in the travel industry, has a background in international business and has been a local business owner.  She grew up in Asia and graduated from the University of Montana in Political Science.  Chita lived aboard a 44’ Spencer  Sailboat and spent two  plus years  circumnavigating Vancouver Island.  She raised her two children on the Island.  

 

Chita has been an award winning Real Estate Broker and continues to do consulting for her real  estate clients.  She has been on several Boards, a member of Associations   and Clubs, a volunteer at our Friday Harbor Elementary, Middle and High Schools and  has helped with non-profit groups while enjoying living on San Juan Island for over 45 years.

She retired in 2011 to San Juan Island. In 2017 she did a five-month stint as a volunteer with the UN in Bangladesh.

 

Necia has been on League Board for 8 years and served as President in 2021-22.

My many-greats-aunt Lucy Stone was a suffragette who fought hard for the vote; when she married in 1853, she also kept her birth name and refused to vow to “obey” her husband.  My mother founded a chapter of LWV and told me many stories about Lucy Stone. 

 

The more I see how hard it is to keep our democracy going, the more I understand how essential the vote, and educated voters, are. I’m grateful to those who came before us that we have the right to vote and to make so many of our own choices.  I’m happy to be part of the League’s work for us all.