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 past 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.
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.
Lynda Filson moved to Gig Harbor after a lengthy search for the perfect retirement town. She and her husband John found it here! Lynda brings executive corporate experience in finance and marketing, plus 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 once again in Gig Harbor and see the growth in Gig Harbor Now from the launch in 2021.
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.
A former Washington, D.C., resident, Heidi Giles relocated to Gig Harbor with her family in November 2021. She recently retired from a career in healthcare consulting, spanning for-profit and non-for-profit entities working to optimize operations of Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance programs. Throughout her career, she developed skills in program and project management, a mission-based orientation, and a passion for serving others. As a lifelong volunteer, she is excited and honored to join the Board of Directors and apply these skills and interests in support of Gig Harbor Now and, more broadly, the Gig Harbor community.
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.
