Paula Melby
Acting President/Finance Chair
Paula has been a long-time volunteer and officer of many swimming organizations, including serving as treasurer of the Bellevue Club Swim Team, president of the Norwood Community Swim Club, and on the boards of Midlakes Swim League and Midlakes Water Polo. She is a graduate of the University of Washington and a CPA—retired from Deloitte & Touche. Paula’s children swam for Bellevue High School and the Bellevue Club Swim Team.
Loren Baker
Vice President
Loren has 30+ years in power management and electric utility consulting. He co-founded Power Resource Managers (PRM) and was president/CEO until its recent sale. Loren’s experience is diverse, having completed projects ranging from the licensing, design, construction and startup of hydroelectric projects to highly complex, multi-party power sales agreements. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a master’s in Electrical Power Engineering. Loren is also a professional engineer licensed in the state of Washington.
Nancy Quint
Secretary
Nancy serves as Trustee of the Washington State University Foundation and is a former member of the Woodridge Swim Club. Formerly a VP with Washington Mutual, Nancy has a degree in Business Management from WSU and is co-owner of Aqua Quip. Her daughters swam with Midlakes clubs as well as Bellevue High School, and she believes swimming is a lifetime activity providing fun, exercise, and skills for all.
Marco de Sa e Silva
Marco is a partner at the Seattle law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, where he has practiced with the Real Estate, Land Use, and Construction Practice Group since 1989. He has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations. Marco graduated from Columbia University and the University of Washington, School of Law. He has three children who swim and play water polo.
Cameron Green
Cam swam for Canada and was a collegiate All American, swimming for both Simon Fraser and Arizona State Universities. Today, Cam continues to train and compete as a Masters swimmer at Bellevue Club, where his two children participated in the age-group program. Cam has served on several boards, and has provided marketing guidance for a variety of non-profit organizations, including the YMCA, Arizona State University’s Swimming Foundation, PAWS, and the Seattle Aquarium. Cam is CEO/Creative Director of GreenRubino, a full-service marketing firm based in Seattle.
Laura Halter
Laura has a diverse background that includes swimming for her high school team, teaching lessons, and working as a lifeguard. She earned a BA and Masters in Education before teaching and coaching at the Jr. and Sr. High levels in Minnesota. Laura is presently the Aquatics Director and head coach for the Edgebrook Club. She also coaches the Issaquah High School boys and girls swim team, and has been an Issaquah Sockeyes coach for more than seven years. Laura is a former triathlete and now swims for exercise and is an avid cyclist.
Rob Martin
A native Northwesterner, Rob was a competitive age-group, high school, and collegiate swimmer for 14 years. He still holds school and district records from his Olympia High School days. A graduate of the University of Washington, Rob swam and played water polo for the Huskies. Following graduation he worked for the Pacific-10 Conference and University of California, Berkeley in media relations roles. A marketing manager with Precor, Rob is an active Master’s swimmer and lives in Redmond with his wife and three daughters.
Michael McKinlay
Michael has been swimming his entire life. His mother started him in the pool in Texas at age three as therapy for polio. He has swum competitively at age-group, high school, college, and Masters levels, and has been lifeguarding and teaching and coaching swimming since high school. After moving to Washington in 1985, he joined the Bellevue YMCA. Michael has been a Masters coach since 1998, and was recently named Master’s Coach of the Year for the Pacific Northwest Association. His non-aquatic life is spent as an IS analyst for Costco in Issaquah.
Greg Simmons
Greg is a professional engineer with 30+ years in heavy civil and marine construction. He is past president of Newport Hills Swim and Tennis Club and Newport's swim board. Both Greg and his wife, Sandy, have been enthusiastic swim meet volunteers in Midlakes summer league and high school swimming. They have two daughters, both of whom were 3A state-level swimmers and one of whom was also a diver. Both daughters are active in coaching, teaching, and guarding. Greg has long had a passion to help build a new aquatics facility.
Colleen and Marc Pana
Colleen and Marc join our board as a team. Colleen is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and holds an MBA from Saint Martin’s University. She is a partner in a sales and engineer representative firm and serves on the board of directors for the Bellevue Family YMCA. Colleen is also the chairperson for the planning and evaluation committee for the YMCA. Marc is with Archon Capital. He has a CFA and MBA from the University of Washington and is a '91 graduate of West Point. He has a strong background in financials and public speaking. The Panas have four children, three of whom swim on the BEST swim team and with the Edgebrook summer club.
Russell Bennett
Russell Bennett is a visionary and entrepreneurial leader. Currently a lead program manager at Microsoft, he has a strong background in software product management, marketing, product strategy, business development, and product realization. He has worked for several software companies, as well as the British Army. He graduated from Sandhurst Military Academy in the UK and earned an MBA from Warwick Business School prior to becoming a U.S. citizen. In his spare time, he is an avid swimmer and a parent volunteer on the WAVE swim team.
Debby Fry Wilson
Debby is the mother of three year-around age group swimmers who swim for King Aquatic Club and Edgebrook Club. Debby previously served as vice president of the Midlakes Swim League. She is a life long distance running and triathlon enthusiast and participates in Masters swimming at Seattle University. She is a graduate of the University of Washington and the University of Maryland School of Law. Debby is a senior director of marketing and communications at Microsoft.
Andrew Cole, M.D.
Dr. Cole is President and Medical Director of Northwest Spine & Sports Physicians, P.C. in Bellevue, and Associate Clinical Professor in the UW Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Cole has been recognized as a leader in aquatic approaches to treat spine pain. He is Past President of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation’s Musculoskeletal Society, and has served on numerous committees for multiple local, regional, state, national, and international organizations. He has been active in swimming for many years, and served as team physician for Stanford’s swimming and diving team in the early 1990s.
SPLASH is currently looking for qualified board members and volunteers to help drive this project forward. If you are as passionate about the need for an aquatic facility on the Eastside and have skills we are looking for, we need to talk.