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For 2024 elections, we'll have candidates vying for four open position for varying term lengths: One will be a three-year term (2024 through 2026), and three will be for the new two-year term length (2024 through 2025), as posted in the member forums in December.
- Applications for candidates were open from January 1 until noon on January 8.
- We posted the list of candidates and their statements on the website on January 8.
- We request that all candidates attend the 107IST board meeting on January 9 at 5:30pm.
Important: You be a member of the 107IST by December 31, 2023, to be eligible to run for the board and/or to vote.
Resources for prospective candidates
Please read this blog post that describes the skills and characteristics that prospective board members might have.
Onward! A Rose City Podcast also recorded a session with two current board members on December 7, 2023. Give the episode a listen and don't forget to subscribe to Onward! so you can stay in the know!
Live candidate forum: 1/20
On January 20, from noon to 2:30, we'll host a LIVE candidate forum session at McMenamins Ringlers Pub. This session is moderated and the questions will come from members. All current 107IST members are also able to post questions to candidates in the member forums on the website. This session will also be live streamed for those who cannot make it to Ringlers Pub.Members can register for the live candidate forum here. We'll be sending out a link to the stream the morning of the event.
Elections
- Ballots will be sent out on January 22 to all 2023 members and new 2024 members who paid dues as of December 31, 2023.
- Voting will end at noon on January 29, and results announced on January 30.
Online forums
Ask the candidates questions before voting and read their responses. (Forums will go online after candidates are announced.)
Visit the online forums (members only)
2024 107IST Board of Directors Candidates
The following individuals have submitted applications to be on the ballot for the 107IST Board of Directors.
Candidates are listed in alphabetical order:
Candidate Name: Tiffany Andrews
Please list boards and committees that you serve on, or have served on:
I am currently a member of the SWANA-Beaver Chapter Board. Within my company, I am a member of the following committees: Wellness, Heath and Safety, Quality, Project Manager Training, and Young Professionals (which I founded and developed with a small team).
Biographical information (107IST-related and professional):
I am a Portland born project manager for an employee owned engineering firm. Our office focus is environmental services. I have worked there for 14 years. I worked my way from an entry level field technician to the position I am in now. I manage a team of five and 27 projects that vary in size. I was recognized by my company by my ability to smooth things over in difficult situations and am now the Client Service Representative for our company for a large international company. I was recently recruited to the SWANA- Beaver Chapter board because of all the volunteer and voluntentold work that I have done since started with my company.
I have been part of the 107ists since 2016 though I attended matches before that time. I have helped paint tifos and help hand out wristbands. Other than that, I have not really been much a part of the organization. I have volunteered to help in other ways. I do attend almost every home Timbers match and recently started going to more Thorns matches again. I also try to attend T2 matches when time and location allow.
State your objectives as a 107IST board member:
Over the past few years and front office fiascos, the fan base has become very divided. People span from boycott to "just let me watch soccer." I would love to try and heal the divide and provide prospective from all sides. I love to listen to all and try to find common ground. I think we all came to our first match for soccer but stayed because of the feeling of community. I want work to rebuild that community so that we feel that cohesiveness of 2016 (the beginning) even in tough years. With a stronger community we can do more good as an organization.
I would also like to do good in the communities that I love so very much (Portland, the TA, and RCR). I want to give back to the group that has given me so much over the years.
How do you feel 107IST members would benefit from your involvement with the board:
I am good at managing all types of people, projects, and budgets. I am also willing to give time to make my time of the board a success. I feel diving in and taking ownership is huge in the overall success of anything and that a good board is made up of all different types of people with varying opinions. In addition, I really nerd out on spreadsheets and checklists. I have also finally found the art of delegation to be very useful. A big thing is I communicate with all sides of the divide and see all points of view though I might not agree with them all. With the addition of a second front office this season, there will be increased complexity and a need to be organized and thoughtful about how to move forward, build the right relationships, and get things done. I want to give back!
Conflicts of Interest: None
Candidate Name: Greg Griffiths
Please list boards and committees that you serve on, or have served on:
College fraternity board, 107IST Communications Committee, 107IST Membership Committee, volunteer with Oregon Parks Service at Vista House in the Gorge
Biographical information (107IST-related and professional):
I'm a dad. My kids grew up going to Timbers matches. That morphed into me volunteering - as a copy editor for communications, as a painter of Tifo, as a staffer at 1919 and Fanladen, as a bus captain for away matches, as a frequent traveler to away games, as a regular in Section 207 (row G).
I've considered running for the board in the past, but wanted to make sure I could fully commit to it. Now, I can and would happily lend my talent and time to the club, Army, and our town.
Semi-retired tech product marketing manager. Frequent ukulele player.
State your objectives as a 107IST board member:
Take care of the boring stuff. Ensure that fiduciary responsibilities are addressed. See that communications happen in a timely manner. Fix typos.
As important, build a more inclusive community of supporters. New members matter a ton. I want to break down the perception that the Timbers Army is an exclusive group.
That, to me, is how we grow this. And our growth matters now more than ever. We need to broaden our base and be loud - both as supporters and as critics. But we need a bigger choir for the singing to have impact.
How do you feel 107IST members would benefit from your involvement with the board:
I'm not ego-driven - this is truly about what I think I can contribute (my experience, my talent, my judgment) to the organization. I care about the 107IST, I've benefitted from the 107IST, and I think I can help the 107IST move forward.
Conflicts of Interest: None
Candidate Name: Stephan Lewis
Please list boards and committees that you serve on, or have served on:
Current:
- 107 Independent Supporters Trust (107IST), Board of Directors
- 107IST Community Outreach Committee, Co-Chair & Founding Member
- Portland United Against Hate (PUAH), Steering Committee, representing the 107IST
- Stadium District Business Association, Board of Directors, representing the 107IST
- Maplewood Neighborhood Association, Transportation Chair
- Southwest Neighborhoods Transportation Committee
- In my service as Facilities Manager for the 107IST, I handle much of the day-to-day logistics for many of our committees including, but not limited to, No Pity Originals, Rivetgear, the tifo teams, and game day ops.
Relevant past board and committee membership:
- Goose Hollow Foothills League (GHFL), Vice Chair (still represent the 107IST)
- Neighbors West Northwest (NWNW), Board of Directors (still represent the 107IST)
- NWNW Small Grants Committee
- Various other boards and committees related to community development and transportation
Biographical information (107IST-related and professional):
Portland born and mostly raised, soccer was a big part of my upbringing, and I started really combining my love of the two when the Timbers started back up in 2001 (can't really count attending NASL matches as I was just a little kid without agency). With a background in architecture, I started studying and practicing community development over 25 years ago to have a greater, more positive impact in our changing landscapes. Central to this practice are the principles of empowerment, participation, inclusion, self-determination, and partnership.
Very active in my communities, I volunteer my time with the 107IST as a member of the Outreach Committee, representing our interests in the local community from neighborhoods and coalitions to other nonprofits and community organizations, and provide day to day operational logistics for all aspects of the org.
Additionally, I’ve spent the last 12 years raising a TA kid which really reinforces my perspective on our stewardship role, and I enjoy completing expansive home-improvement projects.
State your objectives as a 107IST board member:
My primary objective is the rebuilding of the heart of our community. Many of us have been dealing with a crisis of faith over the controversies of recent years and have questioned the time and effort we put into this thing that we have all loved so deeply. How do we bring that back and make it stronger than before? How do we bring back those we’ve lost while making room for those to come? How do we maintain a continuation of our ethos that is so instrumental in our creation of spaces that compel our members to be involved in the org at a deep, personal level toward a greater, shared good.
Do I have all the answers? No, not really. But I have proven myself to be committed to the processes of discovering the minutia surrounding these questions and working toward solutions to address them.
How do you feel 107IST members would benefit from your involvement with the board:
As one of the longer serving board members, historic knowledge transfer is going to be important in the times ahead. Knowledge of what our volunteers are capable of. I have proven my commitment to conflict resolution and consensus building around topics that the 107IST has faced. I have proven committed to putting process over knee-jerk reactions. Processes that center members and incorporate best practice. This builds on my decades of experience in other not-for-profit organizations. An experience that we will be losing some of this year.
I believe 107IST’s, this community, and in the potential we share. Seeing the breadth of pain within our community hurts as the joys we’ve shared slip away in a heavy emotional balance. I believe in the legacy of the 107IST for coming generations that embraces the pure joys as well as the sorrows that are an inescapable part of the uniqueness of supporters culture.
Conflicts of Interest: None
Candidate Name: Sam Prince
Please list boards and committees that you serve on, or have served on:
In the 107ist: Rose City Steering Committee, RivetGear Merch Team, Membership Team
In other spaces: Associated Regional Representatives of Oregon and Washington (ARROW) social media and tech rep
Biographical information (107IST-related and professional):
Hi Team!
My name is Sam Prince, I was born and raised in St. Louis, lived all around the US, and found a home in Portland a bit over six years ago. On the professional level I am an admissions counselor for Bennington College, a small Liberal Arts college in lovely Vermont. I recruit the PNW for them.
My 107ist story starts about a week after I moved to Portland, when I went to my first Timbers game. The cheapest tickets were in the TA, but to be honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I sat (that’s right, sat), high in the 200s and watched the bedlam that played out even in a meaningless mid-week match between two low table teams. I was new to Portland, but knew I was in love with what was happening.
Though I think this may surprise a lot of you who have gotten to know me in the time since, I'm not someone who is usually a jump in with two feet kinda person. I have a lot of reverence for routine, for what has come before me. It took right around two full years before feeling comfortable joining in. In the past few years I will say confidently that the 107ist has lead me to community--to chosen family. If you’ve come into Fanladen or 1919 on gamedays, odds are I’m one of the people who greeted you at the door, it’s one of my favorite places to be.
State your objectives as a 107IST board member:
My focus in joining the board this time around is membership and comms.
The goal of 25 by 25 is a noble one, and it’s also going to take some aggressive and bold moves. While being part of the match day membership team on Timbers game days and the merch team for RivetGear I’ve seen how instrumental having a membership presence is in both spaces. I’d like to dial up that presence, dial up the ways we articulate what we do, really push on us gaining members during each match.
On a comms level I just want to contribute to having an organized, consistent messaging from all of our comms spaces. There are so many, and some feel more siloed than others. We’ve had a great amount of growth so far, I’d like to help continue that growth.
How do you feel 107IST members would benefit from your involvement with the board:
On a practical level, in the past year my job has shifted me more towards a communications role. I edit our public statements, write admissions specific drop ins when the college president addresses the board, develop a marketing strategy for transfer admissions. I’ve learned a lot, and think that aspect of my job could be very very helpful to the 107ist members.
The last thing may sound super simple, but I want you to hear it: you’d benefit because I give a shit. I love the 107ist, love its mission, love the folks we serve, love what we do in our community. It would be an absolute honor to get to serve on the board, to get to serve y’all. I’m a deeply corny person, if you’ve met me you know that. If you haven’t met me yet. This level of caring is what I bring to the table.
Conflicts of Interest: None
Candidate Name: Sunday White
Please list boards and committees that you serve on, or have served on:
Original Riveters SC
Biographical information (107IST-related and professional):
Hello, I am Sunday White. You have likely seen me in a nest or on the stage in the north end, supporting with passion and energy, over the last 10 years. I am an organizational nerd and a marketing project manager (cat herder) in my day to day life. I love to create fiber art and help my community.
State your objectives as a 107IST board member:
How do you feel 107IST members would benefit from your involvement with the board:
My hope/goal would be that the 107ist benefits of my tenure would be a culture of trust, honesty, transparency. That we continue to do good and find ways to do better, while being accessible and that people feel welcome and empowered to be active participants in our community.
Conflicts of Interest: None
Candidate Name: Dominique Whittaker
Please list boards and committees that you serve on, or have served on:
TA/RCR/107IST-Related: Timbers Army Covert Ops (TA:CO) Leadership Member, 107IST Appointed Board Member (2021), Timbers Army Steering Committee, BIPOC Advisory Group Chair, Community Outreach (Secretary)
Work/Professional: Microsoft Giving Campaign
Biographical information (107IST-related and professional):
Hey, it’s Dominique - your friendly photographer/survey designer/away day warrior/podcaster/patch patrol whale catcher. I’m a native New Yorker, an eldest child, creative, gamer, techie. I moved to Oregon in October 2015 for a work opportunity where I met my now-partner, Andrew, and fell in love with Portland, the PNW, and PTFC. Lived in Seattle and San Jose for a few years, so I’ve been a remote supporter, part of TA:CO and G&GG. Now I’m back in Portland, so during most matches you can find me down on the pitch snapping photos. My day job is working with early-stage startups to help them grow and navigate Microsoft. My afternoon gig is freelance photography.
107IST-wise, I’ve been a member since 2017 and first got involved by attending board meetings. I was encouraged to join Community Outreach, where I was Secretary and then joined the BIPOC Advisory group, the photo team, and Timbers Army Steering Committee. If you’ve taken a pulse survey in the past two years, thank you (I’m often helping craft those and reading out the results to the leadership team).
State your objectives as a 107IST board member:
How do you feel 107IST members would benefit from your involvement with the board:
My passion is bringing folks together and seeing people succeed. I am a listener first - the nature of my job means I need to listen first and speak second. It also means I need to collaborate with different people of varying importance, communicate effectively, maintain budgets, and not take myself too seriously. I'll be able to employ these skills in partnering with other board members, RSGs, and the broader communities we all live in. I hope that by the end of my term that we’ll be in a place as an org where folks aren’t talking about how things used to be, but are excited about what’s coming up.
Conflicts of Interest: None
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