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Candidate Applications

For elections, we'll have candidates vying for one of two open positions for a three-year term (2022 through 2024).

• Applications for candidates were open from November 1 until 11:59 a.m. on November 19.
• We posted the list of candidates and their statements on the website on November 19.
• We requested that all candidates attend the November 9 107IST board meeting.

Important: You must have been a member of the 107IST by October 31, 2021, to be eligible to run for the board and/or to vote.

Live Candidate Forum

On December 4, from noon to 2, we will host a virtual forum session for all candidates. This session is moderated, and the questions will come from members. After the virtual forum, all current 107IST members are able to post questions to candidates in the member forums on the website.

Elections

Online Forum

Ask the candidates questions before voting and read their responses.

Visit the online forums (members only) 

2022 107IST Board of Directors Candidates

The following individuals have submitted applications to be on the ballot for the 107IST Board of Directors. If elected, they will serve a three-year term starting January 1st, 2022.

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order:

Candidate Name: Lindy Lacson

Email Address: LMGLacson@gmail.com

Please list boards and committees that you serve on, or have served on: 

• 107IST BIPOC group
• Rose City Riveters Game Day Ops
• RivetGear Merch Team
• Pacific Islanders Network

Biographical information (107IST-related and professional):

Born in the Philippines and raised in the Central Valley of California. Moved to Portland in 2012 for work. Professionally I'm in Marketplace Operations and Supply Chain. I'm also a certified Reiki practitioner.

Lifelong lover of the Beautiful game. Played AYSO, dreamed of being a '99er. The whole shebang.

When I moved up to PDX in 2012, I knew 3 people. 2 of those people scarfed me with a No Pity Scarf even before I officially moved and the deal was done. They took me to my first Timbers match and I fell in love with the TA DnT. It was because I became a regular fixture there that I was invited to join the Riveters CDnT in 2014. I'd become a season ticket holder for the Thorns as soon as they were available in 2013, but hadn't really found my place yet while attempting to volunteer for the Riveters. Now you can find me in 107 for the Riveters and 106 for the Timbers, or throwing out random ideas for the Riveters Merch team. Beyond that, I'm also a member of the BIPOC committee and am honored to have represented them on the Board for 2021.

State your objectives as a 107IST board member:

I'd like to continue focusing on helping to grow our organization's youth engagement and also push more commitment & partnering with untapped population within our local communities.

How do you feel 107IST members would benefit from your involvement with the board:

I believe 107IST members would benefit from my involvement with the board because I bring an intersectional wealth of knowledge and life experience, both personally & professionally, separate from that of others on the board. I'm not afraid to speak my mind and ensure that perspectives outside of the status quo are being taken into account in discussions, planning, and decisions. I'm passionate about serving & representing folks, particularly those who are often overlooked or disregarded. The organization made strides in growth & accountability this year. I believe it's headed in an equitable direction. I'd like to continue to help keep this forward momentum up because the work isn't finished. I want this organization to truly embody its mission to support soccer in and around Portland, Oregon, from the grassroots to the highest professional level. Not just for some, but everyone no matter their ethnicity, socioeconomic circumstances, citizenship status, gender, sexual identity, etc.

Conflicts of Interest: None

Candidate Name: Sherrilynn “Sheba” Rawson

Email Address: srawson@gmail.com

Please list boards and committees that you serve on, or have served on: 

• Woodburn School District
• • Wellness Advisory Committee (current chair)
  • Biliteracy Advisory Committee
  • Superintendent Search Committee
• Sungarden Montessori board of directors
• Gisele Currier Scholarship Fund (current chair)
• Stand for Children - English Language Learner Taskforce
• 107 Independent Supporters Trust
• • Board of directors, 2011-present
  • Community Outreach, current member
  • Membership, current member and co-chair

Biographical information (107IST-related and professional):

Hi, I'm Sherrilynn "Sheba" Rawson (she/her/hers)

Personal life: I'm a single mom to three amazing adult children who are the three best things I've done with my time on this planet. I play old, slow people footy with Old Growth FC & the Whipsaws. I live in unincorporated Clackamas County, where during the pandemic I learned to love vegetable gardening and chicken herding.

Professional life: I've been an educator since 1985 and an elementary school principal since 2002 and an occasional adjunct instructor at area universities. I work in Woodburn in a trilingual elementary school. I'm comfortable speaking English or Spanish and am working on my Russian.

107IST related: I started coming to Timbers games with my family in 2004 when my children started playing club soccer, and I fell in love with the sport and with the supporter community. I lurked on SCUSA, brought pies to prefunks in parking lots, became a 107IST in 2010 and a board member in 2011. I worked the wristband line when it first started, and have subsequently been working the game day ticket exchange on Timbers games days since we first leased the fanladen. I love the team, the town, and the TA and Riveters.

State your objectives as a 107IST board member:

• Carry out the mission of the 107IST, which is to support soccer in and around Portland, from the grassroots to the highest professional level
• Support the 107IST board's efforts to improve transparency as a board, and inclusion, diversity, and equity as an organization
• Support the 107IST board's continuing evolution from a working board to an executive board

How do you feel 107IST members would benefit from your involvement with the board:

• I strive to keep the mission and vision of the organization at the center of everything I do. My heart is absolutely in the work.
• My personal strengths (collaborating, remaining calm under pressure, synthesizing disparate bits of information, word smithing) are an asset to the board and to the organization.
• I have experience working with the board and the organization in a variety of projects large and small, including the Iron Front campaign, where I worked with others in successfully representing the organization in talks with MLS President Mark Abbott to remove the league's Iron Front Flag ban and revise their fan code of conduct.

Conflicts of Interest: None

Candidate Name: Andrew Whitaker

Email Address: andrewwhitaker31337@gmail.com

Please list boards and committees that you serve on, or have served on: 

• Evanta Governing Board
• CREST Advisory Board
• Race and Social Justice Initiative Executive Sponsor (for City of Seattle but I'm still ACES)

Biographical information (107IST-related and professional):

Being born and raised in Portland, I have a special affinity to supporting soccer in the Rose City. I was fortunate enough to learn soccer in the early 80s from former Timbers players on the pitch that they play on today. While I learned quickly that I was not destined to be a player (headers hurt, just saying), I learned to appreciate the sport and the passionate supporters behind it. My first match was in 2010 before I relocated to the east coast for a year. Upon returning in 2012 I knew Timbers, and later Thorns, would be a big part of my life (I had my wedding reception at PP). From camping out before matches to traveling to away matches throughout the years, soccer has taught me that supporting a club means supporting a community, and there is no greater community than the Rose City. In 2017 I moved to Seattle for a while and am grateful to be a part of TA:CO. Professionally, I have over 25 years of experience in tech serving in various leadership roles, which has taught me about what it means to lead and build impactful partnerships and organizations and lead through conflict.

State your objectives as a 107IST board member:

1. To be an active ally and advocate for those who have been historically underrepresented in the 107ist.
2. Uphold the ethos of the Riveters and Timbers Army without compromise while navigating conflicts both internally and externally.
3. Partner in forming relationships with business both locally and nationally.

How do you feel 107IST members would benefit from your involvement with the board:

My professional experience enables me to be skilled in business negotiations, partnership building, conflict resolution, and strategic planning. I take a data-driven approach to decision-making while recognizing the importance of relationship building across supporters and our partners. My passion for the Thorns and Timbers, and the broader community, produces an innate drive to advocate for those in our soccer city family to ensure our ethos is upheld.

Conflicts of Interest: None