Board of Directors

Julie Buktenica...
joined the board in 2007 and became an active member of the Service Committee in 2008.

Becky Foote...
has been a board member since 2003. Becky teaches math at the South Whidbey branch of Skagit Valley College and is on the board of the South Whidbey Schools Foundation. Becky is an active member of the Finance Committee and our current Treasurer.

Bob French...
and his wife Bernita Sanstad have lived on South Whidbey since 1977. Bob has been a board member for 3 years, currently serves as Vice-President, maintains the Friends of Friends data base, and serves on the Community Relations Committee. His day job is at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders.

Claudia Fuller...
holds the distinction of being the longest serving member of the board. A past president, she has also served as secretary. Claudia, with her husband, David, has lived on Whidbey for 30 years and feels particularly blessed to live in our compassionate community. During the day, she manages the Whidbey General Lifeline program.

Doug Johnson...
joined the board at the beginning of 2008. He and his wife Jo Finley have lived on Whidbey Island since moving to Langley in 1994. During that time, Doug has worked at Boeing and the University of Washington, primarily in computing related areas. He has personal and family experience with the difficulties associated with getting and paying for health care, and he joined FoF to help others in the community with these issues.

Dana Kelly...
has lived on South Whidbey for 33 years. For 10 of those, she was a County Public Health Nurse, frequently referring individuals to Friends of Friends who otherwise would have gone without services. She now works for Providence Everett Medical Center in the Lactation Dept. She is the current Secretary of the FoF Board.

MaryJane Lungren...
a new member of the board, joining in 2011, is a dentist practicing in Langley. She formerly worked for Island County Public Health and has lived, along with her husband and three children, on Whidbey island since 1990.

Christi Ruscigno...
has been a part of the South Whidbey community for over 30 years. She currently works from home developing online courses for University of Washington Educational Outreach and uses these skills to oversee the Friends of Friends Web site. She is also a member of the Fund-raising Committee.

Suzanne Schlicke...
residing president, has for the past five years, had the privilege of holding the two most coveted positions on the board of Friends of Friends. First, she has been the official correspondent of the "thank you note". In this role she was able to directly express gratitude to each and every donor, a job that continually reinforced her appreciation of this incredibly generous community. The second responsibility she held was that of a "fundie". This committee annually presents Mr. South Whidbey to the world. Nothing more need be said.

Barb Schultz...
has been on Whidbey since 1984. Previously involved in the PTA, she is excited to again be taking an active role in one of our community’s direct support organizations. Barb currently works at a Linds Pharmacy and sees the good work of FoF almost every day. She looks forward to serving on the FoF board and contributing to helping our South Whidbey neighbors.

Kathy Webb: Joined the board in 2011.

Melissa Young...
joined the Friends of Friends Board in 2004 because she wanted to be a part of an organization with direct and local community service. Formerly a cabinetmaker, Melissa has worked for 20 years with Moving Images, producing documentary films for television on the environment and social justice . Melissa serves on the Service Committee and takes care of our grant writing.

Emily Schmidt...
our Service Coordinator has lived on South Whidbey for over 40 years. She has been active in many community venues through the years, serving 6 years on the Board of Hearts and Hammers and teaching preschoolers and high-risk school-age children for decades. Emily originally joined the Friends of Friends Board as a member of the Public Relations Committee.