Dear TLS Members,
In preparation for the Annual General Meeting, the Nominating Committee has put together a slate of candidates that we recommend to stand for election to the Board of Directors. Voting will take place during the Annual General Meeting that will be held on Saturday, October 28 at 12:15 pm as part of the Annual Gathering at IslandWood, 4450 Blakely Avenue, NE,Bainbridge Island, Washington. Enclosed is a proxy ballot that can be submitted prior to the Gathering if you will not be attending.
The Nominating Committee consists of Beth Langley (chair), Dan Raven, Harriette Royer, Jose Cuesta, Annette Reynolds, John Ridder, Mary Teetor, and Jodi Little with Kay Whipple, Christiana Brinton, and David Gallagher serving as advisory members. The Nominating Committee, which is one of the Society’s standing committees, is charged with finding, interviewing, and selecting nominees to the Board, beginning with a general appeal to the membership for recommendations. This task is taken very seriously and much attention is given to careful interviews that are often conducted by several members of the Nominating Committee and/or the Executive Committee.
Once elected, Board Members serve a three-year term except in the case of being reelected to serve as an elected Executive Committee Officer in which case, the Board Member may be reelected to serve out the remaining length of their term as an Officer. Although Board Members are elected to the Board in general, each Board Member assumes responsibility for one or more committees. In the course of their term they may serve in various capacities.
We are a widespread group not living in close enough proximity for us all to know one another. This is why we have a geographically widespread Nominating Committee to search for people to take on leadership roles. Thankfully, through technology, we have the ability to support and encourage committee involvement, no matter where members are located.
We have always offered the membership an opportunity to vote on the slate as a whole. Election of the slate requires a majority of both those TLS members who are present at the Annual General Meeting and those who send in proxy ballots. If a majority is not attained, the slate does not pass and the Nominating Committee continues to search. We encourage you to vote either by proxy or in person at the Gathering either in favor of or against the slate the Nominating Committee has prepared.
The Nominating Committee is proud to present the following 2016 Slate of Candidates for Election to the Board of Directors:
●Dan Niven
●Kay Whipple (re-election)
●Christiana Brinton (re-election)
●Katja Marquart (re-election)
●Jodi Lorimer (re-election)
●Beth Langley (re-election)
Biographies of the Nominees
Dan Niven
A student of the labyrinth since 2002, Dan has created hundreds of temporary and permanent designs in a variety of media, on private property and in camp, church, park, and school settings. As a busy performing artist--actor, choral singer, and trombonist--Dan finds bringing labyrinths into existence tremendously grounding, and collaboration is at the heart of each pattern he makes and class he teaches. Dan manages the website and social media presence for several groups he's involved with, including the Western Washington Labyrinth Network (WWLN.org). Check out examples of his work at ModernDaedalus, and see you along the path!
Kay Whipple
Kay is a long-time writer, editor, publisher, business consultant, and student of energy. She owns Webs and Wings, a company that provides business and computer consulting along with a wide variety of workshops and trainings. The publishing arm of the business, Productivity Publications, is a print-on-demand publishing company offering resources celebrating adventure, personal and spiritual growth, business effectiveness, health, and energy. She is a QuickBooks Pro Advisor, Reiki Master Teacher, Kundalini yoga practitioner, and black belt in Isshin Ryu karate.
As part of Labyrinth Quest with Harriette Royer, she co-creates multi-sensory events and workshops which combine the labyrinth with hands-on healing, sacred sound, journaling, and art. She coordinates the Boutique and PR at Labyrinth Quest’s Rochester (NY) Community Labyrinth Walks. She has served TLS as PR Chair, Web Chair, Resource/Infrastructure VP, and President.
Kay Whipple holds a BS in Computer Science, Large Scale Systems Engineering, and Industrial Management from Purdue University and an MBA in Marketing and Economics from the University of Rochester, Simon School.
Christiana Brinton
Christiana was the local PR coordinator and concurrent workshop presenter at the 2009 TLS Gathering in Troutdale, OR where she installed an outside, temporary version of her Stargate Rainbow labyrinth design. Christiana also coordinated PR for the 2010 TLS Gathering in New Harmony, IN.
From 2010-2013, Christiana gave Equinox and Solstice community labyrinth walks at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Vancouver, WA, as well as various walks for local groups in the area. For two years she hosted a weekly internet radio show, Labyrinths In the News, on Blog Talk Radiowhere she interviewed “labyrinth luminaries” from all over the world about their labyrinth paths. From 2011-2013, she volunteered for the weekly labyrinth walks for women inmates at the Coffee Creek Women’s Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, OR, once a month, and was the administrator for the Labyrinth Ministry there for over one year.
Since moving to Dallas, TX, in 2013, Christiana has become involved with the Center for Spiritual Living, Dallas, and now facilitates Solstice and Equinox labyrinth walks there with the help of a wonderful group of CSL facilitators. In 2016, she created and is now hosting a podcast for TLS: Many Paths, Many Visions, interviewing guests from the worldwide labyrinth community as well as upcoming TLS Gathering presenters.
Katja Marquart
Katja Marquart holds an MFA in Design Studies from UW – Madison, is an NCIDQ-certified designer, and works as a design educator and independent designer. She currently is aProfessor at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. Hercreative work includesgraphic and environmental design services, specializing in custom labyrinth designs. Katja has been engaged in labyrinth-related activities for twenty years, is a Veriditas-trained Labyrinth Facilitator, and is trained at the Reiki Master level. In addition to her labyrinth-related activities, Katja is an avid gardener and food preserver.She and her husbandoperateStonehouseFarm in rural Wisconsin, where theygrow or raise most of their own food and provide meat and value-added food products for resale.
Jodi Lorimer
As author of Dancing at the Edge of Death: Origins of the Labyrinth in thePaleolithic, Jodi Lorimer spent years researching the ancient history of the labyrinth and its archaeological and cultural contexts in religion, history, and myth. She has continued her studies to focus on the Minotaur legend and its connection with the labyrinth, particularly in Minoan Crete and the ancient circum-Mediterranean world. She recently released her first eBook, The Labyrinth of Melusine, a psycho-spiritual fantasy based on a 15th century faery tale.
As a Circle member of the Labyrinth Network Northwest, she has contributed to the newsletter and helped organize and participated in numerous events, including a slide show recap of the TLS Gathering in Taos, NM, delivering a talk on the Minotaur from the standpoint of the role of ancient bull worship and its relationship to the use and mythic elements of the labyrinth, the LNN Beach Labyrinth Event, and the Fall Adventure Labyrinth Tour.
Her TLS contributions include working on the Annual Auction and serving on the board as Chair of Special Projects, and currently as Education Outreach Chair. In conjunction with Mike Jager, she helped create the 2016 digital publication, 2016 Gathering: Diverse Journeys on a Common Path, and is currently at work on the 20th Anniversary TLS digital publication.
Jodi lives in Portland, OR, and works as a professional voice talent. She is married with two children and one perfect, amazing, and brilliant granddaughter.
Beth Langley
Beth was introduced to labyrinths over ten years ago, and began studying them through books, Internet research, walking them, and participating in workshops. Soon this calling from the labyrinth became her passion, and much of her time is now spent on all things labyrinthine. Designing labyrinths, classroom materials, and workshops for exploring labyrinths has become a favorite means of creative expression. Beth truly enjoys sharing her love of labyrinths with anyone who is interested to know more. Labyrinths are a versatile tool—adaptations for a variety of activities and purposes have become a natural extension of Beth’s creative toolbox.
She has a BA from Columbia College, an MEPI credential at the Primary Level, is a Veriditas certified labyrinth facilitator, and hasa love of art—all things creative. She has designed and installedover a dozen permanent labyrinths, including one in Croatia. Permanent installations are at private and public Montessori and conventional schools, private homes, a church in South Carolina, and locations in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Puebla, Mexico. Her most recent installations are a Chartres-style medieval labyrinth at Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville, SC (visible from Google Earth!), a Pelican Labyrinth in Florida, and a Turtle Labyrinth in Gray Court, SC.She has made many temporaries at various locations some of them simply drawn with chalk or in sand, and others that are more complex such as sand constructions of sea turtles. Her workshops at conferences, churches, and schools on labyrinths and other various subjects are well received. She has presented at various conferences and events in Canada, Mexico, and Croatia, as well as across the US in SC, NC, FL, MO, OR, NM, and CA. Presentations and workshops have been for Montessori teachers, gardeners, health practitioners, art educators, and labyrinth enthusiasts. Her interests beyond Montessori education and labyrinths include quilting, hiking, wine making, songwriting, playing the guitar, and recording. She lives in Boykin, SC, and finds peace and contentment in country living.
(Please continue to the next page for the separate Proxy Ballot)
PROXY BALLOT
If you are unable to attend this year's Annual Meeting and wish to vote for candidates for the Board of Directors, please electronically deliver this proxy ballot by replying to this email or send through postal service to Labyrinth Society Ballot, P.O. Box 736 Trumansburg, NY, 14886-0736. For your vote to count this ballot must be received no later than Monday, October
16, 2017
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
2017Slate of Candidates for Election to the Board
Dan Niven
Kay Whipple
Katja Marquart
Christiana Brinton
Jodi Lorimer
Beth Langley
I vote for the slate of candidates: ______
I vote against the slate of candidates: ______
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
Name: ______
Address: ______
Signature: ______
Date: ______
- I would like to become active in TLS by serving on a committee. YES______NO ______
- If you marked YES, which committee(s) interests you?
______
(Finance, Nominating, Educational Resources, Public Relations, Publications, Special Projects, Research, Membership, Energy Keepers, Website, Gathering)