Candidate Bios – 2023 Board
We have 3 candidates that are running for second terms – Sara Hudson, Jenny Swift, and Laurie Woodbury.
Sara Hudson
Sara Hudson lives, works and plays on the southern shores of Lake Superior in Ashland, WI. She is a mom of two lovely daughters ages 9 and 12, and a brittany named Maple. She and her husband are avid outdoors people who love to ride their bikes. She is an active member of CAMBA, assisting in organizing the CAMBA Mt Ashwabay W’s Clinic for the last 6 years, assistant coaching at both Mt Ashwabay and South W’s Clinics, and organizing several CAMBA fundraisers. Sara was appointed to the CAMBA Board of Directors in 2020. She is a NICA coach for the Chequamegon Bay Composite MTB Team and elementary CANSKI program in Ashland. In her real world job she is the Parks and Recreation Director and Urban Forestry Coordinator for the City of Ashland, WI. In this role, she is successful communicator, collaborator, grant writer (30+ grants totaling over $4.7M), manager and community advocate. She serves on several boards both professionally and personally. Sara is wishing to continue her tenure on the Board and use her skills to assist the continued success of CAMBA.
Jenny Swift
Jenny lives in the Hayward area and is running for her second term on the CAMBA Board. During her first term, she has served on the Events Committee and has led youth programs for CAMBA and the local high school.
Laurie Woodbury
First elected in 2019, Laurie Woodbury is running for her second 3 year term. Laurie has served as Treasurer since 2019, and also serves on the Fundraising and Events committees. She has also been the coordinator of CAMBA’s women’s south, and men’s clinics.
Laurie started mountain biking in 1996 after many years racing in triathlons. An endurance rider, she quickly caught the multi-day stage racing bug. Laurie has 23 mountain bike stage races under her belt in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Costa Rica, and Morocco. A fat biker since 2006, Laurie is the first female finisher of the Arrowhead Ultra 135 fat bike race. She is a BICP Level 1 certified coach and has coached at many area women’s mountain bike weekends. Laurie has ridden the CAMBA trails for years, and has spent many hours at trail maintenance as well. Retired from a career in risk management and business continuity planning, Laurie also helps with CAMBA’s insurance coverages. She enjoys giving back to CAMBA and participating as part of its future. She looks forward to continuing serving CAMBA for another term.
We also have candidates who are seeking their first term. Candidates for the open positions were asked to provide a brief biography outlining personal and/or professional background and involvement in mountain biking and the Chequamegon area and a statement of interest describing why they would be a good addition to the CAMBA Board. The following are responses from the candidates.
Audun Mikkelson
Statement of Interest
I respectfully request to be considered for the CAMBA Board of Directors for several reasons:
- I respect the CAMBA organization, volunteers, staff, what they have accomplished and provided for so many.
- I personally enjoy using the CAMBA trails everyday, all year round, and would like to give back for this opportunity.
- I believe I would have alot to offer the organization, utilizing my skills, education and experience to do so.
- I think it would be fun to be a part of the CAMBA team!
Background
*Served as Executive Director of 3 Non profits spanning 40 years.
*Received Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management from UW Whitewater
*Through special events, grant writing, endowment, operating and capital campaigns have personally raised over $230 Million during my 40 year career.
*Directed property development and maintenance of over 70 camping structures.
*Have worked with 9 Board of Directors for 4 Non Profits, this is collectively over 220 Individual Board members.
* Responsible for Membership recruitment and support of in total 1.2 million youth and adults– through 3 non profit organizations – Boy Scouts of America, Chamber of Commerce, American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation.
*For American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation secured $1 million for Endowment and $2 million for trail, equipment, technology, environment structure developments.
*Recruited, developed and directed over 1,400 professional staff members through dozens of organizational staff structures.
*Responsible for developing an implementing 7 Long Range Strategic Plans.
*Successfully directed hundreds of Special fundraising events including: Marathons, Ski Races, Golf Outings, Business Olympics, Distinguished Citizen Dinners, Auctions, Wine Tastings, Lawn Socials, Sporting Clay Shootings and concerts.
Personally compete in Ironmans, international ski races, open water swimming races, trail runs and mountain bike triathlons.
Steve Ruelle
Steve grew up in a family of five rambunctious kids in Two Rivers and Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Biking provided the ultimate freedom for exploring the great outdoors and, for the most part, staying out of trouble. In Two Rivers, he bombed the gravel roads of infamous Picnic Hill and, after moving to Stevens Point, he completed several bike tours including a solo from Stevens Point to Two Rivers and from the spring of the Wisconsin River to the mouth of the Mississippi River. A driver’s license, college, three active kids, a bunch of relocations, and a demanding work schedule paused his regular biking.
However, he kept his Ideale 90 leather bike saddle in his office as a reminder of what the future held when life settled down.
It’s an even longer story but in 2017 he bought an off-grid cabin about ten minutes east of the Namakagon Trailhead and has been enjoying the thrill of riding like a kid again. While he no longer owns the cabin, he stays at his brother/sister in-law’s place in downtown Cable. He rides in three to four area bike events per year and volunteers in several others. Additionally, he enjoys kayaking and wilderness canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
On the much less interesting career-front, Steve held roles in investment banking, general management, corporate mergers and acquisitions, and marketing. A few brands that he was directly involved include Kohl’s, Fiskars, Gerber (knives and survival tools), Duluth Trading Co., Virchow Krause Capital, Making Memories, Department 56, Corporate Finance Associates, Woodbridge International, and Cherry Tree. Now retired, he occasionally provides mergers and acquisitions related services under his own banner, Trailhead Ventures.
The reason for my interest in joining the CAMBA Board is, simply, personal! I have a personal interest in preserving and developing the CAMBA organization so that future generations can benefit from the experiences and memories that are developed from having access to a world-class system of trails. Not only is it good for the economic well-being of the communities, it is good for the soul of all that are involved. I have witnessed (and experienced) the unique culture that Cable and CAMBA fosters. Having visited a few other outdoor destinations, it seems to be unique in its ability to generate camaraderie amongst many sometimes divergent interests (e.g. motor sports vs. silent sports).
Tony Signorelli
Hello:
I have been coming to the Cable area since I learned to ski at Telemark at the age of 5 in 1967. In 1974 my parents bough a place on Lake Owen, where we summered and came for skiing. In 2020, I moved to the area as a full time resident and took up mountain biking, an activity which I love. Cable is now my home, and I am excited to get involved in helping the community become what it can be. I just volunteered for CAMBA at the Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival.
I am also connected to the Chequamegon area in Bayfield, where I have docked my sailboat since 2015. This summer, we had a chance to ride some of the Ashwabay cluster trails, and enjoyed them, too.
Professionally, I have been a writer, entrepreneur, and consultant all of my adult life.
- Freelance technical writer from 1986 to 1995
- Signorelli & Associates, a writing company from 1995 to 2012
- Signorelli Consulting Group from 2012 to 2018
- Sundial Solar Energy, VP of Sales, 2018 to 2021
- Freelance writer from 2021 to present
As a freelance writer, I learned to write grants and RFP responses (RFPs are, essentially, the commercial version of grant writing). I have been fortunate to win nearly all of the major grants/RFPs applied for. I used this mastery to teach others how to write them. My sales training taught how to write RFP responses, and I also wrote white papers for clients on “How to Win the RFP Game.” The same skills apply to RFPs and grants, though there are shades of differences in how to respond successfully.
Alongside my professional work, I also owned two organic farms, served as Poetry Editor for Holy Cow! Press in Duluth, MN, and wrote and published six books in the small press, available on Amazon.
I love mountain biking and sailing, I write for a living, and I enjoy creating reality through entrepreneurial creativity.
Matt Sylvester
Here is my submission to the CAMBA Board.
I’ve enjoyed riding CAMBA trails for almost three decades and have excellent memories with friends and family. My introduction was the challenging Ojibwe trail. Later I introduced my family to CAMBA through the Festival of Trails. I also enjoy racing on the CAMBA trails during the Chequamegon 100, Borah Epic, Hungry Bear and the Seeley Big Fat. Since 2018 I have been able to split my time between Minneapolis and Cable which has allowed me to enjoy the trails on a regular basis. It has also given me the opportunity to host friends and family and allow them to experience what I appreciate so much.
I am passionate about the quality of the CAMBA trail system and I am committed to keeping CAMBA a premier riding destination. I truly believe that CAMBA is a benefit to its surrounding communities and I would like to see that grow. I have given back to CAMBA as a member and a volunteer. I believe as a board member would allow me to contribute more. Professionally as a data analyst I provide insight to decision makers to assist with keeping current members engaged and acquiring new members to drive growth. I also have experience working with business and government leaders as well as being on several committees. Personally I have enjoyed volunteering for CAMBA as a trail steward, trail maintenance and at events. In prior years I volunteered with NICA and three years for my son’s high school mountain bike team.
Through the years I have experienced the CAMBA trails through many lenses as a rider, parent, racer, guide and community member which fuels my desire to give back to this trail system.
Dr. Pat Warpinski
Dr. Patrick Warpinski, Green Bay, hails from back in the day when navigating rides on deer trails meant carrying plat maps, geologic surveys and a trusty compass. An unofficial trail volunteer, he spent a good part of those early rides clearing routes of down trees and debris. After off-road biking stole his heart in the early ’80s, he went on to compete in 33 Fat Tire events, and has fond memories of many Fat Tire milestones, i.e, the famous Greg LeMond win and the days when the Rock Lake fire lane once served as main thoroughfare from Telemark to Rock Lake. Now very appreciative of well-kept single track, he still feels a twinge of nostalgia for the days of truly getting lost in the woods. Currently in the process of transitioning from a busy career in veterinary medicine to more relaxed pace, Pat is looking forward to the freedom to fully enjoy his time at his Cable cabin, and serving the CAMBA board and its members.