SVTC Board Elections

Annual Board of Directors Election

The SVTC’s Board of Directors is divided into two groups, called classes, for governance purposes. Each year, the term of one of the classes expires. To prepare, the council (the members) holds elections in the spring of each year so that a new class of directors is elected and can be appointed by the board of directors before the end of the term on June 30th.

The spring 2018 election will concern class II of directors. The SVTC manages the nomination and election process via its Governance and Organization Committee, and all members, who are members in good standing on May 1, 2018, will be invited to vote. The term for the to-be-elected class II of directors will begin on July 1 and is 2 years long. 

A summary of the process:

• The SVTC Organization & Governance Committee received suggestions for a new class II of directors in March 2018 and this list of candidates was evaluated, and later approved, by the Executive Committee and then the Board of Directors.
• Eligible SVTC members (who were members as of May 1, 2018) will be invited to vote using a special link they’ll be sent by email. Each member, whether individual or corporate, receives one vote per membership.
• The list of class II candidates and their biographies will be posted below on May 9.
• On May 18, 2018 we will hold our Annual Meeting (combined with a luncheon, open to all) and any SVTC member who did not vote electronically will have the opportunity to vote in person.

Listing of the full board of directors, and executive committee, 2017-18 (by class) (pdf)

Class II Candidates | Spring Election 2018 (beginning May 9)

John Paul Ashenfelter (*)  |  Transitionpoint  |  Harrisonburg

John Paul Ashenfelter has worked in software development since the late 1980s. He primarily works for early- and mid-stage startups in the education, healthcare, and non-profit sectors in both hands-on development and technical management roles. He’s cofounded several startups and been one of the first technical hires at a number of others. In recent years, he’s focused on software companies that teach others to code, including work at Treehouse and General Assembly as well as collaborations with the education teams at MySQL, Docker, and GitHub. He currently is working with Epion Health where he builds iPad applications for digital check-in at medical practices and he is also advising an early stage Valley startup as the CTO. Locally, he was a founding member of the Friendly City Food Coop where he served as treasurer for 9 years. He also served on the board and as treasurer for a local Montessori school for several years. John Paul is a proud to have made the downtown technology zone the home of his consulting business, Transitionpoint, and is even happier to be a partner in the downtown office space on Court Square where his business is headquartered. He graduated with a BS in Chemistry from James Madison University before doing doctoral work at the University of Maryland (College Park), a MS in Chemistry at the University of Illinois (Urbana), and an unfinished PhD in science education from the University of Virginia.

Kim Blosser  |  Lord Fairfax Community College  |  Middletown

Dr. Kim Blosser currently serves as the President of Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC). LFCC was founded in 1970 and has four locations: the Middletown and Fauquier Campuses and the Luray-Page County and Vint Hill Centers. Lord Fairfax annually serves over 9,000 credit students, nearly 10,000 individuals in professional development and business and industry courses, and approximately 1,000 students in adult basic education and English-language instruction. Before becoming LFCC’s 5th President, Kim served as the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Lord Fairfax. Prior to working at LFCC, she was a Dean of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, served as the Chief Information Officer, and was professor of information technology at Blue Ridge Community College.  She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and her Master of Arts Degree in Education from Eastern Mennonite University, and a Master of Science degree in Computer Information Systems and a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Nova Southeastern University. Kim currently serves on the Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce Board, the Virginia Council of Presidents, and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s General Professional Advisory Committee.

Karen Bowman  |  Rockingham Insurance  |  Harrisonburg

JMU brought Karen Bowman to the Valley, and she has made it her home. After an initial career in education, Karen began a career at Rockingham Insurance where for over 20 years she has worked on leveraging technology to improve business processes. As Administrative Manager, she also directs project management at Rockingham and is currently managing a multi-year systems transformation project. She has been involved in the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council for many years and currently serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. She wishes she had more time to visit grandchildren who live on Pacific time, loves living in the country, and enjoys history and travel.

Sarah Cheverton  |  JMU University Programs / Online Learning  |  Harrisonburg

Sarah E. Cheverton is the Assistant Coordinator of Online Learning at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Sarah and her colleague, who work for the Vice-Provost of University Programs, are working with a large group of administrators, faculty, instructional support units, and student services to develop a university-wide strategic plan for online learning. Prior to this position, for 17 years, Sarah led a central unit responsible for acquiring, managing and supporting various online learning technologies and faculty development services. She also teaches 2-3 sections per year of Using Computer Information Systems for the College of Business. Sarah earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from Lynchburg College in 1982 and a Master of Arts in Psychology/Industrial and Organizational Behavior from James Madison University in 1995.

Peter Denbigh (*)  |  Skyler Innovations  |  Staunton

Mr. Peter Denbigh is founder and president of Skyler Innovations, based in Staunton, Virginia. In this capacity he has overseen the development, launch, and growth of the game “Watch Ya’ Mouth”, from a simple Kickstarter project to a top ranked item in a number of Amazon categories and one of the industry’s top selling games of 2016 and 2017, and winner of the 2017 Australian Toy Association Toy of the Year (games category).

He also serves as catalyst and instigator for the development of the Staunton Innovation Hub. This 28,000 sqft, two-building downtown campus will be a centerpiece of innovation and collaboration, bringing together entrepreneurs, innovators, educators, investors, and ideas.

Mr. Denbigh has been involved in technology and entrepreneurship from a very young age. Other business in his history include an outsourced helpdesk/IT services company, a nationwide consumer products brand for the outdoor industry, and serving as a project manager for a $30 million alternative fuel deployment program. He is the recipient of the 2018 Distinguished Alumni award from the JMU College of Integrated Science and Engineering, and also serves as an advisory board member for the Amazon Launchpad program based in Seattle, WA.

Mr. Denbigh earned both his Bachelor of Science in Integrated Science and Technology and his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He lives in Staunton, Virginia with his wife and young son.

Mike Goertzen  |  Serco, Inc.  |  Harrisonburg

Mike Goertzen is Senior Program Manager with Serco, Inc. He works primarily with Serco’s Full Classification Services (FCS) program, which processes patents for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). He also provides leadership to the closely related Serco Patent Search (CPS) program, which provides patent analysis to commercial law firms and other Intellectual Property (IP) intensive organizations. These programs are housed entirely in Harrisonburg, VA and are comprised of Scientists and Engineers who enable the USPTO and commercial IP firms to meet their core mission of high quality patent formation, examination, and litigation. Mike also provides leadership to programs across other government clients, including technical and labor programs serving DHS and DOJ. His diverse portfolio of business includes comprehensive IT solutions, information security, training, knowledge management, quality assurance, and operations. Mike holds significant responsibilities within a variety of additional task areas including customer relations, contracts, business development, financial management, process improvement, configuration control, human resources, and general governance support. He has been with Serco since the infancy of the contract in 2006.

Prior to moving to the Valley in 2006, Mike worked as a secondary classroom teacher in Physics, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Mathematics, and Computer Applications. He received the Excellence in Education Award for Goshen, IN and was named Teacher of the Year in 2002. He was more recently selected to participate in Serco’s Oxford and PM Fellows programs as well as receiving the Program Management Leadership Award from Serco in 2015. Mike earned his MBA from James Madison University and his Bachelor of Arts in Natural Science from Bethel College (KS). He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and has also conducted graduate coursework at University of Notre Dame, Indiana University, and Pittsburg State University. Mike resides in Harrisonburg with his wife, Elizabeth, and loves the Valley and all it has to offer.

Kirsten Moore (*)  |  The Hub Coworking  |  Harrisonburg

Kirsten Moore is an entrepreneur, connector, writer, designer, and food lover. She is owner of The Hub Coworking in Downtown Harrisonburg, an inspiring office space for digital nomads, entrepreneurs and innovators where an invaluable and organic style of collaboration and camaraderie benefits independent workers and growing organizations. She is also co-founder of Sub Rosa Supper Club, founder of Taste. A Food Company, and–most recently–creative director and owner of The Project Studio, a firm that transforms clients’ ideas into action through design, branding, and events. She serves as board vice president for Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, is a board member and marketing committee chair for Explore More Children’s Museum, and a member of The Free Clinic marketing committee. She is a life-long resident of Harrisonburg and currently lives downtown with her husband, Chris, their three boys, and Milo the dog.

Kurt Plowman  |  City of Staunton  |  Staunton

Kurt has been the Chief Technology Officer for the City for over 20 years, overseeing the City use of technology and a team of seven. He is also a Reserve officer with the Staunton Police Department and serves on the Board of the Wildlife Center of Virginia.

Dick Shimp  |  ComSonics, Inc.  |  Harrisonburg

Dick’s working life in a nutshell: farm hand, auto mechanic short-order cook, U. S. Air Force, private sector aerospace, cable television, the latter spanning 47+ years (so far). Harrisonburg based Warren L. Braun, Consulting Engineers and ComSonics, Inc. provided diverse experience opportunity including designs for acoustical engineering, cable telecommunications analog and digital delivery signal processing and analysis instrumentation for which a number of U. S. and International Patents were granted. Dick chaired subcommittees in both the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) and remains active in SCTE subcommittee efforts as an Emeritus member, is a Lifetime Member of the IEEE, and a member of the Cable TV Pioneers. As ComSonics’ Chief of New Technology Dick coordinates intellectual property efforts, reviews design concepts and architectures, and keeps up with ever-changing cable telecommunications industry technology.

Bob Stolle  |  Center for Innovative Technology  |  Herndon

Bob Stolle is Senior Vice President of Policy and Regional Initiatives Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) where he is responsible for the development and execution of programs designed to grow the innovation and entrepreneur portions of Virginia’s economy. Bob came to CIT after three years as Executive Vice President and COO of Richmond-based Core Consulting and ten years as Executive Director of the Greater Richmond Technology Council. Prior to that he served in several key positions for the Commonwealth of Virginia during the administration of Governor George Allen, including Secretary of Commerce and Trade where he was responsible for 15 state agencies and promoting economic and community development in the Commonwealth. Bob’s private sector experience includes service as engineering director and executive management for the global leader in military and space simulation and training systems. He was appointed to the Commission on Information Technology and the Virginia Research and Technology Advisory Commission where he chaired the Intellectual Property Committee. He is Vice Chairman of VirginiaFIRST which provides robotics programs and competitions for students at all levels of K-12. A graduate of the US Naval Academy, Bob served on active duty and in the Reserves as a Navy pilot and retired with the rank of Commander.

Ed Yoder (*)  |  PBMares  |  Harrisonburg

Yoder joined PBMares in 2005 and has 20 years of public accounting experience. He is a tax manager in the Harrisonburg office of PBMares and a senior member of the firm’s Not-for-Profit Team.

Mr. Yoder is well versed in the pending accounting standard changes that are coming for not-for-profits and has presented training sessions and webinars, as well as published articles, on recent pronouncements. He has extensive experience working with tax compliance and filings of Form 990 and Form 990-T for 501 (c)(3), (4), (6) and (7) for exempt organizations.

Professional memberships for Mr. Yoder include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants. He also holds leadership positions in various civic and charitable organizations in the Harrisonburg area.

Mr. Yoder graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana. He received a Master of Accountancy from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida.

(*) New to the board