Building the Best Board Means Matching Compatible Trustees

By Jake Ten Pas

Former President of the Board of Trustees Rob Torch describes selecting a new class of MAC leaders as “more art than science.” It’s not just a matter of evaluating professional experience and previous committee service, but also of finding personalities and areas of knowledge that complement not only the other three first-year trustees, but also the other eight board members.

“The Nominating Committee chose the new class of trustees for their wide diversity of background, expertise, and experience, and we’re confident that their individual strengths will blend together well and be helpful in terms of working together as a class and with the overall board in moving the club forward during the next few years,” Torch says. Per MAC tradition, the prior year’s president heads up the Nominating Committee, which is responsible for selecting new trustees. This past year, the group attempted to expand its reach by opening up the process to members who might not necessarily have served on committees before while also introducing a process of self-nomination.

While these changes presented their own fresh set of questions, Torch says he and the Nominating Committee ultimately are excited about the quartet that was selected, and he appreciates the learnings that came out of the variation of process. “However, the Nominating Committee was challenged in terms of identifying candidates who are ethnically diverse and were interested in serving on the board. We had a lot of great candidates who submitted interest forms indicating that they were willing to volunteer, and we thank them for stepping up, but I also know there are others within our membership who would be excellent potential trustees, but decided for various reasons not to put their names forward. I would encourage those members to consider volunteering both on MAC committees and, ultimately, for a board role in the future.”

Nevertheless, Torch and his cohort managed to put together an A-Team, with each member bringing a unique perspective and specialized skillset to the table. Alex Young — who jokingly says he might be the character of Murdock from the TV series and movie because of his sense of humor, unconventional smarts, and ability to bring people together — represents a wealth of strategic experience, according to Torch.

Victory Perry has a deep history of committee experience and well-respected analytical ability, while Susan Bladholm’s collaborative nature and patience keep her cool-headed with any constituency. Lastly, Dana Rasmussen is a walking library of legal expertise whose alertness helps her see any challenge coming a mile away. Maybe she’s the wise Hannibal Smith of the group, but any way you break it down, this new class promises to leave the broader club membership saying, “I love it when a plan comes together.”

Susan Bladholm

“I’m excited and very honored to be a MAC trustee because, while we can’t control the culture of our nation or world, we can impact what ‘Planet MAC’ should look like and how it should operate,” says Susan Bladholm. “We have a lot of strategic planning in front of us, and we’re trying to anticipate what the club should offer in 25 years. My two kids are in their 20s, so I’m trying to imagine what our next generation and the one after will want and need to nurture their sense of wellbeing. It’s a fun challenge, and I hope members will voice their opinions about how MAC 2050 should look.”

Bladholm believes that everyone has different needs for their personal well-being, and although MAC can’t offer a customized array of products and services for each individual member, there are fundamental elements that contribute to every person’s wellness — and she says that begins with community. “How can the MAC provide a welcoming, safe, dynamic, interesting, enriching, healthy program while fostering a sense of belonging for its members?” she asks. “The board, staff, and space provide the parameters for activities, and as members, we all contribute to the culture, which drives community.”

Bladholm was born in Portland and says she deliberately made the decision to stay and raise her family here. Her career was grounded in economic development, brand building, transportation, and emergency response — specifically for Portland and Oregon. Post 9/11, she worked for the Port of Portland and was very involved with the crisis response effort. Bladholm worked for the State of Oregon in the late ‘80s as the country came out of a recession, and she was co-founder of Cycle Oregon, an effort to get residents to visit small, rural communities. She also worked for a global helicopter company that specialized in emergency response and big infrastructure construction projects, so she points out that recovery and community building are callings for her.

“Our community here in Portland is hurting, and many of our MAC members are current and future regional leaders who will help us rebuild a better future for Portland. I sincerely believe it’s incumbent upon all of us to contribute to community building — from smiling at someone in the hallway to picking up a wayward towel, from thanking staff to volunteering for a committee or to serve on the board.”

Currently, Bladholm leads a small nonprofit focused on offering an electric ferry service on the Willamette and Columbia rivers. “I believe we need an array of transportation solutions to foster community livability, resilience, clean air, access to good jobs, and simply for fun! So, I’m willing to stick my neck out and try something new for which I have little experience,” she says.

“My superpower is convening really amazing, talented people to help solve problems. While it likely sounds worthy of eyeball-rolling, I am wired with a sense of purpose for building community through fostering connection, curiosity, and confidence.”

Victor Perry

“Some people are ‘now’ people, while others are ‘future’ people. I like the challenge of connecting the dots between the past, the now, and the future in a way that provides value to as many people as possible.” So says Victory Perry, who was known in college as “VicGyver” for his ability to solve problems by thinking outside the box and using the resources at hand to accomplish nearly any mission.

Thus far, Perry’s primary MAC assignment has been three years deep in the Budget & Finance Committee, which only left his senses sharpened and ready for another club governance adventure. Not long ago, he and his wife Karen were crossing the Idaho-Utah border on their way to Arches National Park when Victor shared his current conundrum. “I told her that I wasn’t sure what I should do next, and she asked if I would consider being on the Board of Trustees. My response was that I wasn’t sure what the board needed from its next class, and I wasn’t sure if my skill set matched their need. She replied that if I didn’t apply, I would never know if my skills were needed.”

Perry took his wife’s advice and decided to let the process determine his next role. Two days later, he received an email from a board member asking him to consider applying, and he was ready, willing, and able, at least in part because of all the time he spends at MAC.

“I have been fortunate enough to have a place to learn so many life lessons through swimming, participating on various committees, and learning how to live a healthier life by exercising and staying engaged. So, it is time for me to give back and see if I can contribute to or inspire the next generation,” he says.

Perry also brings to the table ample professional experience honed not just in the office but in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. “As owner and operator of a seasonal family business — Powder Hounds Ski School — I strived to be customer- and staff-centric. My experience was an excellent incubator for personal growth, from the development of listening skills to the refinement of coaching and teaching skills. Probably the most memorable part of it was being with the entire Powder Hound family. I miss those days deeply after having to close due to COVID.”

That absence has only made Perry’s heart grow fonder for his MAC community. “I hope to serve this membership to the best of my ability. I am passionate about creating a stable and sustainable membership base for the future. I am also interested in working with my fellow trustees and club leadership to find a financial balancing point that provides value for all of the club’s members.

Victory Perry has a deep history of committee experience and well-respected analytical ability, while Susan Bladholm’s collaborative nature and patience keep her cool-headed with any constituency. Lastly, Dana Rasmussen is a walking library of legal expertise whose alertness helps her see any challenge coming a mile away. Maybe she’s the wise Hannibal Smith of the group, but any way you break it down, this new class promises to leave the broader club membership saying, “I love it when a plan comes together.”

“In short, I think every member has the opportunity to create their own journey and path. I would encourage everyone to find what fulfills and engages them. I would also like to challenge all of the members to see the value the club has to offer.”

Dana Rasmussen

“As a new trustee, I hope to understand how to help bring together and implement the work that is most important for the club at this point in its history. It will be critical to look at the excellent work that has been done by prior boards and committees and place it in the context of today’s realities,” Dana Rasmussen says. “The world around us has and is changing all the time. COVID reordered how members look at using the club’s facilities and community. I hope the board can understand those changes to meet members’ needs.”

Describing herself as very honored to be given an opportunity to be part of building MAC’s future with other member volunteers at all levels, Rasmussen adds that she hopes that her experience in the work world of law, business, and public policy, together with her time on numerous boards — mostly in the nonprofit world — can add value to the club.

According to Rasmussen, MAC’s strength is in its members and staff, working together to build community and provide health and athletic opportunities to people at all stages of life. Because it is member-led, MAC differs from commercial athletic enterprises. With the right meshing of needs and respect for each other, the club can thrive, she adds.

“As a member for many decades, I have found that the club has offered me time as a young person to learn to swim, to compete on the ski team, and then later, as a young adult, to learn to play squash with new friends. Now, after returning from many years as a non-resident member, it is so satisfying to reintegrate into a wonderful community both by working to get fit and also by contributing to committees on which I have served to use my work and life skills for the MAC.”

Alex Young

“Experiencing a different culture opened me up to the value of different perspectives. At the MAC, each different minicommunity I’ve come across has helped me appreciate the diversity of offerings we have. How can we increase those experiences for me, my family, and others?” asks Alex Young, who was born in Eugene but grew up in Kobe, Japan, where he attended third grade through high school.

Similarly, his professional experiences have spanned not only the globe but also a wide range of industries. As CFO of Nike Japan in 2012-13, he was an active member at a MAC reciprocal organization, the Tokyo American Club, an anchor of the local expat community. He watched the organization transition its physical footprint and services during those years to better serve demand by investing in family dining,

hospitality, and premium services. Young recognizes that MAC is very different but sees the commonality with a club focusing on a few things to maintain its best attributes while evolving to serve the future.

“I’ve spent my 20-plus-year career helping organizations with their strategic and financial planning. From Disney to Netflix to Nike, and now Epic Games (maker of Fortnite and the technology stack behind the Metaverse), and the only consistent thread is the constant need to clarify strategic intent (vision/mission) against priorities and action. This is not easy to do, and I’ve had some great mentors along the way.”

Young might also count his wife, Rachel, among his personal influencers since she got him involved with MAC’s tennis community. “I hadn’t played in 10-plus years, and I told her I didn’t have time, that I was too busy with work. In reality, I was intimidated to jump into a new group and ‘start from scratch.’ That one act took me down a path where now I enjoy tennis and, more importantly, have made a few great friends at the MAC. It was a reminder you have to be willing to take risks and put yourself out there in order to grow and build community,” he says. “If all of us at the club took a ‘risk’ every quarter to reach out to someone new, how much larger would our community be? How much better would the MAC be?”

At a point in his life where he is acutely aware that time waits for no one, Young tries to spend less time worrying about how much earlier he might have started HIIT training, stretching, eating better, and diagnosing his sleep to improve his holistic health, and more time focusing on the things he can change. His kids are growing up, with twins Stu and Sadie (15) in ninth grade and youngest daughter, Evie (11) in fifth.

“We don’t have that many moments left as a family before they will be moving on to college. Creating those moments is so important — card games, learning to drive, travel — and the MAC creates many moments for us — our kids’ first workout in the large gym, the whole family participating in tennis tournaments, father-daughter dances, Turkey Trot. These moments often center around growing our community, and that’s hard given all the things that take time in life.”

Still, Young is making time for MAC as a new trustee, saying he’s interested in learning more about the club’s vision for the future, its governance process, making the club an amazing place to work for employees, and so much more. “I’ve been impressed with how the MAC has invested in the facilities, weathered the early days of the pandemic, and ramped up digital communication (email, new credentials, etc.). I hope to contribute to building on the direction of the club.

“Our aim is to create an amazing experience for our community and members, and that’s a tall task as we have a lot of different opinions on what ‘amazing’ is. It’s personal. The board’s goal is to represent the members — how do we take many thousands of perspectives and set the right direction?”