Mary Jane Glaser

President

1998 to present

Background:

From Walla Walla, WA. 

Education:

• University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA, Adelphian Concert Choir
• Austro-American Institute, Vienna, Austria
• University of Washington, Seattle, WA, BA Art

Work:

• Heath Printers, Commercial printing company, Seattle, WA, Graphic designer
• Freelance Graphic Design
• Tahoma School District Board of Directors 1998-2019
• Maple Valley Creative Arts Council, President 1998 - present

Interests:

• Handmade paper making, Graphic design, Choral singing, Landscaping, 
• I love my new puppy!
• Present:
• Continue creating community through the arts.

Gina Kilgore

Treasurer

2022 to present

Background:

I grew up in Washington, Missouri, and moved to the Maple Valley area of Washington State in 1987.

Education:

-Associate Degree in Accounting and Associate Degree in Business Administration/Computer Applications

-Certificate in Drafting & Design and Certificate in Carpentry

Work:

-Owner of Dynamic Data Services, LLC (Bookkeeping), Full-Charge Bookkeeper/Office Admin at St Stephen Housing Association, and School Bus Driver at Tahoma School District.

-Former Executive Administrative Assistant/Payroll Clerk at Costco Wholesale NW Regional Office, Data Processing Manager at Greater Seattle Printing & Mailing, House Framer for Quadrant Homes, and cook at various restaurants, including our family-owned one since age 13.

Interests:

Walking, gardening, baking and crocheting.

Present:

Working on home improvement and garden/landscaping projects.

Bronwyn Brestle

Secretary

2021 to present

Background: 

From Eugene, Oregon

Education:

Middlebury College, BA English and Spanish

Pepperdine University, MA Education

Work:

-3rd-grade Teacher, The John Thomas Dye School, Bel Air, CA

-3rd grade Teacher, Handy Elementary, Orange, CA

-Art Teacher, Tahoma Elementary School, WA

Interests: painting, fiber arts, pickleball, gardening.

Ed Corrigan

Performing Arts Director

2006 to present

At the age of fifty-nine, Ed wandered into the Maple Valley Creative Arts Center. It is there that he finally found his vocation (Melius sero quam numquam) as a writer of Poetry and Plays. It is there he wrote and staged his first play, The Ave. It is at the Creative Arts Center where he first received support as an artist. Today the Creative Arts Council gives Ed many opportunities to help others in creating, developing and producing their art. A full circle of life.

His personal goal is to write thirty plays by the time he’s eighty-nine. He’s only half -way to the goal and is enjoying the ride.

His plays have been performed at theaters throughout the Puget Sound, including The Creative Arts Center, Valley Center Stage, Freehold Theatre, ACT Theater (staged reading). Ed is an alumnus of ACT, Freehold Theatre, Parley, and Salvo Studio Seattle. Check out this list of plays written by Ed on the New Play Exchange

Bryan Organ

Technical Director

2022 to present

Background:

Born in Tulsa, OK. Have lived in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arizona, and Washington State and love all of those places for different reasons.

Work:

Have been working in technology for the last 30 years, currently as Director of Governance and Compliance for a global consulting organization.

Interests:

Love playing golf (especially with my oldest daughter), softball, and video games. Been performing vocally and acting for 45 years and love to perform! It is super difficult not to jump in and harmonize when someone else is singing (especially with my youngest daughter). A/V and tech are a passion as well. Spent years building out and running performance visual and sound systems.

Present:

Learning bass guitar and tinkering with percussion (drum kit and cajone) as time permits. Traveling back and forth to see my oldest in Boise and cheering on my youngest kiddo's stage performance ambitions.

Krystin Lindstrom

Board Member

2021 to present

Background:

Grew up in Long Island New York and Ann Arbor, Michigan

Education:

Yes: BA University of Michigan, Paralegal University of San Diego, JD National University School of Law, San Diego

Work:

Lots: Teaching here (Tahoma) and Overseas (Australia, New Zealand, Iran), practicing Law, and Other (like waitressing, folding clothes at Walmart, bookstore clerk, legal clerk, and many other etceteras)

Interests:

in no particular order: walk, hike, bike, adventure, politics, watch movies, hang with dogs and kids (my own and other’s), listen to podcasts, cook, garden, read/read/read nonfiction, write, write, write and then there’s talk/talk/talk, and question why?

Present:

Presently Learning To- play the mountain dulcimer, go back to school online, become techie, listen and watch

Jackie Riedel

Board Member

2021 to present

Growing up in NYC meant trips to The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the MOMA where regular field trips. I felt inspired during these visits; a future in the arts is the path I felt would be the most rewarding for me to follow. Attending SVA in Manhattan was a dream come true. In the Bachelor of Fine Arts program my focus was in painting. After receiving my degree, I started work for a Mural Company. I was thrilled to work alongside other artists, learn from them, and gain the skills to make art on a grand scale. Eventually, volunteering work led to joining the team at Publicolor, a non-profit that runs an after-school arts-based program in the NYC public schools. There we would mentor teens while teaching them color theory-based painting and design skills.

Marriage, kids, and family brought me across the country, settling here in Maple Valley several years ago. It has turned out to be a wonderful place for all of us. I was happy to work as an Art docent in my kids’ schools while they were in elementary school.

While jogging on the local trail, I came across the first mural completed by the MVCAC. My design was selected for the second project at the tunnel underneath Witte Rd focused on the history of Maple Valley. I joined the Board after having such a positive experience on the project with the MVCAC. I now help Co-Lead the Artwalk and am the Lead for the Paint by Tunnels next project.

Shannon Brannon

Board Member

2021 to present

Born and raised in Washington State, I’ve spent nearly all my life in a 13-mile radius. I grew up just down the road in Renton. My big ‘break away’ was to attend Washington State University, where after 3 years of trying to become a Mechanical Engineer, I realized that I was much better suited for the family profession of education. (My mom, her sister, and one of my grandmas were educators.) I thought I would be a 5th-grade teacher, but fate had other plans when, after a year in elementary school, I had an opportunity to return to my alma mater, Liberty High School, to teach math/biology. I completed my art endorsement that first year and started teaching art full-time at the same school. My career path was launched, and I enjoyed 12 wonderful years there before moving on to other things.

My husband, Glen, and I have resided in Maple Valley for nearly 30 years. We raised two wonderful boys, David and Thomas, here and have always enjoyed being involved in our community, with church, scouting, and school volunteering topping the list of ways we have found ‘home’ here in Maple Valley. Most recently, I completed 10 years of teaching Art in the Tahoma School District, retiring from my commitments in June 2024.

While teaching, I have also been a Real Estate Broker with Windermere Real Estate, a career I now pursue full-time. I create art sometimes in my home studio and am looking forward to life settling in a bit more so I can break away and enjoy the quiet, creative time. (That just hasn’t happened yet!)

My time with MVCAC has been filled with co-hosting ArtWalk, helping with Slug Hunt and Artsfest, and attending many of our wonderful events hosted by other board members. I love being a part of this amazing/creative/unique community.

Christina Grachek

Ex-Officio

2022 to present

John Riedel

Youth Board Member

2024 to present

Hello, I’m John Riedel. I am currently a junior at Tahoma High School in Maple Valley, Washington. I am enrolled in an advanced course program focused on multiple subjects. Personally, I am enthralled by mathematics and history. I contribute to many school events and projects through our leadership program and plan on pursuing an ASB position for next year. 

Beyond academics, I am deeply involved in the high school’s drama, track and field, and DECA programs. Also, I have contributed to local performing arts and performing programs in Auburn and Issaquah. These experiences have not only broadened my perspective but allowed me to connect with multiple communities. 

Looking ahead, I aspire to major in Economics and continue my other prospects of performing both artistically and physically. I see myself in the future striving for a career in business, law, or politics. To help me achieve this, I would love to go to UW and engage with its community of innovation and dedication, as well as its high caliber of education.

Cole Wolf

Youth Board Member

2024 to present

Greetings, I am Cole Donald Wolf, an eleventh-grade student at Tahoma High School. My academic endeavors are centered around a fervent passion for the sciences and mathematics, I am committed to unraveling the mysteries of the natural world through rigorous experimentation and analysis. Simultaneously,

I actively participate in our school’s DECA club, where I hone my oratory skills and engage in various scenarios that force me to think on my feet and think creatively. Additionally, I help organize various community service opportunities to better the greater Maple Valley area.

Moreover, I found a great passion for both performing and musical arts, with my first performance ever being with the Maple Valley Art Council. I both play bass and sing, participating in our school's choir program