Background

German American Society:

I am completing a three year term on the Board of Directors of the German American Society. During that time, I served on and chaired the Finance Committee, and was the Assistant Treasurer and Treasurer. In that capacity I prepared annual budgets, monitored all expenses, and reviewed all GAS investments on a regular basis.

In addition, I served as the chair of the search committee to recruit a new GAS Executive Director. I was involved in raising over $10,000 to donate to the Meals on Wheels organization.

Professional Background:

I have over 40 years of experience working for non-profit organizations – most recently from 1985 to 2016 as Executive Director of the Washington State Association for Justice. As such I have extensive experience in many aspects of managing non-profit organizations including leadership development , human resource and volunteer management, strategic planning, fundraising, administration, non-profit legal and tax issues, and event planning .

Vision for the Future:

I would like to see the German American Society to broaden its activities to include events that highlight current German American culture, commerce, history, music, literature, and politics. I would also like to see our facilities to be used more by other non-profit and civic organizations in Portland.

I believe it is important that we raise funds for a major capital improvement fund that will be necessary to maintain our building in the future. Such expenses include a new boiler, upgrading our video and sound system, improving our lighting, improving our irrigation system, and improvements in the Max Kade Hall. I believe that we have an incredible facility that should be maintained and used by the broader community.

Hello,

My name is Karla Marzineck and I have been a member since 1989, that is when I discovered the German American Society. I am a retired Financial Analyst and over the years have been active in the Society either on the board or on various committees. I enjoy all the activities that the Society has and am willing to help wherever necessary.

I am on the board right now and my three years are up this January and I would like to ask you to vote for me again. Currently I am chairing the Saturday language program, I am on the finance committee, the Events committee, the Scholarship committee and am Advisor to the By-Law committee.

I would appreciate your vote, thank you.

I was born and raised in Stuttgart, Germany. My focus in college was Business and Economics. After serving in the German Air Force, I started a Career in Jewelry and Gemology.

When traveling extensively through North America, over 40 years ago, I fell in love with country and people and moved to the US.

German is my native tongue and live in South East Vancouver.

In my second career I had a practice as a fully licensed Financial Advisor, with diplomas in Retirement Planning and Portfolio Management from the College for Financial Planning. I am now retired.

In the past, I was a member and past Director of the Rotary Club of Vancouver and the Vancouver Rotary Foundation.

I had also served on the Leadership Board of the North Lake Church in Camas.

From the beginning of 2012 until the end of 2021 and, again in 2023, I had served the German American Society’s Board of Directors in various roles, as President for over 5 years, also as Vice President, as chair and member for Events and also as a member of the Finance and the Investment Committees.

I would be honored to serve again as Director and as your President during this year and hope you can find me to be the right candidate to help lead the Society in the coming Year(s).

As past President, I have an understanding of the Mission set forth by past and current leadership teams and I will follow that Mission by providing input in:

- Protecting our Finances and observing our Fiduciary Responsibilities.

- Increasing the attraction for the German American Society and ensuring we will still be here in the Years to come.

- Gaining Recognition within the greater Portland Community by raising Funds and, if possible, providing Contributions to local Charitable Organizations, with focus on German Heritage, Culture and Education.

Thank you for your vote!

I have been a member of the German American Society since 2014 and a board member for the past 7 years serving as Assistant Treasurer for a year, Treasurer for 4 years and as the President the past 2-year term.

With over 20 years of volunteer work experience with non-profit organizations ranging from committee member to leadership of the Oregon chapter of the American Marketing Association providing overall direction with an elected 15- member Board of Directors establishing chapter policies and objectives for the organization, coordinating strategies and programs with measurable goals for 450-chapter members of Northern Oregon and SW Washington, and with 34 years of employment, working in various companies in customer service, marketing and sales and, for the past 11 years, a residential Real Estate Broker with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northwest Real Estate out of the Mt Scott office, I find my qualifications a match for the German American Society.

As President during the past 2 years, I understand the commitment needed, be it time or leadership, to fulfill these duties and if elected to President for another term, my goal is to continue to serve the Society through transparency of the Society’s assets with a keen understanding, emphasized during the time as Treasurer and President, of the fiduciary responsibilities needed towards membership and to guide the organization, with the Board and Executive Director, towards a future where it can financially sustain itself through our strategic plan and to grow its presence in the Northwest.

Some of the accomplishments achieved during my time as President with the Board, who conscientiously seeks to ensure the Society continues with its mission, has been updating and revising the Bylaws and policies/procedures to be coherent, reviewing and streamlining the strategic plan and the Society’s goals, creating a membership portal for access to pertinent documents and hiring an Executive Director who, in a short time, helped us increase awareness, event attendance, rentals, and event revenue for the Society.

I look forward to continuing seeing these positive changes happen through working with the Board and Executive Director supporting our mission of furthering the preservation of German culture, heritage, arts, and language by growing and engaging our membership, continuing our annual events, GLPOP, scholarships, grants, collaborating with Sister Clubs, providing exhibits or concerts, and celebrating with each other and within the greater metro area, the place of all things German creating and sharing within the community the warmth, joy, and fun side of all things the culture offers.

Background, Pertinent Skills & Interests

This past year, I served on the Society’s Board of Directors, was appointed Chair of the Fundraising Committee by the President, and also served on the Planning and Scholarship Committees. I previously served on the Board of Directors for five consecutive years, including a stint as V.P.

In 2010, I volunteered as the Academic Director of the Society’s German Saturday School of Portland (GSSOP - now known as GLPOP), serving four years. I integrated GLPOP fully into the Society and increased enrollment to over 125. Under my directorship, GLPOP received large annual grants from the German government.

As V.P, I was able to secure a $300,000 donation from the Max Kade Foundation of New York, then the largest grant ever given by them to a non-profit organization.

Since 2018, I have been the President of “Liedertafel Harmonie” which presents two major annual concerts, helping to fulfill the Society’s mission “to perpetuate German language & culture.”

My goals for the Society:

1. To help stabilize the financial situation of the Society – budgets are ballooning unsustainably.

2. To pursue “rentals” primarily to non-profits, putting Society and Sister Club events first.

3. To pursue first-class cultural German programs for the Society. Germany spends millions of dollars bringing excellent cultural programs to the U.S. and Canada. Having worked for the Bundeskulturamt and Bundespresseamt in Bonn/Berlin for over 15 years, I hope to finally include Portland on the schedule.

4. To prioritize and bolster the Society’s language program, currently our most important activity in fulfilling our mission to perpetuate German language and culture in Portland and beyond.

5. To guarantee openness and transparency in everything the BoD plans and does.

6. To promote “Gemütlichkeit” and camaraderie among the Membership.

If elected, I promise to be absolutely transparent and reach out to Members for input on all important questions and decisions, as appropriate in a member-based organization.

Sincerely,

Christian P. Stehr

Professor Emeritus of German Literature, Language & Culture, Oregon State University

Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering, Saarland University/Germany

Recipient of the Federal Cross of Merit

Hello my fellow society members.

I was born in Germany but have spent most of my life in the US.

I never lost the connection to my birth country and that is why the GAS has become so important to me.

I have only been a member for a year and a half but have immersed myself in three committees along with volunteering efforts.

I have a cooperate and graduate philosophy that has helped me in life as a father to three daughters and retiring 6 years ago as a major airline captain.

Plus, owning a two year old German shepherd!

Thank you for your consideration

I am a German citizen and daughter to a German Geriatric Nurse and a proud Hauptmann der Polizei.

I enjoyed my entire education in Germany and completed my university degree in adult and acute care in nursing at a prestigious school in Rheinland Pfalz.

During those years, I served as the student body president of the university's medical/nursing/pharmacy department.

I completed my nursing degree in 2001 with honors and transitioned to the Westpfalz Klinikum Kaiserslautern where I joined an excellent cardio-thoracic ICU team under the guidance of one of the leading heart transplant professors in our country Germany.

My adventurous spirit brought me to the USA in 2004 and eventually to Oregon in 2015.

I live with my husband and 3 children within walking distance to GAS on a small urban farm, with goats, chickens and a dog.

I work at Providence Portland Medical Center as a Nursing Core Leader as Supervisor of Care Management.

I believe it is my duty to serve the German Haus and the German people and German speakers/learners of Oregon by keeping our language and heritage alive.

If elected as a board member, I promise our members a strong commitment to our German heritage and a conservative approach to future planning that reflects the vision and direction of our founders, while also reaching young families in Oregon that will help shape the future of our society.

I have been a member for the last 2 years and consider the German Haus my second home, and many of you, my family. I have helped plan and coordinate many major events, have given countless hours of intense labor to our society, and have enjoyed much coffee, cake, hugs and even tears with you all.

I now feel prepared to serve as a Director.

Thank you for your consideration.

Hi, my name is Becky.

I have been a member of the German American Society since 2021. I was on the 2023 Board and also served as Secretary. I am proud of the accomplishments of the 2023 Board of Directors and look forward to the continuation of these goals for the German American Society in 2024. In particular, I would like to work on more opportunities to raise funds for the GAS and create more social events for members to attend and enjoy our incredible facility.

For those of you who don’t know me, my parents were German immigrants. I am very proud of my heritage, and I love all things German. I like to bring that enthusiasm and positivity to the Board of the German American Society. I was also one of the volunteers who helped plan and execute the first Weihnachtsmarkt in 2021. I was a committee member for the 2023 Oktoberfest which was our first one since 2019. It was a fun day that was well attended.

I have enjoyed volunteering over the years. I previously served as the Secretary for the Creative Metal Arts Guild in Portland for two years. I was a participant in Sand in the City competition in 2014 and 2015 that raised money for children’s charities every summer. I also served as a walk committee volunteer planning the Sole Support for Parkinson’s Annual Walk from 2009-2016 raising funds for Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon.

I am a Communications and Political Science graduate of Lewis & Clark College in Portland. I have worked in International Trade for 30 years working for Fortune 500 companies such as Nike, spending 16 years working in Trade and Transportation. Most recently, I spent two years working for Canada Goose as an International Trade Manager. I am also a licensed US Customs Broker.

In my free time I love to travel, garden, cook and spend time with my fur babies.

I would love your support in this election!

Thanks, Becky

Background Information:

I have chosen to submit my name as a candidate for the position of Director of the German American Society Board of Directors due to my long-standing commitment to the Society and concerns regarding the future of the GAS. I envision our Society to be where members desires are heard and valued, where the German Heritage is showcased and honored, where the educational offerings are broadened and publicized and where the budget and expenditures are fully disclosed and timely.

I actively served on the GAS Board of Directors from 2012 to 2018 and led the Octoberfest activities for two years along with supporting the maintenance issues of the new building. I intend to continue supporting the activities which focus on our German heritage while welcoming new members who demonstrate a vision and commitment to our mission.

Professional Summary:

For over 30 years I worked as a construction manager focusing on the development of facilities for the private, public and institutional sectors. As an owner’s representative I saved over $25 million dollars on projects in Oregon and California while managing the construction of over 2 million square feet for a multitude of facilities and owners.

Military Commitment:

In addition, I served in the U.S. Marine Corps Active and Reserves from 1972 to 2002 in various engineering and staff units around the country. I attained the rank of Colonel USMC (Ret).

Volunteer Commitment:

Besides my volunteer commitment at GAS, my other volunteer pursuits have been in support of the military including director roles on the USO NW Board, the Portland Navy League Board and the Portland Chapter of the First Marine Division Association Board. I also have served as the Junior Warden for the Episcopal Cathedral of Portland focusing on the building facilities and grounds.

Thank you for reviewing my credentials and learning of my dedicated commitment to the German American Society.