2023-24 HDSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Taylor Russell (she/her)
Founder, Snohomish Walks
Board President
Taylor reached out to the executive director looking for ways to be involved with HDSA as a hyper-local organization, devoted to historic Snohomish. Less than one year later, she is the new board president! Taylor brings not only expansive knowledge about the unique historical heritage of Snohomish, but also a strategic and executive skill set that has forwarded the work of HDSA immensely. As she states, “I had creative energy to contribute and a passion for all things Snohomish. I wanted hands-on experience of making decisions, finding resources, and creating programs and events - these things don't happen by magic!” An avid lover of history and a Snohomish native, she will always have a deep connection to Snohomish. An important focus for Taylor has been aligning HDSA with the structure and values of the Washington State Main Street Program. It's a proven model that will be key to sustaining the work of our organization that will allow us to increase our impact on downtown programs and support the arts, historic preservation, and small local business. Snohomish is a unique place with a strong sense of community and a cohesive historic core that is hard to find in other cities of similar size, and she hopes to renew the sense of community history, build resources for historical research, and inspire residents and businesses to support historic preservation programs.
Trent DeVerter (he/him)
Owner, RedTrux Productions
Board Vice President
Trent has served HDSA as the co-chair of the Zombie Walk for the last few years and officially joined the board in 2022. He was nominated and elected as Vice President of HDSA in April of 2023. A local producer, he is also the engineer and producer of our podcast, “Snohomish Storytellers”. Trent was initially drawn to HDSA because he wanted to continue building experiences in the Historic District. The history and openness provides a space for unique events that can foster lifelong memories. With a desire to solidify the longevity of the historic district, Trent wants to preserve the unique character of Snohomish while developing new ways to share it with residents, business owners, and visitors. His favorite project is the Snohomish Zombie Walk, allowing him to bring new ideas to grown the event and increase donations to the benefactor, the Snohomish Community Food Bank. He loves this event, and others, because it not only meets an important need, but families create lifelong memories when they participate in programs like this, which is what he wants to accomplish through his work at HDSA. Having his own memories from his small east coast hometown, Snohomish reminds him of why it is important to foster those next generation memories that makes people fall in love with and never forget downtown Snohomish.
Ingrid Harten (she/her)
Owner, Snohomish Bakery and First & Union Kitchen
Board Treasurer
Our veteran board member, Ingrid has served HDSA for 10 years! Previously the board president, Ingrid is now serving as the treasurer and continues to bring her expansive institutional knowledge to the board while also fully embracing the new energy and changes that we have made over the last year. She has always felt a strong sense of place and community in this town which made her want to move to Snohomish and do business here. As part of HDSA, Ingrid has found great meaning in aligning the organization with the Main Street Approach and looks forward to receiving full accreditation (HDSA us currently a Washington Main Street Affiliate). She also values being involved with the downtown business community and the vital work done by our organization.
Melissa Huddleston (she/her)
Loca Resident and Realtor
Board Secretary
Melissa joined the HDSA board in 2022 as a board member at large in hopes that she could become more involved in the community. In January of 2023, she assumed the role of board secretary. Melissa was excited to help the downtown district because she knows how special Snohomish is and wanted to make sure as many people as possible can enjoy everything our downtown has to offer for many years to come. She loves the Zombie walk! Turning people into Zombies is just downright fun and she loves bringing the community together for a good cause (supports the Snohomish food bank).
Beth Braun (she/her)
Friend of Snohomish
Board Member at Large
Beth has served as a board member of HDSA for 2 years and this is not the only board she has dedicated her time to. As a former board member with the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau, she understands the importance of cooperative community support to inspire engagement and attract visitors and wanted to contribute her knowledge to helping Snohomish grow. Initially invited to volunteer at the wine walk, Beth still finds this to be her favorite way to participate as she can engage with visitors about what brought them to Snohomish and share what makes Snohomish unique. Beth especially appreciates the way merchants in downtown Snohomish are connected to and support each other, which makes Snohomish so welcoming. When visitors feel welcome they will return and tell others. She also wants to be able to help facilitate changes and ideas to help Snohomish grow and attract more visitors.
David Flynn (he/him)
Owner, Studio 606 & Resident
Board Member at Large
David is a new board member of HDSA joining in May of 2023 and serves as a design committee co-chair, specifically as a liaison to the Snohomish Arts Community. Drawn to HDSA for the preservation of our historic district and small businesses, David hopes to support this work through his partnership with the Snohomish Arts Community. He is especially looking forward to the upcoming studio tour, installing murals throughout town, and bringing new art centric events to Winterfest. He is also looking forward to the continued promotion of tourism through art, design, culture, and DEI considerations for our community. David finds Snohomish a worthwhile investment of his time because in his words, “If you have been here you know. If not, well it’s just a darn swell place to be.”
Pam James (she/her)
Local Resident and Realtor
Board Member at Large
A local realtor and resident, Pam has been a board member since 2018 and serves as a board member at large. Having previously held the role of wine walk committee chair, Pam was originally drawn to HDSA as a volunteer for the wine walks. A facebook post inviting new volunteers interested her in hopes that she would meet other community members and forward the work of an organization that she found to be a good, local cause. As she continues her work on the board, Pam hopes to keep the organization moving forward with its goals and events that help downtown Snohomish and it’s businesses. Her favorite event is the wine walk because everyone enjoys participating and it serves as a fundraiser for HDSA. She hopes to contribute in any way that will keep the mission of HDSA alive, growing, and thriving because Snohomish is a beautiful small town, both physically and community wise, offering a lot that you don’t find in other towns.
Sheila DeVerter (she/her)
Owner, RedTrux Productions
Board Member at Large, Wine Walk Committee Chair
Sheila has brought exciting new energy to the board after volunteering at the Wine Walk and Zombie Walk and now serves as our Wine Walk Committee Chair and manages many of our promotional programs. Seeing the opportunity to get involved in (and give back to) the community, Sheila also understood that as a board member, she could have a bigger impact in HDSA and the Snohomish community. The most meaningful HDSA project she has been a part of is co-hosting the Snohomish Storytellers podcast. She has found that meeting and getting to know so many people that make this community special, and being able to share that experience with others, has been really enjoyable and fulfilling. Sheila appreciates the people that make up the community (whether they live, work, or visit) and seeing how much they care and how much time they pour into Snohomish motivates her to return the favor and do the same. In turn, she hopes to maintain the essence that makes Snohomish that special place we know and love and at the same time continuing to make Snohomish relevant and inclusive as we progress into the future.
Soren Stone (he/him)
Owner, Mariposa Day Spa & Local Resident
Board Member at Large, Pride Committee Chair
Soren became interested in HDSA because he loves this town and wanted to become more involved in his community. After discovering part of HDSA's mission is to help make downtown Snohomish a more inclusive place for everyone, and as a queer and trans business owner, Soren wanted to help contribute to that mission, and joined the board in 2023. He felt his personal and professional experiences would be useful to promote positive change and help Snohomish become a more welcoming and inclusive place for all who live, work, visit, and do business here. Soren’s most meaningful work during his first year on the board has been Snohomish Pride! “Planning this event and making it happen restored my faith in humanity. We had a dedicated and enthusiastic team of committee members, volunteers, and community members who jumped into action and dozens of businesses who stepped in to help us fund the first large-scale pride event in our town. It brought so much joy, hope, and healing to those who participated. Not to mention it was so much fun and I can't wait for next year!” While Soren has already undertaken a massive project, he still hopes to continue to work on projects that bring people together for celebration, connection, and collaboration. He has several projects in mind and also looks forward to collaborating with other board members helping the organization thrive in its mission.
Maygen Hetherington (she/her)
Executive Director
Maygen is the executive director of HDSA and has held this role since April of 2022. Maygen came to HDSA with the hopes of working directly in and for her own neighborhood. Initially drawn to Snohomish because of that special “Snoho vibe” Maygen loves cultivating community, creating spaces for people to discover and thrive in their talents, and supporting small business owners in a meaningful way. She appreciates that this job allows her to continue to learn and develop new skills. Understanding the Main Street Approach was very important to her when she originally accepted her role and she has enjoyed working with the board to restructure HDSA in accordance with the Main Street Model. She hopes to continue to foster the important work that makes Snohomish the Pacific Northwest’s most beloved small town!