Board of Directors
Fran Amend
Fran Amend is the current owner of Chipman and Taylor Chevrolet. Fran was born in Edmonton, Alberta and grew up in Eastern Washington in the town of Mead. He graduated from Eastern Oregon State College and Eastern Washington University receiving degrees in Psychology, Business and Education. Following graduation, he taught in the Coeur d’Alene School District for five years. In 2000, Fran and his wife Tina, took on a new adventure and joined the team of Chipman and Taylor Chevrolet. Fran and Tina have two boys; Alex and Kaden. Fran is a member of Kiwanis and loves spending his extra time helping out with coaching his kids’ local sports teams.
Francis Benjamin
Francis came to this region to attend college, met his wife Heidi, and never left. Pullman provides great work opportunities, has a wonderful climate, and is the perfect place to raise a family. He works at Washington State University ‘06 & ’14 designing psychological research experiments, providing technology solutions, and teaching Real Estate. He owns FAB Consulting a technology solutions consulting company. Francis served on Pullman’s City Council 2003-2015 and is former president of the Association of Washington Cities. He co-leads the 5-day Be The Entrepreneur Bootcamp. He is active on the chamber’s lentil festival and government affairs & economic development committees and in the community: Kiwanis, Boy Scouts, Pullman Community Council on Aging, Palouse Knowledge Corridor, and Pullman 2040.
Jill Bielenberg
Jill Bielenberg is a lifelong native of the Palouse with family roots in Genesee, Idaho. She has always had a bi-lateral focus on professional education and high-volume restaurants. After living in the Seattle area, she returned to the Palouse and assumed the role of the general manager of the famed Breakfast Club in Moscow while obtaining multiple degrees in various fields of education from the University of Idaho. While pursuing her career in Early Childhood Development/Special Education, she also held a role on state/national boards and committees for public policy and curriculum development for early childhood and special education initiatives. Most recently she was the president for Idaho’s Association for the Education of Young Children Board of Directors. In 2012 Jill took on the position of the general manager for Birch & Barley. She has taken great pride in being part of the Pullman community and feels honored to be working amongst such inspiring business men and women. Jill looks forward to continuing her efforts to give back and increase our goal of making Pullman a better place to live, work, and do business as a member of the Pullman Chamber Board of Directors (and as the current Legendary Lentil Festival Cook-off Coordinator!).
JoReen Brinkman
JoReen currently lives in Pullman with her husband Cameron Brinkman, and their two children. She graduated from Lewiston High School with honors in 1994. She went on to attend Idaho State University and later transferred to the University of Idaho, graduating with a B.S. in Mass Communication and a minor in Art.
From 1999-2006 JoReen owned and operated Lasting Impressions Photography in Moscow. In 2005, she and her husband Cam bought Subway restaurants in Pullman and in Colfax. They have since added locations at the WSU Compton Union Building and in Walmart which also houses Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Perfect. JoReen has been the bookkeeper and office manager for all of these businesses. Other involvements include: United Way Executive Board Secretary, 2011-present; YMCA of the Palouse Board of Trustees, 2013-present; Pullman Chamber of Commerce Cabaret Committee, 2005-present; YMCA Annual Fundraising event, 2013-present; and Association of Washington Business Board Member, 2015.
Doug Cox
Doug Cox is a past president of the board and graduated from WSU with a degree in Ag Business (’93) after growing up on a farm in Hay, WA. Doug is employed as a Vice President & Commercial Lender at Columbia Bank and has provided lending services in Pullman since 1999. Pullman activities include Kiwanis, Palouse Discovery Science Center, Pullman Civil Service Commission, WSU Student Athlete Mentor Program and Pullman Chamber Board Member. His hobbies include hunting, scuba, snow & water skiing. Doug has two kids, Hunter (16) and Reagan (13) attending Pullman High School and Lincoln Middle School.
Emyly Hall
Emyly Hall is currently a senior at Washington State University and the current Executive Director of Community Affairs for ASWSU. She is graduating in May of 2017 with a BA in Strategic Communication and a minor in Hospitality Business Management. When Emyly is not at the ASWSU office, she is busy representing HBO as the WSU Student Campus Ambassador, Vice President of Professional Convention Management Association and an Apartment Coordinator for WSU Housing. Emyly is from the small town of Marysville, Washington and has a loving family of five, including two rambunctious younger siblings. Emyly is committed to bridging the “gap” between the Pullman community and WSU; she is determined to make positive strides with those efforts in her position this year.
Tom Handy
Tom Handy is a three-time former President of the Pullman Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He is the owner of Paradise Creek Brewery and Landmark Property Development. Born in rural Wisconsin, Tom has lived in Pullman since 1984. He appreciates the small-town atmosphere with the mix of big city influences that Pullman offers. Tom says that Pullman is not just a great place to raise and educate children; it is also a friendly business community that has a can-do forward thinking city administration. He has been engaged with the chamber and on the board since 2003. The chamber gives him an opportunity to be active in an organization that truly makes a positive impact on the prosperity of Pullman and the surrounding area.
Alan Hodges
Alan Hodges is the manager of Washington Federal in Pullman. Alan grew up a Cornhusker, but quickly became a Coug after moving to the Palouse in 2002. Alan has been involved in the banking industry since 1983. He and his wife, Melanie, are also the owners of Lily Bee’s in downtown Pullman. Alan is a member of Kiwanis and an affiliate member of the Whitman County Realtor’s Association. Both Alan and Melanie are huge boosters of the WSU Women’s Basketball program and have perfect attendance at home games over the last seven years. They have six adult children and 15 grandchildren.
Glenn Johnson
Former Chamber President Glenn Johnson is in his fourth term as Mayor of Pullman and continues as the “Voice of the Cougs” at Washington State University football and men’s basketball games, now in his 37th year. In January, 2016 Glenn was named Honorary Alumnus of Washington State University, the highest honor a non-graduate of WSU can achieve. Glenn serves on the Board of Directors of the Chamber and is an active volunteer with a number of chamber committees: Fourth of July (chair); Artesians; Government Affairs; and volunteers with Lentil Festival and Cabaret. He received the Continuous Service Award from the Chamber several years ago. He also volunteers as the Public Information Officer for the Pullman Fire Department and helps with Whitman County during emergencies. He is on the board of directors of United Way, the Community Action Center, the Palouse Free Clinic, the Washington State Association of Broadcasters and Municipal Research and Service Center and serves as its president.. He is a trustee and chair of the Employee Benefit Trust that insures city workers in about 245 cities in the state and serves on the Transportation Improvement Board for the state. As Mayor he is also chair of the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport Board of Directors and is the former president of the Association of Washington Cities. He is professor emeritus in the Murrow College at WSU.
Allison Levenseller
Allison Levenseller is the Property Director of the Holiday Inn Express and Suites and is also a past chamber president. She has lived in Pullman for 25 years, and is originally from Tacoma, WA. Allison and her family have enjoyed the benefits of living in a college town and the incredible education the Pullman School District offered. She enjoys being a board member as it has given her wonderful opportunities to share information and ideas with others in the community. Allison is also active on the Lodging Tax Advisory Board.
Bob Maxwell
Bob Maxwell is the superintendent of the Pullman School District and has participated in a number of chamber events since moving to Pullman in 2014. He is a current member of Kiwanis, participates on various committees and enjoys volunteering in the community. In his spare time, Bob can be found fishing, hunting, hiking or rock hounding. Bob and his wife, Adrienne, love Pullman and the array of outdoor activities, arts, entertainment, and athletic events. Bob and Adrienne; have two girls Madeline and Kate attending Pullman High School and Lincoln Middle School. Being a member of the Chamber and the Chamber Board is an opportunity to help enhance the community. Membership in the chamber and on the board is a way to give back to the community for its generous support, great work and commitment to our schools.
Theresa Myers
Former president Theresa Myers is the co-owner of Myers Auto Rebuild and Towing. She is from Kent, and has lived in Pullman for 34 years. Theresa loves the small town lifestyle in Pullman, and she adds that it is a great place to raise kids, due to the great schools. There is a variety of cultural and sporting events in the region, and she enjoys being so close to outdoor recreation opportunities and likes to watch the seasons change. As a member of the Board of Directors, she finds it meaningful to help build a vital economic base for the citizens of Pullman, and to promote Pullman and the region as a great place to live and do business. Theresa says that it is important to educate people that Pullman has many great businesses and that they don’t need to go out of town to find what they need, as it is offered right here in town.
Marty Northcroft
Marty Northcroft is the Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing at Washington State University. A graduate of WSU class of 1996, Marty is no stranger to Pullman. He returned to Pullman in August of 2012 after spending five years at the University of Virginia and one year at the University of Oklahoma. Prior to his previous positions he worked for the Seattle Mariners as the Marketing Manager from 2000 until 2004 and was also the Assistant Director of Marketing at WSU from 2004 to 2006. Marty and his wife TyAnne have two sons, Caleb (10) and Brayden (6), and a daughter Maya (2).
Tony Poston
Tony Poston is the owner of College Hill Custom Threads, a custom apparel design company. Originally from Sandpoint, Idaho, Tony graduated from Washington State University in 2007 after earning a degree in Political Science/Pre-Law. During his time as an undergrad, Tony was active in ASWSU, The Inter-fraternity Council and The Student Entertainment Board and fell in love with WSU and the City of Pullman and hoped to return in the future. The opportunity finally presented itself in 2011, when he and two others founded College Hill Custom Threads near campus. Tony believes that the Chamber of Commerce can help show that Pullman is not only a great college town but the perfect place to raise a family and start a business. By helping coordinate fun and exciting events he wants to help bridge the gap between local businesses and WSU students, showing that both can work together to benefit from each other.
Robert Rembert
Robert Rembert is the current President of the Board of Directors, as well as a civil litigation attorney and shareholder at Irwin, Myklebust, Savage & Brown, P.S., Pullman’s full-service community law firm. He attended Western Washington University where he obtained his undergraduate degree and met his wife, Jeannine. Rob attended Seattle University School of Law and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1996. He is a member of both the Washington and Idaho Bar Associations, has served as President of the Whitman County Bar Association and chairs the Lewis & Clark State College Legal Support Programs Advisory Committee. Active in the Pullman community, Rob has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Pullman Education Foundation, a Commissioner on the Whitman County Elected Officials Salary Commission and was a Trustee for Neill Public Library for over ten years. Rob, Jeannine and their three children enjoy making Pullman their home.
PJ Sanchez
PJ Sanchez is a Washington State University graduate and the Branch Manager at Washington Trust Bank in Pullman. He has worked at Washington Trust Bank since it opened its doors in Pullman and has been the Branch Manager since May of 2014. Since moving to the Palouse in the fall of 2009, PJ has enjoyed volunteering and being involved in the Pullman Community. PJ is involved in several civic groups including the Pullman Regional Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, Kiwanis Club, and Lions Club. PJ lives in Pullman with his wife, Kelli Kamimura, who is the Head Women’s Golf Coach at WSU, and their dog, Gus. In his spare time, PJ enjoys golfing, traveling and attending all Cougar sporting events.
Stephanie Schweitzer
Stephanie Schweitzer graduated from Washington State University in 2000 with a degree in economics. She joined an Illinois based subsidiary of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in 2001, and since then has worked in marketing, employee development and business research roles. Today, she manages SEL’s Corporate Communications and Business Intelligence teams. Stephanie serves on the boards of the Association of Washington Business, Washington Business Week, and the Pullman Chamber of Commerce as well as SEL’s corporate board of directors.
Susan Weed
Former Chamber President Susan Weed (1996-97) is co-owner and Office Manager for Pullman radio stations NewsTalk 1150 KQQQ-AM and 104.7 FM – KQQQ, Newcountry 104.3-KHTR, and Hits 100.5-KQZB. She is a long term member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, serves as a member of the Pullman School District Board of Directors, as well as on the Pullman Civil Service Commission, The Pullman Regional Hospital Auxiliary Annual Holiday Tea, and the Washington/Idaho Symphony Board. Born and raised in Seattle, Susan and her husband Bill have owned and operated Pullman’s radio stations since 1974. Susan says that Pullman has been a wonderful place to raise their 3 kids, and she loves going to businesses where she knows and can trust the person behind the counter. She believes that if you care deeply about something, like she does about our community, then it is important be get involved. Being a Board member gives Susan the satisfaction of knowing that she is helping to make Pullman a better place to live, work and do business!
Pat Wright
Former president Pat Wright is another long term member of the Board of Directors. Since her retirement as general manager of The Bookie, Pat has remained active in the Pullman community. She enjoys working part-time at Neill’s Flowers and Gifts and on the Pullman City Council. In addition to being a Chamber of Commerce Board Member, Pat is Past President and Membership Chair of Pullman Regional Hospital Auxiliary and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Pullman Education Foundation. Pat has lived in Pullman since 1975. She is originally from New York, and moved to California before residing in Pullman.
Olivia Yang
Olivia Yang is the Associate Vice President for Facilities Services, at Washington State University, overseeing campus planning, capital design, and construction projects for all WSU campuses, as well as maintenance and operations on the Pullman campus. She serves as the University Architect. She holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Washington. Her professional associations include the Design Build Institute of America and the American Institute of Architects. She has served on the State of Washington’s Capital Project Advisory Review Board advising the State legislature on public works procurement.