Tina Gilbert
President
Tina took over as BYS board president in January 2020…
Tina Gilbert, President
Advice for my teenage self: Listen to your inner voice and don’t ever be afraid to follow your passion.
Favorite quote: …Don’t ever underestimate the importance you have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own. ~ Michelle Obama
What makes me happy to be alive: Volunteering, community, family and so thankful to be living in an amazing place.
Tina took over as BYS board president in January 2020 and has served on the BYS board since 2016. Tina is also a member of the HRB Board and she manages a variety of commercial construction projects and regularly mentors young women in the construction field.
I joined BYS because If kids have free, consistent counseling available, they find hope in their lives and can tackle any task in life.
Mark Kruse
Treasurer
Mark is a certified financial planner (CFP), FINRA securities-licensed, and WA State Life & Disability insurance-licensed…
Mark Kruse, Treasurer
Advice for my teenage self: Don’t be distracted by the social setting around you. Be focused on how you wish to serve yourself by serving others.
Favorite Quote: If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. ~ Alexander Hamilton
What makes me happy to be alive: The love of my family, friends, and Creator.
Mark is a certified financial planner (CFP), FINRA securities-licensed, and WA State Life & Disability insurance-licensed. Mark regularly teaches CFP certification classes at Seattle Central Community College and has served on several Bainbridge Island-based non-profit boards. He joined the BYS board in 2018 as treasurer and his mission is to grow the BYS budget, so we can serve even more youth. Mark enjoys day hikes in the Olympics with his wife and dog.
I joined the board because I saw an opportunity to serve our community’s youth alongside other caring, intelligent, and creative people. Helping teens makes such a powerful impact for the rest of their adult lives- this is important to me.
Scott Stanton
Technology
Scott joined the BYS board in 2018 and is the organization’s technical guru…
Scott Stanton
Advice for my teenage self: Be more confident in your abilities and what you have to offer for other people.
Favorite quote: If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants. ~ Newton
What makes me happy to be alive: My wife. My kids. Snow. Rain. Music.
Scott joined the BYS board in 2018 and is the organization’s technical guru. Scott likes to spend time with his wife and children when they are around. He also enjoys hiking, riding his motorcycle, and snowboarding.
I chose to serve on the board because The future is our children and to improve the future we need to make sure that the youth in our community are growing up to be healthy (emotionally as well as physically), resilient adults. BYS provides youth who are traveling through a difficult time in their lives a place to learn how to be emotionally healthy and resilient.
Karen Klein
Legal & Human Resources
Karen is a Bainbridge Island attorney and joined the BYS board in 2018…
Karen Klein
Advice for my teenage self: Celebrate your successes!
Favorite quote: I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. ~ Maya Angelou
What makes me happy to be alive: Family & friends, my dog Oscar.
Karen is a Bainbridge Island attorney and joined the BYS board in 2018. She has more than 30 years of legal experience and focuses on business and employment law. She lives her life based on the principles of honesty, integrity, and loyalty, always striving to make a difference in the lives of others. In her spare time, Karen mentors women attorneys and volunteers with WISER, helping young women in Kenya receive a secondary education. Karen enjoys traveling and likes to exercise daily.
I am privileged to serve on this Board to make a difference to our community. I am passionate about empowering and inspiring our youth, and volunteer globally to advance opportunities for young women in education.
Dr. Mike Tomberg
Mike is a family medicine specialist at Virginia Mason and has been practicing medicine for 23 years…
Dr. Mike Tomberg
Advice for my teenage self: Always be true to yourself, follow your passion, don’t sweat the small stuff and it is ok to stand out in a crowd.
Favorite quote: The things that make me different are the things that make me, me. ~ Piglet from “Winnie-the-Pooh” by A.A. Milne
What makes me happy to be alive: Being surrounded by the love of my family and friends, the sounds of the wind in the trees mingled with the conversations of the birds and the bees, the stillness of a mountain lake at sunrise, sharing smiles and hugs and the ability to bear witness to the courage, compassion, and generosity of my patients and our community.
Mike is a family medicine specialist at Virginia Mason and has been practicing medicine for 23 years. He rejoined the BYS board in 2019 and had previously served on the board in 2014.
I joined BYS because as a physician I recognize that the cornerstone for our overall health is our mental health and that adolescents and young adults are at a unique time in their lives to develop lifelong tools for stress management and lay the groundwork for healthy, resilient and hopeful living.
Dr. Marc Miller
After retiring as Chief Medical Officer from Seattle’s Polyclinic, Marc is now an advisor and investor in early-stage healthcare companies…
Dr. Marc Miller
Advice for your teenage self: Things will get better, there are those who are rooting for you – keep an eye out for them.
Favorite quote: In the middle of a difficulty lies opportunity. ~ Albert Einstein
What makes you happy to be alive: My wife and family along with the opportunities we have each day to look for gratitude.
After retiring as Chief Medical Officer from Seattle’s Polyclinic, Marc is now an advisor and investor in early-stage healthcare companies. A member of Rotary, he is also active in electoral reform efforts and is on the board of FairVote Washington.
I have empathy for the difficulties that young people face in trying to find their authentic self as they navigate life, culture, society, etc. BYS partners with our local youth to build their hope muscles.
Bill Harper
Bill is a native of the Pacific Northwest and a fourth-generation graduate of the University of Washington…
Bill Harper
Favorite quote: Who made the world? Who made the black bear and the swan and the grasshopper…? ~ Mary Oliver
What makes me happy to be alive: Seeing my family enjoy each other. Snow. Winter. The art and power of kindness. Mountains.
Bill is a native of the Pacific Northwest and a fourth-generation graduate of the University of Washington. He was a Minister in the Episcopal Church for 35 years and retired from active congregational work in 2015. Bainbridge Island has been his home for 26 years and in retirement, Bill is fulfilling a life-long dream to work in the ski industry. Bill loves winter and is passionate about skiing. He also enjoys long, multi-day backpacking trips and road trips with the windows down and music up.
BYS is one of the pillars of support and strength in our local community. The steady and focused commitment to youth and young adults found in the mission and practical work of BYS inspires me, and I hope to serve that mission and engagement.
Greg Nance
Greg is the CEO of Dyad Mentorship and Chairman of Moneythink, organizations that have helped students earn over $27M in university scholarships…
Greg Nance
Advice for my teenage self: Follow your smile! Spend more time with friends and family doing the things you love… You’ll learn more and have way more fun!
Favorite quote: Little by little, one travels far… ~ J.R.R. Tolkien
What makes me happy to be alive: Every day is a gift — grateful for my family, my friends, my health, this wonderful community, and TexMex too.
Greg is the CEO of Dyad Mentorship and Chairman of Moneythink, organizations that have helped students earn over $27M in university scholarships. Next up, Greg, an ultramarathon runner, is celebrating 3,000 days sober by running 3,000 miles across America to create a documentary exploring our national addiction epidemic and how we can boost mental health across the country.
Greg grew up on Bainbridge Island swimming in Manzanita Bay and climbing trees; he is an alumnus of BHS, class of 2007. Greg admits to being overwhelmed as a teen by the stress and pressure of school and extracurriculars and says that while he did benefit from the BYS jobs board, he would have benefitted from the peer tutoring and counseling offered by BYS. Greg believes it’s vital that BYS continue to provide these vital services to Kitsap teens and is eager to support the next generation of islanders.
Bob Tull PhD
Bob is a retired psychologist who has worked with at risk youth and young adults throughout his career…
Bob Tull PhD
Advice for my teenage self: Put one foot in front of the other…Often baby steps are the way forward.
Favorite quote: “I can’t change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water and create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa
What makes you happy to be alive:My extended family, my dear friends, my passion for helping others and to be surrounded by all that nature has gifted us.
Bob is a retired psychologist who has worked with at risk youth and young adults throughout his career. He has also worked with healthcare professionals and healthcare leaders to enhance their communication skills.
Getting through adolescence is a significant challenge for most people. BYS provides the support to increase the opportunities for teens to self-reflect, gain personal direction, and better understand how they fit into the world around them. I joined the BYS team because I wanted to continue my involvement with adolescents and help support them and the BYS organization.
Leo Uyekawa
Leo is a junior at BHS and is serving on the BYS board because he enjoys helping people and believes BYS is a great resource…
Leo Uyekawa
Leo is a junior at BHS and is serving on the BYS board because he enjoys helping people and believes BYS is a great resource for, not only students like him, but for anyone who’s needing some help.
Advice for my younger self: Don’t hold your life to anyone else’s standards and to be less self-conscious and more ambitious.
Favorite quote: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift… that’s why they call it the present.” – Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda.
What makes you happy to be alive: My family and my friends.
Max Bispham
Max is a sophomore at BHS and is serving on the BYS board as a way to get more involved with his community….
Max Bispham
Max is a sophomore at BHS and is serving on the BYS board as a way to get more involved with his community.
Advice for my younger self: Enjoy being young and treat everyone, regardless of what they do, with kindness.
Favorite quote: “The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.” – MLK
What makes you happy to be alive: Seeing the beauty in the world and experiencing as much as I can is what motivates me to be happy and keep going.
Mckennah Thompson
Mckennah is a junior at BHS and is serving on the BYS board because she thinks it will be a really cool experience…
Mckennah Thompson
Mckennah is a junior at BHS and is serving on the BYS board because she thinks it will be a really cool experience. She thinks, too, that it will be a good way to help support the community during this unusual time. Mckenna believes it will give her a different and good perspective on our community because it will help her to get involved with all sorts of new things!
Advice for my younger self: Enjoy nap time because it doesn’t last long.
Favorite quote: “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” ~Kevin Durant
What makes you happy to be alive: The one thing that has kept me sane during this pandemic is running. I love being able to get together with a few of my friends and run with them.