Events

Karl will introduce himself as the new STA CEO and talk about their effort to wrap up the last 10-year strategic plan and efforts to implement the next.

Brief Speaker Bio
A native of Spokane, Karl Otterstrom joined Spokane Transit’sexecutive team in January 2009. Before joining Spokane Transit, Karl was a transportation planner with King County Metro with expertise in grants, long-range planning, and bus rapid transit. He also held various professional positions, including work experience with the Federal TransitAdministration. Karl graduated from Eastern Washington University, majoring inurban and regional planning. He received a Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Washington and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He has been involved in several Spokane community efforts over the years, including eight years as a board member of the University District Development Association inclusive of two years as the association’s chairman of the board. Karl’s first date with his wife, Kate, was in Seattle on a mildNovember Saturday, where they explored downtown and the waterfront by foot, streetcar, and trolley bus. They are pleased tobe in Spokane raising their family.

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It's been nearly 20 years since 5 people with a vision opened the HUB Sports Center as an abandoned 56,000 sq ft multipurpose facility with 5 full-sized basketball courts. In the last year, it expanded beyond their wildest dreams with 4 full-sized multipurpose artificial turf fields, including lighting with Dark Skies certification. Come catch up on the journey!

Brief Speaker Bio
Phil Champlin has been the executive director of the HUB for most of its existence. He has skippered the ship through lots of ideas, many of them off the wall, to bring the HUB to where it is today.

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Spokane Arts is launching a bold five-year plan to grow into a county-wide arts agency, expanding access, equity, and creativeopportunities across our region. The plan focuses on artist sustainability, public art and placemaking, and deep communityengagement and equity. Because the arts are an economic driver for our region, we’re building a creative future where the arts are an economy of scale, driving our collective sense of belonging, revitalization, and regional pride.

Brief Speaker Bio
Skyler Oberst is a nonprofit executive and civic leader dedicated to strengthening the creative economy and cultural landscape of the Inland Northwest. As Executive Director of Spokane Arts, hecollaborates with local government, artists, and community partners to expand access to the arts and advance equity-driven cultural policy. With a background in interfaith engagement and international dialogue that led him to posts at Harvard's Pluralism Project, the United Nations, International G20 Forumf or Interreligious Affairs, Skyler brings a decade of experience helping communities bridge divides through storytelling, creativity, and collaboration.

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Search and rescue plays a critical but often unseen role in keeping our community safe. This presentation provides an overview of Spokane County Search and Rescue—who the volunteers are, how the organization is structured, and how missions are initiated and carried out in partnership with the Sheriff’s Office. Rob will walk through what happens from themoment a 911 call comes in to the conclusion of a mission. The presentation will also highlight the extensive training required to prepare volunteers for challenging and sometimes dangerous situations, along with the team’s community outreachand prevention efforts. Finally, Rob will provide a high-level look at how the program is funded, how resources are used, and how community support helps ensure that trained volunteers are ready when the call for help comes.

Brief Speaker Bio
Rob Brewer has been a search and rescue volunteer inSpokane County for more than 25 years. He is a past Chair of the Spokane County Search and Rescue Council and currently serves as a member of the county’s Mountain Rescue Unit. Rob has also served on the board of the Washington State Searchand Rescue Volunteer Advisory Council and currently sits on the board of the National Association for Search and Rescue. Whenhe’s not responding to emergencies or training, Rob works in ITand public service and is grateful to his wife and three children, who generously support his commitment to serving the community

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This program provides a fascinating insight into current challenges, modern enforcement tools, and the role the department plays in our outdoor world.

Brief Speaker Bio
Alan Myers is a 25-year member of WDFW and recently returned to the Spokane area with the responsibility of overseeing Eastern Washington operations. He was stationed in both Clarkston & Newport early in his career before several assignments in Western WA, including a 5-year stint in Olympia at department headquarters. He enjoys being out in nature more than a desk job. He has also embraced community involvement by joining the Inland Empire Football Officials Association as a transfer from a west-side association.

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Brief Speaker Bio
A native of the Netherlands and a recent graduate of Chapman University School of Journalism, Alexandra has addressed a variety of topics in her first year as a hardworking TV reporter covering the Spokane region.

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 Richard & David will lead a panel of former Gonzaga Men's Basketball players to talk about the current team's year, outlook for where they might land in the March Madness bracket, and what it will take to make a deep run in the tournament this year.

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Brief Speaker's Bio
Richard Fox Hoops Highlights:

Richard transferred to Gonzaga after spending two seasons at the University of Colorado. A product of Regis High in Denver, CO. He set a career high with 17 rebounds against North Carolina State University in the Jimmy V Classic, the 17 boards also a classic record. He suffered a broken ring finger late in the season and missed the final five games of the regular season.

He returned to action for the post-season and played an integral role in Gonzaga's 96-95 double-overtime NCAA Second Round loss to the University of Arizona, a game dubbed an Instant Classic by ESPN. Richard played 19 minutes, several of them in crunch time when Ronny Turiaf fouled out with 2:16 to play in regulation. He scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds. His tip-in with 14 seconds left in regulation pulled Gonzaga to within 77-76. He scored five points in the first overtime and twice had baskets that put the Bulldogs ahead by one.

Richard is a color analyst for Gonzaga Men’s Basketball games on KHQ/SWX. He is also a co-host of the Zags Basketball Insiders podcast. Away from basketball, Richard is a Broker in the Commercial Brokerage Division of Kiemle 

David Pendergraft, COO, McConkey Auction Group

Pendergraft, known as “Pendo,” was a Swiss Army knife-like talent who played basketball at Gonzaga University from 2004-2008. David was only a sophomore at Brewster High School when he committed to Gonzaga, spurning interest from the likes of Stanford, Kansas, Oklahoma, Indiana, and other high-profile Division-1 schools. The attention was unusual for an athlete from a 1A high school in a town of around 2,000 residents, 135 miles northwest of Spokane.

David was part of four regular-season West Coast Conference titles, three WCC Tournament crowns, and a quartet of appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a Sweet 16 run in 2006. The program racked up 103 wins against only 28 losses with Pendergraft on the roster. As a senior, he earned first-team All WCC honors.

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LaDonna Beaumont, a self-described “late bloomer,” will share her personal story of adventure and aviation. She plans to include her views on living outside of your comfort zone, believing in yourself, and quieting the negative voice in your head. LaDonna got her Private Pilot certificate at age 49, and she will tell us why she believes seeking adventure is critical at every age, but especially as we get older.

Speaker Bio

LaDonna Beaumont is a 4th-generation Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Native. She is also a mom, Nonna, STCU Financial Advisor, and Podcast Host. She is a 20-year Coeur d’Alene Sunrise Rotarian where she is a two-time Past President and current Sergeant at Arms. She recently moved to Athol, Idaho, where she lives on a private airport with her brand-new husband Karl, and dog Poppy. LaDonna has held a private pilot certificate since 2019, and competed in the Air Race Classic, racing from Fairhope, Alabama, to Felts Field, in Spokane, Washington, in 2025.

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Stacey Cowles will share insights as to why the Cowles Company is donating the Spokesman-Review to a local nonprofit organization.

Brief Speaker Bio
Mr. Cowles has served as President of the Cowles Company and Publisher of The Spokesman-Review newspaper for over 33 years.

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Marcus, a Club 21 member, is uniquely positioned to provide asummary of the "short session," scheduled to end in mid-March. A former leader in the House, he is now partway through hisfirst term in the Senate. Currently, he sits on the Ways & Means Committee and the Health & Long-term Care Committee, two very important to Spokane. His leadership skills have also been recognized, as he's been appointed to be the majority (D) floorleader. Still, Marcus acts very non-partisan and is widelyrespected.

Brief Speaker Bio
Born and raised in Spokane, Marcus Riccelli graduated from Gonzaga University with a Bachelor of Business Administration and from the University of Washington with a Master of Public Administration. From 2007 to 2010, Marcus served as U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell’s Eastern Washington Director; from 2010 to 2012 as Senior Policy Advisor to Washington State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown. He was elected to the statelegislature in 2012 (House) and 2024 to the Senate. Marcus worked with advocates and colleagues from both sides of theaisle to prime sponsor and pass legislation creating the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. He also worked on the bipartisan transportation package that makes significant investments in the North Spokane Corridor, Central City Line, and U-District Bridge, which will expand employment opportunities in the Spokane region and reduce travel time by several million hours each year. He championed funding to expand oral health access to an additional 60,000 people, increasing dental visits by 150,000 annually. He also passedmultiple bills expanding access to free school meals, benefiting 670,000 Washington students.

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