Who Serves On The Laurelhurst Community Club Board

The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) recently published this information in their October newsletter:


Get to Know Your LCC Representatives 

New Trustee Janice Sutter has lived in Laurelhurst since 1983 – on Webster Point, 55th NE, and now Belvoir. She is a graduate of Whitman College and the UW School of Law. She retired from the practice of law in 2014. “My special interest is retaining the character of our lovely neighborhood. I was fortunate to join four other neighbors in forming Friends of Battelle/Talaris. Through our efforts, the campus is now protected by designation as a historic site.” 

New Trustee Jim Rupp is a Laurelhurst native whose parents lived in the neighborhood from 1938 to 1989. He moved back to the neighborhood in 1983. Jim “is pleased to join a long line of trustees (including my father) who have worked hard to keep Laurelhurst a unique and beautiful neighborhood.” Jim and his wife Susan have been married for 23 years and have two children in college. He is a graduate of Roosevelt High School, Whitman College, and Seattle University Law School. Jim practiced law in downtown Seattle, then joined Fluke Corporation and retired as general legal counsel in 2012. Jim has served on a number of community boards including the Board of Directors of the Friends of the UW Libraries and the Board of Visitors of Seattle University School of Law. In 2016, he concluded a nine-year period as a trustee of the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) and now chairs MOHAI’s Trustee Alumni organization. Jim is also a trustee and secretary of the Pacific Northwest Historians Guild. Jim’s new book, Art in Seattle’s Public Spaces, from SoDo to South Lake Union, is being published by the University of Washington Press and will be available in local bookstores on November 21. His first book on the subject, Art in Seattle’s Public Places, An Illustrated Guide, was also published by the UW Press in 1992. 

Co-president Jeannie Hale has served as LCC president for about 20 years and is past president of the Northeast Seattle District Council. Jeannie is a long-time Laurelhurst resident. She is an attorney with extensive experience lobbying public officials at the state and local level, as well as an avid gardener and wine enthusiast. 

Co-president Colleen McAleer has served on the LCC Board as a trustee for 10+ years and as vice president for the past seven. She has been an officer for the Save Union Bay Association for eight years and is a SUN Park Steering Committee Founding Member. She is a founding member of Islandwood and Social Venture Partners and volunteers for Juvenile Diabetes Research Guild. For 27 years, she owned Gymboree, children’s early learning programs. Colleen has two adult kids, a busy husband, and loves sports and the performing arts. 

Treasurer Emily Dexter, who lives in the same house where she was raised, was elected to the LCC Board in 2007. She is a retired CPA and spent much of her career helping large corporations implement new financial systems. In retirement she does volunteer tax preparation at several Seattle Public Libraries. Emily also serves on the board of the Northwest Horticultural Society and has been active in the local gardening community and has enjoyed garden tours around the world. She’s been LCC treasurer since 2010. “Being a trustee has shown me how a small group of informed neighbors can influence many elements of the community and gives a strong voice to community interests.” 

Secretary Brian McMullen has lived in Laurelhurst for 15 years with his wife Ramona Emerson and two children. Along with volunteering for the LCC, he is active with the Boy Scouts Troop 186 as Scoutmaster, King County Search and Rescue, and YouthCare. He volunteers for LCC because he sees the impact that an organized neighborhood council can have on issues affecting Laurelhurst. Professionally, he is the Managing Partner for LMC Consulting Group a mid-sized management consulting and staffing firm focused on the High Tech industry. 

Thank you, resigning trustees Robin Chalmers (pedestrian and street safety) and John Temple (earthquake and emergency preparedness).