Meet Our Team

Board of directors

  • Markéta grew up under russian oppression in communist Czechoslovakia. She escaped her homeland as a teen and settled in the U.S. in 1984. When she saw russian tanks roll into Ukraine in February 2022, her childhood nightmares seemed to come to life. Eventually, the atrocities became too difficult to watch from afar and Markéta traveled to Ukraine for two months in 2023 to see whether she could directly engage in Ukraine’s fight against the russian invasion.  She founded the Sunflower F.U.N.D. upon her return, committed to continue helping Ukraine. She returns to Ukraine each year for two months with a team of volunteers to assist with humanitarian projects, to find new areas of need, to verify the fund’s expenditures, to deliver aid directly to civilians and frontline military units, and to check-in with the fund’s Ukrainian partner organizations. 

    Markéta attained her law degree from the University of Washington School of Law in 2002 and settled in Anacortes in 2010, where she established an estate planning practice and raised a family.  She loves to spend time with her humans and dogs in the islands or in the mountains.  She remains committed to Ukraine until all of its people are free.

Executive Officers

  • Traci spend her career in public service and always believed in the importance of volunteering.  Shortly after she retired in 2023, Traci traveled to volunteer in Ukraine for 3 months with her husband Johnny. They both feel strongly about supporting Ukraine's fight against russia. On their first trip in 2024, they participated in a number of volunteer efforts, including explosive and ordnance safety presentations, making meals, camouflage netting and smoke checkers for soldiers, participated in various children’s educational and art activities, and delivered approximately 300 gift bags from the USA to very poor or displaced children. Traci and Johnny returned to Ukraine in 2026 with the Sunflower F.U.N.D. for a 2 month mission during which the team insulated a shelter for internally displaced women and children, made smoke checkers and camouflage netting and participated in many frontline deliveries of humanitarian and medical aid.  Traci believes that her volunteer and donation efforts remind Ukrainians that they are not forgotten.

  • Marjie entered humanitarian work early in life when her mother co-founded a non-profit organization to support children affected by congenital defects from Agent Orange and missing limbs from accidental landmine detonations. Marjie spent the last 30 years raising her sons, volunteering in her community and working in healthcare administration. She and her husband moved to Anacortes, where she manages a local manufacturer of emergency response equipment. Having traveled extensively and seeing firsthand the pervasive, destructive remnants of war, Marjie joined the Sunflower F.U.N.D. to support the resilient people of Ukraine.

  • Tor earned his MBA at the University of Chicago and spent a 30 year career in finance and management, providing business strategy and organizational management as the Chief Financial Officer to several international and regional corporations. He served in the US Army (reconnaissance) during the Cold War era, volunteered as treasurer for multiple local and regional nonprofit organizations and remains active in local efforts to promote nature conservation, affordable housing and economic growth. His admiration for Ukrainian self-determination led him to join the Sunflower F.U.N.D. Tor lives in Anacortes with his wife and son and enjoys the outdoors, martial arts and travel.

  • Angelique is a Washington native who grew up with a wild sense of adventure and a deep love of all things outdoors. After she retired from the Army in early 2022, she and her husband downsized to a pair of backpacks and spent the next 4½ years traveling full-time. Now she is happy to be back home and grateful to be a part of the incredible Sunflower F.U.N.D. mission. She lives in Anacortes with her husband and a very spoiled cat.

Directors at Large

  • Svenja holds an MBA and a Master Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership and is currently the director of the Anacortes Senior Activity Center Foundation. Svenja grew up in Germany but has lived in several different countries and US States before making Anacortes her home 10 years ago with her husband, two children and pets. Since moving here, she has been actively involved in several nonprofits in the community.

  • Liz is a Branch Relationship Manager for Heritage Bank in Anacortes. She has been in bank management for 30 years. She has always had a passion for and draw to humanitarian work and volunteering and she serves on several local community nonprofits. The extreme human rights violations and crimes that adults and children in Ukraine are struggling against are what drew Liz to the Sunflower F.U.N.D. – to support the incredibly resilient people of Ukraine.

  • Johnny retired from the US military in 2005 and served as a police officer in Washington State Patrol until retiring in 2018.  His military and police expertise was rendering safe of explosives and ordnance.  In 2023, Johnny volunteered in Ukraine for 3 months with his wife Traci, providing explosive and ordnance safety presentations to civilians, first responders and members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

    Johnny returned to Ukraine in 2025 and trained Ukrainian military recruits in ordnance and explosive safety.  Johnny and Traci returned to Ukraine in 2026 with the Sunflower F.U.N.D. for a 2 month mission during which the team insulated a shelter for internally displaced women and children, made smoke checkers and camouflage netting and participated in many frontline deliveries of humanitarian and medical aid.  Johnny looks forward to returning to Ukraine and continuing to help its civilians and defenders in their fight for freedom.

  • Sharon enjoyed a career in telecommunications for Time Warner Cable where she worked as marketing coordinator, project manager of new product launches for high speed data and internet phones, and as Senior Director of customer service for four Texas call centers. Before retiring to Anacortes in 2015, Sharon lived in San Antonio, Texas for 20 years, after living in Vancouver, BC, where she worked for the airline and hotel industry, primarily in marketing. Sharon lives in Old Town with her husband Ed and their recently adopted shelter cat, Dude. She loves the Pacific Northwest and looks forward to joining a local nonprofit that supports Ukraine.

Members

  • Neli is a graduate of Seattle University School of Law. She is the founder of Olympic Legal, a Skagit law firm focused on estate and business planning. She has worked for years in legal education and has served as a board member of local organizations. Her current volunteer work includes community water system building in Nicaragua, where she has served several missions. She lives in Anacortes with her husband and three daughters and enjoys hiking, biking, music, astronomy and travel.

  • Bio coming soon

  • Larry is a doctor of chiropractic medicine and spent the last 30 years in a shared private practice with his late wife. After spending most of his life on the east coast, Larry retired in Anacortes, where he actively volunteers for several local nonprofits. He enjoys music, art, photography, reading and hiking.

  • Nan brings her history with non-profits, volunteer management and program development to Sunflower team. She has been a Whatcom and Skagit County resident since earning her Biology degree from WWU in the 1970's and has held various positions with municipalities, conservation organizations, and large and small businesses including 3 of her own. Her family history with Ukraine (both maternal grandparents immigrated) and an abiding faith in human goodness is what inspires her to work with Sunflower FUND. As Margaret Mead is quoted, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

  • Laurence has spent the last 30 years as an aviator, first as a US Navy fighter pilot, then as a global cargo airline pilot and flight instructor. Years of global travel and a few deployments to foreign countries and war zones have confirmed his belief that our planet is too small to ignore conflict in other regions and that aggression against civilians must not be tolerated. Laurence has lived in Anacortes since 2010, enjoys spending time in the San Juan Islands, Cascade mountains and time with his family.

  • Jim has spent over 30 years in public service as a public school teacher and principal. He holds a BA in Education and a Masters in School Administration. Jim has traveled the world with his wife and retired in 2002 in Anacortes, where he continues to support charitable organizations and efforts to deliver humanitarian relief to the Ukrainian people.

  • Sherry lives her life with a passion for children and youth, assisting and supporting others, literacy, the arts and education.  She was a teacher in the Anacortes School District for 36 years, and a professor at Western Washington University for 2 years.  Following retirement, Sherry became a classroom volunteer, specializing in assisting students with writing and poetry composition.

    Through the non-profit organization Voices of the Children, Sherry traveled to Jordan as part of a program linking Jordanian refugee children with young students in the Skagit Valley.  Through writing and art projects accomplished simultaneously, the children connected cross-culturally and increased mutual awareness and understanding among them.

    Sherry now volunteers with young people at the Anacortes Family Center, the Anacortes Arts Festival, the Museum of Northwest Arts Education Outreach Program and the Anacortes Schools Foundation, among other community non-profits.  She has joined the Sunflower F.U.N.D. because she believes in its mission of authentically assisting the Ukrainian people in their brave fight to hold on to their country.  Sherry lives in Anacortes where she loves to hike, read, write, dance wildly and spend time with family and close friends.