VMICC Board

Kyle Britz

Born and raised on Vashon with a multigenerational family.
The majority of my 40 years have been living on the island, with some internships living abroad.
I’m an Advocate with The DOVE Project, for 6 years providing direct service for our community with wellness support, harm reduction & safety plans. Beginning as a Prevention Specialist and former Facilitator of Vashon Teen Council.
-Events Manager at the OpenSpace for Arts and Community, 4 years.
-LMT, Washington State HealthCare Provider, 18 years.
-Shipping and receiving, grounds maintenance and assembly with Olympic Instruments Inc.
I participated in the Youth-Adult-Dialogues for 10 years. These were great ways to encourage intergenerational dialogues and a platform to hear each other in our community to find common ground.
I first attended the VMICC last century with my grandmother Pat. I grew up attending Island meetings and neighboring councils with the Puyallup, Muckleshoot and Duwamish.

C. Hunter Davis

I have lived nearly 40 years on Vashon. In my former life, I headed up a mediation/arbitration program that resolved disputes between businesses and consumers. In addition, my partner ( a bee keeping musician)and I have raised, or maybe they have raised us-three children, two dogs seven cats, two horses, an unknown number of hens and bees, annual (not always successful) garden here on Vashon. My passions are creative writing, people, learning, anything and everything outside , and solving issues collaboratively.

Diane Emerson

Most of my life was spent in Minnesota. I have a bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Technology, and an MBA in marketing management, both from the University of Minnesota. I worked 17 years in the special chemical industry, where I became Director of Marketing for HB Fuller Company, a Fortune 500 adhesive manufacturer, and served on several boards. I quit that life to travel, then became a business consultant for small businesses. Next I spent seven years volunteering in the USA, New Zealand, France and India for many causes.
I arrived on Vashon in 2013 to help create an intentional community around permaculture and nonviolent communication. I met an islander (Michael Laurie) and we married in 2014. Together we run Garden Green, an effort to help people garden organically, plus we jointly run a small plant nursery of native and medicinal plants. I also run a landscaping business.

Mariela Franco

Coming soon

Dawn Hylton

I am an outgoing, fun, vibrant advocate for social justice. I love people and seeking the best interest of those under served in our nation. I have served in the Army and Air Force as a Chemical Operations Specialist specializing in CBRNE education, decontamination and recon. I received my Bachelors in Nursing from California Baptist University and my Masters in Social Work from Walden University. Born in Los Angeles but have spent most of my childhood in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. I currently work for a Non profit agency serving as an Infant and Child Mental Health Therapist.

Gavin Kovite

Hello, islanders! VHS teacher here – I teach Senior English, Freshman English, and AP Literature at the High School. My wife and I live in Vashon Center and had our first child, Oona, earlier this year.

I’ve played in several Vashon Island bands, and done shows with Drama Dock and Vashon Events fundraisers.

I served in Iraq as an infantry platoon leader, and later graduated from NYU Law and served as an Army JAG attorney. I worked as an administrative lawyer, international law advisor and a criminal prosecutor.

I’m a published novelist and short story writer.

Camille Reeves

I am a third-generation Islander and on a first name basis with a large portion of the community.
I feel at home in the Island’s vibrant music scene, as an artist and an instructor, and am grateful for the opportunity to mentor so many young Islanders through music.
I am a writer and an independent scholar, focusing on history and philosophy. Truth-seeking is important to me, and my worldview has been profoundly influenced by Eastern wisdom traditions.
Being a mom is my primary purpose. My daughter is a fourth-generation Islander, and for good reason: Vashon is a safe haven for our children. Here, they are free to explore their natural habitat of meadows, forests, creeks and beaches.
I feel fulfilled by growing my own food and sharing the abundance with friends and neighbors. Creating infrastructure that promotes community reliance and homespun economic resilience is exciting to me.

Nicholas Simmons

Lifelong island resident, class of 2002. Work experience split between construction (mostly carpentry), IT (mostly linux, some web dev) and the Burton Water Co. I have always volunteered my skills when I can to help those in need, see here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/lending-a-hand-in-new-orleans-leaves-vashon-bloggers-touched/ – more embarrassing photos available upon request.

David S. Vogel

I went to H.S. in NYC, college and law school in MA, then worked as a law clerk in Montgomery, Alabama for legendary Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr., who became my mentor and friend. I moved from Montgomery to Seattle in 1983, then to Vashon in 1984. From 1986 to 1993, I served as President of the VMICC and remained on the Board till 2001 when my second child was born. I have Co-Chaired the Vashon Town Plan Committee and Vashon’s Street-Naming Committee and served on the Boards of The Harbor School and Vashon Household. In 2008 I moved to San Luis Obispo County, California to accommodate my ex’s auto-immune disorder when our kids were 12 and 7, and I stayed there till my son entered college this past fall. Soon after moving back home to Vashon I started the process to bring back the VMICC.