Our Team

David was the Executive Director of NABC since its formation in 2006 and recently retired in 2022. He and his wife Janet own and operate The Red Shed Farm, a 10 acre farm in the Skagit Valley.

David was raised on a dryland wheat farm in Eastern Washington. He attended Washington State University, was awarded a degree in Agronomy, and worked 25 years in the agri-business sector.

David has experience in the seed production and processing industry, as well as experience in food processing, marketing and distribution. David managed a start-up business which manufactured particleboard from wheat and grass straw.

From the Skagit Valley, Tara Cunningham graduated from Washington State University in 2009 with a degree in Communications. Utilizing her skills in marketing, she previously worked for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington before going to work for her family’s business, Washington Lettuce & Vegetable Company, a produce brokerage firm based in Skagit Valley. Tara and her father, Dean Cunningham, handle all the sales and marketing for Hughes Farms, a fourth generation farm growing top quality red, gold, white, and purple potatoes for the fresh market industry.

Mayor Donovan began his first term on January 1, 2024. Prior to becoming mayor, Peter served the residents of Mount Vernon for seven years in the Mayor’s Office. He is committed to ensuring that local city government is efficient, accessible, dignified, and inclusive.

A lifelong resident of Skagit County, Mayor Donovan loves what the city of Mount Vernon has to offer its residents and visitors. He and his wife have enjoyed raising their four children here; and he hopes to put the city on track to be a place where his children can afford to return, if they choose, to start their own families, afford their first home, and launch their own careers.

Known for his collaborative approach to leadership, he continues to develop and strengthen ties to other government entities and local agencies—to provide Mount Vernon with the best opportunity to thrive, for generations to come.

The City of Mount Vernon is a code city and a Mayor/Council form of government. The Mayor is the chief executive and administrative officer for the City of Mount Vernon and oversees and manages all operations including: Finance, City Attorney, Information Services, Human Resources, Development Services, Library, Public Works, Parks & Recreation, Police and Fire Department. This includes a City staff of 255 full time employees, 56 part time/seasonal employees, and a total City budget of $104 million.

Mayor Donovan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications/Public Relations from Washington State University; and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

Kristen was born and raised in Oak Harbor and moved to Skagit Valley in 1992 to attend Skagit Valley College. She began her career in hospitality with the Best Western Cotton Tree Inn in 1993 as a front desk agent and was promoted to Director of Sales and Marketing where she oversaw the entire sales and marketing efforts for the hotel and convention center. Kristen also served as the chairman for the Best Western Washington State Co-op sales team and led a group of 10-15 sales directors from across the state on sales blitzes, tradeshows and media tours all over the country.

On April 1, 2001 Kristen accepted the position of President/CEO of the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce where she served until July of 2014.  She graduated from the US Chamber’s Institute program with her certificate in Institute for Organizational Management (IOM), Kristen was also very active in the Washington State Chamber of Commerce Executive during her chamber career serving on the board for 12 years including a term as president 2008. She also represented the chambers on the Association of Washington Board of directors serving on the board of the Western Association of Chamber Executives representing Washington State along with serving as an active member and past president of the Skagit County Chamber of Commerce Executive Directors Association. During her tenure as CEO for the chamber, Kristen successfully doubled the membership and budget, created a 501-C3 foundation to build the workforce development program and started the Mount Vernon Marketing Campaign bringing together stakeholders from various government entities. The chamber also saw new branding efforts, restructuring of committees along with new office space to accommodate the influx of visitors to the community.

In 2016, after a short stint in the financial advising world, Kristen went on to become the Regional Director of Sales then Senior Director Sales and Marketing for Hotel Services Group until her departure in October 2021. Kristen, oversaw the sales and marketing efforts for all 9 of the hotel properties in their portfolio. She was a leader for the sales and marketing team members and an integral part of the revenue management, budget and operations for the portfolio during her tenure.

Kristen served as the CEO for Spinach Bus Venture Group for two years where she oversaw the day-to-day operations for Fairhaven Mill, Skagit Landing Restaurant & Catering, Skagit Acres, and Tulip Town ensuring each organization had the resources needed to be successful. She was responsible for building a strong management team, overseeing the marketing team and contracts, planning and executing events, strategic planning, budgets, financials and growth strategies for each company.

On Jan, 2, 2023, Kristen joined the Skagit Tourism Bureau as their CEO and will work to continue the work of telling the story of Skagit County to visitors from around the world in a sustainable fashion to encourage strong economic viability for hotels and tourism related businesses while ensuring the quality of life we have come to enjoy.

Kristen is also very active in her community volunteering for a variety of community organizations, she is a proud member and past president of the Mount Vernon Noon Rotary Club serving on the board as the scholarship chair along with  currently serving on the board for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, incoming board chair for the Boys and Girls Club of Skagit County Board member for the Washington Hospitality Association and GAC, Association of Washington Board member. Kristen also volunteers for the Forgotten Children’s Fund, the 4-H Horse Leaders. Also on her list of accomplishments are, Kristen previously served as co-facilitator for the Leadership Skagit program for five years, founding committee member and Emcee’s for the “EnVogue” Fashion Show benefiting the Friendship house, past member of the Mount Vernon Leadership Team, past member of the Skagit County Fair Advisory Board, past member of the Presidents Roundtable for Workforce Development at Skagit Valley College, Junior Achievement, coordinator for the Mount Vernon Christian School Career Day among other various opportunities.

Kristen lives in Mount Vernon with her husband Donnie, a partner at Wycoff Insurance and a partner in Spinach Bus Ventures in Mount Vernon. She has two amazing daughters who are her proudest accomplishments. Kylie (30), graduated with a Psychology and Law and Justice degree from Central Washington University and is a Deputy with the Skagit County Jail. Her youngest daughter Melyssa (26), graduated with a Business Management degree with a minor in Marketing from Grand Canyon University and is currently living in Nashville and working remotely for Spinach Bus Ventures as their Brand Manager.

Kristen lives in Mount Vernon with her husband Donnie. She has two amazing daughters who are her proudest accomplishments. When she isn’t volunteering in the community Kristen can be found watching her husband coach basketball, her daughter compete in barrel racing, or simply just hanging out with family and friends.

Duane Knapp is a worldwide brand expert, author of several books published by McGraw Hill and chairman and founder of BrandStrategy, Inc. He has personally advised thousands of brands in 22 countries including destinations, corporations, communities, societies, professional associations, institutions, countries and celebrities who desire to optimize their perception, image and success. BrandStrategy™ clients use the proprietary BrandPromise® science to enhance hundreds of millions of their customers’ experiences every day in 50 countries worldwide.

Fiercely proud of his Skagit Valley roots, Andrew Miller is Co-Founder of Tulip Valley Farms, a 30-acre farm in west Mount Vernon, Washington with views of Mount Baker and beautiful surrounding farmland. A former director of business retention and expansion in Skagit County Andrew understands first-hand the challenges and opportunities facing the country’s rural and urban adjacent business ecosystems.

Andrew serves on the Viva Farms board and was elected in 2020 as Commissioner, Position 1 at the Skagit Public Utilities District. Prior to his return to Skagit Valley in 2015, Andrew served in the Air Force as an intelligence officer, before transitioning to the private sector where he lead global teams at Expedia, Weyerhaeuser, and Amazon. Andrew is a graduate of Seattle University School of Law (JD) and Pacific Lutheran University (MBA), Gonzaga University (MA Organizational Leadership) and the Naval Postgraduate School (MA Strategic Studies) and speaks Spanish and Portuguese.

Dave Paul grew up in Enumclaw, Washington. He graduated from Seattle University and then earned a master’s degree from Miami University (Ohio) and a doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dave is an experienced educator. He has taught in higher education for over 20 years, most recently helping students at Skagit Valley College where he has served for 14 years. He is currently the Director of Community Relations. Dave has a background in helping non-traditional students navigate a changing employment landscape, and he serves on the Island County Economic Development Council.

In addition to his experience with higher education, Dave also has significant experience with PreK-12 schools. Dave served on his local School Board in Ohio. Dave is currently a Washington State Representative with the 10th Legislative District.

Mike Peroni has over 30 years of experience in agriculture in western Washington. He has extensive knowledge of agricultural business formation and management, brand support, public/private partnerships, market development, and regulatory compliance.

Mike has been a key leader in the expansion of NABC’s services to southwest Washington; adding an additional five counties to NABC’s service area and taking on the role of regional director. In September 2022, Mike became the Executive Director of NABC under long-standing Executive Director, David Bauermeister, who retired in August 2022.

Mike and his wife Heidi own Boistfort Valley Farm in Custer, WA.

Linda Tyler is the Community Outreach Administrator with the Port of Skagit, where she manages the communications and outreach efforts, and shares the Port’s mission. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in communications, she moved back home to the valley to pursue work in the non-profit sector. Prior to joining the Port team, Linda worked for Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland where she learned firsthand about the local agricultural industry and the great people who make it successful.