It's nice to meet you
Meet your Board Members
The Cordata Neighborhood Association Board believes our mission is to protect and promote the interests, needs, and shared vision of our community through education and engagement.
A community is defined by the questions that it asks.
Kate McDonald
Member since: 2019
Position: President
I moved to Cordata in 2017 from Phoenix after I retired as a high school principal. My special interests include hiking and biking, so I am very protective of our parks, trails and open spaces. I serve on the Greenways Advisory Committee as well. I am proud to live in Bellingham and feel so lucky to have found my home here in Cordata.
Cam Kerst
Member since: 2019
Position: Secretary
I moved to Bellingham in 2017 and am very happy to be in Cordata. I retired from teaching children elementary physical education. I’m active in the League of Women Voters and still involved professionally in a national organization. You can find me walking the trails in Cordata, Barkley, Fairhaven or elsewhere.
Dan Norvelle
Member Since: 2019
Position: Treasurer
I worked for a service provider to the lodging industry for 30 years, as a PM overseeing the installation of our VOD, satellite programming, and wireless internet services throughout the US & Puerto Rico. I moved to Bellingham in 2017. In 2019 was asked to join the CNA board and worked with Julie Guy on several projects. I also serve on our Cordata Community Garden Committee along with doing the maintenance work on our garden of 57 raised beds.
Peter Besenovsky
Member Since: 2018
Position: Director
My wife and I moved from Seattle in 2013 and are delighted to have made the move to Bellingham where there are so many outdoor activities to enjoy and amazing scenery everywhere. We chose to live in the Cordata neighborhood, and I am on our home neighborhood HOA but also wanted to participate in the Cordata community by joining the CNA Board. I am a mechanical engineer working on the development of utility-scale hybrid solar projects in eastern WA to help the State meet its CETA targets in 2030. I look forward to meeting more of my Cordata neighbors and to working with the CNA in helping to make Cordata an even better place to live and raise a family.
Gordon Durham
Member Since: 2019
Position: Director
I joined the CNA board in 2019, excited at the opportunity to provide a conduit of information in my role as Operations Manager at Whatcom Community College. In addition to my participation on the CNA Board, I’m also a member of my home neighborhood board in the Cornwall Park neighborhood, and sit on the Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission among other community service at the state and local levels. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to be part of the amazing work of the CNA Board, and look forward to supporting Cordata Neighbors in my role as a board member and point of contact at WCC.
Paul Kratzig
Member Since 2016
Position: Director
I was born and raised in Whatcom County as a part of family which has inhabited the community for five generations. I taught in Tacoma, Seattle, and WWU. I worked in real estate out of a downtown Bellingham office for 38 years. I was also a beef farmer for nearly 40 years on the family farm. I served as the founder and president of the Meridian Public School Foundation for 24 years. I wish to assist in maintaining and improving the quality of life for community members for generations to come.
John Laspina
Member since 2019
Position: Director
I moved to Bellingham with my wife two years ago to be closer to our daughter and her family. Before retiring I worked in the mental health field for many years. I love our city’s wonderful park system and our area's easy access to some of the best hiking opportunities in the country. As part of my Board responsibilities, I am our neighborhood association's representative to the Mayors Neighborhood Advisory Commission.
Dianne Tudor
Member Since 2020
Position: Vice President
I retired from a career in advertising/graphic design and moved from Seattle to Bellingham in 2014. I feel blessed to have found a condo community in the Cordata Neighborhood that I can call home. My interests include staying physically active in our beautiful environment here, volunteering, creating art, and savoring all the fruit, veggies and flowers that are ours for the picking! I feel lucky to live in this beautiful corner of the PNW!
Rena Maurer
Member since 2022
Position:Director
After getting married in LA at the beginning of 2020, my husband and I started driving north in search of a new place to call home. We fell in love with Bellingham, and decided to "retire" from our careers as Boat Captains and full-time travelers, settle down and start a family. I am now a stay at home mom to my 1.5 year old daughter Azaylia, with baby #2 on the way! Being new to this wonderful community, I am so excited to be getting plugged in and working to improve our incredible neighborhood!
Julianna Royal Guy
Julie was the founding member of the Cordata Neighborhood Association. She and her friends and neighbors made sure that the rest of the City knew and heard from this growing community on the north end of Belingham. She put herself and her voice in front of the Mayors, City Council members, city planners, developers, and anyone else who had influence on the area. It was largely through her work that we came to hae two parks and a branch library in Cordata.
Julie passed away on June 26, 2023. She ended her life (or as she would have called it, "flew away") on her own terms in her way. She was one of a kind and she will be missed.
Jasmine Fast
Member since 2018
Position: Director
After moving to Bellingham in 2010, I served on the Reserve at Cordata Homeowners Association and the Greenways Advisory Committee where I began to realize gaps in the public planning sector. Curious to learn more, I stumbled into Western Washington University's Urban Planning & Sustainable Development program and discovered my passion for GIS and data analysis. Today, I am a mother to two humans, two axolotls, one dog, and I work as an Associate Planner at Jones Engineers. As a Cordata Neighborhood resident since 2013, I am excited to be a part of our ongoing community development and participatory planning though the Cordata Neighborhood Association.
Learn more about the Board
Whether you are interested in joining the Board as a Director or just sitting in on one of our meetings, we invite you to contact us at [email protected] for details.
Current Board Issues and Efforts
In addition to our participation in city and community agencies that help us advocate and share in issues that shape our community, we have a special emphasis on three major areas:
1. Growth and Development: We hope to continue to have a voice in planning and development decisions from COB planning and developers.
2. North Bellingham Library: We continue to advocate for additional services in our area. We appreciate the new branch library at VBellis Fair Mal but continue to work towards a full service brach in a permanent location.
3. Community and Outreach: We strive to increase and improve communication between all our neighbors by reaching out to all the stakeholders so we can represent the diverse voices of our community.
CNA Accomplishments
In the beginning . . .
It started with a question. The question was, “Where’s the park?” The answer was, “Cornwall Park is three miles away.” Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood was park-less and Julie Guy, newly arrived from Alaska, decided in March 2005 to do something about this disappointing shortfall. Talks with neighbors turned into meetings, and meetings turned into an officially recognized neighborhood association in October of 2005. We were on our way.
After some time, the Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood became the Cordata Neighborhood Association. Through the years the CNA has worked to stay informed and to improve the community. The documents in this Google Doc link include the archives of agendas, minutes, newspaper articles, and other evidence of the activism of the CNA since 2005.
The new Cordata Park is a testimony to the efforts of our community to work together to add amenities in Cordata. We are also very pleased to celebrate our Julianna Park as well as the additional trails and trail connections.
Current Work
Some of our current work includes the following:
1. Collaborating with the COB Parks department to plan for Phase II of Cordata Park
2. Advocating for a branch library in Cordata
3. Purchasing and installing two free little libraries in Cordata Park as well as other locations
4. Supporting new businesses in Cordata and offering a positive welcome to developers who can enhance our community.
5. Communicating with our community neighbors, City departments, commercial and residential developers, and neighboring associations, local businesses, churches and other agencies to keep informed and proactive.