HCSC BOARD

CHAIR - Joan Krajewski

TREASURER - David Sykes

SECRETARY - Niarus Walker

DIRECTOR at LARGE - Meghan Carranza

DIRECTOR at LARGE - Kevin Myrick

DIRECTOR at LARGE - Jeff Click

DIRECTOR at LARGE - Rosa Bauman

DIRECTOR at LARGE - Yuri Morales

Board Biographies

The Highlands Community Support Coalition (HCSC) Board Members are doers and fundraisers and contribute diverse experiences and skillsets to HCSC’s broad purposes. The Board is guided by these principles:

Purpose before organization: prioritizing the organization's purpose, versus the organization itself.

Respect for ecosystem: acknowledging that the organization's actions can positively or negatively impact its surrounding ecosystem, and a commitment to being a respectful and responsible ecosystem player.

Equity mindset: committing to advancing equitable outcomes and interrogating and avoiding the ways in which the organization's strategies and work may reinforce systemic inequities.

Authorized voice and power: recognizing that organizational power and voice must be authorized by those impacted by the organization's work.[i]

[i] Wallestad, Anne, The Four Principles of Purpose-Driven Board Leadership, Stanford Social Innovation Review (Mar. 21, 2021).

Joan Krajewski - Chair

Joan is a former Microsoft executive and attorney. In her professional life, Joan specialized in:

Building and operating global compliance schemes involving regulation of electromagnetic compatibility, product safety, employee safety and health, environmental, and factory social and environmental accountability. These programs covered mining, corporate operations, packaging, and computer hardware factories.
Managing related administrative actions; policy development; reporting to governments, shareholders, and business partners; public relations; up to 125 global and multi-cultural employees; auditing; related aspects of mergers and acquisitions; and contracting.
Prior, she was the global Chief Environmental and Safety Counsel for American Airlines and a Partner of a law firm with both litigation and regulatory experience. As an attorney, she was a member of the California, Texas, and Colorado bars.
Joan graduated from the University of California with a law degree, and from the University of Florida with High Honors in Finance.
Joan actively participated in non-profit and professional Boards, committees, and trade groups throughout her career up to the present.

Joan lives near Molson on a small ranch with four Icelandic horses, two Turkish Kangals, and two cats.

David Sykes - Treasurer

David Sykes is a Chartered Accountant, and currently, the Chief Financial Officer of MSL Captive Solutions Inc.

David is the former Managing Director of Strategic Risk Solution Bermuda (SRS) where he led the insurance management operations for over a decade before relocating to the United States. He is a market veteran with over three decades of experience in fiscal management.
He has managed the accounting and reporting requirements for group captive programs and facilitated underwriting both employee benefits and property & casualty risk.
As an extra-curricular activity, David runs the SRS NFL football pool.
David is a graduate of University of Warwick with a degree in Applied Mathematics.

David has been an officer of non-profits for 20+ years. In that role he has held officer functions in housing complexes, sports organizations, and a bridge club in Bermuda from managing the finances as the treasurer for these organizations to running bridge tournaments.

Niarus Walker - Secretary

Niarus is a distinguished multimedia visual artist, art educator, and curator with a career spanning over three decades.

She has exhibited locally, nationally, and Internationally including the United States and Denmark. In June 2023, her innovative projects with unconventional materials were exhibited at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia. Her works are primarily in private collections.
Niarus has received artist residencies, including the CRISIS Online Residency program and the LVS Lockdown Salon Catapult Project.
Her dedication to her craft and community has been recognized through awards, including the Morris F. DeCastro Scholarship, Leaders of Color Fellowship, a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, the Power of Art program scholarship, the Sarah Peter Travel Scholarship, the Mary Lou and Ernestine Kuhn Scholarship, and the Alpha Delta Kappa Visual Arts Award.
Niarus taught art to students at middle school and high school levels.
Niarus earned a BFA from Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, and an MS in Art Education from Florida State University.
Niarus has served as a volunteer curator and board member for the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts. She has also worked to establish Youth Art Month in the Virgin Islands, serving as chair and co-chairperson for 17 years. She is responsible for the design, completion, and donation of two 20-foot sculptures for a children’s park in USVI.

Niarus resides in Oroville with her husband, two daughters, and beloved dogs where they enjoy the natural beauty of the area and hike the Okanogan foothills.

Kevin Myrick - Director at Large

Kevin is a Construction Foreman with 38+ years of experience in trades and state and federal contracting.

Kevin’s family managed Sidley Lake Aerators from 1973 to 2014. Kevin took over as primary volunteer for aerator operation and maintenance in 2015. The current health of the lakes and success of local anglers speaks to his qualifications as an environmental steward.
Kevin is an expert in budgeting and purchasing materials and supplies for small to large projects.
Kevin can provide expert guidance in owning a small business/entrepreneurship as well as budgeting and purchasing needs.

Kevin has contributed to community projects throughout his adult life and resides in Molson where he enjoys wildlife viewing and helping the community.

Meghan Carranza - Director at Large

Meghan has worked in the Upward Bound program since 2015 and became its Director in 2017. Upward Bound, part of the WSU Office for Access and Opportunity, supports first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students.

As Director, Meghan oversees federal grants, consensus building, training, coaching, and community development. Her favorite aspect is watching students grow as they discover new educational and career opportunities.
The program serves high schools in Omak, Okanogan, Paschal Sherman Indian, Bridgeport, and Lake Roosevelt.
Meghan graduated from Concordia University-Portland with a BA in Psychology, focusing on child and family development, and minored in business administration.

Meghan's professional and personal commitments align as she also serves as Oroville Youth Soccer President and coaches her sons' teams. She is dedicated to the area where she lives, works, and raises her children.

Jeff Click - Director at Large

Jeff began his banking career in 2001 with Pacific Northwest Bank and has since built a successful path in the industry, currently serving as Branch Manager at Columbia Bank in Oroville.

Jeff is a lifelong resident of North Central Washington, born in Tonasket in 1967, and a proud graduate of Oroville High School.
While Jeff values his professional achievements, he places the highest importance on the relationships he has cultivated throughout his career.
Jeff is passionate about community development and supports initiatives that promote growth, opportunity, and tourism while showcasing the natural beauty of the area.
After meeting his wife, LaRee, in Ellensburg, the couple returned to their hometown in 2018.

Together, Jeff and LaRee enjoy golfing, camping, hunting, fishing, and exploring the beautiful outdoors that make the region so special.

Rosa Bauman - Director at Large

Rosa began her career in Mexico and was most recently a Bilingual Paraprofessional and Volunteer for the Oroville School District from 1996 through about 2020.

Rosa grew up in Mexico and also attended school in El Paso, Texas, where her father was President of the cotton growers’ union on both sides of the border.
She was an Administrative Assistant for the Attorney General of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico and for Seguro Social Juarez, Mexico (Social Security Medical clinic).
In 1990, Rosa married and moved to Molson, Washington and later moved to a nearby operating beef and hay farm in Oroville, Washington.
Rosa volunteers as a Director of outreach for Faith Lutheran Church Oroville where she manages food and clothing give-away and teaches English as a second language with her husband.

Rosa and her husband are retired. They have a son and a daughter and enjoy working on their farm, watching the wildlife, fishing, and visiting family and friends.

Yuri Morales - Director at Large

Yuri has worked in health-related jobs in the North Okanogan Valley, where she has developed a deep understanding of community health and related organizations.

Yuri is currently a WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, where she is grateful to help others discover the joy and benefits of breastfeeding. As both a mother and a WIC Peer Counselor, her goal is to support other moms as they overcome any fears or challenges they may face and to support them every step of the way.
Previously, Yuri worked for the Family Health Center (FHC) as a Nurse Assistant, Dental Scheduler, and Receptionist/Translator. She also worked for Early Head Start as a Family Advocate and at North Valley Hospital as a Nurse Assistant.
Yuri and her husband have five children: Ivan, Mayeli, Neymar, Daleyzza, and Juliet.
Active in the community, Yuri volunteers at Oroville High School, Early Head Start, Care Net, Fuerza Latina, Oroville Grange, and the Oroville Food Pantry. Earlier, she organized a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House in Seattle -- proud to help families in need.

In Yuri’s free time, she enjoys going for walks and being with her familly where she spends time at her kids' games and participating in outdoor activities. Volunteering and Yuri’s family are foundational to who she is – teaching Yuri to never give up, work hard, and be humble.