Anchorage Running Club Board of Directors Election 2024 Candidate Biographies (Alphabetic Order)

Rebecca Coolidge Haviland

My name is Rebecca Coolidge Haviland and I have been involved with the Anchorage Running Club and Anchorage RunFest for the past 15 years helping with publicity and marketing. I am currently the ARC Board treasurer.

I grew up in Anchorage and have been running and skiing for as long as I can remember. I love to participate in events here in Anchorage as well as around the state. I am a regular Mount Marathon finisher, I’ve been a member of a Klondike Road Relay team, and I run 5K and 10K races whenever I can. I am a teacher at an Anchorage area high school where I teach U.S. Government, American History, Student Government and AP Government and Politics. I am raising my two little girls who are becoming quite the runners themselves and love participating in races.

I am seeking another term on the ARC board so that I can continue to help build club membership and continue to serve the Anchorage running community.

Lauren Latchem

Since moving to Anchorage in Jan 2020, Lauren Latchem is actively engaged with the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, is a founding board member of Velocity (an organization supporting young professionals in the energy industry), and an advocate for women in STEM through the Society of Women in Engineering. Beyond membership obligations, Latchem is involved with helping the local veterans' legion, organizing the Anchorage Senior Activities Center Garden Gala, and supporting harbor clean up efforts in and out of the water with a local dive shop. Between adventures and volunteering, Latchem can be found in Kuparuk, leading starting-up activities on a new drill site. Latchem is happily best known as "Dexter's Mom" in the Anchorage Running Club since joining 2 years ago.

Nancy Meade

I have lived in Anchorage for 36 years, and we raised our two active children here. Our entire family has spent many hours running on the municipal bike trails, shoulders of roads, and in countless races of all different distances over the past decades. I have participated in running races from the marathon to 5Ks, and have completed the Ironman (Arizona) and seven half-Ironman distance races.

I now have more time to give back to the community, and would be pleased to be able to serve on the Board of the Anchorage Running Club. I've been an attorney for 36 years, most recently serving as the General Counsel for the Alaska Court System. I do reside in Juneau from mid-January through mid-May (I work there during the state's legislative session, and would be able to participate in meetings remotely but not in-person), but otherwise have time to help with everything from writing tasks that the Board may need, to race setup and cleanup, as well as the many other organizational issues that are needed for sponsoring running races.

Heather Ricci

My name is Heather Ricci. I am a lifelong Alaskan, born and raised (with some temporary transplants due to being a military spouse, but found myself back home here in Alaska! I have always enjoyed doing the races in Anchorage, and I am loving being back and training for the ones coming up this season while raising our two children. Currently, I am training for the mountain run series! I am a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach and have been involved in health and wellness in this capacity for two decades and love every minute of it. I currently serve as an online fitness and nutrition coach. I am also hoping to get my RRCA run coach certification this April.

Timothy Sorensen

My name is Timothy Sorensen. I was born and raised in Alaska and running has been a joy in my life from a young age. From competing in cross-country to running nearly every distance in track and field to running Ultra's I have just about done it all. I am a proud recipient of an Anchorage Running Club Scholarship in the year 2014. I graduated from UAA with a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management and a minor in Business Administration in 2017. I have been a Construction Project Engineer and Construction Project Manager ever since working on projects all over the state of Alaska.

I am currently going back to school (UAA) to get my Masters in Project Management followed by my Project Management Professional certificate. I will be graduating Fall of 2025.

It is my desire to continue to be involved in the running community and enjoy running for my entire life.

Richard Wenrich

I arrived in Alaska in October 1979 and started running shortly afterward. Although not in keeping with the running strategy of the time I ran and completed my first Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon. I continued running marathons and completed my 30th Mayor’s in 2010.

I became involved in race timing by assisting with the timing of the Heart Run and have progressed to timing many different races around the Anchorage area such as the Seymour Fun Runs, the MS Runs, Amnesty International Runs, Bear Valley Challenge, Bonny Sosa Tuesday Night Race Series, and Anchorage Running Club events.

I have served on the Anchorage Running Club Board of Directors for several terms, which included helping with putting on club events. In the past I served as the club secretary.

While still running the Mayor’s Marathon and after I stopped running the event I served on the race organizing committee and helped with the expo prior to the race.

I have also been part of a weekly running/walking group, the Happy Fun Group (formerly known as the Saturday Fun Run and Walk Group) since the early 1990’s.