WACO Board Member Election Information
The term of office for all Directors is two years.
The positions of Chair, Secretary, and At-Large Directors 2 and 4 are elected during even-numbered years. The positions of Vice Chair, Treasurer, and At-Large Directors 1 and 3 are elected during odd-numbered years.
Board members may serve consecutively as often as elected or appointed.
A slate of candidates is presented during the regularly scheduled WACO meeting in March each year, and elections are held during the next meeting in April.
The 2024 candidates are:
Trygve Erickson, Chair
Tryg Erickson has served on the WACO board for 4 years, the last 2 as chair. Beginning with his parents cabin in the early 1960’s on to his own cabin in the 70’s and his home in the 90’s he has loved being a Willowite. He hopes he can continue serving our community.
Sophia Boufidou, Secretary
I am a recent transplant in Willow and Alaska, I moved here 5 years ago from Memphis TN after the unexpected loss of my husband. I have loved every minute I’ve spent in Willow so far.
I grew up in Athens Greece and moved to the US to pursue an MBA. I had a 30 yr corporate career as a Project Manager in software development before retiring and moving here.
I enjoy crafts, gardening, and taking advantage of the many trails around Willow all year long.
Jake Warden, Secretary
Talon Boeve, At-Large
My name is Talon Boeve and I am running for re-election to the WACO board. My family and I moved to Willow almost 27 years ago and I feel very fortunate to have grown up in this community. I have served on WACO for the past two years, as well as from 2016-2019 (2 of those years as Vice Chair.) I have been a member of the Willow Recycling Committee, the Youth Forum, CERT, the Willow Historical and Wildlife Foundation, the Garden Club and several WACO committees. I work for the Mat-Su Borough as an Emergency Operations Center Specialist. When not working or volunteering, I enjoy researching Alaska history and competitive gardening.
Greg Jones, At-Large
My name is Greg Jones. I would like to offer my time and experience to WACO as a member of the Board of Directors. I am a 60-year resident of Alaska and a 15-year resident of Willow. My 45-year work career included time as an executive in both government and business. I dealt with developing and growing companies as well as managing real estate. The last five years of my career was spent at the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, first as Ex Dir of the Trust Land Office and then as CEO of the Trust and finally as a member of the Board of Trustees.
Throughout my career, I have enjoyed volunteering for public, community, and non-profit organizations. Some of the organizations where I have served on boards and committees include:
- Special Olympics Alaska
- Alaska Academic Decathlon
- Anchorage Community Development Authority
- The Great Land Trust
- Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission
- Covenant House Alaska
- Anchorage Board of Examiners and Appeals
- Alaska Homebuilders Association
- Mat Su Health Foundation (current)
My interest in joining the WACO Board is born from what I see happening as the Mat Su Valley, and more specifically, Willow. A number of trends are converging resulting in fundamental changes to life in the Valley. The Mat-Su Borough is the fastest growing community in Alaska. New industry and jobs are coming. Housing is being developed rapidly. Public infrastructure and services are growing. The Mat-Su Borough is the fastest growing community in Alaska.
Now Willow is beginning to see the effects of change. New subdivisions are being planned. The state is planning the expansion of the Parks Hwy through Willow, demand on our Borough Fire and EMT service is growing with every wildfire season, schools need upgrading and the number of full-time residents just keeps growing. And in the midst of this, the Borough is planning to dispose of large tracts of land in the Willow area, adding to the turmoil.
WACO has done an excellent job of managing its community activities and organized events, and it has promoted the development of a number of important community facilities. But recently communication has broken down between Willow and the Borough. In order to survive the changes that are happening now, and in the future, we need to be involved in conversations with the Borough and the State – ongoing conversations, to ensure that our community’s goals and objectives are known and included in the decision process at all levels. That is what I would hope to focus on as a member of the WACO Board of Directors.