about us

After spending a decade in Seattle, Angie and her husband left the city in 2016 to make their home in quiet, nature-filled Bremerton. They have never looked back. Spending a year or so commuting to a job in Seattle, designing for companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft, Angie was looking for more connection in my work. She began practicing at Rice Fergus Miller Architects just over four years ago. As an Associate Principal there, her work focuses on using design and architecture to support and build communities. She says, “It feels good to be practicing in my own backyard and working closely with local businesses and neighbors”.

Angie participates as an Advisory Board Member for the University of Idaho’s College of Art and Architecture, is on the board of directors for the Kitsap Economic Development Council, and is an AVID mentor for students at Bremerton High School.

Jeff is a Bremerton City councilmember and stay-at-home dad and volunteers as executive director for the Kitsap History Museum.  He formerly worked as an astronomer for the SETI Institute and served as the Science Office Director of NASA’s Kepler Mission.  He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®).  Jeff became interested in KHM when his 1918 home was featured in an Eat Your Way Through Kitsap History program.  He enjoys homebrewing, working on his house, and spending time in the park with his son.

Sara Nell has lived in Indiana and Montana and on the East and West coasts, as well as Hawaii and Scotland. In the Washington DC area she worked in national art museums and at George Mason University, where she assisted in the management and promotion of an archive of WPA Federal Theatre Project materials. As secretary for KCHS for 12 years, she has helped organize the Eat Your Way Through Kitsap History program, as well as speaker and fundraising events. She enjoys gardening, traveling, hiking, being a grandmother, and living on the Hood Canal in Seabeck with her husband George.

George has served on the Kitsap History Museum board for over twenty years, including as treasurer and as secretary. His family, an honored Heritage Family, has roots in Kitsap that go back to 1882. Along with history, George enjoys outdoor activities, reading, wood working and community involvement. He currently serves on the South Kitsap School District Instructional Materials Committee and is a member of the Olalla Community Club and Olympic Peninsula Woodturners. He and his wife Barbara also do volunteer work for Etta Projects, an organization that serves impoverished communities in Bolivia.

Kylie worked her way through college as a legal assistant at a busy Dallas area asbestos personal injury law firm.  While attending law school at the University of Houston Law Center she participated in programs that offered free legal services to people in need.  In 2003 Kylie moved to Kitsap County, where she represented injured people in personal injury cases and as a public defender.  She then went into public service, first for the city of Poulsbo where she started the “in-house” prosecution program and then as an assistant city attorney for the city of Bremerton where she advised city officials and handled Bremerton’s civil litigation and code enforcement.  In 2021 she was appointed to serve as the city attorney for the city of Bremerton.  She enjoys going to museums and has always been interested in history.

Claudia is a history buff who was the lead in putting together family histories for the Heritage Family celebrations. She co-authored the Silverdale and Port Orchard photo history books and for many years submitted the popular Time Capsule photos for the Kitsap Sun.

John is an attorney who has represented Native American people for forty years, including work for the Suquamish and Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribes in north Kitsap and at Indian legal aid programs in several states.  Working with Native communities showed John how important history is to understand and protect not only Native people’s rights and cultures, but all peoples’.  John grew up in Texas and rural Montana and has lived in central Kitsap since 1989.  He enjoys gardening, backpacking, and his family.  He has been a local elected official and served on the boards of local and national non-profit groups, including the past eight years as a trustee of the Kitsap History Museum.

Rooselvelt is an ex-fire fighter, a USAF Vietnam era veteran, past commander of Kitsap County NABVETS (National Association of Black Veterans), and a retired mental health counselor. He serves as a cultural sensitivity trainer focusing on the African American experience, and is a member of the Bremerton Arts Commission, an antique appraiser, owner of Shar Antiques and lifelong collector of Black Americana, which is currently on display at the Kitsap History Museum. 

As a fourth-generation Alaskan, Elin’s transition to the Pacific Northwest was easy as it offers rich access to nature, four-season activities, family, and friendly people. As a mother to a teenage daughter whose enthusiasm for art, objects, and stories of the past inspired her to explore her own love for history even more. As an avid museum-goer, she is an active member of the Nordic Museum and Seattle Art Museum. Elin is also the marketing director at CAST architecture in Seattle.

I am a 17-year Kitsap County resident, calling South Kitsap my home. My husband, Joseph, and I parent our 12-year-old middle schooler, Ti’Aht-sah-blu.  I am an Early Childhood Education Adjunct Instructor at Tacoma Community College. Additionally, I provide speech and language strategies support for families as part of the Speech and Language Department of the infant and toddler program at Holly Ridge Center in Bremerton.  My love of history is rooted in my life experience as a Latinx and Indigenous woman of color.  My Indigenous heritage is Pueblo (San Ildefonso, Cochiti and Taos) from New Mexico. Our  son is a Tulalip Tribal member and a Suquamish Tribe community member. We balance our family time with engagement within our tribal communities here in Washington State and when we go home to visit family in California. Sharing stories is the foundation of all strong community ties. I hold a bachelor’s degree in history, and a Master of Science in psychology. My professional experiences include grant writing, program development that engages children birth to 3, and supporting community development. 

Anna is a proud Pacific Northwest native hailing from Portland, Oregon, brings a wealth of experience to her role as a trustee. Holding a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Amherst College, Anna ascended through the retail ranks at Nordstrom and Zulily, evolving from the sales floor to buying and now utilizes her analytical skills as Sr. Workforce Analyst at Nordstrom. Marrying into a fifth-generation Poulsbo family, she fell in love with Kitsap County’s rich history and moved to Poulsbo with her husband in October 2020. Beyond her professional life, Anna dedicates her spare time to volunteering at the SEA Discovery Center and embarking on nature walks with her beloved pugs, Pickle and Piper.

Erik Pederson is a Bremerton native and fifth-generation Kitsap County resident with a passion for enjoying and preserving local natural areas and helping Bremerton become a vibrant urban community. Erik holds a history degree from Western Washington University, and a master’s in Public Administration from Eastern Washington University. He worked for Great Peninsula Conservancy (the nonprofit land trust serving the Kitsap Peninsula) for 12 years and brings grant writing and nonprofit management experience with him. He has also served on Bremerton’s Planning Commission since 2018.