How long have you been a member of Run Muskegon? 7 years
Briefly explain your running experience. I didn't start running until I was in my late 20's after years of being told (and telling myself) "I am not an athlete". I decided to try running out of the blue and though it took a while to work myself up to running more than a couple minutes at a time, I continued to work on it. I may not be fast, but I am a determined runner. At 45, I am happy to say that running is a regular part of my life and has been for almost 20 years now. What experience, education, or interest do you have for serving on the Run Muskegon board? I have served on the Board for Run Muskegon for the past two years now. My first year on the board I was a Member At-Large and served as the committee co-chair for the Outreach Committee. I am proud of the work Shirita and I did in 2023 to create a fairly solid rubric for determining if requests that come in for monetary donations from the club support the mission and vision in the most objective ways possible and ultimately working toward splitting the Outreach Committee into two separate committees- Community Outreach and Gift Giving for 2024. Over the past year I have served as the Secretary for The Board and the Committee Chair for the Communications Committee. This position has been challenging, but one I have taken very seriously in order to help us grow as an organization through following processes and protocols as a Board of Directors of a non-profit organization as well as through communications through as many platforms as possible. I could not do any of it, however, without the support of the full Communications Committee!
What special skill or knowledge do you have to bring to the board? As a 20+ year Public School Employee, I have vast knowledge of how Boards, both appointed as well as elected, work and what responsibilities board members have to the membership of the club. Additionally, I think of myself as a life-long learner and NOT an expert, therefore I always continue to learn and grow and always take responsibility when I make a mistake or could have done something differently or better. We can only grow as humans when we acknowledge that there is room to grow.
What other boards do you currently serve on or have served on in the past? Currently- Run Muskegon. Previously I served on the Board of Directors for the Muskegon YMCA and was the Chair of the Community Y.
What volunteer experience do you have? I have a lot of experience as a volunteer: Run Muskegon, Ragnar Michigan, Girls on the Run, The United Way of the Lakeshore, League of Women Voters, every public school I have worked for, The Muskegon YMCA, The Boys and Girls Club, Kids Food Basket, Seaway Run, Heart and Sole 5K, Turkey Trail Run, Run4Wings...I am sure I am missing some...
What would be your goals as a board member? If re-elected, I would like to continue to work on increasing communication with the community at large to help spread the word of our organization and continue to work toward helping our county become more active and healthy.
Rich Cater
How long have you been a member of Run Muskegon? 9 years
Briefly explain your running experience. Started out with a goal of a 5K every month of the year by the end of the year I was hooked. Worked my way up in distances 10K Half Marathon 25K Full Marathon. Spring ahead to today I’ve done Boston,Chicago a 50K and now heading to Berlin my book is being written daily What experience, education, or interest do you have for serving on the Run Muskegon board? I’ve been around for a while and I’m on Race Committee, Outreach Committee and Gift Giving Committee since they started. Plan on just keep doing what I do
What special skill or knowledge do you have to bring to the board? Dedicated and committed I put in 200% in everything I do
What other boards do you currently serve on or have served on in the past? Race Committee, Outreach Committee, Gift Giving Committee
What volunteer experience do you have? I like to think I’m a volunteer master I don’t have time or space to add them all.
What would be your goals as a board member? Continue to help it grow
David Engblom
How long have you been a member of Run Muskegon? 2 years
Briefly explain your running experience. I was never particularly athletic in school, but I ran my first mile in 6th grade. I was a bit overweight in middle school, so it was a huge confidence boost for me to run that first mile; it helped me to lose a bunch of weight. I’ve been running off and on throughout my life but never really pushed myself to run long distances. Mostly just 3-4 mile runs a few times a week. During the pandemic, I wanted something to challenge myself with, so I trained for my first half marathon in 2021. Now I’ve run 12 half marathons! I started running with Run Muskegon in 2022 and became a full member in 2023. I ran my first full marathon (Detroit) in 2023 and will train for the Chicago Marathon in 2025. I run for the health of it, both mental and physical. It’s my time to process my day and destress. I don’t know what I’d do without it now! What experience, education, or interest do you have for serving on the Run Muskegon board? I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering and a minor in mathematics. I’ve been working in software for 17 years and have managed a team for the past ten. I know it might not seem like the most relevant experience for this type of board, but I think I can bring a fresh perspective and a new viewpoint to the table.
What special skill or knowledge do you have to bring to the board? I’m organized and focused. I think my technical skills can help us streamline our organization, improve our communication, and better connect with our community. I love working on projects and initiatives together. I’m also a great listener and enjoy brainstorming; I think these qualities can help with new and ongoing board projects.
What other boards do you currently serve on or have served on in the past? I have served on the Run Muskegon Outreach and Communications committees for the past year. In both college and high school, I was on the National Honor Society board.
What volunteer experience do you have? I have volunteered for multiple Run Muskegon-sponsored events. I have also been updating and maintaining the Run Muskegon website for about two years now. In the past, I have been part of the Big Brother program and a reading program for at-risk youth.
What would be your goals as a board member? I’ve been running with the Run Muskegon group since 2022, and I’ve seen it grow so much! It’s been incredible to watch and so exciting to see more and more people in the area getting involved with our run group. I want to help keep us growing, both in membership and in our impact on the community. I want to help organize more programs, more volunteer opportunities, and more connections with the Muskegon community. We have a chance to make Muskegon a better place and help improve the health and fitness of our community members. I’d love to be a part of continuing that effort.
Rachel Kent
How long have you been a member of Run Muskegon? 2 years
Briefly explain your running experience. In high school I ran track (100m hurdles, 300m hurdles, 4x100 and 4x400).I only ever did about 5 (5k) races during high school and 1 other before I joined Run Muskegon. I didn’t start distance running until I joined Run Muskegon. I have coached track at both Fruitport (varsity and middle school) and Reeths-Puffer high school, I was the sprint, hurdle and long jump coach at both schools for a total of about 15 years. What experience, education, or interest do you have for serving on the Run Muskegon board? I have experience in running, coaching as well as been in education for 25 years. Throughout college I taught swim lessons as well as put people on weight training and cardio routines. I had coached basketball at Muskegon Community college with one of my primary roles was the cardio, weight and nutrition training of our athletes. I used to be the science department head when I taught at Fruitport. I have also served on the board for the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve
What special skill or knowledge do you have to bring to the board? I have spent many years coaching and teaching. I also have knowledge of how to take care of oneself through my own study as well as having a sibling who owns a gym and has a nutrition and exercise science degree. I also have served on other boards in the past.
What other boards do you currently serve on or have served on in the past? Previously I served as president of an environmental club while in high school. I also was on the board for the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve
What volunteer experience do you have? Volunteer coaching, volunteer at church, volunteer at recycling centers,
What would be your goals as a board member? To help the Run Club membership grow, as well as our club’s presence in the community grow.
Sidney Long
How long have you been a member of Run Muskegon? 4-ish years, officially.
Briefly explain your running experience. I have been running since I was 10 years old. I ran throughout middle school and high school and continued running for fun in college, completing my first half marathon at the end of my freshman year. I have since completed 6 marathons, an Ironman, and about 100 other races of varied distances.
What experience, education, or interest do you have for serving on the Run Muskegon board? I have been on the Run Muskegon Board for two years as a member at large. I have a bachelor's degree in Recreation Management from the University of Illinois. I worked as an overnight camp director for seven years, planning events, managing teams, and teaching/facilitating fun & learning for people of all ages.
What special skill or knowledge do you have to bring to the board? I have a knack for planning and executing events and I enjoy coming up with unique ways to celebrate and include people in a variety of gatherings. I enjoy public speaking and after years of leading hundred of kids in songs about things like Pizza Men, Chuck Norris, and Princesses named Pat, I really have no shame about being a little goofy in front of a group. I have served as a leader in many different capacities and have learned to not just use my own special skills and knowledge, but effectively seek out the skills and knowledge of others to fill in gaps in my own skills and understanding.
What other boards do you currently serve on or have served on in the past? I am a member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee with the City of Muskegon. I serve on the Culture Team at work, where we strive to make people from our global teams feel included, recognized, and engaged. I work in a supporting role to the DE&I office at work. I am not a full-time member of that team, but I help with the work that supports our employee resource groups and celebrates the diversity of our global communities of employees. I previously served as a league coordinator and team captain for Grand Rapids Ultimate, an ultimate frisbee league of around 200 athletes.
What volunteer experience do you have? I have an extensive amount of volunteer experience, particularly for events. I have lost track of the races I've been a course marshal for. I have also helped with race check-ins, lifeguarding triathlons, cooking for backyard ultras, and organizing finish line chaos at small 5K's. Additionally, I have volunteered for many community events including Irish Music Fest and Taste of Muskegon.
What would be your goals as a board member? Run Muskegon has grown so much since I first attended a Wednesday run in November 2017. I've seen some wonderful people do incredible work to further our mission, increase visibility in our community, and give back to Muskegon. I would like to support continued growth by expanding the benefits of membership, empowering our committees to create an even larger presence in our community, growing our numbers, both in terms of membership and participation, and finally continued giving to support our mission of encouraging people to live active, healthy lifestyles.
Shirita Williams
How long have you been a member of Run Muskegon? 9 years
Briefly explain your running experience. I started my running journey in 2016. When I joined the group, I couldn't run a mile. I am proud to say I am an Ultra runner and triathlete.
What experience, education, or interest do you have for serving on the Run Muskegon board? I am currently on the Run Muskegon board, serving as the Chair of the Run Muskegon Gift Giving Committee.
What special skill or knowledge do you have to bring to the board? My leadership, team building, teamwork, and communication skills.
What other boards do you currently serve on or have served on in the past? I have been president of my church's mass choir for the past five years. I am also on the wellness committee at Hilite International.
What volunteer experience do you have? I have volunteered at several race events, church community events, Muskegon Heights's annual festival in the park, and Michigan Irish Festival.
What would be your goals as a board member? My goal is to encourage people in our community to become active, which would help them lead a healthier lifestyle.
Run Muskegon Annual Membership Meeting
Sunday, January 19th - 4pm at Pigeon Hill Join Us for Run Muskegon’s Annual Meeting and Board Election! We’re excited to invite all members to the Run Muskegon Annual Meeting of the Membership and Election of the Board of Directors! This is your chance to:
Hear updates on the state of Run Muskegon.
Review year-end committee reports.
Cast your vote for the 2025-26 Board of Directors.
