Annual Meeting and Board of Directors Elections.
Doors open at 6 PM.
Program begins at 6:30 PM.
Voting Commences at 6:45 PM.
Meeting to follow.
Rebecca Coenning – Candidate for the Swedish Club Board of Directors
Rebecca has been an active and committed member of the Swedish Club since 2012 and is proud to call the club one of her most meaningful community connections in Seattle. Born and raised in Sweden, Rebecca brings an authentic Nordic perspective and a deep love for the cultural traditions that the club preserves and celebrates. She has volunteered in a wide range of roles, including Friday dinners, pancake breakfasts, and the Membership Committee, where she’s helped welcome and retain members from all walks of life.
Professionally, Rebecca works in the tech industry as a product manager, where she brings people together to solve complex problems, launch products, and improve user experiences. She offers a decade of experience in leading cross-functional teams, facilitating stakeholder collaboration, and managing long-term strategy alongside day-to-day execution — skills that translate directly into her contributions to nonprofit board service.
Rebecca’s vision for the Swedish Club centers on keeping it financially strong, culturally vibrant, and genuinely welcoming to both longtime members and new generations. Her priorities include listening to the needs of members, supporting thoughtful growth, and ensuring the club remains a treasured part of the Seattle community. She values the history and traditions of the club while also recognizing the importance of adapting to new opportunities and changing times.
If elected, Rebecca is committed to bringing energy, empathy, and strategic thinking to the Board, with the goal of helping the Swedish Club thrive for years to come. She would be honored to serve and contribute to the continued success of this cherished Nordic institution.
Kim Jacobs – Candidate for the Swedish Club Board of Directors
Kim Jacobs was raised in the Swede-Finn community of Coos Bay, Oregon, with deep ancestral roots in Karleby, Finland, on both sides of her family—a heritage that has shaped her lifelong passion for cultural preservation and community storytelling.
As the former Executive Director of the Swedish Finn Historical Society and a longtime supporter of the Swedish Club in Seattle, Kim has been a steadfast advocate for Nordic-American heritage. Her work spans archival preservation, public programming, and grassroots engagement, all focused on celebrating and sustaining the rich legacy of Scandinavian North America.
During a pivotal period of transition at the Swedish Club, Kim played an instrumental role, offering thoughtful guidance and continuity that helped steer the organization forward.
Known for her signature blend of humor, empathy, and cultural insight, Kim proudly refers to herself as an expert in “comforting former Swedes upon receiving unexpected Finnish DNA results”—bringing a warm and relatable touch to her leadership and community outreach.
Lydia Louie – Candidate for the Swedish Club Board of Directors
Lydia Louie joined the Swedish Club and discovered her love for Scandinavian culture when she saw a hambo being danced for the first time about 10 years ago. That lovely turning dance spiraled into involvement with the many Scandinavian cultural heritage organizations that practiced and performed here at the Swedish Club.
She began playing Scandinavian folk music with the Seattle Spelmanslag under the leadership of Frank Brown. Then she joined Nordiska Scandinavian dancers under the leadership of Jan Carlsson and the Leikarringen dancers and performed with both groups at Midsommarfest, Julefest, and other cultural events. In the Swedish Singers, Lydia sings with the tenors. On the first Sunday of the month, Lydia might be flipping pancakes early in the morning before she dons her Swedish folkdrakt or Norwegian bunad to perform with either Six Feet Back, Spelmanslag, or Karusellen.
Lydia's participation in the Nordic community continued to expand as she joined Skandia Folkdance Society, the Icelandic Club of Greater Seattle, as well as the Sons of Norway's Leif Erikson Lodge. She can be found serving Norwegian open-faced sandwiches and waffles with gjetost or brunost at Kaffestua, or helping out with Happy Hour, or dancing in the Syttende Mai parade.
Her commitment to learn about and preserve Scandinavian cultural heritage has also taken her to various camps such as Springdans, Camp Mendocino, and Nordic Fiddles and Feet where she has had the opportunity to study with teachers from Norway and Sweden. As one of her teachers said, tradition isn't about preserving what was, but about keeping the flame alive for future generations to come.
In 2023-2024, Lydia was the first recipient of the American Nyckelharpa Associations's Bart Brashers Memorial loaner program where she received and is learning to play a nyckelharpa, the quintessential Swedish folk instrument. As a result, she has a new goal of going to Sweden next year to study at the Eric Sahlstrom Institute.
Besides her appreciation for Scandinavian culture, Lydia brings many relevant skills to the Board. Lydia served on the Board of Directors of the Puget Consumer Coop. While on the Board of Directors for Safeplace in Olympia, she assisted with fundraising. As a member of the Board of Puddletown Squares, she focused on auction fundraising and festival event coordination.
Lydia served as a volunteer coordinator or campaign manager for various ballot measures and electoral candidates. As a result of her success there, she also worked for the Washington State House of Representatives and as a Congressional Aide for many years.
Going beyond the Nordic community, Lydia is a member of the volunteer leadership team of the Seattle King County Health Clinic that provides free medical, dental, and vision care to those in need. She helps build Tiny Homes with The Hope Factory and volunteers with FareStart, a social enterprise nonprofit organization that transforms lives by breaking employment barriers with job and life skills training and career pathways that start with food and grow to provide stability and economic mobility.
Learning to skipper the Puffin, a small steam launch at The Center for Wooden Boats, is just one of the many contributions that led to Lydia being named Volunteer of the Year in 2023. Her passion for preserving the Northwest's cultural and maritime history led her to the Steamer Virginia V, the last fully functioning and operating steamship of the Mosquito Fleet, where she can be found with a smile on her face oiling machinery in the Engine Room of this beautiful 103 year old steamship. In joining the Board, Lydia hopes to see the Swedish Club "steaming along" and running as smoothly as a well-oiled machine while approaching change by turning with the grace and ease of a beautiful hambo. Her priorities for her time on the board will be to support membership growth and involvement and to promote and preserve traditional cultural arts.
Gunillla Luthra – Candidate for the Swedish Club Board of Directors
Gunilla Luthra joined the Swedish Club in 2020 and has been an active member of Seattle’s Nordic community since moving from Sweden in 1998. She holds a Master of Business Administration from SDA Bocconi in Milan, Italy, and has had a dynamic career spanning roles at Boliden Bergsöe, Gambro, and Ericsson Radio Systems in Sweden. In the U.S., she worked at Microsoft before founding her own consulting firm, Vega Consulting.
Gunilla has a strong history of nonprofit involvement, having served on the boards of the Swedish School, Simple Measures (a chamber music group), SWEA (multiple terms), and on the PA board at Lakeside School. Her deep connection to her Swedish roots is evident in her family life with her husband Vidur, their three adult children—Yasmin, Ruben, and Linnea—and their two Labs—Jet and Sulu.
At the Swedish Club, Gunilla looks forward to volunteering at events like the pancake breakfast and exploring activities such as sip-and-paint and fika. As a Board member, she aims to use her financial expertise to ensure transparency, strong financial management, and well-maintained facilities, all while fostering a warm and welcoming community atmosphere.
Langdon Miller – President, Swedish Club Board of Directors (Incumbent)
Langdon Miller is a long-time and devoted member of the Swedish Club, having joined in 2011 (14 years) and become a life-time member in 2018 (7 years). Langdon has served on the Swedish Club board of directors since 2019 (6 years) and has represented the Club as president of the board for the past year. While admitting that he is primarily Nordic by marriage (to his Swedish-Norwegian-American wife, Marta Schee), Langdon is convinced he can claim a millennium of Viking ancestry through Normandy and the British Isles. Langdon’s and Marta’s son and daughter, Nils and Signe; grandsons, Magnus, Thor, and Axel; and their trusty hounds, Baldur and Torsten, bear witness to a Nordic legacy.
When not offering a guiding hand at the Swedish Club, Langdon works as a physician who develops new therapies for patients with cancer. He brings considerable leadership experience to the Club through his roles in senior management in biopharmaceutical companies, where he has worked closely with chief executive officers and members of professional boards of directors for many years relating to technical, finance, and fund-raising activities. He further offers experience from his role on the board of directors of the non-profit Dunn Gardens in Seattle, a position he has held for almost 10 years.
As the membership is aware, Langdon oversaw an important change in executive direction for the Club in 2024 and is committed to moving the Club forward socially, legally, financially and physically. He has worked closely with the board of directors and membership, served on the governance and bylaws committee, reestablished the building and property committee, and endeavored to bring transparency to Club activities. He has recruited a dynamic new management team and engaged active and energetic new directors to the board. Further, he has contributed to the fiscal well-being of the Club.
Langdon is dedicated to enhancing the cultural and physical aesthetic of the Club in a way that further establishes the Club as a premier Seattle destination, showcasing the unique history and the ongoing vibrancy of the Nordic community within Seattle. Langdon would be honored to continue as your president on the board of directors in 2025.
Brian Runberg – Candidate for the Swedish Club Board of Directors
Brian Runberg, AIA, is the founding principal of Runberg Architecture Group, where he has led the design of more than 25,000 multifamily housing units across the West Coast since 1998. With over 30 years of experience, Brian is known for creating livable, sustainable communities that thoughtfully balance environmental, social, and economic needs.
His firm is nationally recognized for its innovation in energy-efficient housing, earning 50 Gold Nugget Awards and numerous honors from NAIOP, NAHB, and the U.S. Green Building Council. Brian was named Designer of the Year by the Puget Sound Business Journal in 2021 and continues to play a leadership role in shaping sustainable urban development through organizations like the Urban Land Institute.
Brian and his wife are second- and third-generation Swedish Americans, and their Scandinavian roots are a meaningful part of their family’s identity. Though born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Brian spent four years living in Scandinavia and began his architectural journey as a Fulbright Scholar at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. His daughter is currently learning Swedish and plans to attend Uppsala University, continuing the family’s deep connection to the region. As an architect, developer, and owner of several historic landmark properties, Brian also brings vast experience in implementing grants and tax credits to support the restoration and preservation of significant buildings. He is passionate about strengthening cross-generational membership and engagement at the Swedish Club and is committed to balancing creative vision with responsible fiscal stewardship to ensure the organization’s vibrant and sustainable future.
Eckhard Schipull – Candidate for the Swedish Club Board of Directors
Eckhard Schipull is a distinguished Lifetime Member and donor to the Swedish Club in Seattle, where his long-standing commitment to both cultural preservation and community enrichment shines. His involvement in the Swedish Club is a reflection of his deep roots in Seattle, his passion for bridging global and local connections, and his dedication to nurturing a strong sense of community.
Born in Northern Germany, Eckhard has a rich European heritage that complements his strong connections to the Swedish community, particularly through his wife, Vivi-Ann Lindback, who was born in Sweden. Together, they embody a shared appreciation for both Swedish and German cultures, further enhancing their ability to engage with and contribute to Seattle's international community.
Eckhard’s professional journey spans over 40 years, during which he built an extensive career in international banking. He retired in 1999 after spending the majority of his career with Seattle-First National Bank, which later became Bank of America. His professional expertise in international banking is matched by his unwavering commitment to community service. His support for local organizations, including the Swedish Club, showcases his passion for cultural and community initiatives. Throughout his life, Eckhard has worked to build and strengthen connections that transcend borders, enriching the lives of those around him.