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Yes, I want to support My MLTnews!My Neighborhood News Group (MNNG), which has been providing trusted local news for South Snohomish County since 2009, has appointed three new members to its nonprofit board of directors: Karen Barnes, Lonna Millburn and Nina Odell.
Two of the board appointments fill vacant spots left by the resignation of two founding board members — Wally Webster and Molly Luna. Webster and Luna each served three years prior to their departure.
“We are so grateful for the dedication and professionalism that Wally and Molly brought to our board as we started our nonprofit news organization in 2023,” said MNNG President and CEO Teresa Wippel. “They played instrumental roles in launching MNNG and helped us build a strong foundation for future success.”
The board of directors provide leadership and governance for MNNG. Wippel oversees the day-to-day editorial operations for the three MNNG publications — My Edmonds News, My Lynnwood News and My MLT News — and reports directly to the board.
Barnes, Millburn and Odell join a board that includes founding board members Carl Zapora and Linda Shaw, along with Forrest Reda and Diana Oliveros, who joined the board in 2025. Wippel also sits on the board.
You can learn more about the board here.
Zapora has served as board chair since 2023. Elections for board officers will be held at the MNNG annual meeting, open to the public, from 10:30-11:15 a.m. Saturday, July 25 at the Mountlake Terrace Library, 23300 58th Ave. W. Shaw has been nominated to serve as board vice chair, Reda as secretary and Barnes as treasurer.
Board recruitment is ongoing, and additional appointments are expected to be announced in the coming months, Wippel said.
Meet the new MNNG board members:
Karen Barnes
Prior to retirement, Karen Barnes worked as a CPA at Touche Ross/Deloitte Touche, in a variety of management roles at Microsoft and as a Senior Associate at Point B Consulting where clients included Amazon, Nike, Evergreen Health and Starbucks, among others. An Edmonds resident, she has served as board treasurer for both the Edmonds Food Bank and the Edmonds Waterfront Center, and volunteers with the Rotary Club of Edmonds and Friends of Edmonds Trees.
Lonna Milburn
A Lynnwood resident, Lonna Milburn is a global health and nonprofit executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience across foundations, international nonprofits, academia and public-private partnerships. A former Senior Portfolio Officer at the Gates Foundation, she is a registered nurse, educator and the Director of the Lynnwood Rotary Club’s International Service Committee.
Nina Odell, Director, Edmonds
Nina Odell is the former director of government affairs and pubilc policy for Puget Sound Energy. During her career, she managed PSE’s federal, state and local government relations, community engagement and served as executive director of the Puget Sound Energy Foundation prior to her retirement. An Edmonds resident, she currently serves as a board member and chair of board development at the Edmonds Waterfront Center and on the Treehouse Policy & Advocacy committee.
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