Board Meeting - 04 Feb 2026
Attendees: Reily Love, Stephen Mangum, Nat Henry, Ethan Espie, David Askov, Karsten Vennemann, Stephanie May
Location: Armistice Coffee, 6717 Roosevelt Way NE Suite 101, Seattle, WA
Time: 5:00 pm
Note: Christy Heaton, who was elected to the board, withdrew for personal reasons prior to the meeting.
Order of events
- Overview of CUGOS and board roles
- Vote on board positions
- Future monthly meeting location
- BBox Finder / MapBox recurring charges
- Potential CUGOS activities for the year
- Next steps and action items
Roles
- President: Nat Henry
- Vice President: Stephen Mangum
- Secretary: David Askov
- Treasurer: Ethan Espie
- At-large members: Karsten Vennemann, Reily Love, Stephanie May
Re. 1 — Overview of CUGOS and board roles
Karsten provided an overview of CUGOS, recent history, and the responsibilities of board members. Nat agreed to brief Ethan on treasurer duties, including IRS filings and bank account management.
Re. 2 — Board roles vote
After discussion and statements of interest from all attendees, a vote was held.
- Motion to elect board members to the roles listed above — passed unanimously (7/0/0).
Re. 3 — Meeting location
Stephanie noted she has adjunct staff access to UW buildings but may not be able to reserve rooms. Karsten suggested asking Keenan Ganz to identify another student who could provide access.
| Alternative venues were discussed. Stephanie mentioned a possible option at the 9 | Zero coworking space (https://9zero.com/), which has provided free or low-cost meeting space to other groups. |
Karsten noted that securing a stable venue can take significant time, citing the long process required to obtain the current UW space. A viable option will need to be identified.
Re. 4 — BBox Finder / MapBox charges
The board agreed that Stephanie will lead work to migrate the existing codebase from Mapbox JS to MapLibre, with Reily Love reviewing the code. Stephanie will also contact Aaron, the original creator, to coordinate next steps and bring the application back online without recurring Mapbox charges.
Re. 5 — Potential activities
Nat raised the possibility of hosting another Fling. If pursued, it would take place in the fall and would require a dedicated organizer. Karsten emphasized that securing a venue is the key prerequisite. No one has yet volunteered to lead this effort.
Several attendees expressed interest in recording selected talks (e.g., monthly meetings) and sharing them publicly. Reily offered to help others learn from his experience. Karsten suggested exploring a workshop format positioned between Maptime and regular CUGOS meetings, like a more geeky work shop style session. These ideas were received positively.
Re. 6 — Action items and next steps
Attendees will follow up on assigned tasks via Slack through the end of February, with updates to be shared at the March monthly meeting.
- Karsten: Publish these minutes and update relevant links on the CUGOS website
- Nat: Share the board meeting page once available; notify members about Fall Fling videos and the new YouTube channel (thanks to Ranek Kiil) both via the google group email to members
- Ethan: Coordinate with Nat on transition of treasurer responsibilities and bank account access
- David: Learn how to post meeting notes to the CUGOS website repository and get oriented with support from Nat and others
- Nat: Will serve as President until summer, at which point Stephen will step in due to Nat’s limited availability
- All: Discuss via Slack the creation of a member questionnaire covering activities, meeting locations, and other areas of interest (owner TBD). Complete assigned follow-ups and be prepared to report back at the March CUGOS meeting