Board of Directors

Michele Laye has been a part of AZDBA for over 8 years as a paddler, steer, and coach. She previously served on the Board as the Secretary for 5 years. Currently Michele coaches Team Blue, Gilas, and SunGi. Michele has also volunteered as the in-state and corporate team coordinator for the AZDBA festival for the last 6 years.

Michele also helps fundraise for AZDBA. She volunteers as an Ironman and RnR captain and volunteer coordinator. She also leads corporate team builders for AZDBA.

Michele is looking forward to growing the sport and the organization during her term.

Ronda Carlson is a founding member of AZDBA and has served as a paddler, certified steer, coach, and steer trainer. She has planned and volunteered at every festival since its inception, most notably serving as the long-time parking coordinator. Inspired by her daughter Kim, Ronda co-founded the Komodo Dragons, AZDBA’s first Special Athlete team, and coached various iterations of the team for over a decade.

Organizationally, she helped develop and establish AZDBA’s safety protocols and steer training program. She has also transported boats across the Southwest, supporting the growth of dragon boat programs in other communities. Since AZDBA’s inception, Ronda has coached and steered for numerous community and corporate teams, and remains dedicated to creating safe, fun, and successful race experiences—especially for the corporate crews that help sustain AZDBA’s mission of growing dragon boating in Arizona.

 

Laura Rasmussen has been a member of AZDBA since 2012. A breast cancer diagnosis introduced her to the sport of dragon boating.  She paddles with Phoenix Desert Dragons, SunGi, and occasionally Gila Dragons. She is currently the Gila treasurer. Laura has previously served on the board for two terms, is a member of the Festival Committee, has volunteered for the festival, and assisted with Team Blue.

As a professional bookkeeper, Laura does paid consultancy for two non-profit entities and donates her time to other non-profit organizations.  Laura is no stranger to giving back to the community. Raised by parents who shared that belief paved the way. Laura loves to volunteer her time for good causes and has been involved in various capacities with other organizations including Girl Scouts, Junior Achievement, Colorado Aids Project, Safehouse for Battered Women, Ironman, Bikers for Boobies, and Casting for Recovery.

Desiree Simmons has been elected to the AZDBA Board of Directors at least ten times, bringing a wealth of experience and dedication to the organization. As Equipment Manager for thirteen years, she led efforts to acquire 20 new boats with the support of AZDBA members and coordinated the design and construction enhancements to AZDBA’s trailer, including the addition of a winch.

For the past ten years, Desiree has served as Director of Operations/Festival for the AZDBA Dragon Boat Festival and looks forward to continuing in this role for the upcoming year. She has automated all festival and organizational forms, streamlining operations and improving efficiency.

In 2020, Desiree was elected President of both PacDBA and AZDBA, and Vice President of Na Leo ‘O Ke Kia. Under her leadership, all three organizations remained active and engaged during the pandemic, keeping members informed and making meaningful improvements to prepare for the return of water sports. She facilitated a Team USA meet-and-greet and knowledge-sharing session for potential candidates, and collaborated on upgrading the PacDBA website and digitizing membership forms.

Desiree is passionate about leveraging technology to empower volunteers and modernize operations across PacDBA and AZDBA. She looks forward to continuing her service and helping AZDBA thrive.

Amy Thomas is a member of Phoenix Fire Dragons, MonGi, SunGi, and PFD Haboobs. She has over 15 years of experience paddling outrigger canoe and 8 years paddling in dragon boating. She’s previously served on several boards, including for Team Arizona Outrigger Canoe Club, where she held the positions of Vice President and Secretary over multiple years.

Amy brings an open mind, experience and passion for these sports. Amy’s background equips her to contribute effectively to the board’s functions and foster a sense of community and fairness among paddlers at all levels. Amy is committed to bringing everyone together and ensuring a supportive and inclusive environment for all members.

Ilona White has been an active member of the paddling (Outrigger and Dragon Boat) community at Tempe Town Lake since 2005. She has six years of dragon boating and 25 years of outrigger canoe paddling. She has also served as President, Vice President, Treasurer, Coach, Assistant Coach, SCORA Representative and paddler. She also assisted in organizing the Tempe Town Lake Outrigger Association that brought together the OC paddling community and the City of Tempe, though it only lasted 7 years.

Ilona has recruited many paddlers and encouraged them paddle both DB and OC for training. She has met so many inspirational people through AZDBA and would like to share that by bringing more enthusiasm and positive energy to the AZDBA Board.

Logan Cameron is an accomplished Dragon Boat enthusiast and a founding member of the AZ Blaze Canoe team. He is a data scientist and the owner of Data Wranglers, LLC. Logan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Informatics with a minor in Statistics from Arizona State University. Since 2019, he has worked with ASU and the state of Arizona conducting data analytics and providing actionable recommendations to work toward addressing critical issues. Currently, he is a Security Officer and Database Manager for the Arizona Homeless Response Initiative which requires him to complete data analytics with internal teams and multiple stakeholders to improve outcomes for the state.

Logan first became enthralled with Dragon Boat in 2022 when he realized he was motivated to exercise when part of a united team. Dragon Boat has become a significant aspect of his life because of the community, rich culture, the addictive fitness, and overall fun.

Dr. Lori Berquam is an active member of the Phoenix Desert Dragons. She joined the DDs in 2022 after moving to Mesa from Madison, Wisconsin, where she’d been a member of Team Survivor dragon boat since 2017. Being a Board member gives her the opportunity to give back to the sport she loves by promoting and growing interest in dragon boating. She considers it a privilege to represent the interests and needs of all the teams who use Tempe Town Lake and continue to build on the work of current board members to improve the facilities and equipment for dragon boat paddlers.

Prior to her retirement in 2022, Lori served as the interim President of Mesa Community College where she represented the college on the Mesa United Way Board. Additionally, she was chair of the Partners in Giving Campaign (a United Way affiliate) and served as the Vice Chair of the Badgerland Council of Girl Scouts while working at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Melinda Mulholland started Dragon Boating in 2024 and immediately fell in love with the sport and the AZDBA community. Melinda paddles with Team Blue, SunGi, Gilas, and Sunsoon and this is her first team based sport. She recently served on the Festival Committee for the 19th Annual AZDBA DB Festival and saw what an undertaking it was to put on a great festival. She was able to work with others on the Committee for Social Media/Media coordination, and assisting with the Corporate team practices. She is interested serving on the Board to help continue to grow the AZDBA community.

Melinda is an ASU Alumni (GO DEVILS!) and retired after 20+ years working for the State of Arizona. In her free time, she works at a hot yoga studio, enjoys running/Hiking and visiting as many National Parks as possible. Her goal as Social Media Manager is to keep the Arizona Dragon Boat Community informed and engaged via Meta Platforms, and other media as needed. Melinda is passionate about Dragon Boating and shares that enthusiasm with anyone who seems interested, so AZDBA can attract new members who share a love for the sport.