WhatcomTalk is proud to publish positive stories daily about our Whatcom County communities and what it’s like to live, play and work in this beautiful corner of the country. We shine the spotlight on people, businesses and organizations doing good things and tell stories that otherwise go untold.
Stacee Sledge, publisher and community manager
Stacee began her career at Better Homes & Gardens magazine in her hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, before finishing a master’s degree in journalism at Drake University and relocating to Bellingham in 1996. She knew Bellingham was the place she’d always call home on the day she arrived and spotted stunning Bellingham Bay on one side and the spectacular views of Mount Baker on the other. She’s been an active Bellingham freelance writer since 2000, writing restaurant reviews and other features for the Bellingham Herald, as well as food, home design and lifestyle articles for Whatcom Magazine. Stacee and her husband love raising their son and daughter where they can enjoy all the spoils of Whatcom County. Stacee was named Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year in 2018.
Dan Jones, director
Dan has been running his own businesses in the technology realm for the last 13 years. He currently has around 50 team members working between his six organizations. After receiving his Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from Western Washington University and Master of Science degree from City University, he focused on building products that create long-term impacts in the marketplace. When not working long hours as an entrepreneur, Dan enjoys skiing, wind surfing, and spending time with his wife and twins in Olympia.
Margaret Bikman, writer
Margaret was entertainment news coordinator at the Bellingham Herald for 27 years and a contributor to Entertainment News NW for four years. She’s also a reference and instruction librarian at Whatcom Community College. She enjoys performing and visual art events of all kinds, dancing, hiking, and traveling to exotic places like Cuba, Alaska, the Yucatan, Nova Scotia, and New Orleans. Margaret and her husband, Jay Saxton, have two grown children and one granddaughter, who all live in Portland. Contact her at margaret.bikmanennw@gmail.com.
Matt Benoit, writer
Matt is a Bellingham native and 2014 graduate of Washington State University. At WSU, he received a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Media Production from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. Matt has written for the Bellingham Herald, Tri-City Herald, Spokesman-Review, Pacific Northwest Inlander, and Discover Magazine online, among others. In addition to being a writer, Matt is an amateur photographer, stand-up comedian and mascot performer, and occasionally gets paid for such endeavors. He also enjoys travel, beer, auto racing and camping, and thinks nothing beats a day of sunshine in the Pacific Northwest.
Tony Moceri, writer
Tony is a Western Washington University grad who has a wide range of interests; he enjoys writing about them all as a freelance writer and on his blog at www.tonymoceri.com. He’s a local entrepreneur that’s owned and operated a variety of businesses in Whatcom County, which he continues to do. Tony can often be spotted around the community doing coaching of one form or another. He coaches youth sports as an elementary, middle, and high school coach and adults in real estate investing and business. He also loves to travel and explore new places with his wife and daughter, often camping in the summer and flying to warmer weather in the winter.
Holly Redell-Witte, writer
Holly lives and writes in Bellingham. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, before it was cool, and lived in Manhattan for most of her adult life until she moved to the Pacific Northwest. She wrote for New York newspapers and magazines for years, often having to beg her then tween-to-teen son to “just let me finish this one sentence…” She looks for the ordinary story with something quirky about it, reads her work at Open Mics monthly, and is working on a book describing almost every moment in her life…at least the important ones. She is still a Brooklyn Dodger fan.
Marla Bronstein, writer
Marla has lived in Bellingham for more than 20 years and has partnered with numerous local performing arts organizations in many capacities. Marla maintains two blogs: If Only I Were In Charge and her video blog GimmeAMinute. Marla is the published author of A Whole New Normal and does occasional event planning and project management. Marla currently sits on the National Board of the Acoustic Neuroma Association, a patient-focused, member organization that supports families of and those diagnosed with an Acoustic Neuroma. She is also Board President of S.O.A.P.Box Players, Inc. an award-winning non-profit organization that uses the arts as an educational tool. In her very little spare time, Marla can be seen writing in her “coffice” (any Woods Coffee shop in and around Bellingham), networking and building community.
Frederica Kolwey, writer
Frederica grew up in Boulder, Colorado and moved to Bellingham in 2013 to attend Western Washington University. She graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental journalism. She is a freelance writer and yoga instructor, as well as an IPA drinker and outdoor recreation enthusiast.
Kristin Noreen, writer
Kristin found home at last in Bellingham, 15 years ago. She is an avid solo bike tourist and overcame disabling injuries from being hit by a car to ride solo through the mountains of British Columbia. She works as an environmental permit consultant, but her passion is finding and writing about subcultures. Her other loves include cats, tiny housing, and Oxford commas.
