Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1283597
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2020 31 • Member since 1980 • Audit Committee, 2012–2013 • Finance Committee, 2014–2017 (1st Vice Chair, 2014–2016) • House Committee Chair, 2016–2017 • Food & Beverage Committee Chair, 2017–2018 • Membership & Marketing Committee Chair, 2018–2019 • WAC Chairman Elect, 2019–2020 • WAC Chairman, 2020–2021 base in Yokosuka, Japan, Gregg is a lifetime Seattleite—View Ridge Ele- mentary and Eckstein Middle schools leading to Roosevelt High, where he overlapped with 2017–2018 WAC Chairman Doug Seto. "He's the right person with the financial, strategic planning, and entre- preneurial experience to be Chairman at this unique time in WAC history," Doug says. WAC President & CEO Chuck Nel- son agrees. "Gregg's professional skillset is particularly timely for the Club now as we navigate the financial challenges brought on by the COVID crisis and plan our way through the current uncer- tainties," Chuck says. Gregg is part of an extensive line of WAC members who attended the University of Washington before joining the Seattle business ecosystem and the WAC. He also has served as president of the University of Washington Alumni Association and is a past chair of the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County. "Serving for the Boys & Girls Club was kind of a transformational thing for me," he says. "at organization is near and dear to my heart." Gregg also spent eight years on the board of the Center for Infectious Dis- ease Research and helped it merge into the research arm of Seattle Children's in 2018. He currently sits on the board of Finagraph, a startup in the financial technology space. FAMILY AND TRAVEL Gregg and Jane raised two children— Kelsey, 32, and Michael, 29—and Gregg fondly recalls family Saturday mornings at the WAC, which oen included swim lessons. Both kids still live in Seattle. Kelsey works at Amazon and was wed this past summer in a tiny ceremony. e big party, Gregg says, was resched- uled for next summer, hopefully post- COVID. Michael followed his parents' footsteps and works as an accountant at Ernst & Young. "Gregg's WAC life has spanned many phases of his personal and business life, and he recognizes the Club's value across the spectrum," Chuck says. A snapshot of Gregg's WAC leadership and society will continue to react to the ongoing pandemic—Gregg expects a busy year. "I think this is going to be a super-in- tensive year," he says. "Most of the time is going to be spent navigating how we drive Club activity. How do we fashion a Club that excites our membership and continues to promote the good feeling of the WAC as we go through the uncer- tainty of COVID-19?" Navigating the unprecedented economic impact of a global pandemic marks a critical point for every orga- nization—and a huge opportunity. rough the unknown changes ahead, flexibility remains critical, a point Gregg addresses during a recent walk along Union Bay north of the University of Washington. "A year from now a bunch of things we didn't even think of will be on the list and others will have resolved themselves," he says. "It's going to be a challenging year for everyone." SEATTLE ROOTS Gregg joined the WAC as much for the in-house basketball league as profes- sional inroads. He continues to play in twice-weekly 50-and-over pickup games with fellow members, many of whom have become friends. "I'm missing that quite a bit," he says about not being able to get to the gym during the COVID closure. Gregg's other sport of choice is golf. He began playing at age 12 and played for the Roosevelt High School team. Aside from his birth at the U.S. Naval