Current Board of Directors

Frank Broyles aka Pope Tart
President
He/They
Joined 2022
Email: popetart@precipitationnw.org

Originally from Austin, Texas, Pope moved to the Portland area in 2005 and received a BS in CS from WSU Vancouver. He spent years in software development but pivoted to become an ADD Coach. He is a leadership geek who loves learning and teaching techniques to recruit, shepherd, and retain volunteers. He has a passion for designing and burning art, from 3D modelling to LNT, and also enjoys assisting art projects by consulting, especially in early stages.

First SOAK: 2009, First Burn: 201, Been working for the Man since 2014.

Pope led the Portland CORE crews taking effigies to playa in 2011 and 2013. He was project lead of SOAK*Temple (2016-22) and was Volunteer Coordinator for Center Camp Café Setup/Strike on playa. And now he’s super proud to have this opportunity to serve the Portland Burner community as a PNW Board Member.

Liz Pittinos
Vice President
She/Her
Joined 2023
Email: liz@precipitationnw.org
Committees: Programs, RIDE

Hailing from Philadelphia by way of Albuquerque and San Francisco, Liz is now happily settled in Northeast Portland. Liz has a professional background in nonprofit work that supports national parks and other public lands. She currently lives a double life as a project manager for park planning projects and the owner of a vintage resale business.

Liz bought her first Burning Man ticket in 1997, at a San Francisco used clothing store, for $60. This sparked a decades-long, strange trip of art, adventure, and community. After so many journeys to Playa, volunteering across departments and on art crews from small to huge, she focuses now on fostering Burner culture at the regional scale.

Liz is motivated by art, the outdoors, and ensuring equitable access to both. Her volunteer resume includes a decade of guiding kayak trips for individuals with disabilities and youth from underserved communities. She is co-founder of SF Porchfest, a free community music festival in San Francisco's Mission District. After helping to build a light sculpture in her front yard for Portland Winter Light Festival 2022, Liz naturally jumped at the opportunity to be a direct part of PNW's mission to bring Burning Man art and culture to the broader Portland environs.

Krista Basis
Secretary
She/her
Joined 2022
Email: krista@precipitationnw.org
Committees: Comms & Tech, Programs

Krista is currently the Development and Communications Director at End of Life Washington.

She attended the School for International Management, and went on to work as a recruiter and recruitment coordinator for the Peace Corps. She was also a volunteer coordinator for the Denver Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and director of communications and special events for the Webb-Waring Institute at the University of Colorado Denver. In Oregon she has worked with The Pixie Project and March of Dimes. Most recently, Krista was the development director at Julliette’s House.

Krista first attended Burning Man in 2002. After moving to Portland in 2013 she started attending SOAK annually as part of the Hanging with Totoro theme camp. You can catch her DJing around town, too, at Burner and non-Burner events. Krista is very excited to be involved at this level with the SOAK community and looking forward to being a part of Precipitation Northwest as a board member.

Suzanne Mehta
Treasurer
She/her
Joined 2023
Email: suzanne@precipitationnw.org
Committees: Finance, RIDE

Suzanne has approximately 15+ years of experience in the financial field, primarily in risk management and policy implementation. A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, she has called Portland home since 2011 and received her undergraduate degree in Linguistics at PSU as well as an MBA and Master’s Certificate in Conflict Resolution. She has volunteered as a teacher of English as a Second Language to recent immigrants through Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization.

Suzanne has attended Burning Man twice and almost every SOAK since 2010, hopping from various theme camps such as Haus Catz and DTF. You can find Suzanne on dance floors all over Portland when she’s not taking her dogs out on adventures. Always looking for ways to participate and take an active role in the community and the arts, she looks forward to being part of the PNW Board and getting involved on a larger scale.

Michelle David aka Star69
Senior Adviser, President Emeritus
She/her
Joined 2021
Email: michelle@precipitationnw.org
Committees: Comms & Tech

A Portland resident since 2002, Michelle is happiest when helping big projects reach wide audiences. Her career includes several years in the alternative newspaper industry, travel, real estate, local government, and growing small events into big successes. Michelle served as Communications Director for the Portland Winter Light Festival for its first seven years, supporting the growth of a free event bringing large scale Burner festival art into the heart of the city. Michelle’s professional career is centered in providing strategic guidance and funding to Portland’s vibrant event community.

In serving on the board of Precipitation Northwest, Michelle looks forward to combining her many spheres of experience, fostering more opportunities for civic engagement across many disparate communities.

Michelle's first Burning Man was in 2006; she's returned nine times since then, always with the conviction that while next year will be better, there's no harm in making this year totally amazing too.

Beverly Drottar aka Dr Bev
Board Member at Large
She/her
Joined 2024
Email: doctorbev@precipitationnw.org
Committees: Conduct, RIDE

Dr. Bev, a retired MD, dedicates all of her time to volunteering and enjoying various activities. Dr Bev has been a resident of the Portland area since 1994, and her career was interrupted by Lyme disease two decades ago. She led a nutritional self-help group named "Healthy Habits" for six years in the Bethany area.

As an Oregon Master Naturalist, Dr. Bev volunteers for multiple non-profits, leading outdoor school and field trips, and educating school-age children about the natural world. With almost 30 years of experience, she served as a Girl Scout Leader and as board president for the Oregon Trails Club for the past three years.

Having attended her first Burning Man in 2016, Dr. Bev has increased her involvement each year. She currently serves as a shift lead for Greeters at the Big Burn and was previously a medical volunteer shift lead at Soak (as well as Critical NW). She now manages two camps for regionals: "Dr. Bev's Clinic" with the motto "malpractice makes perfect!" and "Astro Shack Java Joint." Commuting every 2-5 weeks between Seattle and Portland, she has numerous friends and connections among the Seattle area Burners. Dr. Bev aspires to take on board roles where she can contribute most effectively to Precipitation NW.

Chris Schneider aka Starfish
Board Member at Large
He/him
Joined 2024
Email: starfish@precipitationnw.org
Committees: Comms & Tech, Conduct, Finance

Starfish grew up in Ohio, then relocated to Portland in 1999. He first learned about Burning Man from a “Malcolm in the Middle” TV show episode. After confirming it was actually a real event, he went out to see the spectacle for himself in 2008. That trip lit a fire that continues to burn; with the exception of the pandemic years, he’s been back every year since. He began attending SOAK in 2012 and volunteered for Gate his first year. Later the same year he began volunteering as a Black Rock Ranger.

Starfish enjoys building art and then responsibly setting it on fire. He’s been involved in multiple burnable art projects (and a few non-burnable as well). He was a SOAK Producer from 2015-2017 as well as a Producer of BurnOut in 2017. In addition to Burning Man and SOAK, he’s attended Critical Northwest and Love Burn regionals; twice each.

The 10 principles that he most values are: Decommodification, Radical Inclusion, and Communal Effort; also Leave No Trace for purely practical reasons.

Starfish has worked on the technology side of non-profit healthcare for over 20 years and currently leads a Project Management team.

He is excited to serve the Portland Burner Community as a Board Member, and also looks forward to traveling to see more regionals to see what innovations and culture they are developing.

Caitlin May aka Breach
Board Member at Large
They/them
Joined 2024
Email: breach@precipitationnw.org
Committees: Conduct, Programs, RIDE

Breach has 10+ years of experience as a labor and employment attorney and is currently a Director of Global HR Compliance at a tech company. Breach's work goes far beyond just ensuring compliance with the letter of the law though. They also bring deep expertise in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space, which guides their work. Breach loves building deep relationships, aiding in bringing diverse perspectives together, and thinking of creative solutions to complex problems.

After being born in San Diego, Breach moved northward up the West Coast before settling in Portland, Oregon in 2021. Breach feels most at home in the Pacific Northwest and spends much of their free time enjoying the outdoors. In particular, they enjoy open-water swimming, taking their dogs on outdoor adventures, and scuba diving on the Oregon Coast or in the Puget Sound with their spouse.

Breach was first introduced to SOAK in 2022, where they camped with Get Toasted. They instantly fell in love with the event, the community, the spectacular art and the 10 principles. They then attended their first Burning Man in 2022 as well. Always looking for ways to give back, Breach is excited to keep learning more about our vibrant community, while contributing their professional skills to Precipitation Northwest.

Lauren Novotny aka Bunny
Board Member at Large
She/her
Joined 2024
Email: bunny@precipitationnw.org
Committees: Conduct, Finance, Programs

Bunny left the San Francisco Bay Area and arrived in the Portland area during the height of the pandemic in 2020. She holds a BA in Ecology and BS in Marine Science, is a published author in several agricultural pest management journals, a (formerly) professional brewer, and a talented accountant in the non-profit sector, specializing in fiscal sponsorship. Of all the hats she has worn, her favorite is step-mother to a kid who reminds her of her younger self to an uncanny degree. Her mother is suspiciously pleased she has the opportunity to raise such a child and can frequently be half-heard murmuring something about “payback.”

Bunny began going to Burning Man in 2014. Armed with a mesh two-person tent, all the wrong clothes, and far too many kazoos, she had the clichéd “life-changing experience" and refused to stop going back. An irremediable volunteering habit ensued, leading to roles such as ranger, shop steward for art builds and the Man (well, Center Camp), and in Art Support Services. As a repeat volunteer and participant at UnSCruz, Bunny was exceedingly pleased to attend her first SOAK in 2022 and has finally weasled her way into an exciting position to make an impact in her new community.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Current Board of Directors

BOARD ALUMNI