Meet our President
Washington Federation Republican Women - State President
Billie Jean Liedahl
As a member in good standing of the Silverdale-Seabeck Republican Women’s Club (SSRW) in Silverdale, WA, I am honored to be President of the Washington Federation of Republican Women (WFRW). I have the served the previous 4 years as the WFRW Membership Secretary and I will do my very best to represent WFRW and all of our members.
I have been a member of SSRW since 2008. Over the years, I have served as 1st Vice President/Programs, 2 terms as 2nd Vice President/Membership 2018-19 and am a Past President, having served in that office from June/2013 through December/2015. Prior to that, I held the office of 1st Vice President/Programs 2012-13 and again in 2020, Recording Secretary 2010-11, and Parliamentarian 2008-09. I have also served on many committees sometimes as chairman: Awards, Movie Nights, the Fashion Gala Fundraiser, and a Joint Club Barn Sale, just to mention a few.
I continue to faithfully serve as the Class Administrator for Bible Study Fellowship International in the Bremerton Day Women’s class for the past ten years. In addition to the Bremerton location, Satellite classes are held in Port Angeles, Port Townsend, and Silverdale. Total class attendance is approximately 350 women and 100 children ranging in age from infant to 15. 2020 was an especially challenging year with organizing training and group studies to be on-line due to the Covid-19 crisis.
For the past 19 years I have been a part-time employee as a front desk receptionist. My regular duties include working every-other weekend at an independent senior living center and as needed at the company’s other three locations (rehab, assisted living, and memory care).
I have been a widow since 2004, but prior to his death, my husband and I moved to Bainbridge Island in 1979 and I retired from US West in Seattle (now Century Link) in 2000 with 32 years of service. My professional career began in San Diego, California in 1966 in Operator Services with Pacific Telephone & Telegraph. After Operator Services, I was assigned to data collection, then promoted to system administration, technical software support, and finally as a Certified Disaster Planning and Recovery agent for systems and sites for the 13 states within the then US West territory.
Right about now, you’re probably asking yourself… doesn’t that girl ever have any fun??? You mean aside from my Republican friends and politics? Of course I do! I’ll probably spend my last nickel traveling. I have been fortunate enough to visit Acapulco, Mexico City, Morocco, Egypt, Hong Kong, Prague, and have been twice to Paris, and of course… many trips to Canada. For stay at home fun, I enjoy ceramics (my nickname is “the gold queen” for obvious reasons), tending the rose garden, card-making, and reluctantly… quilting. I finished my first quilt just last Christmas. The quilting bug has bitten me, and it will be no time at all before I have more fabric than ceramic molds and paper products! More storage needed, ha, ha, ha.
Billie Jean Liedahl
As a member in good standing of the Silverdale-Seabeck Republican Women’s Club (SSRW) in Silverdale, WA, I am honored to be President of the Washington Federation of Republican Women (WFRW). I have the served the previous 4 years as the WFRW Membership Secretary and I will do my very best to represent WFRW and all of our members.
I have been a member of SSRW since 2008. Over the years, I have served as 1st Vice President/Programs, 2 terms as 2nd Vice President/Membership 2018-19 and am a Past President, having served in that office from June/2013 through December/2015. Prior to that, I held the office of 1st Vice President/Programs 2012-13 and again in 2020, Recording Secretary 2010-11, and Parliamentarian 2008-09. I have also served on many committees sometimes as chairman: Awards, Movie Nights, the Fashion Gala Fundraiser, and a Joint Club Barn Sale, just to mention a few.
I continue to faithfully serve as the Class Administrator for Bible Study Fellowship International in the Bremerton Day Women’s class for the past ten years. In addition to the Bremerton location, Satellite classes are held in Port Angeles, Port Townsend, and Silverdale. Total class attendance is approximately 350 women and 100 children ranging in age from infant to 15. 2020 was an especially challenging year with organizing training and group studies to be on-line due to the Covid-19 crisis.
For the past 19 years I have been a part-time employee as a front desk receptionist. My regular duties include working every-other weekend at an independent senior living center and as needed at the company’s other three locations (rehab, assisted living, and memory care).
I have been a widow since 2004, but prior to his death, my husband and I moved to Bainbridge Island in 1979 and I retired from US West in Seattle (now Century Link) in 2000 with 32 years of service. My professional career began in San Diego, California in 1966 in Operator Services with Pacific Telephone & Telegraph. After Operator Services, I was assigned to data collection, then promoted to system administration, technical software support, and finally as a Certified Disaster Planning and Recovery agent for systems and sites for the 13 states within the then US West territory.
Right about now, you’re probably asking yourself… doesn’t that girl ever have any fun??? You mean aside from my Republican friends and politics? Of course I do! I’ll probably spend my last nickel traveling. I have been fortunate enough to visit Acapulco, Mexico City, Morocco, Egypt, Hong Kong, Prague, and have been twice to Paris, and of course… many trips to Canada. For stay at home fun, I enjoy ceramics (my nickname is “the gold queen” for obvious reasons), tending the rose garden, card-making, and reluctantly… quilting. I finished my first quilt just last Christmas. The quilting bug has bitten me, and it will be no time at all before I have more fabric than ceramic molds and paper products! More storage needed, ha, ha, ha.
OUR WFRW EXECUTIVE BOARD
WFRW President Billie Jean Liedahl Silverdale Seabeck RW
1st VP/Programs Sharon Hanek East Pierce County RW
2nd VP/Club Development Georgene Faries Evergreen RW
3rd VP/Fundraising Ellie Ownbey Chelan-Douglas RW
Recording Secretary Colleen Wise East Pierce County RW
Membership Secretary Toni Whitmyre RW of Whatcom County
Treasurer Cindy Kadinger Virtual Club
Immediate Past Pres. Dee Drewry Virtual Club
Past President Roxanne Hussman Virtual Club
WFRW President Billie Jean Liedahl Silverdale Seabeck RW
1st VP/Programs Sharon Hanek East Pierce County RW
2nd VP/Club Development Georgene Faries Evergreen RW
3rd VP/Fundraising Ellie Ownbey Chelan-Douglas RW
Recording Secretary Colleen Wise East Pierce County RW
Membership Secretary Toni Whitmyre RW of Whatcom County
Treasurer Cindy Kadinger Virtual Club
Immediate Past Pres. Dee Drewry Virtual Club
Past President Roxanne Hussman Virtual Club
Our 2020-2021 NFRW Executive Board
Your National Federation of Republican Women is meeting at headquarters this week to finalize budget proposals and committee appointments in advance of the Spring Board Meeting and prepare for NFRW success in the critical year ahead. Clockwise from left: Frances Taylor (AL), 3rd Vice President; Dr. Linda Lee Tarver (MI), Executive Committee Member-at-Large; Vanessa LaFranco (NJ), Secretary; Martha Jenkins (NC), 4th Vice President; Michelle Buckwalter-Schurman (IL), Treasurer; Ann Schockett (NY), President; Suzanne Heinzmann (IN), Executive Committee Member-at-Large; Jody Ruston (TX), Immediate Past President; Beverly Owensby (SC), Executive Committee Member-at-Large; Julie Harris (AR), 2nd Vice President; and Eileen Sobjack (WA), 1st Vice President
