board of directors
Peter Buckley
Peter arrived in Seattle from Britain in 1977 and soon became involved with local rugby. Peter has enjoyed many roles in rugby:- player; Club President; referee; Union Secretary; Chairman of refs for Western Washington, the Pacific NW and Pacific Coast; World Rugby Educator; and is currently active as a referee coach and evaluator and Board member of the Seattle Rugby foundation. Peter is married and lives in West Seattle with his wife Kelly. Peter is a semi-retired anesthesiologist and UW Faculty member. Peter was a founding Board Member of the Foundation at its beginning in 1997 and has been President since 2017. Peter enjoys his involvement with rugby in whatever role, spending time with his five grandchildren, walking his dog, staying in shape and taking foreign trips with his wife for recreation and on his own as a teacher, and teaching his Residents and students at UW.
Katherine Nash
Katherine Nash joined the SR Foundation board in May of 2019. Kathy began her rugby career in 1984 playing for the Puget Sound Breakers. She played for ten years as loose head prop. She also played for select teams on the west coast, both the Loggers and Grizzlies. To keep her skills honed Kathy played 7-A-Side in the summer. Ms. Nash's most memorable rugby experience was the Puget Sound Breakers' 1987 tour of England, Amsterdam, France and Wales. She describes it as an experience of a lifetime, bonding with friends and playing the international game of rugby. Ms. Nash is retired from Government work and now works on her golf game.
Tom Payne
Tom Payne has been a member of the Seattle Rugby Foundation since it originated in 1997. At the time Tom was the player representative. One of the foundation’s goals in the beginning was to support Men’s and High School Rugby, in particular select side playing opportunities for specific players. Today, the SFR is squarely focused on promoting youth rugby. Tom is encouraged by the impact that the new charter can have on the sport of rugby in the greater Seattle area. Tom’s rugby playing days included seasons with the University of Michigan, Anchorage Green Dragon’s and more than a decade as a flyhalf and fullback for the Seattle Rugby Football Club. Rugby nicknames included Iceman and Flea; apparently for being calm under the high-ball and a bit shorter than the average #10 or #15. Tom works for SAP with responsibilities over Managed Business Services for SAP Concur.
Brigid Lagergren
Brigid Lagergren joined the SR Foundation board in October 2019. She was introduced to the game of rugby while attending Western Washington University. In 1977 rugby was a new sport for women on the west coast and Brigid found it intriguing to play a sport that was "unexpected" for women. After graduation from WWU in 1980, Brigid moved to Seattle and along with a few other WWU Alumni became the founding members of the Puget Sound Breakers. Brigid served in several leadership roles for the PS Breakers, represented her team on many a rep side and played several 7-A -Side tournaments. While in her tenure with the Breakers, she played many positions on the field, but her favorite by far was Flanker. The game of rugby enabled fierce competitiveness, confidence & strength building, travel and lifelong friendships. Brigid would consider rugby one of the major influences in her life and is looking forward to working with the Foundation to allow young girls & boys to discover the benefits of the sport.
Mark Firmani
Mark Firmani is a member of the Seattle Rugby Foundation. Mark began his rugby career in the Midwest in high school where he began lifelong fascination with the game. He enrolled in a British university in hopes of developing his rugby skills to play internationally. While a grand ambition, he quickly learned he lacked a few of the qualities necessary for rugby greatness, including skill, speed and fitness. He returned to the US to finish his collegiate play at Indiana University where his rugby mediocrity was better received. After college Mark moved to Seattle and began playing for Seattle RFC where he enjoyed a long career, lacking of any on-pitch distinction but contributed in a range of administrative functions including president of the Pacific Northwest Rugby Union. Mark runs Firmani + Associates, a Seattle PR firm.
Jen Sporlander
Jen Sporleder is the newest member of the Seattle Rugby Foundation. She was introduced to rugby as a kid when she saw her Dad playing a muddy rugby match at Green Lake for Seattle RFC. Fast forward several years later and Jen was playing her first match at the same muddy pitch for the Puget Sound Breakers. She went on to play another 15 years with her club, with the Loggers, and periodically with the Grizzlies. When the Breakers and SRFC merged, Jen served a few years as president and also helped manage the Clubhouse. Jen was also a selector for her club’s teams, helped coach U-19 Loggers, eventually her own club, and then the University of Washington. Jen then got back on the pitch as a referee for a few years. Jen is excited to continue to give back to the game in her newest capacity with Seattle Rugby Foundation. Jen serves as the Associate Center Director for Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center at the Puget Sound VA Medical Center.