The people behind The Issaquah Spotlight.

Maddie is a multimedia journalist based in Issaquah. She graduated from University of Washington with degrees in English and journalism. Her work is featured in over 40 publications across Washington state, including Seattle Weekly, Woodinville Weekly and the Sound Publishing newspapers. She also manages Community Connect magazine in Issaquah Highlands, and she was essential in launching Woodinville Magazine and producing OutdoorsNW Magazine.

Rooted in the Pacific Northwest, Cameron Sires is a writer, editor and photographer serving newspapers and organizations across Western Washington. She graduated from Western Washington University with a focus on news/editorial journalism and sociology. Cameron has reported on everything from long-form enterprise stories to breaking news for Sound Publishing’s East King County newspapers. She is thrilled to return to the Issaquah community.

Adam has been a resident of Greater Issaquah for more than 30 years. Completing a career in construction finance, including helping to launch several construction start-ups, he recently retired as the chief financial officer of Bayley Construction — a West Coast commercial general contractor.

Adam is a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Bellevue and board member of the Construction Industry Training Council of Washington. Additionally, he serves as the treasurer of the Cascades to Sound Chapter of Evergreen Mountain Bike Association and on the Education Committee of the Puget Sound Chapter of Construction Financial Management Association.

He subscribed to The Issaquah Press until its closure in 2017 and has continued to feel its loss in the community, which is fueling his drive to help bring The Issaquah Spotlight to life.

Kashif is a longtime Issaquah resident, having lived in the community since 2009. His connection to journalism began at McGill University, where he served as sports editor of the McGill Tribune and founded The Bottom Line, McGill’s first business newspaper. That experience shaped his lasting respect for the role independent journalism plays in informing communities, strengthening civic life, and helping residents better understand the issues facing their community.

Kashif has long been active in community service across the Eastside. He currently serves as president of the Highlands Council board and previously served nine years as treasurer of the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank. He has also served on nonprofit boards focused on addressing food insecurity and expanding affordable housing in East King County.

In his professional life, Kashif is the vice president of business intelligence at Influence Mobile, where he leads teams that help the company make better decisions through data. He joined the The Issaquah Spotlight board to help rebuild strong local reporting in Issaquah after the loss of the city’s longtime newspaper and hopes to support the growth of a sustainable, community-supported newsroom.

John has been a resident of Issaquah for over 40 years. He has served on various Issaquah city boards and commissions since the early 1990s and was on the Issaquah City Council from 2007 to 2011. John is currently serving on the Kiwanis Club of Issaquah’s board of directors, where a consensus concern about the lack of a local Issaquah news source led to discussions with publisher Adam Pinsky that resulted in the formation of The Issaquah Spotlight.

In his professional life, John retired from a career in technology development, deployment and adoption across transportation, medical, ecommerce, and municipal government industries.

His outside interests include the Kiwanis Club of Issaquah (board member), Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance (trail maintenance and event volunteer), Northwest Avalanche Center (Trailhead outreach lead volunteer), and he holds Wilderness First Aid and AIARE Avalanche Level 2 certifications.

Karl moved from Toronto in 1993 with his family and is proud to call Issaquah his home for the past 33 years. Retired as a construction executive for an international contractor, his business background includes extensive project and design management expertise.

Karl has served on the board of directors for the Associated Builders and Contractors of Washington, as well as locally for the Downtown Issaquah Association and Life Enrichment Options.

His understanding of city issues and the lack of factual reporting on current social media fuels his interest in seeing The Issaquah Spotlight fill that void.

Randy was educated in Lisbon and Paris, served in Army Special Forces, and became a foreign correspondent for Tribune Media Services. He retired as director of media relations for Boeing.

In 1997, Anne and her husband, Derek, moved to Squak Mountain, where they raised their three children. For 20 years they thoroughly enjoyed the Issaquah Press every week and depended on it to learn about and feel connected to their community.

Anne has long been active in local organizations — taking on multiple PTA leadership roles, championing Village Theatre and its youth education programs, and more recently helping lead the toy distribution effort at KidVantage. A former public finance professional specializing in municipal bonds, Anne now runs a small organizing business, supporting local seniors as they downsize and move.

Kelly and her husband, Steve, moved from San Francisco to Sammamish in 1988, where they raised their three children. With their kids grown, Kelly and Steve downsized to Old Town Issaquah in 2019, where they love the walkability and access to trails.

Kelly was originally recruited to Microsoft for their Sales Training Team. After five years she left to raise a family and quickly jumped into volunteering in leadership roles with the PTA, Voters for Issaquah Schools, and the Issaquah Schools Foundation. She was later recruited by the League of Education Voters to serve as their state field director, where she helped guide efforts to pass the prototypical schools bill and McCleary school funding legislation.

After seven years of retirement and volunteering with several local organizations, Kelly has decided to make The Issaquah Spotlight her primary volunteer focus.