Tinker Camp

Tinker Camp Board of Directors

The Tinker Camp Board not only provides help and guidance for the overall arch of our future success, but they also play a key role in fundraising.

top	Kathi Fastnow-Dirkse President In her former life, Kathi Fastnow Dirkse was a Producer of Live Events and Theme Park Attractions for Universal Studios, Walt Disney Imagineering and various themed entertainment companies. She enjoyed building teams of specialized tinkerers to create engaging and immersive experiences for people around the world. While raising her two daughters, Kathi was also a Girl Scout leader, substitute elementary teacher and advocate for student mental health programs. Her tinkering focused on paper crafting and collage. Now “retired," Kathi is diving into Development for Tinker Camp, after her college classmate Blake shared his passion with her. Tinkering can take you many places, and our kids (including Kathi’s new grandson Zeke) need these supportive opportunities to grow, learn, explore and create.

top	Cathy Swider Board Secretary Cathy has a wide range of interests and has lived a life filled with varied experiences. Her background includes being a lifetime Girl Scout and working with FIRST® Robotics programs for over twenty years in a variety of capacities, including serving as the Ambassador of Fun at the FIRST® World Championships. In 2010 Cathy was honored by the Daughters of the American Revolution as a significant Woman in American History for her work in STEM education. Cathy lives in Portland with her husband and their two cats, and she enjoys spending time with their adult daughter. Cathy is an avid knitter, a science fiction author, and loves volunteering at Tinker Camp helping the children realize the potential of their creations.

top	Allison McGuire Treasurer Allison brings a background in accounting and corporate finance to Tinker Camp’s Board. A graduate of Weber State University, she has worked across a wide variety of industries, and currently leads HRIS and payroll operations for a Portland-based healthcare technology company. Allison relocated to Portland in 2024 out of pure love for the city’s beauty, creativity, and foodie scene. She can often be found attending combat robotics competitions with her husband, where she has seen firsthand the excitement that hands-on STEM learning sparks in young people. As Treasurer, Allison is honored to support Tinker Camp’s mission and help ensure its programs remain sustainable and accessible for the next generation of courageous, creative problem-solvers.

top	Emily Swensen Emily is mother of twins and an avid ultralight backpacker. It's not even a thing unless it is 50 miles or more. She graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School in 1996. She works in the Portland City Attorney's office and is a member in good standing of the Oregon State Bar. She is also very moved by photography and other visual arts, and loves collage.

top	Steven Huff Member At Large Steven is a US Navy veteran who was assigned to NASA recovery missions for the Apollo program. He is a graduate of Western Washington University’s MBA program and he and his wife moved to North Portland from Knoxville, TN in 2010. He is an original member of Bridge Meadows, a multi-generational community that provides permanent homes to children in foster care. Steven is retired from Farwest Steel Corp. where he was a product engineer and machine programmer.

top	Aaron McGuire Member at Large Aaron is an avid tinkerer, builder, and community organizer who discovered Tinker Camp through their hosting of combat robotics events for which he also runs videography and livestreaming. By day he’s a software engineer and at night you can usually find him working on a 3d printing project (usually his next combat robot) or mentoring a local FIRST® Tech Challenge robotics team. Aaron and his partner, Allison, moved to Portland in 2024 from Salt Lake City, Utah with their three cats. He is passionate about making STEM accessible and fun for the next generation and is excited to have the opportunity to do so with Tinker Camp.

top	Denise Slattery Member at Large Denise is a Certified Master Recycler with a passion for providing reuse and recycling education to her community, especially school-age kids. An experienced marketer, she's developed award-winning marketing, communication and branding strategy for Fortune 500 businesses and non-profits in California, Washington, Michigan, and Oregon. Denise is currently a Board Member to Recycling Advocates of Oregon, and previously held a board position at Picture Lab, a Washington State non-profit providing hands-on art literacy education in public schools geared towards students grades K -5. Denise regularly presents as a Master Recycler to business organizations participating in Portland Metro's Sustainability at Work Program. As an artist, she focuses her work on representing material reclamation and spends time tinkering in her studio at any given opportunity. Denise is now retired and is living in Europe, however, she consults with the team regularly.