Board Members
Joanie Hawley - President (2026)
Joanie Hawley is a lifetime member of the Friends of the Porkies. She has been a property owner on Lake Superior since 1986 and has many family members in the area. She recently served 4 years as a Board Member of the Water Environment Federation, which has over 35,000 members and 75 associations (www.wef.org). She has volunteered for over 30 years in numerous capacities focusing on workforce development and “making the water clean”. She is a professional engineer and water operator. She likes to ski and hike, especially in the Porkies. Her hobby is to fix and repair lamps.
Jim Bradley - Vice President (2027)
Born and raised in Newberry Michigan, Jim Bradley is a lifelong Yooper, member of the Friends, and user of the PMWSP.
Jim worked as a cable television engineer for many years. He says that his 'supervisor and spouse" is wife Karen. President of the Friends from 2004--2016, he groomed cross country ski trails in the Park for four years, has been the grounds supervisor for PMMF since 2007, served on the Porkies National Ski Patrol, and was a founding member of the Friends, the Lake Superior Alliance, and the Michigan State Parks Advisory Committee on which he served for several years as the U. P. representative. Jim's commitment to making skiing accessible to everyone led to his founding the Porcupine Skiers and the Ogden Valley Adaptive Sports. Recently, Jim and others who are advocates for the skiing in the Porkies have formed PM Silent Sports.
About his achievements, Jim says, "A great deal of the accomplishments above were a joint 50 year partnership with Karen without whose help they would not have happened."
Jane Rasmussen - Treasurer (2027)
The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park has always been near and dear to my heart. Having camped, skied, hiked and beach-combed the shoreline for years, it is now a treasure in my own backyard.
Utilizing my background in finances and non-profits, I started out as a volunteer accountant for the Friends. I still fulfill that role in addition to serving as Treasurer for the organization. As a board member, I strive to support the Park, the DNR and the people who use the Porkies.
I am also passionate about collaborating with the instructors, students, the Park staff and committee members to provide quality experiences at the Porkies Folk School.
Eric Carlson - Secretary (2026)
I’ve been visiting the Porkies since I started college at MTU in 1980. I was at some of the first “Telefest” telemark ski festivals and have participated in almost all of them since then. My wife loves to ski the Porkies, too. She and I have camped in the park in different cabins. We’ve been on many of the trails in all seasons, either hiking, cross country skiing, or snowshoeing. Our two children learned to ski at the Porkies and we used the daycare that was in the lodge at the time. We’ve been to a few of the Porcupine Mountains music festivals, too, and helped with glading along the ski runs. I want to give back to this area that I’ve enjoyed for so many years.
Darla Lenz (2027)
I have enjoyed serving on the Friends of Porkies board over the last few years and especially appreciate being able to bring my time and resources to support the wonderful trails within the Park. My family and I have been visiting the Porkies since first moving to the UP in 2005, and have hiked, biked, and skied many of the trails and areas within the park. I am interested in continuing to support the work of the MI DNR, the Friends of the Porkies, and other partners to maintain and support programs and efforts that conserve Park wilderness values, while also providing recreation and economic development opportunities to the citizens and communities of the western UP. I have worked for nonprofit, state, and federal land management agencies for over 30 years as a biologist, ecologist, and manager and I appreciate being able to bring my background and skills to support the Friends.
Lu Opperman (2025)
Lu Opperman is a new board member with the FOP. She has long admired the friendly group. Her interactions at the ski hill the past 20 years, the music festival this summer, and established friends living in Ontonagon County planted the seed to join the board. Choosing a lifetime membership for her husband Tom and an active position on the board was the natural next step. Lu & Tom purchased a second home in White Pine to share with their son’s family. They moved to Washburn, Wisconsin, in 2019 when Lu retired from the Stevens Point School District where she worked for 32 years, assisting students and staff as an LPN / Educational Assistant. Tom shared his love of the Porkies since 1973, and he retired in 2011. They have shared many adventures during all four seasons in nature at the Porkies with friends and family, answering Lake Superior's call for attention. Lu has witnessed firsthand how education is vital to understand nature. Memories of student field trips to school forests, historical parks, and UW-Stevens Point resources taught her how hands-on learning creates lasting results. Her love of fiber art, fabric dying, and quilting the past 50 years is a talent she hopes to share at the Porkies Folk School.
Geri Hawley (2026)
I am thrilled to recently be elected to serve on the Board of the Friends of the Porkies. I have been a member of the Friends of the Porkies since 1997 and a lifetime member since 2014. I was born in Ontonagon and lived most of my life there. I grew up downhill skiing at the Porkies and continue to ski there almost every weekend of every winter. I hike the trails in the summer, rent one of the cabins every year in the spring/summer and cross country ski the trails in winter. I have volunteered at the Porkies music fest for years in many different capacities. I have also volunteered many hours helping clear trails at the ski hill and have currently joined the FOP Trails committee. I love spending time at the Porkies and as a board member of the FOP, my focus will be to help grow and improve this beautiful park.
