Secretariat Bios

Alex Lark returns to the Executive Secretariat of NWMUN, this year as Secretary-General of NWMUN-Portland 2020. Alex is a graduate of the University of Washington, a former staff member for Congressman Brian Baird, and a former adviser to the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Korea to the United States. In this latter capacity he assisted in the ratification of 2011's Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and helped plan visits by two South Korean presidents. Following this, Alex joined the United States Army, where he is currently a Captain at the 448 Civil Affairs Battalion. In this capacity, he supports humanitarian missions, connects civilians and civilian leaders to infrastructure resources, and builds relationships between U.S. forces and civilians. Alex also works in Everett, WA as a Planning Commissioner and as the Philanthropy Manager for Housing Hope, an affordable housing non-profit. In his spare time, Alex enjoys cooking, trying new restaurants, baby Yoda memes, and other basic stuff on Instagram, as well as building furniture.

Katie McNall is excited to be back for NWMUN-Portland 2020! She caught the Model UN bug in high school, attending conferences in Tokyo for two years, before transitioning to college MUN. Katie loves participating in NWMUN conferences, as they really represent the ideas of the Pacific Northwest, focusing heavily on human rights and environmental issues. Katie graduated in 2016 with a degree in Exceptionality and Disability, a degree combining Special Education and Human Services coursework, and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Nonprofit Management. Last year, she relocated to Wenatchee to work at the Wenatchee Public Library. At the library she runs a Cookbook Book Club and helps to plan and run the first Sensory Storytime in North Central Washington. In her spare time, Katie loves doing all things crafty and, of course, reading.   

Eileen Austin is happy to join the NWMUN-Portland Executive Secretariat this year as the Chief of Staff. Eileen earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the State University of New York at Oneonta in 2014. She currently works as a Staff Accountant for Danone North America, which is the company that owns Dannon Yogurt and Evian. She works in White Plains, NY and is currently pursuing her Master of Science in  Accounting from Southern New Hampshire University. This will be her 10th MUN conference but her first with the NWMUN organization. Her favorite thing about MUN is watching the delegates work together and produce work that they are proud of. She also likes to hear all of the delegates’ perspectives on the issues that  he world is currently facing. In her spare time Eileen likes to travel, crochet, and spend time with her family and friends.

Whitney E. Thompson is excited to serve as the Assistant Secretary-General for Logistics at NWMUN-Portland 2020. Whitney has been involved in Model UN since 2001.  Whitney has attended high school and collegiate conferences as a delegate and has held a variety of staff positions including Secretary-General, Chief of Staff, and Director, including serving as Secretary-General of NWMUN-Portland 2018.  Whitney graduated from Western Washington University, in Bellingham, WA, after completing majors in Human Development: Self-Expression and Therapeutic Healing and Linguistics, and a minor in Women's Studies. Whitney works in the insurance industry and lives in Tacoma, WA with her partner, two rescue-dogs, and a betta-fish. In her free time she enjoys knitting.

This is Benton's 6th MUN conference and his 4th NWMUN conference. He has previously staffed as the Office Manager and Network and Technology Manager for NWMUN-Seattle. He graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2019 with a bachelors in Computer Science. Benton's interest in MUN stems from his interest in global cooperation, issues that concern information and communication technologies, and the use of these technologies, such as cybercrime. Presently, Benton works with Booz Allen Hamilton as a Cyber Security Engineer, where he helps strengthen and support the United States' infrastructure and mission. In his spare time, Benton loves to play online games, watch anime, read manga, go out to music concerts, and listen to music.