Todd Evans
Board candidate

Greetings –

The smells of sawdust and lubricating oil are more than just familiar to me—they are nostalgic. Long before "industrial arts" was the standard term, I was one of those “shop kids” who grew up around wood, metal, and auto shops. That hands-on spirit has stayed with me throughout my life.

My wife and I moved here from Central Iowa during the pandemic. In a strange stroke of fate, we met two other recent Iowa transfers who had lived less than five miles from our old home. Don and Renee Cue quickly became close friends, and it was Don who first introduced me to the Xerocraft community. Some of you might also recognize my name from the later days of KMKR, where I worked alongside Jeremy.

Professionally, I spent my career at Drake University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. From 1984 to 2020, I served as both a faculty member and an administrator. My teaching expertise was in traditional radio and television production, advertising, and digital content creation. I also spent several years as Associate Dean (1988–1995), where I focused on student enrollment and academic success.

I truly believe in the unique opportunities Xerocraft provides to our community. It’s been impressive watching the organization’s growth from the sidelines, and I would welcome the opportunity to use my background in education and administration to help guide Xerocraft moving forward.

Dusty Reyes
Current President

"My professional experience is in water treatment, utilities management, real estate, web design, non-profit, and education: the systems in these industries are designed by people, and those designs have impacts on the systems' function and the people who interact with them. I am passionate about the art of understanding systems and fine-tuning them into well-oiled machines - defining goals and achieving them with a well-rested, happy team is one of my favorite things. 

I've lived in Alaska, Pennsylvania, Idaho, New York, and now Arizona since I left my home state of California. In each of these areas, I've been involved in organizations both for-profit and non-profit that have had remarkably different cultural expectations and communication styles. The lifetime of experiences in these places and organizations has allowed me to pick up on patterns; uplifting and energizing, as well as draining and erosive forces, and everything in between. 

I've served on the board of several non-profits and I enjoy building connections and interactions that serve to create efficient, organized, and well-funded projects. I consider myself successful in my work when my teams feel capable, open, hopeful, heard and seen, and appreciated. When those things happen, everything is possible."

Mike Runde
Current Corporate Secretary

"I have been a contractor in Tucson for almost 40 years. I graduated from UArizona with a degree in engineering. I have been a member of Xerocraft since we moved into the space at Steinfeld. I have been on the Board of Directors for several years.

I am involved in Xerocraft because I want to see it succeed. There have been multiple Hackerspaces and Makerspaces in the Tucson area and Xerocraft is the “Last Man Standing”. I am able to spend about 5-6 hours per week to help it succeed. I would like to see more classes in all areas. I would also like to see more “kid or family friendly” activities. I feel that youngsters get a great benefit when they can learn “maker” things at a young age."

Don Cue
Current Board Director

"I'm a retired Midwestern transplant to Tucson. As a kid, I was often drawing or disassembling something. I studied architectural design at Iowa State University a long time ago. I spent my career in various information technology roles and as a bridge in the space between business and technology. While building applications and databases is a great living, I came to appreciate the intrinsic value of creating things that are real and tangible. So I design and build custom furniture for my home and my family. I love creating in the shop and my kitchen, and I'm an avid bread baker.

I serve on the Xerocraft Board of Directors because I believe in the organization and our mission, and I want it to succeed. In the years since I began volunteering at Xerocraft, I have met a delightfully broad and diverse group of individuals who create and share their talents. Those experiences are rewarding and engaging. I continue to leverage my communications skills across our organization and continue to aid our social media and marketing efforts.

Xerocraft has many opportunities, but we can’t do everything at once. At the top of my list is working to make more classes available for our members, and also working toward improving communications between the various leaders, shops, managers, and members."

Bob Foster
Current Board Director

"I am a retired ER physician who has lived in Tucson since 1977. Most of my career was spent at Tucson Medical Center where, in addition to staffing the ER, I served on the hospital bioethics committee for many years.

Thanks to my father I have been around woodworking and machine shops all of my life. My specialty has been woodturning. I turn on the lathe my father made me when he retired in 1988.

At Xerocraft I serve as assistant woodshop manager. I am familiar with the operations of the woodshop, machine shop and 3D printers, and try to keep informed about the laser shop. I have been a member since 2019."