Meet our Board of Directors
Kelly Potts’ exuberance for life can be contagious, all thanks to her life-long participation in and passion for sports. When she moved to Maui she soon found surfing as a therapeutic outlet to express herself and find freedom in the embrace of nature - marrying sport with the outdoors.
As a young adult Kelly started volunteering for a local Maui organization helping restore an ancient Hawaiian farming valley, which led to her passion for volunteering, and Indigenous way of life. She has volunteered for several organizations since, and received her Liberal Arts degree with an emphasis on Hawaiian Studies at University of Hawaii Maui College.
Kelly’s 20+ years of surf coaching, along with her love for volunteering, created All Are We’s charitable surfing programs for the local Maui community, as well as her birthplace in the Northwest, offering the same community-building retreats for tribal folks in Northern California, Oregon and Washington.
Kelly Potts
Founder & President
Sue Johnson is a retired combat veteran from the US Army. She grew up in Texas but has lived all over the world. A standout volunteer for a renowned veteran-led disaster response organization, Sue is the logistics manager for Team Rubicon’s Southwest Territories.
Sue lives for volunteering now that she is retired, and feels like she would go insane if she wasn’t helping make the world better. Sue is the person who sees where help is needed, and always offers a helping hand. She’s proud to be part of the All Are We Water Collective Team.
“If I’m not dodging bullets or bombs, it’s a good day.” ~ Sue
Sue Johnson
Member at Large
Karen O’Connell’s career in finance started as a junior analyst—going to school, working and raising two amazing children. Her path quickly led to Finance Director for Business and Strategic Development for a Fortune 150 company. Retired from telling stories with numbers, she writes novels about the intersection of the American West with two four letter words—loss and hope. Pleased as punch to be part of the All Are We Water Collective, she will contribute her financial skills to the Collective as Secretary/Treasurer.
Karen O’Connell
Secretary & Treasurer
Natalie Maxson is from Neah Bay, Washington, the beginning of the Earth, home to the Makah Tribe. She has six kiddos and a wonderful husband, Benjamin. When she’s not chasing the babies, you can find her most days tending to her flower garden. Her family is very active, from surfing, fishing, hiking, to serving their church and really enjoying life and the area where they live.
Natalie and Benjamin own their own food truck, Cousins, providing comfort food for the Makah community, and her favorite people to cook for are her family.
Natalie and two of her daughters have attended the Indigenous Surfer Girls Retreats over the years, even providing lunch for the event. Natalie is now serving as Vice Chairwoman of the Board.
Natalie Maxson
Vice Chairwoman of the Board
Leslie grew up landlocked in Walla Walla, Washington, but discovered her passion for working with others on the oceans edges in high school, when she worked at a summer camp in the San Juan Islands. That passion inspired her to attend Western Washington University, pursuing experiential outdoor education and psychology, which led to a career as a sea kayak instructor and expedition leader throughout her twenties. She loves learning and teaching in outdoor classrooms, where Mother Nature is rightfully the ultimate authority figure.
Leslie is honored to be on the All Are We Water Collective Board where she brings her outdoor leadership background, coastal risk-management experience, creative problem solving skills, and community-building passions to the team. She is excited to continue changing lives (including her own), one rapport-building conversation and surf experience at a time.