The Arizona Mushroom Society is an all-volunteer organization that operates to further its goals of education, scientific discovery, and scholarship support. The organization currently has up to 9 at large board members on its Board of Directors that have 2-year terms. 

Each year, the Society holds elections to fill board positions that have come to term or are otherwise vacant. At this time there are 5 board positions up for the vote. 

This year the President, Michael Colosimo, appointed a nomination committee to nominate candidates for the board. Those candidates on the ballot today include those that were nominated by the committee and have accepted the nomination.

Who Can Vote?

Each AMS membership has the ability to vote. Since an AMS membership covers your entire household, that means one person from each household (i.e. voting party) covered by a membership can vote. Please make sure that only one person per membership participates in the voting. Each voting party can cast as many votes as there are board position up for election. Since there are 5 board positions, each voting member would have 5 votes.

Who Are the Board Candidates?

We are extremely fortunate to have a number of current AMS members who are willing to roll up their sleeves and join the team. To be clear, ANYONE can volunteer to help AMS, but it is the Board of Directors that manage the financial resources and guide the organization on how to serve its mission and its over 2,000 members.

Our current board members meet about once a month to guide organizational efforts and make decisions about events, scholarships, and supporting educational opportunities. Board members are often involved in event planning and despite our board members being absolutely priceless, they do not receive any compensation for attending and helping out at events.

Those who accepted nominations to be on the Board of Directors for 2025 through 2027 include existing board member and current President Michael Colosimo and existing board members Jess Starwood, Brent Ewasiuk, Kathy Babcock, and Chad Borseth. In addition, we have the following outstanding AMS members and candidates, including Julie Trotta and Neoh Tudo. 

We are incredibly thankful for their time and efforts with us!!!

Candidates for Board of Elections term to run 2025 - 2027

Michael Colosimo - Current President, Foray Leader, Event Planner

Michael currently sits on the board of directors for the Arizona Mushroom Society as President and is running for re-election as a board member. Michael found a passion for wild mushroom foraging first in 2016 while visiting a friend in Denmark and was instantly hooked. After the exciting knowledge that was passed on to him there, he brought the passion back to Arizona. He was a guest on an AMS foray in 2017 then joined the AMS in 2018 and has been our leader and President for the past 3 years. Michael is dedicated to expanding safe learning and scientific research through the AMS to the Arizona community.

Michael is dedicated to expanding future educational and foray offerings to current and new members. He currently works for Cisco in the Matching Gifts team. All of his volunteer time and board service for the AMS is matched by his employer, bringing in thousands of dollars by using his corporate and philanthropy experience to benefit the AMS.

Michael played a key role in organizing the NamaZona event, bringing it to both Arizona and the Arizona Mycological Society (AMS). Collaborating closely with the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) and AMS team members over the course of a year, Michael contributed to the event’s seamless execution. NamaZona showcased Arizona’s exceptional mycological diversity and marked a groundbreaking achievement as the first culinary-focused event for both NAMA and AMS.

Jess Starwood - President of Los Angeles Mycological Society, Foray Leader, Event Planner, Author

Growing up in Arizona, I wandered the deserts and the forests as a child, fostering my endless love for nature and the outdoors. As an adult, I now equally enjoy sharing that passion with the community and helping to facilitate greater connections and deeper relationships with our environment. I am the current President of the Los Angeles Mycological Society and hope to continue sharing my efforts with my home state. I have a Master of Science degree in Herbalism and currently working on a Doctorate of Science in Integrative Health. I have been actively working with, researching, and writing about wild foods, mushrooms, and herbalism for over ten years and the author and photographer of Mushroom Wanderland: A Forager's Guide to Finding, Identifying, and Using More Than 25 Wild Mushrooms. 

Kathy Babcock - Event Planner, Foray Lead

I was a member of the original Arizona Mushroom Club.  Mushrooming was a fun social and learning adventure in the forest.  Back then this included a small group of about 50 people.  Dr. Chester Leathers was our founder and a wonderful mentor.

As time has gone by the "Club" now "Society" has taken on a new life both in the growth of membership and in a deeper interest in the science of Mycology.

My husband Ross and I are particularly interested in scouting the forest to provide information for foray destinations.  We actively lead forays all 3 days of the Annual AMS event in August.  Additionally we participate in helping lead "spot" forays as they are scheduled.

I, like you, eagerly anticipate the Monsoon Season and would consider it a privilege to serve on the Board for another term as we plan the events for 2025-2027.

Chad Borseth - Foray Lead, Mushroom Cultivation Expert

As a life long resident forager of Arizona I truly love sharing my knowledge and experience of the land with others in my community. I have spent much of my life in the outdoors from the canyons to the sky islands. I became fascinated by fungi several years ago and have led forays taught classes on easy at home cultivation for AMS and others in the community.

I have served on the AMS board as Vice president for four years, seeing substantial growth (of both members and fungi). I would be honored to continue serving on the board in whatever capacity that is helpful to the organization and it’s members

Brent Ewasiuk - Foray Lead, iNaturalist expert

I have been an AMS member since 2016. I have volunteered as a foray guide since 2019. I am wanting to play more of a role in the AMS by applying for a board member position for 2025-2027. My focus is on the mycology of AZ and to providing education to our membership.

I have been interested in mushrooms since I was 5 years old, when my family used to pick natural morels every spring on our land in Northeastern Alberta. I immigrated to the USA in 1998 where I furthered my interest in mushrooms in the mycologically rich environment of Flagstaff, AZ. I currently live in Glendale, AZ.

I have 30+ years of business experience in the roll of Vice president and owner of the small business, Medi-Temp, LLC that manufactures and distributes medical devices. I also work seasonally as a microscopic analyst for American Truffle Co. I was a volunteer for the Arizona Archaeological Society where I participated in Archaeological surveys for 4 years.

I have a bachelor’s degree in Physics and Mathematics from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada. I am a Licensed commercial pilot, a PADI divemaster, and I have a broad range of interests.

Julie Trotta - Mushroom Cultivation Expert

Hello, My name is Julie Trotta, and I have been a member of Arizona Mushroom Society for around 4 years now. My fascination for mushrooms started out as curiosity on how mushrooms grew, this led me to start growing mushrooms at home for my friends and family. Learning about mushrooms was fascinating to me because I had no idea that there was more mushrooms beyond what’s found in your typical grocery store. I discovered AMS and became obsessed with learning about wild mushrooms. In April of 2019, I took my daughters on our first mushroom forage, and we were hooked! From there, I learned how to identify several different types of edible and medicinal species of mushrooms. In spring of 2020 when we were all sent home from Covid, I started building and growing my mushroom farm Fungirl’s Fungi, where I learned how to grow mushrooms, grow a variety of bulk mushrooms as well as making tinctures, and mushroom products. I have a passion for cooking with mushrooms and making different dishes with them which I love to share.

I am honored to have been nominated for a board member for AMS and hope that my background skills in non-profit accounting combined with my love for mushrooms can make a positive impact. I’m excited to learn and grow more with Arizona Mushroom Society!

Neoh Tudo - Foray lead

I remember vividly my very first experience picking mushroom with the AMS in 2019 when the magnificent morel megaflush happened on the North rim. What a gift and joy that fruiting was and now I am completely in love with wild mushrooms and continue to learn about their fascinating presence.  

For the past 5 years, I’ve enjoyed participating in many exciting, educational and amazing events put on by the AMS board members and had the honor to learn so much from everyone in our club. With the various events and forays happening throughout the year, I realized that I should take part and contribute back to our club as they have always graciously done for me and our members.  

I’ve volunteered and participated in many clubs and local organizations in the past from cultural health awareness events to teaching ESL to senior citizens or even performing with a lion dance troupe. Also, during our peak mushroom season, I’ve helped co-lead a few forays for beginners and introduced them to our local fungi habitats and edible mushrooms in the past couple of years. With my passion for mushrooms, familiarity with organized events and willingness to help our local community, I hope to join the AMS board members to contribute back to our growing, exciting, and wonderful club. Thank you.

How To Vote

The "ballot" will be sent out via email electronically on Saturday, December 7, 2024. One person from each AMS membership will be able to vote for board members by logging in to the website via the link in the email.

If you have any questions, please email us at azmushroomsociety@gmail.com

Sincerely, 

Arizona Mushroom Society