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 6 board positions up for the vote. 

This year the President, Brent Ewasiuk, 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 6 board positions, each voting member would have 6 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 2026 through 2028 include existing board member and current Vice President Lisa Goodwin and existing board members Adam Bailey, Jason Sartor, and Spencer Wimmer. In addition, we have the following outstanding AMS members and candidates, including  Neoh Tudo and DD Waldron. 

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

Candidates for Board of Elections term to run 2026 - 2028

Lisa Goodwin

Hello fellow mushroom enthusiasts!  I have been a member of AMS since 2015 and am seeking a fourth term reelection to the Board.  In addition to serving on the Board, I have been actively involved in AMS for several years - from serving as the Culinary Committee Chair, assisting with AMS annual forays, coordinating and transporting guest speakers to our events, co-leading forays and just helping out wherever I can to make AMS events a success!  I also currently serve as the Vice President. As the Arizona mushroom community continues to grow, I would be honored to serve on the Board for another term and would strive to ensure that our members have opportunities to expand their knowledge of Arizona fungi and have some fun in the forest!  Thanks for your consideration and happy mushrooming!

Neoh Tudo

Hi Everyone!  My name is Neoh and have been a member with the AMS for over 6 years now.  The summer of 2019 was the first time I was introduced to mushroom hunting, and I'm sure we all could clearly remember our first successful mushroom foray.  From then I was hooked and also realized that mushrooms are not only a gift but they can also bring so much joy to a lot of folks.  Now I am completely in love with wild mushrooms foraging and continue to learn about their awesome presence.

For the past 6 years, I’ve enjoyed participating in many exciting, educational and amazing events  by the AMS 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 join and contribute back to our club as they have always graciously done for me and our awesome members.  

I’ve volunteered and participated in many clubs and local organizations in the past from cultural health awareness events to teaching ESL to elder citizens. Also, during our peak mushroom season, I’ve helped co-lead a few forays for some newer members.  These forays help to introduce our local fungi habitats, identification as well as edibility of some mushrooms. I would love to join the AMS board members and contribute back to our growing and exciting club. Thank you!

DD Waldron

My love affair with nature and the great outdoors has been lifelong. Growing up in the Midwest, I spent countless days camping, hiking, and wandering in the woods foraging for wild food and medicinal plants. After moving to Arizona in 2011, I began traveling around the State learning the land while doing my most beloved wilderness activities. I was mesmerized by Arizona’s beauty and biodiversity, but it wasn’t until a random side quest to the Hoh Rainforest in Washington with my Forks-obsessed Twilight-loving teen that I encountered the first mushroom that stopped me in my tracks, and made me fall in love with mycology. Since that cool summer day in 2017, I have been obsessed with mushrooms and interested in learning all things fungi. There is no place I would rather be than outside in the forest chasing raindrops across Arizona, exploring for the perfect mushroom spots.

I joined the Arizona Mushroom Society (“AMS”) in 2021 and have attended several workshops, forays, and had the pleasure of experiencing NamaZona during 2024’s epic year. I am deeply committed to wilderness conservation, ethical foraging, educating others on proper identification and safe mushroom consumption, and artistic uses for fungi. I cherish all that I have learned from our wonderful AMS community, and I would like to take on a more active role within the organization, volunteering time to give back and collaborate with kindred spirits, paying forward the knowledge I have gained over the years.

I earned a bachelor’s degree in justice studies/pre-law with a minor in anthropology from Arizona State University, as well as degrees in paralegal studies and art. When not foraging or cultivating mushrooms, I work as a litigation paralegal and have a small candle and artisan gift business on the side. I am a licensed esthetician and previously worked for the United Way for 11 years. I also enjoy finding unique ways to incorporate fungi into my various art projects. I am extremely grateful and honored to be nominated for a position on AMS’s board. I wholeheartedly love mycology, and I hope my enthusiasm, eclectic skillset, and diverse range of interests are a great fit for AMS’s continued growth and success. Thank you.

Adam Bailey

I have been a dedicated Arizona Mushroom Society member since 2019 and have served on the Board of Directors since 2023. I have had the privilege of foraging, learning, and sharing my knowledge of fungi with many members over the years. My interest in fungi began as a teenager in the Midwest, when I discovered my first morel. Over the past term, I have focused on fostering accessible, educational field forays in the Flagstaff area and am seeking re-election to further support these opportunities. I would appreciate your vote. 

Jason Sartor

Hi all.  My name is Jason Sartor and I am a candidate for a seat on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Mushroom Society.

Having just finished a two-year term with our club, I’d like serve another term.  

Did you know that the Arizona Mushroom Society is an all-volunteer run organization? Whether it's organizing for the Annual Foray in August, leading mushroom hunters on forays into the Arizona mountains, helping further the science side of the fungal world, or aiding in a whole host of other valuable aspects, this is all done by members, members' contributions to the Society, and the gracious giving of volunteers' time and dedication. 

I've been wandering the Arizona woods for almost 40 years, but only in the last 8 or so years have I been learning about mushrooms. Mushroom hunting has become a real passion of mine and the AMS has been an integral part of my learning.  I have volunteered with the AMS in different ways over the last 6 years and I would like to do more.  I have great appreciation for how the Society is involved in our Arizona community and I believe I have the enthusiasm and organizational skills to help it continue to be an important resource.

Thank you for your consideration and we'll see you in the woods in 2026.

Spencer Wimmer

"I am a 24 year old mycophile and amateur naturalist based in Tucson. I’ve been growing and foraging for mushrooms for a little under 5 years now. After encountering my first wild mushroom in my first year of college, I started cultivating mushrooms and later foraging for them on Mt. Lemmon in order to learn more about them. I was enamored with the variety of shapes, colors, and functions that each mushroom fulfilled! I spent almost every free hour of every day reading about or cultivating mushrooms. Eventually this love of mushrooms led me to the Arizona Mushroom Society, where I have been lucky to learn from a plethora of kind, knowledgeable, and passionate people sharing their resources and information freely, much like our mycorrhizal mushroom friends. 

Aside from mushrooms, I am also passionate about building community, education, and hands-on-learning. During my freshman year in college I helped to found the (modern) MycoCats club at the University of Arizona and have organized over a dozen mountain cleanup/mushroom forays alongside my brother. 

Now, I hope to have an opportunity to give back to the community that has taught me so much through participating in the AMS board of directors. Aside from the typical duties, I am particularly interested in helping develop educational resources and fostering collaboration between AMS and other organizations. Although I am no expert in organization, I hope to bring my passion, enthusiasm, and drive to the AMS!

How To Vote

The "ballot" will be sent out via email electronically on Saturday, December 6, 2025. 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