Maureen grew up in La Conner and graduated from La Conner High School.  She worked summers in Skagit farm fields.   She attended the University of Washington and has degrees from: Western Washington University – B. A. in English and Speech and an M.A. in School Counseling.  She later earned her Principal Credentials from Gonzaga University.

Maureen served for many years in a variety of capacities with the La Conner School District. She taught in the elementary and middle school and then became a high school teacher for English, humanities and leadership.  From there she became the district's K-12 counselor, and then middle school principal, also teaching Speech and Drama. 

After officially retiring from the district, she took the position of Planning Director for the Northwest Technical and Career Academy located on the Skagit Valley College campus.  She reported to the seven Superintendents of Schools in Skagit Valley. (!!!!)

Twenty years ago, Maureen gathered a group of women in Maple Hall to start the process of forming Soroptimist International of La Conner (SILC), at the encouragement of a fellow school counselor from Burlington-Edison. The new SILC was sponsored by the B-E Soroptimists. Today the organization is going strong with more than 50 members. 

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When Dolly Parton presented her 100 millionth book to the Library of Congress Feb. 28, members of the La Conner Rotary Club were able to take pride in helping achieve that number through their participation in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

The club signed onto the Imagination Library in 2011 when Connie Milliken, who coordinates the club’s participation, was president. Bobbi Krebbs McMullin, the first coordinator, did a fantastic job of setting up the program and getting children enrolled.  Since then, the La Conner Rotary Club has donated more than 3,800  books to children from birth to five years of age residing in the La Conner School District. T

“The La Conner Rotary is passionate about literacy, and the best way to inspire literacy in children is to instill a love of books right from the very beginning,” Milliken said.

The La Conner Rotary Club budgets funds each year to pay for the books and register children with the Imagination Library, which then mails books to them. Because of budget limitations, the club restricts participation to children living within the La Conner School District boundaries. The program may be expanded to include children in neighboring school districts if increased donations are made available.