Our people are the core of Starfire. It is their spirit, drive, dedication and passion that create the world-class environment you have come to expect.
Ben Oliver, President and CEO
Ben is in charge of, well, everything. From IT to construction management to dispute resolution, Ben is our go-to guy. We really should call him the Starfire Fireman, because he spends most of his day putting them out (metaphorically of course, though if a real fire broke out, he’d probably be there with a hose). In addition to keeping Starfire running smoothly, Ben dedicates a great deal of time to the local community, serving on the LTAC board, Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority Advisory Committee, and the Tukwila Branding Advisory Committee. The rest of Ben’s time is spent enjoying the company of his wife Sarah, and son Cooper. If you see him around, say hi—and then laugh at his funny Kiwi accent.
Pam Dunning, Assistant General Manager & Director of Finance
Pam’s primary responsibility at Starfire is to oversee the Finance and HR areas and to handle any other tasks and details that Ben throws her way. When she’s not designing new ways of analyzing the business, she can be found walking around the campus rain or shine. An avid runner, she competes in half marathons and loves hiking, cycling and travelling to tropical locations with her husband.
Micah Pigott, Director of Programs & Tournaments
Micah was born to work in soccer operations–especially in Seattle. Having grown up in Pennsylvania and attaining a Finance degree in Virginia, anyone could have guessed that he’d be working at Starfire. When he’s not sarcastically making fun of himself, you can normally find Micah charging around our outdoor fields, and making sure that our leagues, tournaments, and everything else are running smoothly. Outside of his work at Starfire, Micah enjoys playing soccer…at Starfire. He manages to escape from the campus sometimes, and when he does he likes to cook, play with his dog, and compete in triathlons or running events.
Brian Harrington, Director of Development & Outreach
Brian is a native Seattleite who grew up playing soccer (though not very well) and has a passion for working with people and community partners, making him a perfect fit for Starfire. Brian spent more than a decade in fundraising and development for a variety of Seattle-area non-profits before joining the Starfire team. He views his role here as an opportunity to help people in our community grow through participation in soccer, and works to build on the Starfire mission while increasing awareness of the community support Starfire already provides daily. When he’s not working, Brian is playing with his wife and three kids while neglecting the need to catch up on sleep.
Chanie Sandman, Director of Marketing
Chanie can usually be found in front of her computer, alternating between windows of colorful imagery, lines of code, and lists of soccer news articles for potential social media fodder. If you see her around the campus she will likely be behind the lens of a camera, attempting to capture those special moments created everyday at Starfire. In her off time she enjoys riding the slopes of Alpental, vegging out on her couch and hitting up the Magnuson dog park with her furry child, Cooper.
Sean Englin, Director of Events & Projects
Sean has a history with the Starfire Sports campus. He grew up close by and first visited the park back in the 70’s during his father’s softball days and played soccer on the original fields. Sean is in charge of special events and projects. In his spare time, Sean enjoys golfing, restoring his old car and fun road trip with his family.
Phil Hancock, Director of Facilities & Fields
Phil is Starfire’s resident multi-tool and is in charge of keeping the Starfire campus in top form. With a background in maintaining golf courses, Phil is right at home with Starfire’s 54 acres. From fixing leaky faucets to making sure all our fields are meticulously groomed, Phil has us covered. When he’s not running around Starfire, jumping from task to task, Phil likes golfing, snowboarding, and attending concerts and sporting events (like Sounders FC games, of course!). When you see him say hi, and tell him to smile!
Steven Dahl, Director of Operations
Steven grew up playing and refereeing soccer in the area, and comes from what can only be described as a “soccer family.” With his dad being a youth coach for the better part of 20 years, a mom active in Washington State women’s leagues, and grandparents formally on the board of directors of local soccer clubs, soccer is in his blood. When not at Starfire, Steven enjoys being kept up all hours of the night by his new son, Elliott, making outlandish and ill-conceived bets with coworkers, spending time at the family cabin in Snoqualmie, and taking Elliott to the park to make sure all of the ducks in the pond are behaving themselves.
Kelley Talbot, Campus Resource Manager
Kelley has been called the Chaos Manager of Starfire Sports. From practices and games to parties and events, she makes sure all i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed. Kelley is a true Seattle native who is fueled by mochas and enjoys olive oil popcorn, road trips and training her cat how to improve his penalty kicks with soccer ball toys–even if she is more of a DAWG fan.
Emily Davis, Bookkeeper
It is only natural that Emily found herself working around soccer, as it has always been an integral part of her life. Emily grew up playing in Eastern Washington and enjoyed spending many summers at Starfire tournaments. Emily first joined the Starfire team as a marketing intern, and has stuck around the campus ever since. Today, you can find Emily counting loose change and making sure all new Starfire employees are up to speed on company policies. In her spare time, she enjoys attending sporting events, remodeling her home with her husband Troy, and spending time with family.
Veronica Hernandez, Manager
Veronica eats, breathes, lives Starfire. When not on the clock, she can most likely be found on campus getting fit at Catz or balling out on the pitch. During the brief periods Veronica is not at Starfire, she enjoys watching movies, taking naps, and hiking the Washington wilderness to get those steps in for her fitbit.