Meet The Board
Meet the Holiday Streakers Board, the five of us who are heading this up and making this awesome. This is the best team you could ask for as a Streaker.
Eric Weichers, PresidentDave Basile, VPAnthony Monsees, VP of TechnologyEthan Holly, TreasurerJosh Lundahl , Secretary
Eric Weichers | President
I am Eric Weichers, I am the President and I suppose you could call me the founder of Holiday Streakers. I live in Ankeny, Iowa with my wife, Andrea, my son, Garrett, and my daughter, Leah. I was born and raised in Iowa, and we have been in Ankeny for more than a decade after a few years in the Minneapolis area (Lakeville).
Professionally, I am a School Psychologist for Heartland Area Education Agency. I work in several of the Ankeny Elementary schools. I work primarily with special education students who have behavior difficulties, as well as many students on the Autism Spectrum. I don’t do counseling, my role is typically problem solving, supporting teachers with new strategies, or intervention development to address the behaviors interfering with education. I have been in this line of work for almost two decades, and despite the challenges and feeling defeated some days, I absolutely love what I do. Education is a huge priority for me and I believe that all students deserve as close to a “typical” experience as possible. My career has taught me so many valuable skills that I have been able to use to help my own kids be great people. If I have to work, this is definitely the career for me.
Personally, I spend great deal of time with my family. I have the summers off, so I get more time with my kids than the average dad. We have something planned for about everyday. My wife and I are fortunate to come from great families, and we spend a lot of time traveling to Waterloo and Nebraska to see Grandma’s and Grandpa’s. Both of our parents have cabins, so we have a great time on summer vacations, playing with cousins, playing every sport imaginable (Garrett is a sports nut), on the beach, and fishing. We also love camping and get out 4-5 times a year with a great group of camping friends. I am a complete outdoorsman; I do a lot of bowhunting, fishing, gardening, cutting wood, and just about anything that has to do with being outside, in the woods, or on the water. I also enjoy reading (even though I don’t have much time to do it) but I like books that will help make me a better person. No fiction for this guy. Obviously, I spend a lot of time exercising (more on that shortly) but I devote much of my time to being the best dad and husband I can be.
Exercise is a huge part of my life. I started running while playing collegiate baseball and HATED it. When I was done, I swore I’d never run again. Turns out, when you like beer as much as I do, running may very well be part of your long-term future. I mostly ran to stay lean, I am not even sure I enjoyed it for many years (oh, I am also rather compulsive, so when I do something, I typically do it well or at least with everything I’ve got, which means I ran even if I didn’t like it). I began keeping data (cuz I am a psychometricist!) and have ridiculous spreadsheet to that dates back more than a decade. I am proud to say that I have pushed each of my kids more than 1200 miles in a jogging stroller when they were young. I have run 8 marathons and one ultra marathon (also a couple years ago, VP Dave and I ran a 40K on trails in Kansas to celebrate my 40th birthday, VP of Technology Anthony joined us for half, then did an insane bike ride). I REALLY enjoy running. I also lift weights; when we finished our basement my awesome wife allowed me to dedicate an entire room as a weight room. Running/exercise is one of the defining characteristics of who I am.
Based on my nature, spirituality, and religious beliefs, it was only a matter of time before I used the activity I love to try to help others. It started with raising money for my nephew’s foundation (Beau’s Beautiful Blessings) and about two years later, Streakers started to take shape. Whereas Holiday Streakers is like a 3rd child to me at this point, I am also involved in other good causes. I head the main fundraiser for my kids’ school’s PTO and help organize a 5K through our church (started when I taught the Run for God curriculum as a bible study) which raises money for On With Life, a brain rehabilitation center here in Ankeny. I have recently joined another organization called Team RunFree, which pairs runners with significantly disabled kids or adults and we push them in local 5K or 10Ks. I give blood every time I am eligible (proud 10 gallon donor here!). I truly believe that every little bit helps, every prayer helps, every person is worth it, and I will always do all I can for our Streakers and recipients.
So thats it, thats me. I am beyond blessed with my life, both with the people that God has positioned in my life and with the skills and drive I have been given to make the most of opportunities. I am a relationship person; I wish I could meet and know each and every one of you. Streaker Nation is incredibly important to me; you all matter. I hope that you take the time to email me or at some point send me a note to let me know more about you. I always want this to feel like a community, even a family, not just a bunch of loosely tied people crazy enough to take on a challenge with a humorous name. I wish you all the best in your Streak this year; Happy Streaking!
-Eric
Dave Basile | Senior Vice President
I am Dave Basile. I am a father of one and VP on the Board of Holiday Streakers. I am crazy about my fiancée, Caroline, who shares a strong interest in wellness with me. I love the active lifestyle and enjoy anything from trail running, biking, rock climbing, snow boarding, to weight training and more. A consistent part of my fitness regimen is running and weight training. Nutrition: keto/low carb and fasting, allowing for carb cycling (aka metabolic flexibility).
-Dave
Anthony Monsees | Vice President of Technology
Hi, I’m Anthony and I’ve been a Holiday Streaker since 2013. When my friend Dave Basile told me about Streakers, I was fascinated by the dual benefit – service to families in need and an opportunity to keep my fitness in check during a period I normally slack. After a couple years of using a manual process for registration, I offered to build a registration and activity logging web site. We launched the site in 2016 and the tracking portion was completed at 1:30am on Thanksgiving Day! (after a few hiccups were resolved, I was especially thankful) This heroic volunteerism promoted me to the Streaker Board and I now serve as Vice President of Technology.
I have been working in the software development industry since 1994 and started my own company, Devware, in 2005. (https://www.devwareapps.com) We focus on building custom software applications for a variety of industries – better software for better organizational performance.
My wife and I live in Kansas City, Missouri. We love to eat (and imbibe) our way through our travels but try to balance that with being active. I enjoy running and have completed 10+ half marathons. I started doing triathlons about 6 years ago and now have completed 15 triathlons including 4 Half Iron-man races.
The Streaker community offers a way to connect with like minded fitness enthusiasts who want to contribute and help others. Thank you for taking the time to “Streak” and let’s see how we can grow this effort together!
Cheers!
-Anthony
Ethan Holly | Treasurer
I am Ethan Holly and I am the Treasurer for Holiday Streakers. My first involvement with Holiday Streakers was as a participant in 2015. My wife discovered the program from a co-worker at Crocker Elementary in the Ankeny School District. While I was happy to donate to the cause, I remained apprehensive of the running commitment! It certainly was not always easy, but I can personally attest to the positive impact Holiday Streakers has had on my own health.
Over the past two years, this program allowed me to help those in need, while also gaining personal fitness benefits. Holiday Streakers represents the spirit from one of my favorite quotes: “Instant gratification and discipline – one stunts your development, the other must be built like muscle. The one you feed determines your path.”
I am a proud graduate of Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa and received a Masters of Accountancy from the University of Northern Iowa. I spent a little over 6 years in public accounting specializing in corporate taxation, before recently transitioning to private accounting. I enjoy the challenge of tackling the complexities of the tax code, which certainly played a role in Eric asking me to be Treasurer!
My wife Bridget and I live in downtown Des Moines. We try to stay active by participating in recreational volleyball and jogging through Gray’s Lake. We both enjoy coaching volleyball, attending farmers markets, and exploring all the great restaurants Des Moines has to offer.
It’s a privilege to be part of the Streaker community and connect with others passionate about improving the local community while staying in shape. I look forward to my involvement with Holiday Streakers and watching the organization thrive!
Regards,
-Ethan
Josh Lundahl | Secretary
I am Josh Lundahl, I am the Secretary and an original STREAKER! I live in Ankeny, Iowa with my wife, Stacy, my 10 year old daughter, Addison and my 8 year old son, Bryson. I am originally from Sioux City, Iowa and have lived in Ankeny since 2001.
I work for Ankeny Public Schools as a School Social Worker and have done so for 9 years. I have served all the buildings in Ankeny at some point in those years and believe it is a great place to be as a professional and for students. My work consists of supporting families and students so that they can be successful in their personal and academic lives. Sometimes this is support with resources, guidance, crisis, and behavioral interventions. I have worked in social work roles since 2001 when I worked in residential treatment with teens, then a few years in child protection, and now in the schools. The schools is a wonderful balance of supporting those in need and seeing huge numbers of successful students each day. The kids making it awesome everyday!
Working for the school also comes with the great benefit of being home in the summer and all breaks with my kids. I have always wanted to be a great father to my children and I struggle like all parents, but I am so glad I get to spend so much time with them. I spend a lot of time coaching. This year alone I coached a house league hockey team, a travel hockey team, and a baseball team. I love being active and creating the love of sports for all kids. I also spend a lot of time around the house doing projects and would like to believe I am capable of doing about anything (or YouTube it and figure it out).
Unlike some of the other members of the board (Eric in particular) I do not love to exercise. I do like to be healthy and I love to play sports, which is how I get my exercise. I still play hockey at least once a week year round and absolutely love it. When the streak comes along each year it is always a great motivator to kick it in gear and do a little running. I typically run the Living History farms off-road race each year so this helps me get moving in the right direction. I loved the idea of the Streak the first time Eric brought it to my attention. As we both work with behavior of students and adults we understand the importance of setting routines and following through with them – we have seen the Streak do this for so many members and it is something to be proud of to help any individual be a healthier version of themselves.
Eric and I have known each other for many years and are driven to help others and this is just another venture he has created and grown with the help of many others. I am excited about some new additions and love the connectedness of the group to serve others. The Holiday Streak is a great reminder to all of us to remind ourselves daily of the blessings that have been sat in front of us. To exercise, to do it with a group to support other individuals in our community. Being a part of the Holiday Streaker community and part of the Board has been a privilege that I am so grateful for. I hope to hear many stories on our journey this year through the streak. Happy Streaking and thank you for being a part of our community.
-Josh