Mary Engle named to WhidbeyHealth board

Published 1:30 am Friday, July 31, 2026

Former Island County Assessor Mary Engle, who also served as the county’s planning director, is the newest board member of the WhidbeyHealth public hospital district.

The four remaining board members interviewed three candidates before appointing Engle during a public meeting Tuesday. The seat became vacant after Dr. Mark Borden resigned. Borden was the third member of the five-person board to resign this year, leaving a majority of the board made up of appointed rather than elected members.

The other finalists were Dr. Dennis Rochier, an experienced physician who ran for the board in the last election, and Jack Schwab, who has more than 30 years of experience in the management consulting industry.

During her interview with the board, Engle said she had previously considered running for a hospital board position but decided to step away from politics for a while. More recently, however, she said she was impressed “to see the collaboration and the changes that have been made in the hospital.” She pointed to the hospital’s recent audit, which had no findings, as evidence of that progress.

Engle, a lifelong Whidbey resident, said her family uses WhidbeyHealth and that both of her children were born at the hospital.

“I’ve had great experiences,” she said, “but I also have heard from people who haven’t had great experiences.”

Engle acknowledged that she has no healthcare background but said she brings other strengths to the board.

“I’m really good at solving problems,” she said.

Engle said she was serving as the elected county assessor when county commissioners asked her to become planning director. Although she had no planning experience, county commissioners selected her because she had built a strong team in the assessor’s office, Engle said. She said she worked to improve staff morale and rebuild the department.

Engle will join board members who are relatively new to the board but not to healthcare. Board President Marion Jouas, a registered nurse who served 21 years in the Air Force, was elected in November 2023, while Dr. Kirk Gasper, who retired from the Navy as a captain, was elected last November.

As for appointed members, Katherine Nelson is an attorney with experience in health law, and Marcy Shimada has more than 40 years of experience in healthcare leadership.

The recent turnover stems from an unprecedented board meeting in January. During the meeting, board members James Golder, James Canby and Dr. Mark Borden voted to fire CEO Nathan Staggs and remove Marion Jouas as board president. After hospital medical staff filled the room and spoke forcefully in support of Staggs, the board reversed both decisions. Golder and Canby resigned days later, while Borden remained on the board until his recent resignation.