Meet the Board
Richard Lobel
President
Once a successful attorney with a bright political future and a loving family, Richard watched it all slip away to a gambling addiction. In 1991 he started attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings. Through much hard work and a program of recovery Gamblers Anonymous helped him get his life back. Today, he is a tireless advocate for treatment, training, and awareness because he knows that recovery can be achieved and maintained. Richard joined ECPG’s Board in 1999. He enjoys an active and full life again, working as a Senior Trainer for a Seattle-based multinational law firm. In his spare time, he enjoys woodworking, nature photography, reading, and learning to play as many instruments as he can. He served as Area Trustee for Washington at the Board of Gamblers Anonymous and contributes regularly to Humane Societies and the Sierra Club.
Charles Maurer, Ph.D.
Vice President
Dr. Maurer is a clinical psychologist and certified gambling counselor. Dr. Maurer became a member of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) in 1979. He was the founding president of the Washington State Council on Problem Gambling in 1991 (renamed the Evergreen Council/ECPG). Currently, Dr. Maurer serves as Vice President of the Evergreen Council and President of the National Council on Problem Gambling. In June 2009, he received the Dr. Robert Custer Award for Lifetime Achievement from the National Council. He is active on a number of local and national levels to assist problem gamblers and their families.
David Malone
Secretary/Treasurer
Dave Malone has spent the past 11 years as an attorney in gaming law, advising clients on internet gaming ventures and gaming projects in Canada, Mexico, and more than 15 U.S. states. In Washington State, he represents clients in licensing and administrative proceedings before the Washington State Gambling Commission, Washington State Liquor Control Board, and Tribal Gaming Agencies. Well versed in government relations and administrative law, Mr. Malone also spent five years as an Assistant Attorney General in Washington, working on such issues as forest management, aquatic lands, and salmon recovery. He joined the ECPG Board in 2008, recognizing that that industry he now works for provides entertainment to most people, but it can be problematic for others.
Dolores Chiechi
Member
As the Executive Director and lobbyist for the Recreational Gaming Association (RGA), Dolores Chiechi serves and represents non-tribal card room licensees, employees and the vendors that service the industry. Ms. Chiechi helped develop legislation to fund the state’s problem gambling program and is now Chair of the state’s Problem Gambling Advisory Committee. She also is past president of the Washington Society of Association Executives. Her lobbying skills and industry expertise have made her a valuable asset to the ECPG Board, where she has served since 2007.
Lincoln Ferris
Member
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Lincoln rose quickly to become a business owner and community activist with a special interest in prevention work. A civic leader, Lincoln is active in youth programs and economic development, as well as prevention. He served as a vice president for Junior Achievement in Puget Sound before opening his own public relations firm. His largest client, Services Group of America, eventually purchased his company and employed Lincoln as its Vice President of Community Relations. There, he participated in every level of corporate planning and development. In 2001, Lincoln opened his own business again, this time adding corporate strategic planning and lobbying to his list of services. With his diverse knowledge and skills, Lincoln played a key role in helping ECPG and other advocates achieve state funding for problem gambling treatment, training, and awareness.
Ty Lostutter, Ph.D.
Member
For a decade, much of Dr. Lostutter's work at the University of Washington has focused on the etiology, prevention, and treatment of problem gambling and other addictive behaviors. For his Master’s thesis he conducted research on problem gambling among youth and young adults in Viet Nam. The study found that among the of the Vietnamese surveyed, that 53 percent had gambled in the past six months and that 15.1 percent could be classified as at-risk for gambling problems using the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS 3+). He is currently evaluating the efficaciousness of a web-based gambling prevention program for college students in the United States. In addition to problem gambling, Dr. Lostutter also conducts research on substance use, HIV prevention, and cultural issues. Dr. Lostutter joined the Board of the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling in 2007.
Jill Nanpuya
Member
Ms. Nanpuya is a Colville Tribal member born and raised in Omak, Wash. She owned and operated an organic farm for seven years and volunteered in grassroots social justice efforts. Her volunteer work inspired her to earn a bachelor’s degree in Law and Diversity at Western Washington University. She is now a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes Bar Association and spent time as a legal research assistant at the American Indian Law Center, Albuquerque, NM. Currently Ms. Nanpuya works as a policy analyst for the Washington Indian Gaming Association, where she works on national gaming legislation as well as problem gambling issues. She joined the ECPG Board in 2009.
Ruby Takushi, Ph.D.
Member
At the University of Washington's Addictive Behavior Research Center in 1997, Dr. Takushi studied whether a brief intervention for high-risk alcohol use could be effective with students who showed signs of problem gambling. That work brought her into contact for the first time with ECPG and its Board of Directors. Two years later she became a Board Member. Today Dr. Takushi divides her time between her family, ECPG, a part-time private practice in Seattle, an adjunct faculty position at Seattle University, and her role as the Director of Programs for Seattle's Recovery Café. She has a passion for assisting others on the journey to recovery, using a holistic process helping them move toward physical, psychological, social, and spiritual health.