Meet Our Board of Directors



Meet the dedicated team that helps keep Bayport Marina running!


Commodore | Meredith Pederson 

My husband Eric and I have been members at Bayport Marina for sixteen years.  Our weekend address from May-September is A-10 aboard MER “N” ER. We have a son (David) and a daughter (Michelle) that are both married, living in Arizona and England, respectively.

I am vastly experienced in project/program management, working with a team on research/development/planning and working out solutions to current and future problems for conflict resolution. In addition, I am an experienced trainer and educator in business (private and public), high school/college assessment and long range strategic planning.


Vice Commodore | John Gagich

My wife, Nancy, and I began boating on the St. Croix River in 2010 after having boated on Lake Minnetonka for three years.  We rented several slips at Bayport Marina over the next four years (B28, A6 and A7) until we got the itch to buy a slip and ended up at Sunnyside in 2013.  We weathered all the wakes and construction of the new bridge while admiring the Mimi and dreaming about our eventual return to Bayport Marina.  It has been a great journey.  Along the way we bought a 411 Meridian and in 2018 became the proud owners of slip B-22.  We live in Chanhassen, MN, and Bayport Marina has been our staycation destination.  You will always find Nancy and me along with our two beautiful granddaughters, Abby (6 years) and Anna (3 years), and our children, Lauren, Courtney and Brooke, enjoying the marina and its amenities.  We love Bayport Marina and feel that this is our home away from home!


Secretary | Erik Westgard 

Erik Westgard (+  Barb Westgard) (Secretary, A48) has been boating forever and was introduced to the St Croix River in about 1976 by Past Commodore Brien Slawik.  He and Brien got the sailing and chartering bug around the time of the America’s Cup (1987).  Erik is ASA certified and has led charters 20 times all over the world and has written charter reports for four sailing different magazines, most recently Blue Water Sailing and Latitude 38.  He is retired as a Principal Consultant from AT&T and also taught boating safety and organized patrols in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary for fifteen years. He still teaches in the MBA Program at Metropolitan State University.  He also volunteers for the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and is Technology Lead for the Loppet Cup 2024. He served as Finance Chair for Eagles 34 in South Minneapolis, which has a bar, restaurant and a live music venue. 


Treasurer | Katy Baune

While newer to the marina as member owners my husband and I have a long history with boating on the river. Both of us spent many years of our childhood cruising the upper Mississippi and St. Croix and are extremely grateful that we can share these childhood experiences with our children. A couple of reasons why Bayport is so special to our family is because my husband has spent many years here with his family becoming owners in ’99, and that this is where our life together began with having our first date here. A few years later, we were married here, right on the point where we had our first date.  My husband, Kyle, and I have two little boys, Leo (4) and Eli (2.5). The boys love spending time on the boat and as a family and we thoroughly enjoy all the amenities and quality service the marina has to offer. We truly believe Bayport is the best marina that you can find.

I have spent my recent years working for a Fortune 250 Financial Services company in Minneapolis as a Sr. Technical Product Owner. I have spent the majority of my career in Financial Services industry in the Information Technology space. Throughout my career journey, I have enjoyed blending together my expertise in leadership, financial services and technology.


Rachael Harvey

I’ve been a boater since I was 12 years old and love it.  I’m a member of the St. Paul Sail and Power Squadrons and am a Vessel Safety Examiner.  I am a full time real estate agent and work in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida.  I serve on the Board of Trustees for the Zephyr Theatre in Stillwater and am a National Ski Patrol at Afton Alps, and an Ambassador for the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce.


Bryan Wilkinson

I am a general manager and senior executive who has been advising global insurance companies for over 20 years. My practice is dedicated to the restructuring of the operations and information technology functions. I am currently employed by Accenture as a managing director for its financial services practice. I also serve as a volunteer, vessel safety examiner, and audit committee member for the U.S. Coast Guard – Auxiliary. 

The Twin Cities have been my home for over 45 years. I am a graduate of the University of Minnesota and hold a B.S. and M.B.A. I currently reside in Edina, MN with my wife and three sons.


Don Grimm

I was born in California. Then at a young age our family moved to Minnesota, where I grew up in Isanti. After high school, I spent four years in the Navy, of that three and a half were on a nuclear submarine. It built my nautical expertise, work ethic and contributed to my love of the water. During my Navy career I was stationed in Norfolk, VA. I returned to Minnesota after my service, where I began my manufacturing career and obtained my college degree.

For over forty years I have worked in manufacturing, most of those years in leadership and engineering roles. I have and continue to work on strategic, tactical, and capital projects. I build teams to succeed. I love hearing from past employees and how they leveraged some of my shared knowledge in their new career opportunities. I collaborate with teams at all levels of structure, to align with priorities and ensure buy‐in from all parties, so that the project or initiative has the best opportunity for success. I have two children, Amanda and Andy, they are married and live in the cities. My wife, Kathryn, and I live in Hopkins and enjoy spending our summer weekends at Bayport Marina. I have been boating recreationally for over 25 years.


Dave Peterka

My name is Dave Peterka, and I am interested in becoming a member of the BMA Board of Directors. Previously I was a member of the Board in the role of treasurer for the years 2014-2020. Originally, I wanted to become a member because I wanted to understand more about BMA and how finances (both current and projected) played out. My two terms as treasurer accomplished that.

We purchased our slip A-12 in 2001, leased it out through 2015 and started occupying it in 2016 with our boat, “Croixsening”. I have been boating on the St. Croix River since 1965 when my family moved to Stillwater and built a home in Croixside, North of Stillwater. After graduating Stillwater High School in 1969, then Hamline University in 1973, I entered the banking industry for the next 43 years, retiring in 2016. We lived on the west side of the Twin Cities since 1976, then moved back to Stillwater in 2018. My wife Debby, my avid boating partner of 42 years, passed away in 2021. These days, my children and grandchildren frequently join me boating on the St. Croix.

I believe Bayport Marina is a great “resort” for everyone to hang out and enjoy during the boating season. The office and service staff is incredible, responsive, and truly engaged. And, with the number of social gatherings that have occurred over the last couple years (and projected), the experience continues to improve!


Jim Geisler

My name is Jim Geisler, and I am interested in becoming a member of the BMA Board of Directors. I am recently widowed after 50 years of marriage and have two kids and seven grandchildren who like to spend time with me on the boat at BMA. I became an owner in 2020. I am a small business owner in the commercial sound system industry going on 50 years. I am semi-retired, so I am enjoying having extra time to spend at the marina. Some more information about me is I am an Eagle Scout, a Vietnam Veteran, as well as an electronics technician.

I have a lot of different hobbies such as being a musician (sort of), boating, cars, motorcycles, photography, videos, web design (a while back), and I like to consider myself a semi-talented handyman. Having spent most of my boating years in a substandard marina, I realize and appreciate the fantastic organization and facilities at Bayport Marina. Besides helping with the operation of the marina, I am interested in helping to ensure its future success and stability.