Board of Directors
Jyl Backman - With three boys involved in gymnastics, Jyl and her family have been immersed in the sport for over eight years. Jyl is active in supporting two competitive men’s programs at two gyms in the Puget Sound area. Jyl’s philosophy is that building strong relationships and maintaining communication amongst dedicated parents, gymnasts, and coaches, locally, are essential for men’s gymnastics to flourish regionally and nationally. Jyl brings to the board a degree in accounting and is thrilled to contribute her experience to benefit The Iron Cross Foundation.
Norma Irish is a Tacoma, Washington entrepreneur who has owned her own business for over five years. Her gymnastics background extends back 13 years when her daughter became involved in the sport. Currently her oldest son is a level 8 gymnast at the Lakewood Family YMCA. She has been very involved with her son’s gymnastics booster club, serving in many capacitates, currently as Vice-President and for the last three years Norma has been a Washington Men’s Gymnastics Judge. Along with her intimate understanding of the sport, Norma brings a great deal of energy and organization to the Iron Cross Foundation.
Logan E.S.Z. Melander
(Founder) became acquainted with the sport of gymnastics at the age
of 18 months old when his parents signed him up for Tiny Tots
tumbling classes at the YMCA to save their furniture and their
sanity. He is an avid baseball fan and still juggles playing
baseball as a switch-hitting catcher with the end of the competitive
season. Logan is also an accomplished flutist and active in his
church youth group.
Logan has been involved with fundraising to help defray the cost of
his own competitive gymnastics experience since the age of six. He
has also solicited sponsors for teammates at the YMCA who could not
compete without financial support. The generous support of others
has provided him with the opportunity to participate in the USAG
Future Stars program (including the chance to compete at the Olympic
Training Center in Colorado Springs) and both the YMCA and USAG
National Championships. The Iron Cross Foundation is Logan’s way to
give back to other deserving gymnasts a portion of what has been
given to him.
Timothy J. Melander has been directly connected to competitive men’s gymnastics for the past 8 years. His connection to the sport has grown as his son has. As a fundraising coordinator for his son’s booster club, Tim has been instrumental in coordinating with local businesses to provide donations, advertising and sponsorship support for local and state gymnastics meets, auctions, as well as individual gymnasts with financial need.
Tim brings to the board a diverse educational background and work experience with children and youth. A graduate of the University of Montana with degrees in History, Political Science, and Theology, he has the ability to view issues from a variety of angles. He has worked for nearly two decades as an early childhood educator at a Montessori academy and has volunteered in a mentoring program for adolescents, continuing to mentor teens even into adulthood. This diverse experience with children and youth provides the board with a practical perspective on the population served by the Iron Cross Foundation.
John N. Miller is the father of a level 7 gymnast and admittedly never paid much attention to any sport until his sons involvement in gymnastics. Now he is an ardent fan. John is a television Producer/Director who has created a number of award winning programs and videos over his 20 year career in the industry. He has a great deal of background in organization and management having supervised the production operations at both a CBS Network affiliate and a Seattle Independent television station. Currently he is a Production Coordinator with TV Tacoma, the City's government access channel, where he oversees the daily production operations and programming. John has been active in the Boy Scouts of America for the last nine years where he has been able to combine his love for the outdoors with his desire to give back to his community. His technological and computer expertise is also a great asset to this organization.
Duston A. Roark, MSW was originally inspired to be a gymnast by the 1984 Olympics. He has been participating in sport off and on ever since. He was been a competitive gymnast for 2 years and was in the top 10 at state both years. He is now coaching a girl’s team and judging in the boys JO program; and has also coached recreational programs, cheerleading, and developed a boys program while he was in St. Louis. For him sitting on the board of ICF is the next logical progression is his work with gymnastics. He completed his MSW at Washington University in St. Louis where his concentration was non-profit management. Duston also has a lot of experience working with fund-raising and community outreach.
Karen Zediker, Ph.D. – President of the Board, Karen was honored in 2007 with the Scott Morrow Service Award by the Men’s gymnastics coaches and judges in Washington State. She has served the men’s gymnastics community as a parent volunteer, local and national meet organizer, and is a USAG Professional member and active men’s NGJA judge in the state of Washington. As the parent of a certain level 9 gymnast, she has had the opportunity to meet gymnasts and their families from around the country – and one of the things she values about men’s gymnastics is the camaraderie that exists among the greater gymnastics family.
Outside of the gym, Karen helps support her son’s gymnastics dreams as a professor of communication. Her passion for teaching and learning center around dialogue, ethics, and conflict management - and she enjoys the opportunity to engage with others as they improve their own communication skills. Karen also has a small consulting business providing communication training, education, and services to individuals and organizations.
