Board of Directors
2025 KARC Board of Directors
Club Officers
Nachiketa Anand
President
Nachiketa has been a director for the second half of 2021 and as an Officer, i.e., KARC’s Secretary since January 2022 and President since January 2024 to present. She has been involved with KARC in some volunteer capacity since joining the group in 2018. I have been involved with KARC in some volunteer capacity since joining the group in 2018. My running journey had a rough start. After my first run, ~0.1 mile run down the block, I was out of breath and thoroughly baffled as to why I could work out in the gym for 2 hours but not run down the block! I started to run a little bit at a time and was proud of myself when I ran my first 2 miles. That was in 2008. After that, I would run few miles per month for the next 5 years until I took my first leap and registered for the Blue Bell Fun Run 10k, which I completed in 68 minutes. This brought on a dream that if I could run a 10k after having run my first 6 miles the week of the of the 10k then I could definitely do a marathon! I knew that I needed discipline, structure and support to achieve my goal. My search led to KARC, which I joined in spring of 2018. Since then, I have completed several half and 5 full marathon and am looking forward to running many more. With KARC, not only have I found the discipline to train but also a wonderful group of friends. I am an avid supporter of fitness / active lifestyle and encourage my friends and anyone I meet to take up what they enjoy. In addition to running, I enjoy hiking with friends and visiting new places. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you. |
James Ingram
Vice President
James has been a member of KARC since its founding in 2016. He’s lived in Katy since 2009 and has been shuffling around the South Katy bayou trails since 2012 when he was forced to decide between eating less and getting more some exercise. Among his favorite things to do while running is complain about how hot the weather is (year-round), post too many sunrise pictures on his Strava feed, and draft off runners who are faster than him (also does this while cycling). James decided to run for a board position after realizing many of his favorite people are runners and that he may not have met them without this amazing running community. He would like to help others find their new favorite people by giving back to the community in whatever way he can. James is an Operations Manager for an oilfield services company, so organizing projects and people is something he has a lot of experience with. He is hopeful those skills can be useful in helping KARC fulfill its mission of connecting runners. James and his wife Jen have 4 wonderful children and are excited for their oldest to be graduating from high school this year. As a family they enjoy long road trips, visiting national parks, and fulfilling their dream of trying every hamburger joint in the greater Houston area.
Michael Roberts
Treasurer
I’ve been a runner all my life and can remember running across the neighborhood in my youth before I had my first bicycle. It wasn’t until my early 20’s that I began running more than a mile at a time. I decided to run my first marathon in 1983 just one day before the race. I didn’t pay attention to the weather forecast and ended up running through a typhoon during the second half of the race. I immediately fell in love with running the marathon distance but did not understand anything about marathon training; I simply ran because I enjoyed it. I fell out of running during the 90’s and 00’s due to family, home, and career but decided to run The Woodlands Marathon in 2016 after a 28-year absence from racing. It wasn’t until joining KARC in 2017 that I learned what a “long run” is. Being a member of KARC has made a significant difference in my running, training, racing, and life in general. Where else could I (or anyone else) go for so much inspiration, motivation, encouragement, knowledge, accountability, comradery, and fun? These same benefits are available to every member and have helped me complete many races ranging from 5Ks to marathons to ultramarathons to Ironman triathlons. I’ve experienced many high points as well as low points over the years. I’ve learned a lot of lessons the hard way. Now it’s my turn to give back to the local running community and I’d like to do that by serving on the KARC Board of Directors. I have been a Katy resident since 2002. I have been married to my beautiful bride, Jean, since 1988 and together we have one daughter who just gave birth to our first grandchild in 2023. I retired from an accounting/finance career in the energy industry and have served as Treasurer for a local youth soccer club and a local church.
Dennis Shaw
Secretary
Ever since I was a little boy, my dream in life has been to be a board member of a prestigious running club – and now you have the power to make my dream come true. I tell people that decades ago I began as a fitness runner to keep the weight off, and that I just naturally progressed to marathoning. But no sane person would have run 25+ marathons and ultras, and untold shorter distances just due to the love of running. No, my plan all along has been to meet as many fellow runners as possible to try and secure a board seat. Over the decades, I’ve been a member of and helped manage several different running groups. But sadly, none of these other groups had a management structure that included a board; so, my quest has gone unfulfilled. If elected, I promise not to abuse the many perks that come with being a board member. I will endeavor to be of service to the club’s members, and work to help them attain their dreams – because sometimes, dreams do come true.
Nicole Leclair
Director
Nicole has been a member of KARC since January of 2021 but has been a part of the Katy running community since she moved to Texas in 2011. Nicole has been a runner for most of her life, but primarily for shorter distances. In high school, she thought the 2-mile time trial for the field hockey team was cruel and unusual punishment. Since moving to Texas from Maine, Nicole has completed two full marathons, more than two dozen half marathons, and various 25, 15, 10, and 5Ks. She has been a part of multiple Ragnar and TIR teams, as well as several virtual challenges like running 2015 miles in 2015. Nicole is a pharmacologist and works as a Senior Benefit Analyst with OptumRX. In her free time, she enjoys baking, hence her nickname Cupcake, reading, and snuggling her kitties, Puck & Beau. Nicole is no stranger to volunteering her time to nonprofits. She also volunteers with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. In 2021 she committed more than 300 hours of her time to her leadership role within her committee. Nicole has decided has to take this opportunity to bring her experience in serving others to help the club expand its inclusiveness and represent the interests of this varied community.
Jacob Thymann Nielsen
Director
I started running in 1987 while serving in the Danish army, mostly forest orienteering in Denmark and Scandinavia and a select few road half marathons. After relocating to Houston in 2009 I moved to road racing after literally running into a runner group in Terry Hershey Park and caught the marathon bug. First full marathon was CHM 2014 and still working on adding more to that list. Now at 7 marathons and 39 HM’s. Running the Texas Independence Relay has also been an annual highlight together with some trail running sprinkled in here and there. I believe that running is about maintaining good health and creating good stories to share afterwards and, most importantly, having fun while doing all of it together with people that we appreciate. KARC brings out those qualities and I hope to represent that.
Jennifer Dumas
Director
Jen has been an active member of the Katy community for over 27 years. She has been a member of Tri Crew Cinco Ranch (10 years), Gotta Run (2 years), and KARC (3 years). She is an Ironman, has participated in 10 marathons and countless 13.1, 10k, and 5k events. She has volunteered for many races & charities; some include Ironman, Houston Marathon, Katy ISD, Ballard House, CAPS and Brookwood Community. She is passionate about cooking pancakes for the Katy fitness community and thrives on making people feel welcome and connected. She is an Aggie, works full time in IT, has 2 daughters (one off the payroll – yay!), 2 lunatic cats and an awesome dog.
Gina Shannon
Director
Hi y’all! My name is Gina Shannon, and I have been a KARC member since 2019. You probably know me as the one with her music on while running with the Mavericks. I have trained for several half marathons and am now working toward Chevron as my first full. I do this while being married to my husband, working, raising a son and daughter, and loving our three dogs. I have also met many wonderful friends through KARC and have miles of memories.
As enthused about running as we all are, I am also passionate about runner safety and ensuring no runners are left behind. I was a previous Mavericks PGC, so I naturally take the lead whenever called. As a KARC Board Director, I would like to increase our awareness of safety, to make all members feel welcome, and to help KARC grow through events and connections with other communities.
KARC means a lot to me, so THANK YOU for your vote! I will see you out on the roads!!
Sean O’Connor
Director
In early 2019, It came to pass that I had plenty time on my hands but not being entirely bonkers, a half marathon seemed like a goal to work towards. I got a book called “The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer” and figured I could just ignore the “crazy” marathon part. Little did I know. Around May I joined KARC. I ran my first 10k race (Karbach 4th of July). I started doing the KARC Saturday long runs and gradually made connections with other runners. Then somehow my name and my money were entered in the Houston Marathon. I had joined the crazies – started long runs, Track Tuesdays, Bagel Thursdays, etc.. Marathon 2020 day arrived. Someone told us first timers, “you have done all the training so you CAN finish a Marathon, the only question is how much pain you will be in.” He was right.
Shortly after the marathon, the world as we knew it had ended. KARC group runs were off the table. Luckily for me Kim invited me to join her and Denise to do a short run Monday to Thursday mornings. Eventually, Mary, Hongmei, and Lisa joined us. In May we ran 60 miles in one week (including a marathon) to celebrate my 60th birthday. Now I’ve done seven marathons and a half Iron-man.
Being a part of KARC has been a true blessing. I love the community and have great friends. I’m glad I’m able to give back as a pace-group coordinator and with your votes as a Director-at-Large.
Rebeca “Becky” Agoglia
Director
I grew up in a typical middle class, where I spent my days at my father’s church, where he is a Pastor, surrounded by music and arts. In college, I pursued a law degree, became a lawyer and then went on to do a master’s in criminal law. I worked in the state prosecutor’s office, specializing in cases involving homicides, femicides, kidnapping and torture. Then life brought me to the US! As many of us experienced in 2020, losing loved ones, friends, and acquaintances, created a profound sense of loss and it was during this challenging period that I discovered running as a meaningful and fulfilling activity. In 2022, I as diagnosed with high blood pressure and what followed was significant lifestyle change. Through this journey, I discovered that running was the most effective way to achieve my health and wellness goals. On July 23,2022, I participated in my first Saturday long run with the Katy Area Running Club and from then on everything changed. In 2023, I made my debut as a marathoner, and I have since run 26.2-mile distance 4 times already. In March 2024, achieved a Boston qualifying time in my first year of competition. I actively volunteer as a water stop volunteer, driving around in my tiny car with the 4 water containers and yes, I secure the water container with a seat belt! I have participated in team competitions for the last 2 years both at the Texas Independent Relay and Ragnar Race. The role I seek to develop on the board is that of social media coordinator, promoting information related to our sport and our club, attending events and sharing the experiences in the platform in a dynamic way and demonstratively so truth that all athletes can and be brought together in peace, kindness and integrity regardless of the greatness of the challenge. Becky has graciously stepped in to manage KARC’s Instagram account and has been actively engaging with the running community, other interested party, and has managed to increase KARC’s visibility in the stratosphere by 3-5 fold! She is continuously looking for ways to improve the Instagram account.