Club Leadership - Albany Pickleball Club

Jim Abbot, President and Rally in the Valley Coordinator

Oregon born, Jim lived in a small town on the coast until he went off to boarding school and then a couple of colleges until landing at Oregon State University where he met his wife, Sue. Retired from the Linn-Benton-Lincoln ESD after working 23 years as a programmer for the Oregon school system. Notable achievements include creating and directing the Gobbler’s Revenge running event for 15 years and also the Albany Beer Run for the Lions Club until retiring from both events recently. Jim’s current passion is to continue to make the Albany area a great place to play pickleball and to promote youth pickleball in Albany!

The picture on the right shows an injured Jim on an Alaskan Cruise. Was he playing pickleball as the ship hit a big wave?

Jon Killinger, Vice President

Jon has been a part of Albany for a long time. It is his hometown. He attended Albany High School and Oregon State University. He serves the Albany area in multiple ways. He is currently the Financial Manager for City Church. Jon has also been a project manager for ServInc, a volunteer organization that brings together local churches, sponsors and volunteers for an annual day of service in the Albany community.

Jon has been with the pickleball club since its inception. He has participated ways, including serving on the board, helping teach new members about pickleball, and being part of level-up clinics to help people improve their skills to get to the next level.

Stewart Taylor, Treasurer

Stewart worked as the Finance Director for the City of Albany for 11 years before retiring in 2018. He has been a part of the Albany Pickleball Club since the beginning. When asked why he ran for Treasurer he said: “Cheryl Hultberg told me quite a while ago that we should all plan to take a turn on the board. I felt that was a good idea then and I still do. We have plenty of very capable members that can continue to add value to our club. I enjoy the exercise of pickleball but that is probably secondary to the friendships I have made. What a great group of people. Zero, Zero, Two.”

Ron Post, Secretary

Ron is a more recent member of the Albany Pickleball Club, joining in 2023 after participating in a beginners clinic to learn pickleball. He works in Corvallis as a Quality Assurance Specialist at NuScale Power, and OSU NIST Quality Manager.

When asked why he stays, he indicated he first came for exercise and to see if this was game he could play into eventual retirement. He has stayed because of the camaraderie of the club members and the combination of great fun along with friendly competition.

Omar Khan, League and Ladder Coordinator

Omar has been with the club for four years. He is an active member and particularly enjoys helping others by setting up league and ladder play to improve skills. He is also currently working on his certification as a pickleball instructor / coach. Other club members of the club describe Omar as kind and very encouraging. He is always available to help beginners and, though he is a 4.5 player, is willing to play with anyone and help them to improve.

Outside of the Albany Pickleball Club, Omar also serves as a Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the Albany Tennis Club. His profession is as a IT Service Desk Engineer with extensive experience managing hardware, software, and network-related issues. He is also a U.S. Army veteran.

Maggie Lynch, Beginner Coordinator and Webmaster

Maggie started playing pickleball four years ago. She was looking for a way to get into a regular exercise program that was fun but wouldn’t kill a 69 year old who hadn’t done anything athletic for the past 40 years. She often says she believes pickleball has saved her life. She’s the most fit she’s ever been. Most of all she loves the combination of competition to keep her learning and improving, while maintaining fun and building friendships.

Why a beginner coordinator position? She said, “I remember how scary it was to come onto the courts and be the only one who didn’t know what was going on. In spite of taking a few lessons, the first time in a real game made me question my sanity. Playing is very different from drilling. Is 69 too late in life to learn this? But everyone was kind, helpful, and made it fun. Once I got past that 2.5 level, I knew I wanted to help other beginners in the same way.”

With a technical background and some knowledge of website development, she volunteered to update the club’s website with an aesthetic that may help people find things easier and keep up-to-date with what’s happening with pickleball around our region.

When she’s not playing pickleball, Maggie’s daily life includes working on her next novel (she has more than 20 published), going to gigs with her musician husband, and trying to convince two cats that they are not in charge of the household.

For corrections or suggestions about the website send an email to Maggie here.

Monika Niebuhr

I was born and raised right here in Albany Oregon. My mother was an immigrant from Austria. Many family visits to Europe have molded a great appreciation for history, architecture and family; no matter where they are! The bulk of my family is in Austria and Switzerland with 11 first cousins in Europe. I have one first cousin here in the good old U S of A.

I graduated from OSU in biochemistry and bio-physics. Can’t say I specifically have used what I studied, but aspects from that education certainly helped my 31 year career at HP. I was a Process Technician managing defect control, identification and tracing sources of contaminants.

Prior to that my social skills and self confidence bloomed as a bar and grill manager/owner and earlier a construction supply sales person. I retired 2 1/2 years ago from HP. It was at that time that I started playing pickle ball regularly. I’ve really grown to enjoy the sport, the camaraderie and the new friendships. Still working on gaining skills!!

If you have questions or ideas about upcoming club-specific events for members, please contact Monika via the Contact form on this site.