ABOUT
Director, Jessica (Burr) Lemaire
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Jessica Lemaire, who goes by Burr lives in Nome Alaska with her husband Tim Lemaire. Burr and Tim own a small kennel about 13 miles outside of Nome. Both Tim and Jessica were born and raised in Nevada before moving to Alaska, years ago. Burr loves spending time with her dogs, and running them recreationally.
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When not hanging out with her dogs Burr really gets into birding, and pack rafting.
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Vice President, Sarah Richards​
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Sarah started running dogs when she was 13 with a team of border collies in PA. Now, she lives in Nome and has a kennel of 20 Alaskan huskies. She has finished the Goose Bay 150, Willow 150, and T-Dog 200 with her team, and looks forward to continuing to run mid-distance races. Her kennel is Deja Vu Sled Dogs, and she is a club leader for the new Nome Dog Mushing 4-H Club.
Secretary, Diana Haecker
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Diana Haecker was born and raised in Germany, and relocated first to Hawaii in 1996 and then to Alaska in 2002. She has a Masters degree in Japanology, Politics and American History and has been a reporter for 30 years. She is the editor of Alaska's oldest newspaper, The Nugget Newspaper, and she is also the owner of Mushing Magazine.
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Diana lives outside of Nome with her husband, Nils, and their teenage daughter, Lizzy. They own and operate an active sled dog kennel. Nils came to the Great Land for the sole purpose of mushing and has finished the Iditarod four times, ran the Kuskokwim 300, Kobuk 440, Arctic Circle Championships, Fur Rondy and many other races in the state.
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President , Aaron Burmeister
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Born and raised in Nome, Aaron Burmeister began running dogs in NKC events in the 1970s and has since become a respected veteran of the sport, with eight Top-10 finishes in the Iditarod. With decades of experience, Aaron brings a wealth of knowledge and insight into what it takes to train and maintain a successful dog team.
Treasure, Drew Mccan
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Drew McCann serves as Treasurer on the Nome Kennel Club Board of Directors, bringing a deep personal connection to the mushing community and Alaska’s wilderness traditions. His ties to Nome run through his family: Drew’s cousin, Scotty, is married to Iditarod finisher Bridgett Watkins, and through them he has longstanding connections to legendary mushers Aliy Zirkle and Allen Moore. Living around these relationships—and the culture of mushing they embody—helped shape Drew’s appreciation for the history, grit, and community spirit that define mushing and the Norton Sound region. As an avid outdoorsperson, Drew values access to Alaska’s remote wilderness not only for recreation, but for the role it plays in cultural preservation and personal renewal. He believes strongly in maintaining historic trails, supporting responsible land use, and ensuring future generations can experience the same wild landscapes that shaped those before them. In his role as Treasurer, Drew is committed to strengthening the organization’s financial stewardship while supporting the programs, races, and trail systems that uphold Nome’s mushing legacy.
