Secretariat Bios

Alexander Rodewald is the Secretary-General of NWMUN-Seattle 2026, after having served in this capacity for both NWMUN-Seattle 2024 and NWMUN-Portland 2025.  Alexander served as a staff member at NWMUN conferences in the distant past of 2007-2009, and after 12 years away returned to NWMUN in the 2021-2022 academic year. He participated in MUN as a high school and college student, before serving on several conference staffs as a committee Assistant Director and Director. This will be his third time as a Secretary-General, and sixth overall time on the Executive Secretariat.

Outside of MUN, Alexander owns and operates a small business in Vancouver, WA, and spends his free time with his children, woodworking, being a snob about books and coffee, and enjoying the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Kiran Nieves-Noel is the Director-General of NWMUN-Seattle 2026. She graduated from East Tennessee State University in 2024 with a B.A. in International Affairs and Chinese Studies, where she served as President of the Model United Nations organization and helped organize collegiate and high school conferences. Her approach to MUN emphasizes collaboration, thoughtful debate, and helping delegates build confidence in diplomacy. NWMUN-Seattle 2026 is her fifth conference as a staff member, having served on Committee Staff three times and served as Director-General of NWMUN-Portland 2026.

Outside of MUN, Kiran has served as Executive Chair of the fifth China-America Student Conference and as an intern with International Student Conferences, supporting academic and cultural exchange between American and Chinese students. She also works with the National Association for Black Engagement with Asia, highlighting Black engagement across the region. Raised as a military child, she developed an early appreciation for cross-cultural connection. She brings that perspective to NWMUN, where she hopes to help students find common ground across different experiences and turn meaningful dialogue into cooperative solutions. 

Finn Kurtz is a lifelong resident of Bellingham, Washington, graduating from Sehome High School in 2020. Finn began attending NWMUN conferences in 2021 as a member of the Western Washington University International Affairs Association. After graduating from WWU in 2024 with BAs in history and political science, Finn became a volunteer staff member for NWMUN conferences in 2024 and 2025. This is their first time in the executive secretariat.

Finn works as a paraeducator in the Bellingham School District. In college, Finn was in leadership of the local chapters of Hillel and the Society of Professional Journalists and served as editor-in-chief of The Front. He is also the secretary of the progressive non-profit Community First Whatcom and secretary of Whatcom County DSA. In their free time, Finn enjoys watching movies, pub trivia, reading comics, and writing. 

Guylaen "Guy" O'Connor is the Assistant Secretary-General for Outreach of NWMUN-Seattle 2026. This is his twelfth NWMUN conference, including two years in the Conference Services team, one conference on the Simulations Team, and seven times as a committee staffer before joining the Executive Secretariat for the first time at NWMUN-Portland 2026.

Guylaen was born and raised on Whidbey Island, in Washington State. He earned his Eagle Scout in 2010, and graduated from South Whidbey High School in 2011. He served in the Washington Army National Guard from 2011 to 2017, and in a Reserve unit at Joint Base Lewis-McChord from 2017 to 2019. Formerly, he was the Sustainable Transportation Lead at Central Washington University, and a Chapter leader of the Electric Vehicle Association. He is completing his Master’s Degree in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies (NPTS) this December, with specializations in Threat Intelligence and the French language from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey. He is a founding member of the Bay Area Wikipedians User Group, where he recently celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Wikipedia at the San Francisco Public Library. 

David Bolles is the Assistant Secretary-General for Conference Services at NWMUN-Seattle 2026. He joined the conference services team at NWMUN-Seattle 2024, and then served as Assistant Secretary-General for Conference Services at NWMUN-Seattle 2025 and NWMUN-Portland 2026 before continuing in the position this conference.