Meet Our Team
Keepers of the Collection
~ Dave & Anna Maria
The Tucker House Inn & Harrison House Suites are the culmination of a dream come true for inn owners Anna Maria de Freitas and David Pass. Having spent years traveling the world as guests at many bed and breakfasts and country inns, the memories of their visits were not only influenced by the amenities that each offered, but by the hospitality of the innkeepers.
Now with the inn as well as the fine dining restaurant, Coho Restaurant, and an off-site catering and special events service, they have grown well beyond their quaint, quiet, relaxing lives as B&B owners.
Before moving to the island in 2005, Dave worked as a software engineer and Anna Maria in public broadcasting. They worked and played hard. What drew them to life as innkeepers was their love of food, wine, and sharing freshly cooked meals using the harvest from their garden.
Since moving to the island, Anna Maria has developed a passion for Pilates as well. Meanwhile, when Dave isn’t down at the restaurant or running errands for the inn, he is renovating their home! Both Anna Maria and Dave are certified scuba instructors and enjoy many other outdoor activities including golfing, hiking, gardening, and downhill skiing. Anna Maria is a classically trained flutist. Dave has taken up flying and puts his hobby to good use year-round flying N8485M for his regular off-island supply missions and procu the freshest seasonal produce from neighboring farms for our breakfast table.
Innkeepers
~ Susan & Glenn Miesch
Director of Pet Relations ~ Porter
Susan and Glenn have been a hospitality team for their 24 years of marriage. They have managed large golf resorts, smaller boutique properties and owned and operated one of the largest holiday light companies in North America. Susan and Glenn only accept positions that are challenging and embrace a fun environment. They have tried retirement three times and always keep coming back to what they know best; exceeding guest expectations. In October 2021, Susan and Glenn returned to San Juan Island Inn Collection, to once again become the Innkeepers. It is hard to catch either one of them without a smile on their faces, which inspires both the team and guests. This time they brought Porter, now a two year old Airedale Terrier, who is Director of Pet Relations.
We feel we have hit the life lottery with our return to good friends, a fantastic team, and a little heaven on earth. We look forward to welcoming you to the island.
Innkeeper
~Patrick
Innkeeper Patrick Klausen came to the SJI Inn Collection in March of 2018. He is originally from Southern California where he graduated from Fountain Valley High School “a long time ago.” He became a resident of the Pacific Northwest when he moved to Spokane in the early 1990s. There he returned to school for a degree in radio broadcasting from Spokane Falls Community College.Patrick was hired by Spokane Public Radio and enjoyed a twenty-plus-year career at the NPR affiliate on both sides of the microphone.
In 2015, Patrick embarked on a one year RV trip and sampled much of the western and southwestern United States. While on that journey Patrick worked in a couple of RV parks as a “work camper,” trading work in the RV park for space rent, and eventually discovered the world of innkeeping. Prior to his arrival in Friday Harbor, he managed a historic bed & breakfast in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, as well as a luxury bed & breakfast in Taos, New Mexico.
Patrick has traversed much of North America and spent time in Belize, Panama, South Korea, Thailand, Europe, Hawaii, and Canada. His greatest memories are of shared experiences with fellow travelers from across the breakfast table, in cooking classes, music jams, or over a choice beverage at a local hangout.
Patrick is a guitarist, singer/songwriter, and our resident on-site musician at the SJI Inn Collection. Inn guests may get to enjoy a house concert or outdoor performance from Patrick during their stay!
Inn Assistant
~Vanessa
San Juan Island local Vanessa Johnson joined the San Juan Island Inn Collection team to assist with innkeeping and kitchen duties.
Vanessa was adopted from Latvia at the age of six and has lived in Friday Harbor for more than 20 years. She considers herself a “horse girl” and has always had a passion for caring for and continues to ride to this day. A year before going off to college in California, in the spring of 2006, Vanessa purchased her own horse and took it with her. Upon returning to San Juan, she’s held a variety of hospitality positions.
Vanessa enjoys puttering around her kitchen late at night. She has been actively involved with San Juan Community Theatre as a stage manager for many years and continues to volunteer as her time allows. You might often even spot her filming events around the island. Music is also one of her joys, and she has been learning to play the trumpet for the past number of years. Vanessa is excited to be a member of the great team at the Tucker House Inn & Harrison House Suites and looks forward to meeting the many guests that arrive this year.
Our Culinary Architect
~ Jessica Bryan
Some of Jessica’s earliest memories involve standing on a chair (so she could reach the counter) to get in on the action in the kitchen. Whether with her mom helping to roll out pasta noodles or at her grandparents’ kitchen sink peeling peaches to can, she has always enjoyed cooking. Her first culinary-related job came when she was 18, cooking out of a little chuckwagon for a summer camp’s horsemanship program. While attending university, she worked at a local bakery and café where she continued to learn new techniques and tips.
When she was unable to get a job in her planned career field after graduation, she fell back on the foodservice industry as a way to pay the bills. Eventually, it dawned on her, however, that the culinary world could be her career! So she attended a two-year vegetarian and vegan culinary arts program for some “official” training, and she has been cooking merrily away ever since.
In her downtime, she has traveled to 11 different countries. Three of her trips involved doing mission work and one was to spend a year in Italy going to school. Locally, she enjoys hiking, beach-combing, and enjoying the beautiful nature of the great PNW. In the evenings, she snuggles up with her cat, Wesley, and escapes into the pages of a good novel.
The Superheroes of Spotlessness
~ Elsa, Geña, Maribel & Maria
Our team of housekeepers are phenomenal! We would not be able to function at a satisfactory level if it wasn’t for their efficiency and skill. They are hardworking and you will never ever hear them complain despite the number of dust bunnies they’ve seen! If you ever see these women working together, you can tell they truly are a team. You can hear their laughter spread throughout the property.
Elsa
Elsa has been the Head Housekeeper at the inn since 2005! If you want to know any of its secrets, she is the one to ask. She absolutely loves it here because it is so family-oriented and she enjoys serving people. Her goal is to make as many guests happy as she can. Elsa has lived on the island for many years while raising her five children.
She loves when her daughter comes home from college and they get to spend family time together. She is also a fan of margaritas and Pitbull! You’ll catch her dancing around the property listening to her music. When her kids are old enough, she wants to return to her home in Mexico near Puerta Vallarta with her husband.
Maria
Originally from Michoacan, Mexico, Maria moved to San Juan Island from California with her husband. Maria loves family time. When she is not at the inn, she is creating memories with her four children and three grandchildren. Maria is known for her patience, attention to detail, and composed demeanor.
