Leadership

Staff Leadership

Our leadership team has a strong connection to the communities we serve and are influential leaders in academia, business, advocacy and philanthropy.

Mike Cheever

President & Chief Executive Officer

Danette Knudson

Vice President, Program Strategy

National Board of Directors

With the guidance and inspiration of our distinguished board of directors, we strive to break the cycle of poverty through education. Our board members passionately believe that an education raises income, provides security, reduces unemployment and improves health outcomes.

Virginia Anderson

Strategic Consultant & Community Volunteer

George Bridges, Ph.D., Board Chair

Former President, Whitman College, The Evergreen State College; Professor
The Evergreen State College

Kurt Buttleman, Ed.D.

Assistant Superintendent, Finance
Seattle Public Schools

Leona Dotson

Director, Solutions GTM & Scale Global Partner Solutions
Microsoft

Sheri Flies

Senior Vice President of Global Sustainability & Compliance
Costco Wholesale Corporation

Stacie Foster, Vice President

Attorney
Ironmark Law Group

Kelly Fukai

Chief Executive Officer
Washington Technology Industry Association

Nick Hailey, CFA, CFP® (CSF Alum)

Private Wealth Advisor
Goldman Sachs

Lorna Hernandez Jarvis, Ph.D., Anti-Racism Committee Chair

Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity
The University of Puget Sound

Melissa Hill, Ph.D.

Executive Director of the Office of Opportunity and Diversity
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences

Lori Hunt, Ed.D. (Ex Officio), Spokane Regional Board Chair

Chief of Staff and Strategy
Spokane Colleges

Walter Impert, Secretary

Partner
Dorsey & Whitney, LLP

Erik Jones, Data, Security, Tech Committee Chair

Vice President of Technology
Arizona Cardinals Football Club

Lanine Lange

Senior Corporate Counsel
Alaska Airlines

Jackie Liao

Principal
Social Impact Strategies

Creighton “Chip” Magid

Partner
Dorsey & Whitney, LLP

Sydney McMaster (CSF Alum)

Engagement Specialist
All of Us Research Program, National Institutes of Health

Keith Neal

Vice President/General Merchandise Manager, Fresh Foods Buying
Costco Wholesale

Jiquanda Nelson (Ex Officio), Tacoma Regional Board Chair

CEO
People Decoders

L. Darrell Powell, Finance & Investment, Audit Committee Chair

Managing Director
Pinnacle Financial Services, PLLC

Evan Smith, Treasurer, Marketing & Development Committee Chair

CEO & Co-Founder
Ethosphere Technologies

Mark Starnes

Retired

Kelly Stonelake

Consultant

Salomé Valencia-Bohné (CSF Alum)

President
Washington State Society for Clinical Social Work

National Emeritus Council

Ann Ramsay-Jenkins, Chair

Mike Adler

Neal Boling

Fred Campbell, Ph.D.

Gerri Craves

Joe Gaffney

Frank Greer

Jerry Quinn Lee

The Honorable Gary Locke

Robert Moser

James P. Murphy

John Patnaude

Doug Picha

Deborah Rosen

Kathleen Ross, Ph.D.

Sam Smith, Ph.D.

Lonny Suko, J.D.

Herbert Tillery

John Welch

Deborah Wilds, Ph.D.

Tacoma Board of Directors

Courtney Acoff (CSF Alum)

Policy & Advocacy Manager

Diane Dimmer

Executive Director
Dimmer Family Foundation

Joshua Garcia

Superintendent
Tacoma Public Schools

Wendy Holcomb

Retired; Consultant for Campaign Free Aid
Foundation for Tacoma Students

Mentha Hynes-Wilson

Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs
University of Washington Tacoma

Keshona Lawrence

Senior Product Marketing Manager
Hewlett Packard

Jim Murphy

Retired; Former Executive VP & COO of International Operations
Costco Wholesale

Jiquanda Nelson (Board Chair)

CEO
People Decoders

Essence Russ (CSF Alum)

Executive Director
Southwest Youth & Family Services

Shahrokh Saudagaran

Faculty, Milgard School of Business
University of Washington Tacoma

Lynnae Schneller

Franchisee
Chick-fil-A

Mark Starnes

Retired, Former President & CEO
Boys and Girls Clubs of America, South Puget Sound Chapter

Korey Strozier (CSF Alum)

Program Manager, Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) Youth/Young Adult Employment Services
King County

Jeremy Warren

Director of Impact
Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County