Members

Dr. Donald Felder’s leadership in education has helped positively transform the lives of thousands of students during his 40+ years in education, social services, and community organizing. During his tenure with Seattle Public Schools (SPS) working as a teacher and principal and a decade of experience at Casey Family Programs, Dr. Felder was a tireless advocate for the education rights of struggling students and a champion of children's services and alternative education programs.

Dr. Felder's advocacy for students furthest from education justice has left a legacy that underscores his compassionate leadership and tenacity for protecting the interest of children and families throughout Seattle and King County. Dr. Felder is a proud graduate of the University of Washington and Union University. 

Dr. Gardner is a lifelong educator with over 20 years of experience ensuring educational access, opportunity, and success for those who have been historically underserved. In her role as Senior Program Manger at Sova, Dr. Gardner helps higher education leaders improve stakeholder collaboration and accelerate progress on key initiatives, and assists in business planning. Before joining Sova, Dr. Gardner worked on education state policy at the Washington Student Achievement Council. She also served 15 years at the University of Washington, working on multiple access and retention initiatives for the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity. She later led a multi-million-dollar National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, spanning three states and thirteen institutions, focused on diversification in STEM. She holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Washington.   

Marques Gittens serves as the Education and Youth Development Manager for the Seattle Housing Authority. He supports direct service and system building efforts that strengthen the connection between home and school and while increasing access to academic and social emotional supports. For over 17 years, Marques has devoted himself to public service, including extensive experience in education as a middle school teacher, leading non-profit programs, and supporting schools and districts in Early Warning Systems implementation. Marques graduated the University of Washington in International Studies and received his Master in Education from Alliant International University in San Francisco. He enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and three children, exploring wherever their curiosity takes them.

Kateri has worked with youth for over a decade. She has developed relationships with local tribal nations and tribal communities across Washington state and created programing to support educational opportunity for native youth in foster care. In addition to partnering with the native community, Kateri is dedicated to improving the lives of all children and youth who are furthest from education justice. Kateri grew up in West Seattle, is a graduate of the University of WA, and loves attending local pow wows, canoe journey, and Native basketball tournaments.

Susan oversees the education program that serves all the families served by ReWA in addition to working closely with the volunteer nurses and interns from the University of Washington and Seattle University. Highlights of her prior corporate and non-profit agency work includes experience in leadership and management, communications, financials, organizational development, mentoring, and professional development training. She advocates for social justice, public policy changes, and equal access to services while respecting cultural values and the right to self-determination.

Erin Okuno is the Executive Director of the Southeast Seattle Education Coalition (SESEC)SESEC is a coalition of community-based organizations, schools, educators, community leaders, parents, caregivers, and concerned SE Seattle residents working to improve education for all children, especially those in SE Seattle and those farthest away from opportunities. Before joining SESEC, Erin worked on developing K-12 and early learning education policy, supporting public libraries, and developing education coalitions. She has a deep interest in racial equity and addresses poor educational achievements and unequal investments in SE Seattle schools.

Jennifer Matter is the President of the Seattle Education Association (SEA), which serves as the voice of over 6000 Seattle Public School educators. She has 18 years of experience teaching at Madison Middle School and Washington Middle School in Seattle, as well as Bret Harte Middle School in Oakland, California. She earned a Master's in Teaching and a State of Washington teaching certificate from the University of Washington with endorsements in K-8 elementary education, K-12 Art, and K-12 Spanish. Jennifer is also the proud mother of two current Seattle Public School students. 

Manuel Slye is passionate about public policy and has testified in front of the Local, State, and National Legislatures to support language justice and to promote policy to eliminate opportunity gaps for BIPOC students. She is the first Latinx president of the Seattle Council PTSA, which represents more than 80 PTAs and PTSAs in Seattle Public Schools. She has been awarded the KCTS Exceptional Caregiver Award and the Latino Community Award for her work supporting second language education in her community. Slye has collaborated with the Seattle Public Schools as the English Language Learning family representative and member of the Equity and Race Advisory Committee. Manuela is the founder and director of Cometa Playschool and is an early childhood educator and a family advocate. 

Evan Smith understands the important role that education and more specifically quality early learning plays in preparing our youngest learners for school and beyond. Evan spent his early career as an educator and administrator in D.C. public schools before relocating to Seattle to work in Information Technology with Starbucks. He is deeply committed to equity and social justice and uses this value to guide his work at Starbucks and in service to the greater Seattle community.  

Evan is a distinguished graduate of the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business and the proud father of a preschool-age child. 

Linda is passionate about creating successful education opportunities for all students and students of color. Linda began her tenure with the United Negro College Fund in 2016 where she has worked to support students with equitable access to resources for post-secondary education. Linda served Seattle as the special assistant to Seattle Mayor Norm Rice on education and human services from 1990 to 1997. She also helped lead the very successful first Education Summit during his tenure, which resulted in the passage of the first ever Seattle Families and Education Levy. She is a proud Husky earning both a Bachelors of Arts and Masters in Public Administration from the University of Washington.

Bruce Harrell is the 57^th Mayor of Seattle and a proud graduate of Seattle Public Schools. He previously served as City Council President and has been a long-time leader on issues of racial equity, public safety reform, and economic and educational opportunity for all. Mayor Harrell was a catalyst for the pilot program that eventually became the Seattle Promise, providing free college education to Seattle Public School students, and he originated the Great Student Initiative that provided 20,000 Seattle Public School students with access to computers and high-speed Internet access. Since taking office in January 2022, Mayor Harrell has implemented his One Seattle vision to address the needs of the city with a collaborative approach that bridges differences and celebrates our commonality.

Dr. Rimando-Chareunsap has dedicated much of her career to Seattle Colleges serving as president of South Seattle College since 2018, and Vice Chancellor of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the Seattle Colleges district. She contributed to the city-wide effort to implement Mayor Jenny Durkan's ambitious Seattle Promise program by representing the colleges in this effort and serving on the City's Design team to implement the work. Dr. Rimando-Chareunsap holds a B.A. in English and Ethnic Studies from Washington State University (WSU), a Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington, and a Doctorate of Education from WSU.

Dr. Jones has demonstrated experience creating the right conditions and systems for advancing educational justice. He has dedicated his career to making sure all students thrive by transforming organizational cultures and redesigning PreK-12 systems and supports.

In a former role with SPS, he developed the district’s roadmap for realizing racial equity for students and families. Dr. Jones has deep community roots and is a proud product of Seattle Public Schools and the University of Washington.

Gina Topp is a dedicated School Board Director for Seattle Public Schools, focused on equity, inclusivity, and community engagement. With a background in public service and law, including serving as chief legal counsel to the King County Executive, Gina brings expertise in navigating complex policy issues while prioritizing equity and accountability.

Driven by her personal experience with counseling during difficult times in high school, Gina advocates passionately for mental health support for all students. She is committed to creating a school system where every child has the opportunity to thrive, working collaboratively with parents, educators, and students to achieve this goal.