2023 Advancement Northwest Board of Directors Election. The deadline to cast your vote electronically was 5:00 p.m. Pacific on December 21, 2022.
Below is a list of returning Board members and information about the potential new members of the 2023 AFP Advancement Northwest Board. An email with the voting link will be sent to all AFP Advancement Northwest Chapter members. If you didn’t receive the voting link, please email Chris Crosser at chris@afpadvancementnw.org.
Thank you for participating in selecting the next generation of leaders for your professional fundraising association!
Board members whose positions are automatically assumed in 2023:
Michelle Johnson (co-President), Javier Womeldorff (co-President), and Shannon Wong (Past President)
Returning Board members:
Zoe Barker-Aderem, Sumi Bhat-Kincaid, Robyn Brown, Hailey Cassell, Hong Chhuor, Shareen Corlett, Jeanne Galloway, Elysa Hovard (President-Elect), Jennifer Li Dotson, Tanya Mote, Matthew Ramsey, Linda Rondinelli, Brian Tanner, Eric Thom, and Jenny Vincent.
New Board members:
Mabana Bamba, Corporate Relations Manager, DESC
Mabana is the Corporate Relations Manager at DESC. Prior to that, she was the Community Development Coordinator at PDXWIT (Portland Women in Tech). Mabana spent five years in Portland and has been in Seattle for the past year. She loves the Pacific NW because of how lush it is and does not mind the rain. Mabana has held a variety of roles in many different industries such as a Data Analyst at a pharmaceutical consulting firm, a Consultant for the State of New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and as a Senior Administrative Assistant at Bonneville Power Administration. In her free time, she loves to travel, read, and connect with others.
Brandi Bednarik, Executive Director, Grays Harbor Historical Seaport
Brandi switched to nonprofit work in 2008 and hasn’t looked back. She came to the nonprofit world with a finance and construction background, which has been helpful at Grays Harbor Historical Seaport where she has served as Executive Director since 2016. She is responsible for converting a 34-acre abandoned industrial property into a public waterfront development. The Seaport also owns and operates Tall Ship Lady Washington, the official ship of the State of Washington. She started a fundraising department in 2016 at the Seaport and has increased their fundraising by over 400%. Brandi is excited for the future of the Seaport and loves being part of such an amazing project from the ground up. While at the Seaport she has taken leadership classes, masters fundraising classes, grant writing classes, and board training and development workshops. She believes that continued growth is incredibly important for both personal and professional development. She is passionate about mentoring other new fundraisers and new executives, especially those who may not have easy access to resources.
Shannon Bowen, Chief Advancement Officer, Pacific Northwest Research Institute
Shannon is a nonprofit leader, fundraiser, leadership coach, and teacher. Currently, she is the Chief Advancement Officer for Pacific Northwest Research Institute, and is the founder of Monsoon Leadership training and coaching. Building upon her 17 years of development and communications experience, she has held several development leadership positions and built strong teams that retain. She is skilled in both institutional and major gift fundraising and has a long track record of securing six-and-seven-figure gifts from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government entities. Previous positions include Senior Director of Development for the Center for Environmental Health, Vice President of Development for Making Waves Foundation, and Director of Development and Communications at Civicorps. Shannon founded Monsoon Leadership, which offers self-paced online courses, downloadable resources, Zoom workshops, and 1:1 coaching, so development professionals can gain the skills, wisdom, and support they need in a format that works for their busy lives. Her courses provide specific, actionable knowledge for nonprofit managers and leaders. Shannon is passionate about mentoring the next generation of fundraisers, is committed to diversifying our field, is dedicated to creating healthy workplaces, and has a long history of being rated her staff’s “best manager ever.” When not working, you can find Shannon cooking gourmet meals with her husband, hiking with her dog, DIY renovating her house, and planning her next vacation.
Greg Croak, Associate Director for Individual Philanthropy. Foster School of Business
Greg has spent his entire career in education, first in the classroom and on the athletic fields, now in the wide world of Advancement. He has served several organizations in alumni relations, communications and frontline fundraising roles and currently works at the University of Washington. He moonlights as a musician in the post punk band Kid Leather.
Anna Cronin, Senior Director of Philanthropy and Communication and Solid Ground
Anna is a nonprofit leader with nearly two decades of experience helping organizations grow and create powerful, sustaining development plans. Using a community centric model of fundraising, her specialties include building, engaging and developing effective boards, increasing revenue across multiple funding sources, and nurturing effective and high-performing teams. Her work is centered on challenging and disrupting the systems of inequality which create barriers to success and justice.
Josalyn P. Ford, Vice President, Development, Hopelink
Josalyn serves as Vice President, Development for Hopelink (located in Redmond, WA), and has over 20 years as an advocate for community, especially the community that helped form her passion to give back. Her work affords her the opportunity to strategically lead the agency in adapting to a cultural of philanthropy, while also spearheading efforts by her team to curate platforms that elevate the ever-evolving fundamentals in fundraising and donor stewardship. Josalyn’s passion for community is illustrated in her service work on various non-profit boards and committees. Her experience helps in spearheading strategic initiatives, events and programs that increase the efforts of these organizations in forwarding their missions as well. Josalyn received her B.A. in Business Administration at Clark Atlanta University, and her Master’s in Public Administration at Seattle University. She is certified in establishing socially transformative platforms and is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated – a preeminent historically African American sorority.
Sarah Mackay, Donor Relations Officer, Northwest Outward Bound. Auctioneer, SJ Auctions
The Pacific Northwest’s majestic mountains and the bountiful waters surrounding beautiful communities is where Sarah calls home. As a lifelong world traveler, she believes exploring our natural world is a transformative opportunity to expand our potential in life. She’s an ardent advocate of supporting strong communities and inspiring people to act. Sarah brings her love of raising money in support of meaningful, life changing organizations.
Brooke Mallory, Associate Director of Philanthropy, PAWS
Brooke is a passionate nonprofit fundraising professional and team leader with over 14 years of experience. She believes nothing compares to helping donors cultivate a more compassionate community. When she is not running fundraising campaigns, leading teams, or driving strategy, you can find her exploring nature with her two rescue dogs. On rainy days, she enjoys tucking into a new knitting project and a hot cup of coffee.
Brianna Rand, Development Coordinator, Path with Art Rand
Brianna Rand moved to Seattle to engage with her passion for art and community through a local arts nonprofit. She enjoys volunteering at local theaters and keeping the city clean.
Yadira Sanchez, Executive Director, Poder Latinx
Yadira is an advocate for Latinx civic empowerment and has worked tirelessly throughout her career to advance the rights and collective power of the Latinx community, as a proud daughter of immigrants. She co-founded and is currently serving as Executive Director of Poder Latinx, a civic and social justice organization dedicated to building Latinx political power. Previously, Yadira served as the Development Director for Mi Familia Vota, where she helped raise over $20 million and expanded the number of strategic partnerships with major organizations and allies to increase year-round civic participation within the Latinx community. Yadira is proud to serve on several nonprofit boards including America’s Voice, Dialogue on Diversity, Family Values @ Work Action, and Western Resource Advocates as well as sitting on the managing committee for Democracy Partners, a firm committed to fighting for progressive values and a truly democratic society for all human beings. Yadira has been selected as a 40 under 40 honoree by the Leadership Center for Excellence and an Up and Coming Practitioner Finalist by the Professional Women in Advocacy Conference. Most recently, she was selected as an American Express Ngen Fellow and a 40 under 40 honoree by the American Association of Political Consultants. Yadira earned a bachelor’s degree from UC, Santa Barbara, and a master’s degree from the George Washington University
Rebecca Viets, Individual and Corporate Giving Coordinator, Washington Trails Association
Rebecca began her career in philanthropy when she joined the Development team at Washington Trails Association in 2019. As a passionate hiker herself, she loves fundraising and storytelling to support WTA’s goal of trails for everyone, forever. She also enjoys connecting with volunteers and donors on trail to learn the important role that the outdoors plays in their lives. Rebecca’s current role focuses on annual fund and corporate giving, but she has also supported major gifts, event planning, membership services, and donor acknowledgement while at WTA. Outside of work, Rebecca enjoys running, skiing, playing with her dog Rookie, exploring farmers markets, and planning her next travel adventure.
Anh Vo, Chief Culture Officer, Alford Group
Anh is driven by the belief that by helping others succeed, we all succeed. In her work with organizations, she has provided leadership development, change leadership, and strategic planning and implementation. She has a systemic approach and is highly adept at creating environments of collaboration and accountability. She has worked extensively in advancing racial dialogues and practice of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. She has encountered an expressed deep need from every level of the organizations she has partnered with for safety and belonging, where agreed sets of behaviors enable employees to work effectively in cross-cultural and multicultural environments. Prior to joining Alford Group, Anh worked in the software industry as a global turn-around manager in Europe, Asia and North America. Her focus was to transform groups of individuals from diverse, multicultural backgrounds into teams of dedicated, high performing changemakers moving forward a common goal.