Lydia Assefa-Dawson has experience living in or working with communities affected by inequities in health, housing, economic opportunity and community connections. She has worked in the human services field for over 24 years and is passionate about serving and finding ways to support those directly impacted by inequities and disparities. Ms. Assefa-Dawson has served as the Human Services Manager with the City of SeaTac and Federal Way, where she managed the allocation of and monitored grants for both General Funds and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds, as Housing Program Director at MultiFaith Works, where she was responsible for providing transitional housing to homeless individuals with HIV/AIDS, and provided support with collaborating with their medical and housing case managers, while offering emotional and social programs. She has been an advocate for refugees and immigrants from Ethiopia, survivors of domestic violence, and low-income and homeless families. She currently works for the King County Housing Authority, is a volunteer for the Ethiopian Community in Seattle, and represents Federal Way residents as a councilmember.

Michael Brown is the Chief Architect of the Civic Commons, a project of Seattle Foundation, a new regional civic infrastructure aimed at uniting more community voices in decision-making to advance racial and economic equity. Most recently, Michael served at the Foundation’s Vice President of Community Programs, where he oversaw the Foundation’s community impact efforts, strategic grantmaking initiatives, convening activities, and impact investing program.

Since beginning his tenure at the foundation in 2001, Michael has led efforts to elevate community voice and foster public-private partnerships, tackling complex challenges in the areas of affordable housing, economic and racial equity, and policy and advocacy. He led the development of the Seattle Foundation's Center for Community Partnerships, which focuses directly on targeted efforts to achieve greater racial and economic equity.

A seasoned strategic leader in the philanthropic field, he brings perspective as a veteran of funder collaboratives and collective impact efforts, including SkillUp Washington to improve economic opportunity for low income adults, the Road Map Project to improve education and student achievement; Communities of Opportunity to improve health and well-being outcomes for low income communities in the greater Seattle region; and the Sustainable Communities Funder group working to address issues at the intersection of environmental sustainability, equitable inclusion and economic opportunity.

From 1997 to 2000, Michael served as a legislative aide to City of Seattle Councilmember Richard McIver. Michael also served as Deputy Director for the Washington Association for Community Economic Development, a non-profit organization that provided training and technical assistance to statewide community-based development organizations.

A native of New Orleans, Michael received his Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Loyola University (New Orleans). Michael is past president of the Building Changes Board of Directors and Neighborhood Funders Group, a commissioner at the King County Housing Authority, and a board member of the Washington State Budget and Policy Center. He is a past board member of Impact Capital and the Crisis Clinic.

Michael received Grantmakers in Health’s 2018 Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health Philanthropy, which recognizes outstanding health grantmakers whose work is distinguished by leadership, innovation, and outstanding achievement. He is a co-chair of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy’s 2019 NCRP Impact Awards Selection Committee. Michael is also an American Marshall Memorial Fellow and a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow.

Deanna Dawson is the Executive Director of the Sound Cities Association, where she works on behalf of 38 King County cities and their over one million residents to create regional solutions through advocacy, education, and mutual support.

Prior to joining SCA in 2011, Dawson was Director of Federal Affairs and Diversity Initiatives for Justice at Stake, a national, bipartisan campaign working to keep our courts fair, impartial, and accountable. Dawson previously served as Executive Director of Snohomish County, Washington, where she oversaw Law & Justice and Human Services, and worked with the Executive and Council to establish policy on matters of public safety, access to justice, housing & homelessness, veterans’ services, education, workforce development, and health & vulnerability. Dawson was elected to the Edmonds City Council in 2001, and reelected in 2005.

An active member of the community, Deanna has served in the past on the boards of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Snohomish County, Washington Women Lawyers, TeamChild, the Snohomish County Center for Battered Women (now Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County), the National Women’s Political Caucus, and Mary’s Place. She currently volunteers her time as a pro bono attorney with the Housing Justice Project. She has been recognized for her efforts in the community and the legal profession by Soroptimist International of Sno-King, who honored her with the “Making a Difference for Women Award” in 2006, and Washington Women Lawyers, who honored her as “Chapter Member of the Year” in both 2002 and 2005.

Deanna was born and raised in Washington State, and holds a law degree from the University of Washington School of Law. She has practiced law in both the private and public sector, and her legal experience includes criminal and civil litigation; defending the rights of accused persons as a public defender; protecting the rights of victims as a domestic violence special prosecutor; representing at-risk youth in order to ensure their access to education, health care, and housing; working as a staff attorney at the Washington State Court of Appeals; and serving for nearly a decade as a Judge pro tem.

Ubax is Managing the Equitable Development Initiative in the City of Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development. She currently oversees the EDI fund the City is investing in community-based organizations working in Seattle on anti-displacement strategies and economic development opportunities. Ubax’s core values are rooted in Social Justice and transformative practice. she prioritizes working towards equity, authentically listening to community and she has extensive experience in community development and building an inclusive vision with many of Seattle’s communities of color. She was a member of the Housing Affordability Livability Agenda Committee. Ubax previously was a Program Director at Puget Sound Sage. She was responsible for advancing Sage’s priorities related to equitable transit-oriented development, she focused on land use policy, affordable housing policy, transit-oriented development, community based participatory planning, leadership development and importance of racial justice in policy making. Ubax has been serving as a Governance Group Member for Communities of Opportunity for over 3 years now. Ubax is also a proud single parent to three very energetic kids.

Martelita Jackson is a native of Southeast Seattle and grew up in the Rainier Valley neighborhood. She serves her community as a grassroots advocate, organizer and mobilizer, with over 20 years of experience working with youth and families for racial equity and social justice within the public school system, public health system and juvenile and adult justice system. Ms. Jackson currently works for the Boys and Girls Clubs of King County and has experience designing, developing, implementing and managing violence and delinquency prevention and intervention programs as well as work readiness development and training for youth and young adults. She is looking forward to being a voice for communities like hers and utilizing personal and professional experience to impact change. Growing up in a low-income neighborhood where crime was prevalent and attending a high school where resources were scarce, have influenced her life which is dedicated to working with youth and families within my community to impact systemic change.

Paola Maranan is the Executive Director of Children's Alliance, an organization she has been involved with—in one role or another—since 1993. A hallmark of her work has been to bring greater attention to the racial disparities that diminish opportunity for Washington’s kids. She is proud to be part of a Children’s Alliance team whose practice focuses on racial equity.

Paola’s commitment to improving the lives of children and families also led her to work with United Way of King County’s Children’s Initiative, the Washington State Family Policy Council, and the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs. She serves on the national KIDS COUNT Steering Committee for the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Prior to returning to her home state of Washington, she worked in Alabama in the areas of voting rights and prison reform, and attended Harvard University, where she earned a B.A. in Government.

A.J. is the Deputy Director at Global to Local. Having spent his career in both local government and the not-for-profit sector, AJ believes authentic community engagement and leadership development provide the foundation for building vibrant and healthy communities. Prior to Global to Local, AJ held community engagement roles for the City of Seattle, King County and a variety of community based non-profits. He has developed and led local and regional initiatives focused on the community health needs of vulnerable populations and resilient communities.

Gordon McHenry, Jr. has been the President & CEO of Solid Ground since July 2012. Solid Ground is a King County community action agency, which provides services geared towards ending poverty and advocating for public policies and solutions that address racism and other forms of oppression that are the root causes of poverty. Prior to his service with Solid Ground, Gordon served as Executive Director of Rainier Scholars, a Seattle academic enrichment and leadership development non-profit organization dedicated to increasing college graduation rates for students of color who are from low incomes.

Gordon is an attorney by training who previously served as corporate counsel and in a variety of executive leadership roles in the Boeing Company. He has served on a variety of boards involved with education, social service and environmental issues, including the Central Area Motivation Program (now Centerstone), the Seattle University Board of Trustees, the Seattle Public Library Board of Trustees, and the United Way of King County Board of Directors. He is on the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust Board of Directors. McHenry holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Seattle University and earned his Juris Doctorate from the Georgetown University Law School in Washington, D.C. McHenry lives in SE Seattle with his wife, Dorina Calderon-McHenry who is the club director of the Renton/Skyway Boys & Girls Club. They are proud parents of three children.

I am a seasoned leader with 25 years of management experience in the private sector, local government, and non-profit sector. My career started with the United States Air Force where I first discovered my passion for service to others which was followed by over a decade in hospitality management. Then moving to the government sector, I served as a policy and legislative analyst, project manager, and technology professional with the City of Seattle as well serving as a Core Team Member for the Seattle Race and Social Justice Initiative, where I deepened my expertise in community engagement and social equity. I then moved to the City of Burien as an analyst in the City Manager’s office where I was able to expand my community engagement work to South King County. More recently, I was appointed as the Executive Director for New Futures, a non-profit organization in South King County that provides free, on-site programs for children, families, and community-building in low-income apartment complexes. In May 2013, I facilitated the merger of New Futures with another local, well-respected community organization, Southwest Youth & Family Services. I now serve as the Director of Resident Services for King County Housing Authority where I support a team of 35 people and 20+ contracts that provide programs and services which support housing stability, quality of life, education, workforce development, and community engagement for low-income residents across King County.

I have also served on numerous boards and committee in my community of Burien and in South King County including: WA State Commission on Hispanic Affairs, Highline Public Schools Family Action Committee, King County Partnership for Youth Justice, and New Futures.

Dr. Ro is the Chief of the Assessment, Policy Development, and Evaluation unit and the Director of the Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention section of Public Health- Seattle & King County. She has spearheaded and implemented health initiatives to achieve health equity among our nation's most at-risk populations through better use of data, community engagement in policy and systems change, and building the evidence-base of strategies to achieve health equity.

Dr. Ro served as the as Deputy Director of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, a national health advocacy organization, and was an assistant professor at Columbia University. She obtained her masters and doctorate from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.

Dr. Ro serves on a number of advisory committees including the CDC's Health Disparities Subcommittee and the Washington Health Benefit Exchange's Health Equity TAC. Her passion for the leading edge in health equity is evident in her publishing record, which includes numerous articles, book chapters, and reports on issues related to minority health, community health workers, mental health, oral health, and men's health.

Sili Savusa has more than 20 years of experience in leadership and community service positions involving policy development, cross-cultural coalition building and community organizing for social justice issues. She is currently the executive director of the White Center Community Development Association, which promotes the development of White Center through leadership opportunities and community-led, neighborhood initiatives.

She also serves on the Highline College Board of Trustees, the Governor’s Commission on Closing the Achievement Gap, the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs committee and Community Center for Education Results steering committee. Previously, Savusa served on the Highline School Board until 2011 and has served as the Family Center Coordinator for Southwest Youth and Family Services. She is also the founder of the first Samoan/Pacific Islander Parent Teacher Student Association in the nation, which works to address education issues impacting Pacific Islander students and their families.

Savusa earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Washington and her associate degree from Seattle Central Community College.

Yordanos Teferi is a committed to elevating the community's voice in addressing the complex challenges in her role as Board Chair of the Eritrean Community Center in Seattle and as Chair for the Multicultural Community Coalition (MCC) in which eight community-based organizations are working together to address and combat disparities in housing, education, health and economic opportunity.

Tony To is the Executive Director of HomeSight, a non-profit Community Development Corporation, Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), and a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines whose mission is “to promote equtiy by preserving and enhancing economically and culturally diverse communities through affordable homeownership, business development, and community advocacy.” Over 26 years, HomeSight has built 500 units of for sale homes, created 2,300 new homeowners, and directly financed over $25 million in purchase assistance loans. HomeSight became a first mortgage lender in 2015 and has been a member of NeighborWorks America since 2000.

Tony is a Co-Chair of the Regional Equity Network and a member of the Race and Social Equity Taskforce who worked to include an Equity Development Implementation Plan in the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan update.

Tony is a member of the Pugest Sound Regional Council Economic Development District Board and a board member of the Rainier Valley Corps. He has served on the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance board and the Washington State Affordable Housing Advisory Board.

Sarah Ballew, Headwater People

Meghan Jernigan, Headwater People