Elizabeth has been involved in youth work all her adult life. She started as a day camp leader/Director for the YMCA and Metro Parks Tacoma, Para-Educator for Tacoma and Central Kitsap Public Schools, and Youth Detention Officer for Kitsap County Juvenile Department.
Jabez Harlan has dedicated 18 years to the East Valley School District. He began as a high school English teacher and more recently as an administrator for two Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) schools. His passion for education is evident in his commitment to offering flexible learning solutions for students and families who face challenges within traditional educational settings. In addition to his administrative role, Jabez serves as the truancy liaison for EVSD, working closely with families to address chronic absenteeism. He and his team are dedicated to re-engaging students in pursuit of a brighter future and supporting them in earning their high school diplomas or equivalency certificates.
Erin Wilson is a Student Assistant Specialist at Mary Walker School District. She brings over 15 years of experience working with truancy in Snohomish County, specializing in youth substance use prevention and intervention.
Sylvia Hadnot (she/them) is a multicultural educator who brings real-world knowledge and experience into her educational endeavors. Sylvia has performed jazz piano at the Triple Door and the Paramount, among other jazz houses. She launched her own benefit events company at age 22 to support local artists in the city. She has written youth curricula for social-emotional health, college and career readiness, and environmental justice. Between all of her activities and work, Sylvia also found the time to complete a Master’s in Education, focusing on Anti-Racist and Urban Environmental Education.
Gina Cabiddu, MSW, is a Program Coordinator with Kids Mental Health Pierce County. In her role, Gina provides technical assistance to establish a Youth Regional Behavioral Health Navigation program across Washington state. Her previous experience includes working in public child welfare in Kitsap and Thurston Counties, non-profit regional leadership in Pierce County, and board and coalition work spanning housing, business, behavioral health, violence prevention, and county policy. Her passion is collaboration with multi-system partners to support families at all levels of the care continuum
Ambra Bryant is an Assistant Principal at College Place High School. This is Ambra’s 6th year in this position where she has been given the opportunity to build several programs as a brand new high school. She has co-authored board approved humanities curriculum with a co-taught, standards-based, equity-driven and PBL focus. This experience led Ambra into administration where she has continued to build programs such as the truancy process in her district.
Vanessa Adams, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker is the Program Coordinator for Pediatric Mental Health at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. Vanessa’s current role includes the support and coordination of Kids’ Mental Health Pierce County. Kids’ Mental Health – Pierce County is a community collaborative dedicated to developing a coordinated, responsive behavioral health system that serves the needs of children, youth and families at the right time, in the best place, with the best outcome for every family.
Kris Bennett joined the CSEC Program at King County Juvenile Court in March 2022, implementing universal screening for all juveniles who in one way or another become involved with Juvenile Court Services. In addition to being licensed as a SUDP, Kris has worked with juvenile court involved youth and families for the past 17+ years as a community-based FIT Therapist, Juvenile Probation Counselor, and currently the CSEC Program Coordinator and Screener. Kris’s goal has always been and continues to be to make sure each youth and or family have the opportunity to engage with services that are appropriate and tailored to meet their needs, highlight their current skill set, and increase areas where they may need a boost.
Giannina Ferrara is the Policy & TTA Manager at the Center for Children and Youth Justice (CCYJ). CCYJ’s mission is to create better lives for generations of children and youth by reforming the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Prior to this role, Giannina was a Policy and Program Assistant working on surveying state agencies, nonprofits, and other youth centered organizations to understand the policies, procedures, training, and systems regarding commercially sexually exploited children. Since this role, she has worked in a variety of focus areas that include the child welfare system, juvenile justice system, as well as youth homelessness and behavioral health.
Taylor Faranda is a Senior Attorney in KIND’s Seattle office working with youth detained in Washington. Taylor joined KIND in August 2019 and represented youth released from ORR custody and living in Washington for over three years before transitioning to her current role with the detained programs team. She graduated with her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2018 and received her B.A. in Cross-Cultural Studies and Spanish from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington in 2012.
Wendy S. Martinez Hurtado joined the Legal Programs Team at KIND’s Seattle Office in August of 2022. Wendy is originally from Sinaloa, Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of seven. Wendy is driven by her intersectional identities as an undocumented Mexican woman and daughter of immigrant workers. For the past decade, she has advocated for and alongside immigrant communities in Washington state primarily serving undocumented youth and their families.
Dr. Shelby Lockhart is a distinguished educational consultant and leader with a robust career spanning over 20 years across a spectrum of educational environments. With a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Gonzaga University, her journey has embraced roles in urban, rural, alternative, and wilderness-based schools, as well as post-secondary institutions, showcasing her versatile expertise in fostering educational excellence.
Thao Vo, Ph.D. recently graduated from the Educational Psychology program at Washington State University where she engaged in community-based research with district partners to understand the impact of youth risk assessments in schools. She currently serves as a Quantitative Research Methodologist for the Center for Measurement Justice.
David Bower – Attendance & Re Engagement Specialist and Parent Project facilitator – ESD112
Bio: David has been involved in youth work most of his adult life. He has worked as a classroom teacher, YMCA youth director, ECE School-Age Childcare Center Director and School-Age program Coordinator. But by far the most relevant experience gained is through parenting and foster parenting.
David enjoys working with youth of all ages and their families. He has found that working within the context of the family is the most rewarding and beneficial for all.
A native of Colorado, Barb graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Music Degree in vocal performance (opera).Barb attended law school at Seattle University School of Law and was a judicial assistant at Division II of the Washington Court of Appeals through her graduation. She then served as a judicial law clerk to the late Hon. J. Dean Morgan, and the Hon. Elaine Houghton, ret. Barb practiced family law at the trial and appellate levels primarily in Pierce County for nearly 14 years. She was appointed by the judges of the Pierce County Superior Court to serve as Superior Court Commissioner in January of 2017.
Brian French, Ph.D. is a Regents Professor in the Educational Psychology program at Washington State University. His research is centered on the methodology and application of measurement to address fairness and equity issues with scores used to make decisions about individuals.
Chad Gotch is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at Washington State University. His work is broadly focused on supporting appropriate score use in classroom and school settings.
Marcus Poppen, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Washington State University. His work is broadly focused on supportive positive post-school outcomes for youth and young adults, including those with disabilities.
Mary Roduta Roberts is an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta. She works on score reporting and communication models for the Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students (WARNS).
Erin Wilson is a Student Assistant Specialist at Mary Walker School District. She brings over 15 years of experience working with truancy in Snohomish County, specializing in youth substance use prevention and intervention.
Laura Pires Gifford is a doctoral student working with Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students (WARNS) users and conducting research around WARNS.
Cihan Demir is a doctoral student conducting research around the Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students (WARNS).
Nicholas Oakley, JD, is Director of Policy, TTA, & Capacity Building at the Center for Children & Youth Justice (CCYJ). Nicholas’ work is based on close partnerships with juvenile justice, child welfare, and homeless youth service systems across Washington. He convenes policy-makers, leaders, and front line workers from all of these sectors and uses collaborative strategies to develop proposed reforms to policy and practice, coordinates the pilot implementation of the reforms, and advocates for widespread adoption of the reforms once they have been tested and evaluated.
Jill Patnode has been the Thriving Schools Director for Kaiser Permanente of Washington since 2018 where she has supported efforts to increase resiliency in school environments and access to healthy foods and physical activity in schools. Prior to this, she worked at the Puget Sound Educational Service District in various roles supporting students with Tier 2 & 3 behaviors. She achieved a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Washington.
Tina VanZandt is a therapist in a victim’s advocacy agency set in an inland northwest rural community. They work with individuals and families that have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. As part of their agency, they also serve the community through our child advocacy center. Prior to working with this agency, Tina worked with families that were involved with child protective services in order to keep families intact by addressing unique challenges that they were facing. Tina has also worked with children and adolescents residing in group homes due to challenging behaviors.
Bio – William Hairston studied at Adams State University in Colorado, where he began what is more than two decades’ worth of experience working to support and partner with young people and their families in both Washington State and Colorado. He spent six years with Seattle Public Schools, as an Intervention Specialist in one of the most high-need schools in the Seattle School District as well as three years as a District Intervention Representative, where he oversaw and partnered with 33 Seattle schools to facilitate attendance interventions and family engagement. At CCYJ, William has worked with the Becca Task Force, a group of court and school district staff from across the state, focused on ARY, CHINS, and truancy interventions and best practices. William also works with the LINC program, a group and gang violence reduction program in King County. William is also accomplished at developing young people and teams of adults that support young people.
Bio- Fredricka “Freddie” Pie has been working and building processes and developing best practices in several areas of the nonprofit world since 2009. Freddie’s work experience has been in various roles and expands across areas such as youth housing, gang-involved youth and families, and juvenile legal system-impacted youth and families. With degrees in Social and Human Services, Freddie combines her education and personal life experiences to provide an authentic voice when advocating and building processes for CCYJ to serve in the community.
Shereese Rhodes, a name synonymous with transformative leadership, has been an instrumental force in an array of influential capacities, each underscored by her unwavering commitment to community progress. She currently leads the South King County Discipline coalition, an organization focused on disproportionate discipline of students of color and ending the school-to-prison pipeline. She has also served as a parent ambassador for Head Start/Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, a member of Governor Inslee’s Poverty Reduction Work Group Steering Committee, partnered with OneAmerica’s grassroots education advocacy program, served as a parent representative on the Early Learning Advisory Council, a parent and family constituency co-lead within the Child for Every Family Every Network, and in many other capacities to help guide policies and initiatives that shape the educational landscape for youth.
Porsche Phelps is a proud Seattle woman, who grew up in Seattle and surrounding areas. She has watched Seattle transform from the drug epidemic of the 80’s, to a thriving urban community and now the gentrification that pushes out so many black families that built this city (including her own). As a youth, she experienced foster care and homelessness due to systemic racism and oppression of her community. This experience created her passion for youth advocacy. As a young person, she wanted to attend law school to become an advocate for other young people like herself; however, life had other plans. Eventually this passion drove her to pursue an Associates of Applied Science Degree in Paralegal with the focus in Juvenile Justice.
Tamika Dean is currently pursuing my Bachelor’s in Forensic Psychology at Arizona State University. She is an advocate in her community and she chose this field of study due to the lack of mental health resources in communities of color.
She has worked within various grassroots organizations to promote family and community engagement through outreach, workshops, and informational materials. She is currently the Community Engagement Specialist in the Office of the Education Ombuds (OEO). Prior to coming to OEO, she worked for the King County Department of Public Defense as a Legal Administrative Specialist and for the BECCA program as a court technician.
Yordanos Gebreamlak (she/her) is the Deputy Director in the Office of the Education Ombuds. She is grateful for opportunities to work in collaboration with students, families, schools, other state agencies, community partners, and other stakeholders in education to continue the work of building an equitable K-12 school system.
Yordanos has worked to improve educational outcomes by addressing hardships faced by students in the classroom and overall school setting as well as factors contributing to instability in other aspects of life that cause barriers to academic success and social and emotional wellbeing. She has advocated in partnership with caregivers and students with disabilities with the goal of working towards student-centered resolutions.
Ingrid McLeod is a Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner and has served in that capacity since April 2021. Commissioner McLeod is an active member of multiple Pierce County Superior Court committees, including civil case management, civil protection orders, diversity, equity, and inclusion, family law, and guardianship. Additionally, Commissioner McLeod serves on the Superior Court Judges Association Family and Juvenile Law, Equality and Fairness, and Guardianship Committees. In the community, Commissioner McLeod is a long-time board member and served as the 2023-24 President of the Hon. Robert J. Bryan chapter of the American Inns of Court. Educational Service District’s “Community Truancy (Engagement) Board Advisory Committee” where she and others observed and learned promising practices from truancy (engagement) boards around Washington State.
Melodi McCoy has been a Juvenile Probation Officer in the BECCA unit for 10 months. Melodi also handles protection order hearings and is a backup for intake involving juveniles in criminal court proceedings. Melodi comes from a background in the Real Estate industry and community education for a local hospital. Melodi has completed the Parent Project training and works closely with the schools and ESD105. Melodi is a graduate of Central Washington University with a major in psychology and a minor in Law and Justice and is a native of the Yakima Valley.
Director of Pupil Management, Bellevue School District
Glenn Hasslinger is currently the Supervisor of Pupil Management for the Bellevue School District overseeing discipline, attendance, and harassment, intimidation, and bullying. As part of his role with attendance, Glenn builds district-wide interventions working with community partners, runs school engagement workshops, and facilitates community truancy boards. He started his career in the Bellevue School District teaching middle school students at Robinswood Middle/High School (alternative school), prior to serving as an administrator at Robinswood and district-wide administrator charged with addressing truancy.
Born and raised in Spokane, Rebekah Lawson earned her bachelor’s and master’s of Public Administration from Eastern Washington University. Prior to working for Spokane Public Schools, she worked at Spokane County Juvenile Court in Social Files, Diversion, and the Court Investigation Unit. As a first generation high school graduate, Rebekah understands the complexities and challenges families face in obtaining high school diplomas and college education, and is an avid supporter of public education. Rebekah believes that each child, if given the proper information and appropriate resources, can find their own success and positively impact their life, their families, and their communities.
Chauncey Jones was born and raised in Southern California. He spent summers and holidays in Spokane before permanently moving here in the summer of 1994. He graduated from Lewis & Clark High School in 1995, received an AA from Spokane Community College in 1998, and a BA in Journalism from Eastern Washington University in 2000. Prior to joining the DFCE, Chauncey spent 21 years at KHQ-TV. He has been mentoring youth through after-school programming, basketball coaching, football coaching, and community advocacy. As Community Engagement Board Liaison, he assists with connecting families to district and community services to promote active participation of families in the education of their children.
