Soleil Boyd, Executive Director

“Soleil brings demonstrated alignment with Children's Alliance's values, deep knowledge of Washington state policymaking, and a strong commitment to racial equity, community-centered advocacy, and collective action. She has extensive experience in the early learning field, beginning her career as a preschool teacher, maintaining that passion for early education as the Director of Professional Learning at the University of Washington, and advancing policy change in her most recent role as Senior Program Officer for Early Learning at Washington STEM. We are incredibly excited to welcome Soleil to Children’s Alliance, and to begin working alongside her to move our mission forward.”

Ebony Pattenaude, Executive Director

 "Ebony brings a long history of experience in the education sector and is a skilled relationship builder. We're excited to see what this next chapter brings! Ebony comes to us from the Renton School District, where she was the Director of Renton Innovation Zone Partnerships and Early Learning She has extensive experience working with students and their families, building support programs from the ground up. Ebony will bring her passion for connecting schools and communities to Team Read, growing the organization to reach more young readers, and making meaningful job opportunities available to more local teens."

Xochitl Torres Small, Executive Director

“Torres Small brings high-level government experience, most recently serving as USDA Deputy Secretary from 2023-2025, where she functioned as Chief Operating Officer overseeing operations for over 100,000 civil servants and directly managing 11 senior executives. Previously, she served as Under Secretary for Rural Development (2021-2023), delivering over $40 billion annually for rural housing, water and wastewater, value added agriculture, high speed internet, and economic development. She also represented New Mexico’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. Congress (2019-2020), where she served on the House Agriculture Committee. She holds a J.D. summa cum laude from University of New Mexico School of Law and a bachelor’s in foreign service cum laude from Georgetown University, with professional experience in water and environmental law.”

Peter Martin, Strategic Partnerships Director

“In this new senior leadership role, Peter will focus on learning and engagement with Heartland Fund funders and partners across all three program areas – Rural Democracy, Resource Rural, and Rural Climate Partnership. In this critical time for our country he will contribute his extensive experience to help set strategy, raise resources, and lift up the promise of rural people and places in the coalition for progress.

Peter brings 20 years of work at the intersection of democracy, civic engagement, and climate as an advocate, funder, and strategic partnerships leader.  Most recently, Peter served as Executive Director of Tides Foundation, leading Tides’ philanthropic partnerships with high net worth individuals, foundations, and movement leaders, helping them to achieve their social impact goals.“

Hanne Beener, Executive Director

“Hanne brings more than a decade of local conservation experience to the position, including 10 years at CDLT, where she most recently served as Trails Program Manager. Her work helped shape many of the community trails and access projects that residents and visitors enjoy today. Most recently, she served as Policy & Planning Manager at TREAD, where she worked across sectors to support sustainable recreation, stewardship, and land use policy throughout the region. 

Hanne is known for her thoughtful leadership style, deep local knowledge, and strong track record of collaboration across agencies, nonprofits, and community groups.”
 

Rian Watt, Executive Director

"Rian joins EOI from Community Solutions (CS), a national homelessness nonprofit. There, he served as the Strategy Lead for International Large-Scale Change, leading a team that designed and launched organizations building large-scale movements to end homelessness in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, and the UK. Rian also serves on the boards of the statewide land use organization Futurewise and the Third Door Coalition, a group focused on advocating for Permanent Supportive Housing in King County. 'The EOI Board is confident that Rian’s experience, skills, and approach are uniquely well-suited to helping EOI chart its course and deliver on its mission for all Washingtonians,' said Michael Tamayo, EOI Board President."

Alyssa Knight, Executive Director

"Alyssa is one of the group of students who conceived of and founded FEPPS over a decade ago. Since July 2023, Alyssa has served as the interim co-ED of FEPPS where she has supervised staff, developed and augmented our AA classes, worked with funders from a range of large and small organizations, and represented FEPPS at several national conferences. In addition to her proven leadership, Alyssa has the support and respect of a broad range of key stakeholders. and her leadership and strengths are widely recognized. Alyssa marries experience and skills and is the leader FEPPS needs as it moves into its second decade."

Jessica St. John, Director of Advancement

"Jessica has guided partners through systems-level change efforts, focusing on sustainability, regenerative adaptation, and design. Her partners have included environmental organizations, groups specializing in organizational design and development, arts organizations, youth-focused organizations, and Fortune 500 companies. She has also served as the director of several prominent arts institutions in New York City. She’s thrilled to be able to support one of Portland’s most unique and innovative arts organizations and to help create the conditions for young people to discover their creative potential through engaging and immersive learning opportunities."

Bindiya Patel, Executive Director

"Bindiya has over two decades of leadership experience at equity-focused nonprofit organizations where she has worked toward her lifelong mission to support women and people of color to lead healthy lives and develop their leadership skills. Bindiya spent 19 years serving in several roles at PATH, a global health nonprofit based in Seattle. She also created and implemented an innovative approach to center equity in all of the organization’s programming. In line with LT’s mission, Bindiya also serves part-time as co-director and faculty for Seattle’s Global Leadership Forum. She teaches at the University of Washington’s Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Women’s Health Network."

Haruko Watanabe, Clinical Director

“Haruko is a seasoned IECMH clinician with a deep capacity for listening, reflection, and a spirited sense of responsibility to carrying out our mission and values.  I am excited for Cooper House to have a leader who has both poetic and pragmatic approaches to building a strong program,” shares Jane Hinton, Executive Director of Cooper House. 

Steven Dubiel, Executive Director

"Steven (Steve) Dubiel joined Washington’s National Park Fund, the official philanthropic partner to Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks, as Chief Executive Officer in September 2024.

Steve is passionate about environmental stewardship, leadership development, and community engagement, with over two decades of leadership experience in the conservation sector including most recently serving as Community Investments & Engagement Section Manager at King County Parks, and before that leading EarthCorps as its Executive Director for 22 years.

Steve shares, 'I see our work as vital to making national parks accessible to everyone, as well as stewarding these parks for future generations.'"

Liz Riggs Meder, Executive Director

"Liz is an educator and nonprofit leader with a background in guiding organizations through growth and change to expand their reach and impact. She is passionate about creating access for diverse audiences and has done that for programs ranging from science curriculum for youth to outdoor risk management for adults. Profoundly shaped by her music education experience through her school years, she is eager to return to the music world and to use her change management skills to support making rich music education more accessible to all students. “

Liesl Slabaugh, Director of Development

Liesl brings extensive experience in resource development to Habitat. She has a strong commitment to community service, having managed a transitional housing program and led a branch of Big Brothers Big Sisters. A Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), Liesl’s local knowledge and relationships in East Jefferson County will be invaluable as she leads Habitat’s development efforts as they address the affordable housing needs in the community amidst an ongoing housing crisis.

Emma York-Jones, Executive Director

Emma York-Jones is a passionate leader in social services dedicated to empowering individuals and fostering thriving communities. With over 19 years of experience, she possesses a unique blend of strategic vision and operational expertise, honed through years of successfully developing and implementing impactful programs, primarily for vulnerable youth. From building strong community partnerships to translating data into actionable insights, Emma excels at driving sustainable growth and delivering high-quality services. Her diverse experiences, from her roots in North Carolina to her service as a Health Educator in Tanzania with the Peace Corps, have instilled in her a global perspective and a deep understanding of the human condition.

Arigin Sakda, Executive Director

“With over 15 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, operations, and health equity advocacy, Arigin is deeply committed to advancing our mission. As a dedicated leader and advocate, she brings a passion for culturally competent care and eliminating health disparities. Prior to joining CCHCP, Arigin was the Executive Director of an early-learning organization with a focus on building scaling systems, fund development, financial/program overshight, community engagement, and strategic planning.”