People

Abby is passionate about working at the intersection of systems and individuals to foster social change and promote community flourishing. Originally from Spokane, Abby is a graduate of Gonzaga University and the University of Washington, completing degrees in Art, Public Administration, and Social Work. With previous roles focused on social policy and advocacy, housing and homelessness, and poverty alleviation, she is excited that Path with Art will enable her to incorporate her love of art with her passion for systems change. In her free time, Abby enjoys watching Gonzaga basketball, catching a movie at SIFF, sharing a block of cheese with friends, and slowly moving through their library of books and empty canvases.

Rachael is a dedicated relationship builder and passionate advocate for bringing healing art practices to all. Rachael has a BFA in studio art from FIT in NYC and M.Ed.from Texas A&M. With over 20 years as a teaching artist, she has overseen impactful art programs, making a significant difference in the lives of participants and their families. A military spouse, Rachael has served as a K-12 art teacher at various duty stations across the United States, including stations in New York, Texas, Hawaii, Alaska, and Washington. She has witnessed the challenges faced by diverse communities and is committed to ensuring they have the support they need. Rachael finds joy in creative projects, specializing in theatrical set design, thriving on creative challenges and building strong relationships.

Stephanie is a passionate community partner, in life and work. She likes to make things happen by turning vision into action. Whether merging companies or creating a pathway for organizations to collaborate for systemic change, she likes to figure out how resources can be leveraged to create solutions for individuals, especially youth, to prosper. She loves tapping into the unique power and ability of individuals to work together to create powerful, equitable results.

Levi is a lifelong Seattleite and has always worked toward supporting the people and culture of his hometown through organizations such as Bumbershoot, The Cutie Foundation, and more. His love for learning has led him to serve in a variety of roles, including researcher, educator, and marketer, and he is excited to continue his career of learning in his new position on the development team at PWA. Outside of work, you’ll find Levi on the pitch lacing up his boots for soccer, hanging with friends at local art and music events, or listening to his former band’s recently released and self-produced album, Hunny Bucket.

Susannah’s background sits at the intersections of community-centered art, artful activism, philanthropy, social and environmental justice. Susannah started on this path in Portland Or, where she spent a decade running large-scale art fairs and events for a commercial art and design college and neighborhood community-based cultural non-profit, Art on Alberta. She has spent the last 15 years working in fundraising, partnership investment, and more recently diving into social impact funds for organizations working at the intersectionality of economic justice, land conservation, the right to housing, food sovereignty, and Native land rights. Susannah currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Foundation and ecoTHRIVE Housing, an organization collaborating to create King counties first resilient village that addresses homeownership, economic justice, and climate resiliency for low-income Salish Sea residents.

With a background in non-profit management, strategic planning and communications, Holly’s professional experience spans both for- and non-profit institutions. She has created strategic marketing and product solutions for Microsoft, The City of Seattle, The Seattle International Film Festival, and others. A passionate advocate for social justice, Holly founded Voter Action, a national non-profit organization with the aim to secure accurate election systems. She serves on the Seattle Arts Commission, the Washington Women’s Foundation Impact Assessment Committee, and the steering committee of With One Voice, an organization supporting International Arts & Homelessness organizations based in the United Kingdom.

James Miles worked as an educator in the New York City public schools for almost 20 years prior to moving to Seattle in 2017. Originally from Chicago, Miles has worked internationally as an artist and educator, and his work has been featured in magazines, books, podcasts, and newspapers. Miles is an assistant professor at Seattle University, Chief Strategy Officer at Path with Art, and on the advisory board of SXSW EDU.

His work has been featured in media including Complex magazine, the Seattle Times, the New York Times, NPR, Billboard Magazine, CBS, NBC, the US Department of Education, ASCD, and more. His Tedx Talk highlights his work narrowing achievement gaps using the arts as a tool to navigate systems of educational inequality.

Ayan has a BA in Communication Studies from Loyola Marymount University and a Masters of Social Work from the University of Washington. With a background in hospitality and social services, Ayan continues to hone her skills in creating meaningful connections and fostering environments of warmth and inclusivity. Ayan has always been interested in bridging the gap between art and advocacy and that is what led her to Path With Art. She is very excited to continue on this journey, forging meaningful connections between art, social justice, and the communities that stand to benefit from their harmonious intersection.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico and fluent in Spanish, Tony brings a passion for the arts, culture, and community to his work. His early career included performing as Pluto at Walt Disney World and serving in the U.S. Navy, experiences that shaped his leadership and global perspective. Tony built a career in the beauty industry over two decades at Coupe Rokei Hair Salon and Academy in Pike Place Market, rising from front desk receptionist to General Manager. A graduate of the Leadership in the Arts Fellowship at Seattle Opera, he has provided Executive Support at YouthCare and prior to joining the PWA team he contributed as a volunteer translator, Hair and Makeup Artist for the 2024 Art for All Ball, and Design Associate for two costumes for the 2025 Art for All Ball.

Outside work, Tony enjoys exploring the Pacific Northwest with his puppy, hiking, and supporting local arts, theater, and sports.

Wynne is a multidisciplinary artist who believes that art, culture, gathering together to play and share time and space is a powerful way to create a sense of belonging, collectivism, and community. As well as her work with Path with Art, Wynne is the Director of the Georgetown Super 8 Film Festival and co-owner of Georgetown Records. She has spent over 20 years assisting and collaborating with other artists while fostering arts-based, placemaking interventions that maximize a community’s social potential. Wynne has a BA in Studio Art from Oberlin College and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Washington.

Alec is a queer multidisciplinary artist who is forever looking to challenge themself with new uses for material and new perspectives. They moved to Seattle from Philadelphia in 2022, and prior to joining Path with Art as Arts Coordinator, Alec held a variety of positions in the arts – from the fabrication of artwork and the construction of exhibit spaces to archives conservation. Alec earned a BA in Studio Arts from Bucknell University.

Ari joined Path with Art in 2022 coming off her third term as an AmeriCorps VISTA. She graduated in 2013 from Evergreen State College where she studied Writing and American Cultural Studies. Ari integrates skills from her experiences as a Crisis Line Counselor, a Dispute Resolution Center Trained Mediator, and a Mental Health First Aider with her education and personal life growing up in a home filled with art and in a community of DIY artists. Ari is passionate about harm reduction, leadership, inclusion, and compassion. Ari honed her nonprofit skills in the field of youth development working in residential camps, afterschool programs, community centers, mentor programs, and middle schools before landing at Path with Art.

Emily is a dedicated non-profit arts administrator and former art teacher who joined Path with Art in 2021. Prior to that, Emily ran adult and youth art programs at San Francisco Art Institute from 2013-2018 and helped support the MFA and MA in Curatorial Practice programs at California College of the arts from 2018-2021. She has a BA in Elementary Art Education from Western Washington University and an MA in Urban Studies from San Francisco Art Institute. Emily is passionate about providing high-quality, community-focused arts programming for all.

J.J. came to Seattle as an AmeriCorps volunteer with United Indians of All Tribes Foundation and his professional career includes managing the Daybreak Star Art Gallery, video editing for Seattle Children’s Hospital and case managing at Plymouth Housing Group. While at Plymouth he helped to found a musical jam group that was the origin of Path with Art’s music programming. J.J. has Master’s degrees in Social Work and Documentary Filmmaking from the University of Washington and a BA in Humanities from New College of Florida. He serves as a Clinical Instructor for the University of Washington School of Social Work.

Nikki has been a passionate advocate for the arts in Seattle since 1998, working as an actor, director, teaching artist, and marketing strategist. For over 15 years, she served as Director of Marketing at Taproot Theatre, where she led branding, audience engagement, and strategic planning efforts, achieving notable audience growth and spearheading a post-pandemic recovery campaign that exceeded industry benchmarks.

A dedicated Teaching Artist with Path with Art since 2015, Nikki has led classes in acting and personal storytelling and served on the Advisory Board. She has also coached public speakers, developed arts curricula, and facilitated workshops in clinical and community settings. Now, as a full-time staff member, she is honored to further Path with Art’s mission, combining her expertise in storytelling, leadership, and transformative artistic experiences that foster community-building and well-being.

A lifelong art lover and creative, Lori integrates a breadth of experience across design, marketing, copywriting, and illustration in her role as Marketing & Content Manager. Adding to her BS in Industrial Design and MA in Theology & Culture, Lori is pursuing a Master’s in Counseling Psychology to bring together her passions for imagination, mental health, systemic transformation, and curiosity about the human experience. When not scribbling in her journal, Lori can be found running, exploring one of the PNW’s many beaches and trails, or drinking coffee under a very cozy blanket.

Tyresha has a BA in Psychology from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and is currently working towards completing her Masters in Social Work with a specialization on Community Centered Integrative Practice from the University of Washington. Tyresha spent a few years working in Special Education, studied Clinical Mental Health Counseling and has a lifelong interest in multimedia art. She hopes to intersect her background with her passion to bring creative thinking and joy to the community. Her enthusiasm for advocacy and artistic expression led her to intern for Path With Art. Outside of her school and work life Tyresha enjoys listening to music, sketching, and rotating through her hobby box!

Daisy is a second year graduate student at the University of Washington pursuing a Master’s in Social Work with an emphasis on Community-Centered Integrative Practice. As a multimedia artist and lover of creative expression, Daisy is passionate about developing community systems of care that center relationship, art, and healing. With her background in school systems as an AmeriCorps VISTA, Family Services Advocate, and elementary school social worker, she is excited to integrate her creativity and community building skills into her work at PwA.

Dr. Michele Andrasik is a clinical health psychologist who has been working to address social and structural determinants of negative health outcomes for more than three decades. She is the Director of social and behavioral sciences and community engagement for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center-based HIV Vaccine Trials Network, Principal Staff Scientist in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division at Fred Hutch, and an affiliate associate professor in the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington, where she is also the co-director of the Behavioral Initiative Core of the Center for AIDS Research. Michele is most passionate about music and its healing power.

Ann Blume has long believed in the healing power of art. She and her husband, Bruce, met in Washington, DC where they both worked for US Senators. Soon after, they moved to Seattle and founded The Blume Company, a commercial real estate development firm. Ann is a founding board member of the Common Threads Project, an organization that uses Art Therapy to treat trauma in marginalized communities worldwide, and has served on the boards of numerous cultural and philanthropic organizations. She and her husband have five children, including an art therapist and an artist. Ann is deeply committed to philanthropy and advancing social justice and the arts. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, spending time with family, and tending to her chickens and bees.

April has always worked with her hands—as a violist, in the occasional rock band, and making lampwork beads for her small business. She has also been a caretaker for loved ones facing the challenges of mental illness and traumatic loss. These experiences raised her awareness of the need for creativity in the journey of recovery. April has been a Creative Mentor in PwA classrooms since 2018 and continues to be inspired by all the Participant Artists and their human journeys.

Derek has been surrounded by art his entire life. His mother, wife, and daughter are all artists and have shown the power of art in life. Professionally, Derek works managing the Seattle office of CORIENT, a national family office investment and wealth planning firm. Prior to CORIENT, Derek ran the investment firm Columbia Pacific Wealth Management. Before Columbia Pacific, Derek spent 15 years in the investment division of Kibble & Prentice. Derek met his wife working and travelling through Europe before settling down in Seattle in 2000. When not working and spending time with his family, Derek does long-distance triathlons and various other athletic events.

Matthew Dressman is passionate about the arts, particularly music, and has spent his adult life blending this with his love for technology. He has worked on various projects helping artists, record labels, and music festivals leverage tech to grow and connect with their communities. He’s a firm believer in the transformative power of creativity and is excited by opportunities to make the arts more accessible. Currently, Matthew works at Coinbase in Engineering Leadership. Outside of work, he’s happiest when spending time with his family, playing guitar, or getting lost on a mossy hike in nature.

Jim believes the arts are a vital part of life, with the power to inspire, unite, and transform communities. He has been a Creative Mentor in PwA classrooms and assisted managing the construction of ArtHOME. He serves as a board member and an advisor to profit and not for profit boards, having served on over twenty—currently, Classical KING, Seattle Arts & Lectures, and Key to Change among others. He served sixteen years as an ArtsFund Trustee, including two as Board Chair and is currently serving on the ArtsFund Foundation board.

After a 38year consulting career, he retired as CEO and Board Chair Emeritus of Sparling (now Stantec), a leading firm in electrical, technology, acoustics, and lighting consulting. He holds an MBA from Seattle University, a BS from Clemson University, and completed Harvard’s Executive Leadership Program. His interests include music of all kinds, theatre, sailing, hiking, and travel. He and his wife, Gaylee, live in Seattle.

A constant pursuit of emerging markets up and down the West Coast and an eye toward the next opportunity define Dave Enslow’s 23-year career in real estate investment. He founded Timberlane in 2011 with a dedication to “missing middle” housing efforts and a commitment to community engagement while growing a business

A Washington State native and University of Washington alum, Dave lives in Seattle with his wife and three children and dedicates his free time to nonprofit work, such as serving on the Path with Art board, and spending time with his family skiing, woodworking, fishing, and sailing.

Mercedes is the founder and past owner of MFID Interiors, a full service commercial interior design firm specializing in housing for everyone. Mercedes oversaw the design and implementation of thousands of units of multi-family housing from Seattle to Los Angeles, from high-end luxury to affordable housing. Within this career she formed a special understanding of transitional housing and, with that understanding, the healing power of art. Her passion for art, in both its healing and community-building aspects, became the cornerstone to incorporate local art and artists into the many projects she designed.

Mercedes is a past board member of Plymouth Housing, the current co-chair of the Land Use Review Committee of Uptown Alliance, and the current liaison to the Uptown Arts and CultureCoalition (UACC).

Bill is dedicated to connecting people through the power of art and design to transform communities.  An architect, artist, art curator, and arts activist, he is the founder of BONFIRE Art. Culture. Design. Bill was a founding member of the Seattle architecture firm GGLO, where he shaped a model for community activist/multidisciplinary architecture firms over 28 years. As an artist Bill has been a designer, maker, and model of wearable art. Bill and his wife Lindy live in downtown Seattle.

Andrew Harbison has dedicated his career to advancing the work of libraries for nearly 25 years. He currently leads the strategy and team that designs, builds, and maintains the WebJunction online learning network at OCLC, a global library technology and research cooperative. Previously, Andrew was with The Seattle Public Library for 10 years where he oversaw public services, collections, operations, programming, outreach, and information technology. While there, he led numerous access, intellectual freedom, and equity driven initiatives. Andrew and his partner live on Beacon Hill and enjoy the arts, paddling rivers and lakes, and travel.

John Hoyt is the Founder and President of Pyramid Communications, a Seattle-based public affairs and strategic communications firm. For most of his professional life, John has been an advocate for the power of art to, not just transform individual lives, but also to transform cities, schools systems and to help engage and activate people around social movements. When not working, John can be found in his garden.

Candace Jackson is the Chief of Community Engagement at Neighborcare Health. She also serves as the Executive Director of the Neighborcare Health Foundation. In these roles, she oversees partnerships, grants and fundraising, policy, and communications. Previously she served as Director of Health Justice at Pyramid Communications, leading strategic initiatives for foundations, institutions, and non-profits. She spent nearly a decade at Public Health—Seattle & King County in multiple positions focused on health equity, and co-founded the African American Health Board and the Community Health Board Coalition, a network of 15 ethnically/culturally based community health boards. She also serves as a committee co-chair with the UW’s Center for Antiracism and Community Health.

Katie Hughes oversees the health, safety, and sustainability of a global corporate portfolio. She spearheads implementing pioneering practices, like a global indoor air quality program, and received the Mary L. McClinton Patient Safety Award (2022) for her work delivering COVID-19 vaccines to over 145k community members. Katie is a firm believer in supporting the community. When she is not working, Katie enjoys spending time with her family and, when time permits, going golfing.

Jeanne Kohl-Welles, recently retired King County Councilmember, District 4 (2016-23), and former Washington State Representative and Senator (1992-2015), brings a wealth of legislative experience and knowledge to the PwA Board of Directors. With a background in academia and advocacy, her passions have included working to effect social change through public policymaking and to elect progressive women to office. Notably, she championed the Doors Open legislation, expanding access to arts, culture, and science programs, and secured significant funding for PwA during her council tenure. Jeanne also has served on the Washington Arts Commission, 4Culture, and Woodland Park Zoo Boards. She lives in Belltown with her husband Alex, often spending weekends at their home on Whidbey Island. They love hiking and traveling.

Donald is one of the leading lawyers in land use and real estate development matters in Seattle. For over 40 years, he has guided many of the region’s significant mixed-use, office, business park, retail, and multi-family projects to successful conclusion through creative application of the law. He has assisted real estate developers and owners of property in developing commercial and residential projects in the Pacific Northwest and other regions of the country.

Lisa Mayfield is a licensed mental health counselor and founder of Aging Wisdom, an Aging Life Care agency serving the Seattle area. A Past President of the Aging Life Care Association, she brings more than two decades of experience guiding families through health, memory, and life transitions. Lisa has served on the Advisory Committee for the Frye Art Museum’s Creative Aging program and believes deeply in art’s ability to build hope, improve cognition, and create community. Lisa and her husband Dave live in Ballard. Lisa enjoys travelling, walks, Pilates, paddle boarding, and laughing with friends and family.

Jonnae is a psychiatric nurse practitioner (PMHNP) in private practice, and the Director of the PMHNP program at Seattle University. She is also a trainer, researcher, and consultant in Motivational Interviewing (MI) and is a member of MINT, the international Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers. She is a former clinical director of research at the University of Washington and has designed and delivered training in mental health, substance use disorder, and healthcare & social justice nationwide for healthcare systems, universities, and community-based organizations, specializing in tribal and migrant health. When she’s not with patients, teaching or training, Jonnae loves living in Edmonds, theatre trips, cheering on the Seahawks, and walking her perpetually muddy yellow Labrador, Pippa.

Amy has a background in urban planning and has been passionately involved in the commercial real estate world for the past 30 years. When she’s not problem-solving for her clients, she enjoys spending time volunteering with Seattle-based organizations, staying current on local, national and international news, traveling domestically and internationally, listening to music, eating good food, reading books, and hanging out with friends and family, preferably outdoors. She lives in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood with her husband and son.