Donte Felder, South End Stories (January 16)

Donte Felder is the founder and Executive Director at South End Stories (one of our new community partners) where they focus on “Trauma Informed Arts Practice: Healing Through History and Creativity”. Donte is a former SPS educator and has been the recipient of WEA’s Humanitarian Award as well as Washington’s Golden Apple Award. Donte comes from a family of seasoned educators and community leaders focused on pursuing social justice by developing anti-racist and anti-oppression practices in schools and communities.  More information about Donte and South End Stories can be found at:https://www.southendstories-artsed.com/ 

 

 

 

 

Jeanie Lindsay, Legislative Reporter, KUOW (January 23)

Jeanie Lindsay is a cat mom, journalist, and Ellis Fellow alumna who graduated from UW in 2017. She spent much of her time as an undergrad participating in various service opportunities through the fellowship, and working with Camp Kesem, an organization that provides free summer camp and year round support for children who have a parent with cancer. After she graduated, she followed my dream of working in public radio, and spent several years in Indiana working as a statewide education reporter for the state's network of NPR and PBS stations before coming back to Washington in early 2022. She now works as the Olympia Correspondent for the Northwest News Network, which is a collaboration of NPR stations across Washington and Oregon, and she covers state government and policy issues for people across the region.  

 

 

 

 

Nani Vishwanath, Senior Program Manager, Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Innovation at REI (January 30)

Nani Vishwanath (she/her) is dynamic consultant, speaker, educator, writer and marketer in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion space. Nani has been deeply involved in social change work for the last 10 years, with experience ranging from higher education to the tech and retail sectors. Her current roles are Sr. Program Manager, Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) Innovation at REI Co-op and Facilitator & Consultant with The Courage Collective. Nani's personal mission is to "elevate the voices of the unheard", and she has developed a way of working that centers the perspectives of historically excluded communities. Nani is passionate about developing empathy-based conversations that push past the status quo toward real and sustained change. She is a proud first-generation American with South Asian roots, and is a working parent as well. Nani has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, Washington Post, Business Insider, Forbes, and other notable publications. 

 

 

 

 

Berlin Maza, Eastside Fire & Rescue (February 6)

Berlin Maza has over fifteen year's service as a first responder and was recently promoted to Captain with Eastside Fire & Rescue. He is a Training Officer with South King County Fire Training Consortium and President of the First Responder Liaison Network. He is the dynamic co-host of Kitchen Table Leadership Conversations podcast, where he explores themes of public service and wellbeing among first responders. Berlin's passion for mentorship and professional development is a cornerstone of his identity. His vision for the future is clear: to continue enhancing safety standards, promote inclusive practices across all facets of his work, and inspire the next generation of leaders.

 

 

 

 

Talya Gillman, Citizen University (February 13)

Talya Gillman develops learning experiences and resources that spark and support powerful citizenship and care-full community building, rooted in the idea that “we're all better off when we're all better off.” Many experiences and relationships have helped her explore the importance (and complexity!) of human dignity, interdependence, and belonging: designing and leading programs with Citizen University (where she currently serves as a Director), Jewish Family Service, At The Well, University of Washington, and Repair the World; receiving the Covenant Foundation’s Pomegranate Prize for emerging Jewish educators; organizing with Jewish anti-racist and migrant justice networks; completing an M.A. in Transformational Leadership at Seattle University; serving as an AJWS World Partners Fellow supporting Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust’s harm reduction work in Mumbai; and assisting ATZUM’s anti-sex trafficking work in Israel. She is grateful to all of her ancestors and teachers. 

 

 

 

Felicia Ishino, Sankofa Impact (February 20)

Felicia Ishino is a founder and Executive Director of a Seattle nonprofit organization called Sankofa Impact. The mission of Sankofa Impact is to confront our shared history of racism and resistance by bringing people together for place-based learning experiences. Felicia has an extensive background in education policy, student development and anti-racism facilitation. She has over 20 years of experience in Seattle area K-12, higher learning institutions, and nonprofits. She holds degrees in English and Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, both from the University of Washington. In Felicia’s free time, she enjoys camping, spending time with her children, and finding inspiration in the teachings and writings of Toni Morrison and adrienne maree brown. 

 

 

 

 

 

Heather Crandall, Volunteer Manager, White Center Food Bank (February 27)

Heather Crandall comes to her role as the Volunteer Manager at White Center Food Bank with a long career in volunteer engagement in food security and environmental work. Prior to her work in White Center she was the Community Engagement Manager for Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters, a cooking and nutrition program that engaged volunteer chefs and nutritionists to teach families how to cook healthy food on a budget. Before that, she spent 9 years working with the volunteers at the Denver Zoo. Heather’s expertise extends beyond volunteer engagement to adult learning design and facilitation through professional experience with Girl Scouts, the National Association of Interpretation, and the Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement. There is nowhere else Heather would rather spend her career than working with and supporting volunteers to accomplish incredible things for the community! 

 

 

 

Megan Kennedy, UW Resilience Lab (March 5)

Megan Kennedy is the Director of the UW Resilience Lab. As a leader and facilitator, Kennedy aims to build healthy and compassionate learning communities. From engaging stakeholders in vision-setting to partnering with students, staff, and instructors, her approach to leadership centers on collaborative relationships. She believes that building high-quality wellness and educational programs requires teamwork at every level. Currently, Kennedy is developing and evaluating systems-based approaches to well-being that combines applied research, education, and collaborative programming across three University of Washington campuses. This includes partnering with academic departments, student wellness groups, and community-based organizations seeking to deepen their capacity for mindfulness and resilience. Kennedy earned her master’s degree in Applied Behavioral Science from Bastyr University and is a licensed therapist with over a decade of experience in public and private practice.