LEADERSHIP & STAFF
Board Members
President Joyfully retired. Professional Background: 35 years’ management and non-profit experience. Worked with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Snohomish County, United Way, and Edmonds Center for the Arts, leading teams that raised over $150 million in corporate and individual support. Background in theater and dance: Founding actor with Open Door Theatre, an applied theater group working in the classroom to bring awareness to the issue of child sexual abuse. Board/Community Experience: Joined the League in 2017. Currently serving on LWVSC Board of Directors as Immediate Past President. Co-Chair of the statewide Redistricting Reform Task Force and team lead for local candidate forums. Helped develop Speak Up School training; has trained many groups on how to testify effectively. Past board service includes 7 years on the KSER Foundation Board of Directors, including 3 years as President, and 5 years on the Leadership Snohomish County Board. Personal: Karen has two amazing children. She lives in a 1906 home in Snohomish with her husband, Tom Merrill, who currently serves as president of the Snohomish City Council. I am deeply committed to our dual mission of empowering voters and defending democracy. When not creating ‘good trouble’ I delight in carving out time for my garden and the New York Times crossword puzzle. |
First Vice President Cynthia Stewart, Tacoma-Pierce County and Thurston County League Experience: Currently completing third term as President of Tacoma-Pierce County LWV and board member since 2014; two terms on LWVWA Board, 2013-2017, including one term as second Vice President; two terms as Board member of Thurston LWV. 13 years on LWVWA Lobby Team. Work: Now retired. Worked approximately 30 years in public sector at State of WA, King County and Thurston County as policy analyst and manager. Also served as managing partner of a company providing mediation and group facilitation services. Serve on boards of two other non-profit organizations. Personal: Married, three children, four grandchildren. I rejoined League after retirement because I had enjoyed it so much 30 years earlier as a young stay-at-home mother. I thrive on the issues that League works on, its commitment to democracy, and the many friendships I’ve developed over many years in League through working on projects together. |
Second Vice President Marty joined the League in 2017 and for the past 8 years served on the LWVWA Lobby Team covering water, climate and energy issues. Since 2023 he has served on the LWVWA Board of Directors as second vice president. Other League service includes LWVUS Climate Interest Group Renewable Energy Team chair; member of the LWV-SKC City Climate Action Committee; Shoreline Study Group and Research Committee. He was appointed by the LWVWA to the State Energy Strategy Advisory Committee in 2020. Previous volunteer roles: Treasurer, secretary, and president of Evergreen Soaring flying club. Chair, secretary, treasurer of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Pacific Northwest, the professional aerospace engineering society. Homeowner association president, and neighborhood liaison with city government. A graduate of Virginia Tech, he enjoyed a forty-year engineering career in product design, research & development, and management. I value the work of the League promoting voter education, citizen involvement in government, and the careful study of issues. The League’s strength is based on the dedication to those values of the member volunteers, and their commitment to carry on for over one hundred years. |
c4 Treasurer Dee Ann is a member of the LWV of Mason County Leadership Team, co-chair of the Mason County Speak Up School, member of the Mason County Bicentennial Committee, editor of the Mason County Voter newsletter, maintains the LWV of Mason County website, volunteered as a Zoom technician for the 2020 Council, and is a member of the statewide Journalism Affinity Group. Dee Ann is a retired medical laboratory technologist and laboratory manager. She is the Naturalist Committee and Communications Committee chair for Olympia Mountaineer. She also leads hikes and teaches first aid for the Mountaineers. She is a board member of the Master Gardeners Foundation of Mason County and an active Master Gardener Volunteer. During the summer, she is volcano naturalist volunteer for the Mount St. Helens institute. |
c3 Treasurer Karen Madsen, Snohomish County Karen is a member of the LWV of Snohomish County, recently serving as president and currently serving as treasurer. She enjoys moderating candidate forums and working with the LWVWA Vote 411 team. Karen retired from ten years of teaching high school chemistry, physics and speech and debate to stay home with her firstborn in 1984. She was actively involved in PTAs at all levels of the Everett School District and ultimately ran for and served on the Everett School Board for 12 years. She has served as treasurer for four PTAs, Washington State PTA, the Washington Science Teachers Association and a Snohomish County-wide book club and worked with OSPI to help develop statewide science standards and assessments. Public schools, libraries and the right to influence the direction of our community at the ballot box are, in my opinion, the underpinnings of a free, successful, supportive society. The mission of the League, to empower voters and defend democracy, speaks deeply to me. I am delighted to support that work as treasurer for the c3 fund. |
Secretary Angela Gyurko, Jefferson County Angela first came to Washington in 1989 to take a job as an engineer at Boeing, and although she left to work a variety of technical, policy, and educational jobs, Washington was always the place she felt most at home. When her spouse had a chance to relocate here for his job in 2016, they jumped on it and haven’t looked back. Angela was involved in a variety of civic groups, and through this she was recruited into the League in early 2020 because of her long familiarity with Zoom. She has served as the Chair of the Jefferson County Unit-at-Large since August 2020. In a small members-at-large unit, this means she is the lead organizer for all the county’s candidate forums, the communications lead for all the League’s county-wide messaging, and the coordinator of the Election Observing Corps. She also sits on the LWVUS Health Care Interest Group, doing her best to educate others on how proposed healthcare reform options would play out in rural areas. Angela has a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Columbia University, an M.S. from University of Texas, Austin, and most recently, an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College. Her plays have been performed in Port Townsend, Seattle, Salem, Boston, and Corpus Christie. When she is not Leaguing, writing, caregiving, or engaging in healthcare advocacy, she is somewhere deep in the forest on a trail. |
Director Sasha Bentley, Member-at-Large Sasha has been passionate about civic engagement since childhood, growing up in both California and Idaho. She’s lived in Washington State since 2004 and White Salmon, in the Columbia River Gorge, since 2016. She has been involved in her community, including as a leader of a local Women’s Action Network and her local League of Women Voters Unit at Large, organizing candidate forums and voter registration efforts. Additionally, she created Checks and Balances, a civic education tabletop card game designed to make learning about American democracy engaging and accessible. Professionally, Sasha has a background in operations and HR but found her calling in equity and inclusion work. She currently leads these efforts at a community action human services agency, focusing on internal policy development and external collaborations that strengthen community engagement and belonging. With her child Ember growing up, she has more capacity to contribute to civic work and is eager to bring her equity lens, budgeting and development experience, tech expertise, and strategic planning skills to the State League. |
Director Dee Anne Finken, Clark County Dee Anne, a member of the Clark County League, has served as a state director for two years, carrying the Local News and Democracy portfolio. Dee Anne played a key role in the national adoption by concurrence of the state Local News and Democracy position and has continued to be deeply involved in other work to support local news and media literacy education as chair of the Local News and Democracy Advocacy and Education committee. As a Lobby Team Issue chair, too, she has been a stakeholder in legislative efforts to generate $20 million to support local news, which is foundational to a healthy democracy. Dee Anne also serves on the Nominating Committee and the state convention-planning team and is the “point person” for coordinating convention efforts among Clark County volunteers. A former newspaper reporter and tenured college faculty member, Dee Anne said she values her participation in the League for many reasons, including the opportunity to work with others determined to make the world a better place. |
Director Nancy Halvorson, Clark County Nancy joined the Clark County League in 2017 and has served as the President, Co-President ,Vice-President, Voter Services and Civics Chair and currently is the chair of the Observer Corps. Nonpartisanship, the Observer Corps, relationship building and education of the members and public drew her to the League. This flows right into her work with the MELD portfolio—Membership, Engagement, Leadership and Development. Her background includes a lifetime of volunteering with civic and service organizations, 39 years in the financial services industry, and she is a fused glass artist. She lives in Vancouver, WA with her husband and enjoys travels with their 2 grown children. Outside of glass, walking and reading keep her energized. When I walked in the door to my first League meeting, I found my home away from home. |
Director Aly Welch Heinrich, Pullman Area Alyssa (Aly) Welch Heinrich is the current President of the League of Women Voters of Pullman and Whitman County and has been an active member since 2020. She also serves as the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Pullman League’s Visual Arts Competition for students across Whitman County. Since 2020, Aly has volunteered over 450 hours in Washington, many of which have been with the League, the Pullman Police Advisory Committee, the Palouse Conservation District, and various scholarship pageants for women across the state. As a driven community member, Aly represented Washington at the National Sweetheart Pageant in September of 2023, where she was awarded a national Community Service Award for her work in her home state. In continuation of her volunteer work with the League of Women Voters, Aly hopes to be elected to a position with the Washington League and help pave the way for the future of the League and voters everywhere. As an experienced community leader, she plans to learn all she can about leadership within the League of Women Voters of Washington. |
Director Shelley Kneip, Thurston Shelley has been a League member since 2008. She has been a Board member of both the Kitsap and Thurston Leagues. Shelley has been active in a wide variety of League activities at both the local and state levels, including candidate forums, working on the state debates. state and local studies and serving on various committees. Work/Volunteer Life: Shelley is a retired attorney, with experience in municipal, land use and environmental law. She previously held positions on several local nonprofit boards. |
Director Robbie Soltz, Kittitas County A self-described “Advocate for Democracy,” Robbie began her journey from scientist to humanist in Southern California where she earned a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Ecology from University of California, Irvine. In addition to learning the value of scientific research, she also learned a great deal about sexism and misogyny in her area of research. From there, Robbie began her career in conservation and resource management at both the US Army Corps of Engineers and finally at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. After retiring from those august organizations, Robbie and her husband Dave were finally able to escape Los Angeles, and moved to Ellensburg, Washington on September 1, 2001—a most auspicious date. In Washington, Robbie was able to engage in what she truly wanted to do—teach, respond to grant solicitations, work with the League of Women Voters, Girl Scouts and many community/county organizations dedicated to preserving/enhancing environmental resources we depend on. |
Director Toyoko Tsukuda, Clallam County Toyoko was born in Japan and became a US citizen. English is her second language Most of her adult life, she devoted herself to science, studying Biochemistry at UC Berkeley, earning a Ph.D. in molecular biology at Cornell followed by post-doctoral study at Yale, and undertaking research at Pacific Northwest National Lab and University of New Mexico cancer research. In the next phase of her life—her focus shifted to serving society and her family. She found her passion in volunteering for the high school band, the Kiwanis Club, and working in church social action groups (despite not being Christian), and participating in LWVWA and its local league projects. While the joy of volunteer work has replaced her passion for science, she still applies the sharp analytical skills and data-mining expertise honed during her research career, bringing precision and insight to her social action efforts. Working with the various groups and initiatives, she has also played a pivotal role in shaping programs and bringing them to fruition. | Off Board ChairsBeatrice Crane, VOTE411 Project Manager State Office StaffAmy Peloff, Administrative Director Carolyn Stewart, Administration and Communications Assistant LWVUS LiaisonKimberly Hamlin | Nominating CommitteeChair: Cindy Piennett, Seattle-King County Tricia Grantham, Pullman Area Beth Pellicciotti, Spokane Area
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We wish to honor our past presidents who have served us so well.
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