Washington Access Fund [ Staff And Board ]

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ABOUT ACCESS FUND

Staff & Board

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Washington Access Fund
100 South King Street, Suite 280
Seattle, WA 98104
206-328-5116 Voice
1-877-428-5116
1-888-494-4775 TTY
206-328-5126 Fax
Email: info@washingtonaccessfund.org

Who is the Washington Access Fund?

Executive Director
Frances E. Pennell, J.D., was the Policy & Funding Specialist for the Washington Assistive Technology Alliance from April 1995 to December 2000. This position provided a first-hand opportunity to observe the financial barriers that make it difficult if not impossible for many people with disabilities to obtain the assistive technologies needed to live independently and to succeed at work, at school, at play or as active participants in community life. Prior to joining WATA, Ms. Pennell was an attorney in private practice in Seattle.
Email: fpennell@washingtonaccessfund.org

Program Director
Kathy Gilman, joined the Washington Access Fund in 2008 after serving on the Board and Loan Review Committee for almost three years. Kathy previously worked as a Business Development Specialist with Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) working on bringing microenterprise development programs to both urban and rural areas. Prior to joining MEDA she worked for more than seven years for the Washington Community Alliance for Self-Help (Washington CASH), a community based microenterprise development and peer lending organization in Western Washington. She was also a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching business in the Russian Far East. Kathy's educational background includes an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago.
Email: kathy@washingtonaccessfund.org

Program Coordinator
Leann Wicklund, joined the Washington Access Fund in 2009 as a work-study student while studying Political Science at Seattle Pacific University. With an interest in microfinance and community development, the Access Fund has been a fruitful fit. After graduating from SPU, Leann has been the organization’s Program Coordinator, developing and managing the Individual Development Account programs.
Email: leann@washingtonaccessfund.org

Bookkeeper
Pam MacRae, Washington Access Fund's Bookkeeper, has worked as a nonprofit bookkeeper since 1997. She spent 10 of those years as the bookkeeper for Cascadia Revolving Fund, a community development financial institution that provided small business loans. Pam has spent the last five winters volunteering with Outdoors for All, skiing and snowshoeing with people with disabilities. She spends the other part of her work-week as the finance manager for Sightline Institute.
Email: pam@washingtonaccessfund.org

Washington Access Fund Board of Directors
FY 2011

ROB HONAN, PRESIDENT, is Executive Director of the Washington State Independent Living Council. The SILC promotes independent living services in Washington and supports the state’s eight Independent Living Centers. Rob has been involved in the disability rights movement for over 15 years – as a recipient of independent living services, as an IL Center Board Member and as IL Staff. As an individual who is hard of hearing and uses assistive technology on a daily basis, Rob understands the vital role of technology in both the independent living and disability rights movements.

KAREN JOHNSON, VICE PRESIDENT & LRC-CHAIR, is a retired speech language pathologist who worked for many years with individuals with severe speech and physical disabilities. Karen has long been an active member of United Blind of Seattle and currently volunteers with several other community programs including teaching English as a Second Language. As an AT user, Karen understands the financial barriers that make it difficult to acquire and effectively use these important tools. Karen’s goal in serving on the Board is to do whatever she can to improve access both to technology and economic opportunity for individuals with disabilities in Washington state.

RON ADAMS, TREASURER, has many years of experience in economic development. Until his retirement and move to Anacortes in October 2006, Ron was Manager of the Kitsap County Community Development Block Grant Program. The Block Grant program works with non-profits, government agencies, and individuals to identify, address and fund long term solutions to increase the socio-economic vitality of Kitsap County communities.

ABBY COOPER has been involved in initiative programs for individuals with disabilities throughout her career. She created Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) for public rehabilitation customers in Washington State using Social Security reimbursement dollars. Currently she is in private practice working on issues of economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities and teaches at Western Washington University.

KAREN PIERCE lives and works in Clallam County, Washington where she is a Principal in Pierce-Jones & Associates. Pierce Jones takes a team approach to helping individuals with disabilities achieve their goals in employment and independent living. Ms. Pierce is an expert in disability benefits planning and a strong advocate for financial literacy training and other asset building strategies for individuals with disabilities.

TYLER STRAHAN is a senior at Washington State University Vancouver majoring in social sciences in addition to getting his certification in human resource management. He is currently a board member of Disability Resources of Southwest Washington, a Center for Independent Living. As a wheelchair user, Tyler understands that technology plays an important role in assisting and promoting independent living and in helping individuals with disabilities address the challenges they must overcome in order to achieve independence.