VALUES. My work is rooted in social justice and creativity, and those values guide my choices. Since 1991, I've worked in a broad range of communities--adults with disabilities, people and families experiencing housing and food insecurity, immigrants and refugees, working artists, rural communities, and youth from low-income backgrounds. I also partner with organizations committed to addressing internal inequities. 

With these values as my foundation, I use my nonprofit leadership experience to help shift resources and power to historically disadvantaged communities. I've held management roles in both nonprofit and government sectors, including positions at North Cascades Institute, Grantmakers in the Arts, City of Seattle's Neighborhood Matching Fund and P-Patch Community Gardening Programs, and International District Housing Alliance, and led racial equity work at each.  Since 2001, I primarily consulted for foundations, organizations, and agencies that prioritize equity and social justice in their work.

APPROACH. Creativity plays an essential role in my approach, which involves using imagination, managed risk, and resourcefulness. In every new relationship, I prioritize respect, self-determination, and collaboration.

• Respect: honor people’s skills, experiences, perspectives, and needs; create inclusive spaces (e.g., accommodate limited capacity or childcare).

• Client self-determination :I provide expertise and options, but the group or organization makes the final decisions. 

• Collaboration: We leverage our collective strengths and to plan and achieve goals.

My areas of expertise include strategic and program planning, community-based research, grant making, event planning and production, fundraising, and grant writing. 

WHO ELSE AM I? I also identify as an artist, curator, and writer. In 2010, I co-founded IDEA Odyssey, a visual arts collective based in Seattle's Chinatown-International District, with fellow photographers Carina A del Rosario and Minh Carrico. I am a programmer for Seattle International Film Festival's Asian Crossroads and New American Cinema programs, and was an occasional contributor to the International Examiner, the Northwest's oldest nonprofit, pan-Asian Pacific American newspaper. I am currently its board president.