Women We Admire is pleased to announce The Top 50 Women Leaders of Washington for 2023. Washington State plays a crucial role in the Pacific Northwest region of the country. With a strong emphasis on technology, aerospace, healthcare, agriculture, and renewable energy, it's become a leading hub for innovation, job creation, and economic growth. This year’s awardees are leaders within their professions, approaching challenges with a collaborative and inclusive mindset that foster teamwork and create an environment where all voices are heard. They serve as role models, inspiring and empowering the next generation of female professionals through mentorship and leadership development. Their success stories provide a roadmap for other women to aspire to leadership positions, encouraging career advancement and breaking down barriers.
Among this year’s awardees is Christine Dee, Chief Technology Officer of the T-Mobile Account Team at IBM, a technologist and research psychologist with over 25 years of experience in the industry, pioneering innovative mobile network data solutions and leading the development of groundbreaking program initiatives in the telecom network. Awardee Shannon Clark, Chief Test Engineer and Technical Fellow at The Boeing Company, leverages her extensive thirty-two years of test and evaluation engineering experience to develop and implement test strategies, methodologies, and test architecture plans that drive technology leaders and executives towards coherence from chaos. Also awarded is Jasmine Walia, the Senior Vice President of Client Solutions at Alorica, who leverages her expertise and leadership to drive client-focused solutions and deliver exceptional customer experiences for the largest, certified minority-owned Business Process Outsourcing organization.
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 50 Women Leaders of Washington for 2023.
1. Christine Dee
Chief Technology Officer, IBM
Christine Dee is the Chief Technology Officer of the T-Mobile Account Team at IBM. She is a technologist and research psychologist with more than 25 years of experience in the telecom industry. She is a member of IBM’s Industry Academy and an IBM Out Role Model.
Before joining IBM's Global Telecom Industry team, Christine pioneered new approaches to mobile network data solutions that were widely recognized as ground-breaking. Since then, she has led the development of several first-of-a-kind program initiatives in telecom network, billing, and care domains. A conference speaker and author, her central passion is working together with clients to create communities of discovery. Dee earned a PhD in media psychology from Fielding Graduate University, an MA in applied behavioral science, and an undergraduate degree in liberal arts and psychology from The Evergreen State College.
2. Nikki Krishnamurthy
Chief People Officer, Uber
Nikki Krishnamurthy is Chief People Officer, leading Uber’s human resources, recruiting, workplace, and diversity, equity, and inclusion teams that support the company’s employees around the world.
Nikki joined Uber from Expedia Inc., where she was chief people officer. Before becoming CPO, Nikki served as VP and general manager of Expedia Local Expert for three and a half years. In this role, she was responsible for the overall strategy, operations, and P&L for the line of business which offers online bookings for activities, tours, attractions, and ground transportation worldwide. Nikki has over 25 years of experience in human resources, having started her career in HR in banking, first at PNC and then WaMu. She has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Rutgers University.
4. Shannon Clark
Chief Test & Evaluation Engineer, Mobility & Surveillance, Boeing
As a Chief Test Engineer and Technical Fellow with The Boeing Company, Shannon Clark develops and implements test strategies, methodologies, and test architecture plans that enable technology leaders and executives to move from chaos to coherence. She has thirty-two years of test and evaluation engineering experience on a variety of military aircraft programs. Currently, she is the Technical Board Leader for Boeing Test & Evaluation’s Flight Test Design Practices and is also the leader of the CTEE Community of Practice.
Shannon is a highly skilled and results-oriented Chief Engineer with multi-faceted experience including developmental flight tests, airworthiness certification, large-scale systems integration, rapid prototyping, and software development. She has a proven track record developing and implementing test strategy, test architecture, and test methodology processes encompassing the entire right-hand side of the Systems Engineering V. Shannon is especially skilled at building effective working relationships with customers, suppliers, and staff at all levels. She always recognizes the larger enterprise needs by effectively leading efforts to enhance the scope, cost, and quality of security-sensitive projects. She has over 1,100 hours of flight test experience in 757 FTB, AEW&C, AWACS, T-33, F-15, in addition to other aircraft, and over 600 test hours as a test conductor in control rooms.
Shannon graduated from the University of Southern California with an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering and earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from California State University - Fresno.
5. Jasmine Walia
Senior Vice President of Client Solutions, Alorica
Having started her career on the front lines as a customer service agent, Jasmine Walia is a dynamic leader with 25 years of contact center experience across learning and development, content management/moderation, quality, operations, transformation, employee health and safety, product development, and client relationship management. Throughout her career, she has spent nearly 20 years at Alorica, one of the largest global business processing outsourcing (BPO) companies with 100,000+ employees across 17 countries, as well as several years at online retail giant Amazon. In a client services leadership position, she has worked directly with Fortune 100 and 500 companies across technology, entertainment, logistics, retail, and financial services.
In her current role as Alorica’s Senior Vice President of Client Solutions overseeing the technology, entertainment, and logistics vertical, Jasmine is responsible for leading a team in designing strategies to ensure the customer experience (CX) provider is successfully supporting and adding value to its client’s growth strategies. Through ongoing and constant evaluation of the business, Jasmine helps to identify and solve clients’ unique pain points and deliver critical outcomes. Previously, Jasmine led a global team of 600 content managers, content strategists, project managers, learning developers/facilitators, auditors, and technology project managers to successfully underpin the front-line workforce all the way through the employee life cycle from training to full production.
Jasmine is also a passionate people leader that manages and guides her team through a combination of servant and collaborative leadership styles. She believes in finding her team’s superpowers and bringing the best out of them by coaching, developing, and challenging individuals. Jasmine volunteers as the regional co-chair of Alorica’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee for North America. Through her commitment and input, the company’s award-winning TIDE (Together for Inclusion, Diversity & Equity) initiative has helped employees through their own DEI journeys and furthered Alorica’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, which has also positively impacted Alorica’s culture, work environment, recruiting and retention.
6. Heather Coleman
VP of Clinical Practice and Professional Practice, MultiCare Health System
As System VP of Clinical and Professional Practice at Multicare Health System, Heather Coleman is accountable for the creation of a strategic vision aligned across eleven facilities, and for the development and implementation of an organizational culture that fosters clinical excellence. Her achievements have brought immeasurable value to the organization, including the development of the Simulation Center of Excellence, the establishment of a Workplace Violence Prevention program, and a regional staffing center. Heather has maintained a clinical new grad staff retention rate of 91% during a two-year COVID crisis and has developed and implemented a Workforce Development plan.
As a chief nursing executive at MultiCare Deaconess Medical Center, Heather was accountable for the cost and quality of care provided across all clinical service lines, achieving DNV Comprehensive Stroke Certification in 2018, accomplishing a 9% growth in patient admissions, and reducing registered nursing turnover by 6%. As a chief nursing executive at Swedish Ballard Medical Center, she was responsible for the oversight of nursing practice and the provision of inpatient/outpatient rehab services, environmental services, volunteer services, respiratory therapy, and materials management. Her achievements include opening a 22-bed Acute Inpatient Mental Health Program, implementing the national Daisy Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice, and leading the Pathway to Excellence award re-designation.
Heather earned a master’s in nursing from the University of Phoenix and an undergraduate degree in nursing from Linfield College. She is currently enrolled in a Doctorate of Nursing Practice-Executive Leadership from American Sentinel College. She has completed Green Belt Six Sigma Training, Accelerated Implementation Methodology Accreditation, Clinical Leadership Development-VHA, Change Facilitation Certification, and Nurse Executive Advanced Certification. Heather is a member of various healthcare organizations and has been recognized as a March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Finalist in Leadership.
8. Alyssa Fitzpatrick
Vice President & General Manager of Sales, Intel
Alyssa Fitzpatrick is the Vice President and General Manager of Sales for Intel. In her role, she has taken accountability for Intel's global partner sales strategy, execution, and results. She leads the programs, support, and end-to-end partner journey under the Intel Partner Alliance with a focus on ISVs, systems integrators, and Cloud partners.
Alyssa is a recognized leader in transforming global direct and indirect sales in the software industry. She develops pioneering methodologies to promote profitable growth for both sides of partnering for technology leaders including Microsoft, Oracle, Intel, and CA Technologies. She has managed relationships for thousands of global and local partners, encompassing management consultancies, global systems integrators, services partners, managed services providers, value-added resellers, and more. Alyssa is known for establishing and executing innovative strategic vision and organization to create effective and efficient sales plans and optimized routes to market. She graduated from the University of Washington with an undergraduate degree in science and has earned executive education certifications from both the University of Washington and Southern Methodist University.
9. Keyuna Evans
Corporate Counsel, Microsoft
Keyuna Evans is Corporate Counsel for Microsoft’s Marketing and Consumer Business. As an attorney, she advises and supports product marketing for Data and Artificial Intelligence, a multi-million-dollar commercial marketing organization. Before her current role, Evans worked as an intellectual property associate with the Surface Team in Patent Portfolio Development. In this role, she worked closely with engineers and attorneys to develop IP strategies, drafted patent applications, and invention disclosures, participated in harvesting sessions, and reviewed patent cases. In addition to her involvement with the Surface Team, Evans offered patent counseling to potential inventors and managed the Patent Portfolio for Microsoft’s Corporate Division.
Prior to her career in law, Evans worked for several global automotive companies, including Chrysler and Ford Motor Company. She also held positions with Automotive Tier 1 Suppliers, Federal-Mogul, International Automotive Components, and Detroit Thermal Systems. She has contributed to the automotive industry in several roles including production supervisor, manufacturing engineer, senior quality engineer, and warranty engineer. Working in diverse capacities in the automotive industry enabled Evans to work effectively and respectfully with cross-functional teams, suppliers, OEMs, and Union Membership to produce quality products for current and future consumers collaboratively.
Evans holds an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering from Wayne State University, a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and a JD from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. She served as a member of the Washington State Lorne Miller Bar Association Judicial Panel, where she evaluated judicial candidates for judicial appointments. Additionally, she worked closely with the Seattle Clemency Project advocating for clients to receive clemency. She was also an adjunct at Seattle Central Community College, where she taught law and statics. Evans serves as a board member of the Heidelberg Project, a Detroit-based non-profit organization, co-lead of the ChIPs Pacific Northwest Chapter, and City Lead for the Seattle for the Legal Council on Legal Diversity.
View the complete list of awardees.
11. Dana Fawcett
Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Leaders Thrive
Dana Fawcett is passionate about discovering what helps people and systems thrive. With 20+ years as a professionally certified coach and organizational development consultant, Dana leverages her business savvy, cumulative experience working with thousands of leaders, and her gifts of insight, compassion, and courage to foster self-awareness, accountability, commitment, and actionable results with her clients. Dana specializes in leadership development and talent management.
Having worked in senior HR roles, Dana understands the pressure of high-expectation work environments and the desire for a full life. Having pioneered one of the first organizational wellness initiatives in Canada she understands that growth and learning can only be maximized by honoring all dimensions of their wellbeing. Dana is a certified executive coach from the Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara and has an undergraduate degree in integral studies. She is an accredited facilitator in Lumina Psychometric Profile, EQ-i 2.0, Blanchard Team Building, and Leadership Development, among others. Dana graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies with an undergraduate degree in integral studies.
13. Eva Majercsik
EVP & Chief People Officer, Genesys
Eva Majercsik is EVP and Chief People Officer at Genesys. She leads all global programs designed to support and enhance the people's experience at Genesys. In her role, Eva oversees organizational and leadership initiatives, culture and engagement, total rewards and talent acquisition, retention, and development. She brings 25+ years of professional experience in HR, services, and sales, and is a firm believer that diverse and inclusive teams are fundamental drivers of innovation. She is passionate about providing strategic and organizational direction to allow employees to flourish and is known for balancing vision with operational excellence.
Prior to joining Genesys, Eva was global head of HR, 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing, at HP Inc., after serving as the company’s regional head of HR for the Americas Region. Previously, she was the global director of HR, cloud, and enterprise, at Microsoft. Earlier in her career, Eva worked more than 20 years at IBM, where she held several roles in the Global Services organization before joining the HR function.
Eva serves on the board of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to fostering Hispanic leadership in STEM. She holds an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering from Universidad de Lima and is fluent in English, Spanish, French, and Hungarian.
16. Christine Andreasen
CEO and Luxury Specialist, eXp Realty
With a real estate career that has spanned two decades, Seattle Broker and Founder of Christine & Company, Christine Andreasen has an unconventional trajectory to where she is today. Initially licensed in Salt Lake City in 1996, Christine spent a good part of her career traveling the country as a keynote speaker coaching and training agents to produce extraordinary results building successful careers. After the real estate crash of 2008, Christine put all her time and efforts back into the home-buying and selling side of the industry. During the ensuing 10 years she has climbed to the top of the charts.
Christine has built an award-winning team of superstars. She and her team compare what they do to the way an orchestra creates beautiful music and her willingness to go above and beyond hasn’t gone unnoticed. Her team has been voted Best of Seattle by Seattle magazine for five years. She was awarded Top 100 Most Influential Agents in Washington by Real Estate Executive Magazine. Her team regularly receives accolades and awards year after year from eXp Realty, one of the world’s fastest-growing real estate brokerages, but what makes the team most fulfilled is the results they produce for their clients. Christine graduated from San Jose State University.
23. Kelli Jo Norris
President, Goodman Real Estate
As President of Goodman Real Estate (GRE), Kelli Jo Norris is a passionate servant leader who has driven the success of GRE’s three companies’ integration, which resulted in all companies operating at their highest potential. She attributes their success to focusing on developing a foundation of vision, strategy, and goals in partnership with CEO George Petrie. Her goal of creating a culture of positivity, transparency, and authenticity not only attracts top talent but also cultivates the next generation of leaders.
With an innovative and inclusive leadership style, Kelli Jo fosters an environment of humility while empowering her team and celebrating their successes. Through mentorship and developing team members, she challenges each person to grow in their roles and beyond. Kelli Jo first joined Goodman Real Estate in 1996. Her career spans more than 25 years, working in every facet of real estate including development, property management, acquisition, and land disposition.
Kelli Jo is an active member of several industry organizations such as the North Seattle College Residential and Property Management B.A.S. advisory board, Commercial Real Estate Women, and Downtown Seattle Association.
24. Janet Harvey
CEO, inviteCHANGE
Janet M. Harvey, the best-selling author of the award-winning leadership and coaching book, Invite Change. Lessons from 2020, The Year of No Return is CEO of inviteCHANGE, a human development organization specializing in generative learning and coaching for enterprises that shapes a world where people love their life’s work. As a visionary leader in the global professional coaching industry, Janet Harvey is an International Coaching Federation Master Certified Coach and Accredited Educator who engages leaders, teams, and global enterprises to invite change that sustains well-being and performance excellence.
Being better humans together requires claiming a true self first and then choosing to live inside out as we transform, evolve and be resilient to the complexity that is the future. As Janet shares, “coaching in its many forms has at its root the effect of awakening consciousness and doing so in a highly accelerated fashion that improves productivity and financial outcomes while also generating a healthier workplace climate.” Janet Harvey uses her executive and entrepreneurial experience to cultivate leaders in Generative Wholeness™, the inviteCHANGE signature generative coaching and learning process for people, processes, and systems. A vanguard leader and inspirational speaker, Janet ignites audiences, her colleagues, audiences, and clients regard her as a bold, curious, provocative, articulate, and compassionate human being. Janet has served as a global board leader for ICF, as a director from 2009-2013, as past president in 2012, as chair for the foundation of ICF 2013-2017, and more recently as treasurer for the ICF Thought Leadership Institute 2020-2021.
28. Loria Yeadon
President and CEO, YMCA of Greater Seattle
Loria Yeadon is the President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Seattle (YGS). She is the first woman as well as the first person of color to serve as CEO in the 146-year history of the YMCA of Greater Seattle. In her role, Loria is responsible for shaping the organization’s long-term strategy, delivering on program commitments, nurturing relationships with key stakeholders, and empowering a diverse leadership team to broaden its impact in the Seattle region. She brings a clear and actionable vision for the organization both internally and externally and is positioning YGS as a thought leader on social justice, youth development, and education. In close partnership with the YGS board of directors, the greater Y-USA team, and the senior leadership team, Loria is responsible for constructing and fulfilling all financial and operational objectives.
Loria has the unique experience of a successful business executive who has invested deeply in nonprofit leadership on issues core to the Y’s mission, serving youth and families. She previously served as the COO of StolenYouth, an organization dedicated to ending sex trafficking in the State of Washington, and she currently serves on the board of directors of Laird Norton Corporation and as the chair of its Governance Committee. In her business career, Loria served as EVP and general manager of the transportation business and EVP and fund leader for the Invention Investment Fund at Intellectual Ventures. She also served as CEO of Honeywell Intellectual Properties, Inc. Trained as both an engineer and an attorney, Loria received an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering, with distinction, from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a JD magna cum laude, from Seton Hall School of Law.
29. Stacey Hotter Knight
Founder & President, L.E.A.P.S. and Beyond
Stacey Hotter Knight is the Founder and President of L.E.A.P.S. and Beyond, Inc., a behavioral health agency providing Applied Behavior Analysis services (ABA) services to individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. She founded L.E.A.P.S. in 2013 with dedication, passion, and belief that children with autism can reach their fullest potential if treated early and comprehensively.
Hotter-Knight has been trained in conducting a variety of assessments, designing and implementing curriculum, and reducing severe maladaptive and self-injurious behaviors. At L.E.A.P.S., she is dedicated to providing the highest quality of ABA services, using research-based strategies supported by empirically proven methods ensuring client’s reach their maximum potential.
Stacey graduated from California Southern University with a doctorate in clinical psychology, from Washington State University with an EMBA, from National University with a master's degree in special education and teaching, and from the University of California, San Diego with an undergraduate degree in psychology.
View the complete list of awardees.
30. Samira Ummat
Medical Director, Longevity Medical Clinic and Bellamedica
Dr. Samira Ummat is a regenerative medicine specialist in Kirkland, WA, with over 20 years of experience in transforming the way people age. She is currently the Medical Director of Longevity Medical Clinic and Bellamedica, an upscale age management practice with several locations in the Puget Sound area of Washington State. She believes in empowering her patients and others with knowledge and tools to transform their health on her popular weekly radio show “Leading Edge Medicine” and “Beautiful You”. Dr. Ummat has also appeared on the TV show “New Day Northwest” with King 5 in Seattle to discuss aging and hormonal balance.
After obtaining her medical degree from a renowned school, she then completed her residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation, a field of internal medicine dedicated to helping people heal after injuries, strokes, and complicated medical setbacks. Her goals changed after several years of practice to focus on prevention and well-being and proactively reduce the risk and progression of many diseases. She is certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Academy of Regenerative Medicine.
Dr. Ummat integrates evidence-based interventions with a comprehensive and proactive approach to patient care. Her specialties include disease prevention, women's and men’s health, hormone replacement therapy, nutritional and metabolic therapy, and exercise physiology. Dr. Ummat combines cutting-edge, age management treatments with her mind-body philosophy in patient management. She emphasizes the importance of preventive medicine, focusing on early detection and intervention to address potential health issues before they become more serious. By identifying risk factors and implementing personalized preventive strategies, Dr. Ummat aims to delay the onset of age-related conditions, addressing the unique needs of each individual to help them achieve their goals and enjoy a fulfilling life.
31. Aisha Anders
Vice President of Strategic Growth, Marine Tiger Technologies
Aisha Anders serves as Vice President of Strategic Growth for Marine Tiger Technologies, bringing nearly 20 years of experience developing and delivering communication, organizational change management, and strategic marketing programs to achieve business goals within the transit and transportation sectors. Aisha's ability to establish and nurture relationships across an organization has enabled her to develop and implement new business initiatives across asset management, quality management, and strategic planning programs.
Aisha has worked with some of the largest transit properties and innovative transportation departments in the US, including the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Maryland Transit Administration, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the Colorado and Virginia Departments of Transportation, and the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. Aisha holds an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Washington and is a Prosci-certified change management practitioner.
33. Cate Bridenstine
Executive Director, The Imagine Institute
Cate Bridenstine is the founding Executive Director of the Imagine Institute, a statewide nonprofit that provides training, peer mentoring, and support for early childhood educators. The Imagine Institute's mission is to honor the expertise in the field and provide cutting-edge and accessible support to child care providers, so they can nurture children during their most critical years of development. As the Executive Director of Imagine, Cate led this brand-new organization to become one of the most influential early learning organizations in Washington State. Cate co-designed the Imagine Institute's groundbreaking mentorship program Imagine U, which has helped open hundreds of licensed child care businesses and expanded access for thousands of children statewide and has been highlighted by the Center for American Progress and presented to the White House as an innovative and effective way to increase access to child care.
Cate also led the creation of one of the nation's first anti-racist, trauma-informed care training programs specifically for child care providers. Through her leadership, Imagine continues to expand to provide a multitude of services for early learning professionals across the state, including a range of professional development opportunities, a technical assistance and outreach program which has helped providers access hundreds of millions of dollars in grant funding, an online hub for shared services and business support, and maintains the state's Early Care and Education Substitute Pool.
Before coming to Imagine, Cate helped organize thousands of child care providers at the Service Employees International Union Local 925. She received her master’s degree in development studies from Lund University in Lund, Sweden. She is the proud mother of two young children.
34. LaNesha DeBardelaben
President & CEO, Northwest African American Museum
LaNesha’s DeBardelaben passion is to drive success for Black museums. She specializes in organizational leadership and management, institutional programming, and strategic engagement. She currently serves as the President and CEO of the Northwest African American Museum. The Northwest African American Museum is an anti-racist, pro-equity, affirming gathering place of hope, help, and healing for the entire Northwest region that is building intergenerational cultural wealth. The Museum’s exhibitions and programs feature the visual arts, music, crafts, literature, and history of African Americans in the Northwest. Cognizant of the black community’s continuous evolution, NAAM focuses on African Americans whose route to the new world was through slavery as well as recent immigrants arriving from places such as Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia.
Prior to joining NAAM, LaNesha was an SVP at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. With three master’s degrees, respectively in museum studies, history, and library science, LaNesha is currently pursuing a PhD, and is the past national president of the Association of African American Museums board of directors. She has global experience with museums and libraries in Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, England, Germany, and Israel, and is involved in both the International Council of Museums and the International Women’s Forum.
36. Tami Fujii
CEO & Co-Founder, KINONA
Tami Fujii is the CEO and Co-Founder of KINONA, a premium women's golf apparel brand that can be found in over 400 premium golf country clubs, resorts and retailers. Prior to launching KINONA in 2018, Fujii worked in marketing for notable consumer product goods companies such as Eddie Bauer, T-Mobile, and Microsoft. Most recently, Fujii launched her namesake brand consulting firm, Fujii Consulting, which specializes in strategic brand marketing, merchandising, and product development.
Tami attended Oregon State University where she earned her undergraduate degree in business administration. Tami learned to golf with her parents during family vacations to Hawaii and Central Oregon. She now enjoys playing golf with her husband, son, and girlfriends. She currently resides with her husband near Seattle, WA.
37. Janet Phan
Founder & Executive Director, Thriving Elements
Janet T. Phan is the Founder and Executive Director of Thriving Elements, a nonprofit organization with a mission to create access and opportunities for underserved, underrepresented girls in STEM in order to bridge the gender disparity in STEM fields. The organization focuses on empowerment through mentorship, a topic she spoke about at TEDxZurich in 2020. In 2022, Janet published Boldly You: A story about discovering what you’re capable of when you show up for yourself, a memoir and self-help book looking at her hardships and sharing life lessons through the lens of resilience and strength. Janet currently works as a senior technical product manager for Amazon’s Project Kuiper with a mission to bridge the digital divide through the launch of low-earth orbit satellites. She had previously held roles at Microsoft, The Boeing Company, and PwC where she has been responsible for implementing digital platforms across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
Janet has an undergraduate degree in finance and information systems and a master’s degree in information systems from the University of Washington. She is on the board of trustees for the University of Washington’s Alumni Association on the Legislative Advocacy Committee working with state legislators to get funding for higher education so future generations don't have to work multiple jobs to pay for school like she did. Janet re-energizes by snowboarding, surfing, CrossFitting, swimming, cycling, eating Omakase with friends, and loves watching political thrillers.
39. Erin Morgan
Chief Financial Officer, Sakuma Brothers Farms & Processing
Erin Morgan is a proven leader with 23 years of experience in finance and operations. She currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Sakuma Brothers Farms & Processing. From her career focus on corporate and not-for-profit rescue operations, Erin brings key strategic value to financial and operational cleanup initiatives. She unlocks organizational equity by connecting big-picture objectives with refined implementation innovation above and beyond her fluency in business and financial systems, forensic accounting investigations, and diverse accomplishments across startups, and M&A lifecycles. Her civic accomplishments include the Bishop’s Cross Award for stewardship to the Diocese and the Tornado Disaster Relief award from the Oklahoma American Red Cross.
Erin previously served as a consultant and SME for Robert Half, in financial leadership roles for Techtonic Group Inc., as chief financial & operations officer for Hawaii Preparatory Academy, as CFO and canon to the bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma, and as director of accounting & risk management for a defense contractor, Longwave Inc. Her industry experience includes agriculture, production, processing, oil & gas, environmental cleanup, hospitality, food & beverage, casinos, top secret defense contracting, engineering, software development, nonprofit, religious institutions, independent schools, and technology. Erin graduated from the University of Oklahoma.
View the complete list of awardees.
40. Jackie Payne
Founder & Executive Director, Galvanize Action
Jackie Payne is the Founder & Executive Director of Galvanize Action where she is connecting with moderate women to promote civic engagement, combat disinformation, and advance progress on key issues. Last year alone, Galvanize Action reached over two million women with programming proven to defuse the culture wars and grievance-based narratives being used to divide us. Their year-round approach supports women to play a role in building a thriving, multiracial democracy.
Jackie has over two decades of experience leading organizations and working to advance gender, racial, and economic justice. She began her career in South Africa working on issues related to gender equity, women's health, and economic justice, followed by the role of a staff attorney at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago. Driven by a desire for systemic change, Jackie joined the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund in Washington, DC, where she partnered with community-based organizations to address the gendered roots of poverty in America. She was Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s Director of Government Relations, leading their federal and state policy work, and then went on to design and run an $80M initiative with the NoVo Foundation to strengthen the movement to end violence against girls and women in the US.
Following the 2016 election, Jackie felt called to engage women voters as a powerful force for positive change. She launched this effort with 18 months of deep listening to women across the country and then founded Galvanize USA and Galvanize Action to help create an America in which everyone can thrive. Jackie received her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and her JD from the University of Michigan Law School. She is a trustee of the Patsy Takemoto Mink Foundation and on the board of the Women and Justice Project.
42. Kacie Vivo
Director of Accounting & Assistant Controller, Savers
Kacie Vivo has her MBA from Suffolk University and her undergraduate degree in business administration from Florida International University. She currently serves as the Director of Accounting and Assistant Controller for Savers.
Prior to joining Savors, Kacie served as a senior associate in the Audit Practice at KPMG providing financial statement audits, IPO preparation, and filing services to companies in the Bay Area. While serving the Bay Area clients, Kacie provided professional audit services to several multinational technology companies in accordance with PCAOB requirements, SEC guidelines, and US GAAP. Her experience ranges from standard SEC filings, and SEC acquisitions, to private company audits. She has extensive experience in software-as-a-service and the technology industry.
Kacie also has experience working with clients in industries including financial services, government, and universities. She is a member of the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA) and helped launch an ALPFA chapter at Suffolk University while pursuing her MBA. Kacie is bilingual in English and Spanish.
45. Erin Norberg
Director of National Sales, Instacart Business
Erin Norberg is a Seattle native and has had great success building and leading national sales teams. Today, she is the Director of National Sales for Instacart Business. Instacart Business launched earlier this year as a new service to help businesses get the supplies and goods they need, delivered to them same-day. The mission at Instacart Business is to be the best way for businesses to save time and money and reinvest in serving their customers.
In addition to her role at Instacart, Erin is known through the PNW tech community as an enterprise sales enthusiast and holds numerous certifications. She brings great knowledge and sales acumen and has a history of proven success in increasing company profitability and execution on behalf of enterprise and global companies. Erin was also invited to be a speaker at Worldwide Sales Kickoff during her time at AWS and VMware and received President's Club during her time at VMware.
46. Courtney Sullivan
Director of Regional Education Programs for the Northern Rockies, National Wildlife Federation
Courtney Sullivan has been developing and managing programs that offer sustainable environmental education opportunities for communities for over twenty-five years. Originally from Washington, Courtney fell in love with nature on the shores of the Puget Sound and then spent ten years in Alaska exploring the abundant environmental, outdoor, and cultural education career opportunities. Returning to Washington in 2008, Courtney joined the National Wildlife Federation where she cultivates community stewards and education champions, advocates for conservation education policies, and works to build partnerships and coalitions to support sustainable environmental education in the Northern Rockies, Prairies, and Pacific region (WA, OR, HI, AK, ID, MT, ND, SD & CA too). Courtney is dedicated to developing and supporting limitless opportunities for connecting families with nature, environmental education, and community stewardship.
47. Joanne Bromwell
Director of Channel Partnerships and Business Development, Skydio
Joanne Bromwell is a high-impact channel sales and business development leader with more than 20 years of proven expertise developing, negotiating, and executing strategic partnerships and amplifying sales channels. She’s known for building scalable business solutions with high-tech organizations such as Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Tableau Software, Salesforce, and Intellectual Ventures.
Joanne is currently responsible for Channel and Business Development at Skydio, the leading US drone manufacturer and world leader in autonomous flight. She built Skydio’s channel architecture and leads a team whose charter is to accelerate channel sales in The Americas across all State and Local Government and Commercial verticals, promoting the benefits of drones for infrastructure inspections, search and rescue, and accident reconstruction.
Joanne is a graduate of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a world traveler, and a passionate supporter of empowering young women to achieve their full potential. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of Velatrio Consulting, a Seattle-based technology consulting firm, and is a supporter, mentor, and advisor for Your Path Forward, a nonprofit providing mentorship, college education, business training, and financial support to war-torn refugees. In her spare time, she focuses on her other passions, spending time outdoors cycling and hiking with her husband and dogs and seeking out the best taco trucks.
48. Faith A. Roland
Director of Real Property, Sound Transit
Faith A. Roland, Director of Real Property for Sound Transit, is a celebrated thought leader within the Public Infrastructure Community. She has been involved in Right of Way since 1994, beginning as a project manager for King County, WA. In 2010 Faith established a woman-owned, independent consulting firm, Roland Resources, Inc., bringing creative solutions to public infrastructure projects. In October 2016, Roland Resources merged with Contract Land Staff, LLC, where she served as an executive vice president over Nationwide Public Infrastructure for CLS. In June 2021, Faith joined Sound Transit as Director of Real Property, currently leading a team of 100 staff and consultants, delivering transit infrastructure to the Puget Sound region.
Faith has served as international president of the International Right of Way Association, been a certified trainer for IRWA, and a mentor to future leaders. Locally she served on the City of Bellevue, Parks, and Community Services board, and has taught flyfishing for Washington Outdoor Women for the past 25 years.
49. Jessica Rice
Director of Sales & Service, Express Employment
Jessica Rice is the Director of Sales & Service at Express Employment with over 10 years of experience helping professional’s and businesses throughout the Greater Seattle Area with their staffing and recruiting needs. Rice specializes in top talent within accounting, finance, data analytics, project management, operations, marketing, executive administrative, HR and C-suite executive talent.
By investing in business partnerships with clients and comprehensive culture alignment with candidates, Jessica ends up in the winner’s circle annually, earning the number one recruiter award globally for 2 years in a row within Express Employment Professionals Specialized Recruiting Group, and placing in the top five President's Club year over year since 2018. She was also awarded The Emerald Achievement Award in 2021 and 40 under 40 in 2014.
Jessica is passionate about helping others and giving back to her community. She brings an enthusiastic approach to connecting great people with wonderful organizations and finds joy in being a business partner to every client she serves. When she is not on the hunt for top talent or deepening her relationships with her clients, she enjoys writing and performing music as a recording artist. She also enjoys shoe shopping, wine tasting, kayaking, and traveling with her husband.
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