Board of Directors

John Curry is an Associate at Adams & Duncan law firm. He is a lifelong Seattle resident and sees the tremendous opportunity that the city offers its’ residents, as well as the challenges it poses to our low-income and marginalized communities due to structural or institutional barriers. He wants help people overcome those barriers and benefit from the opportunities.

Azmach Bekele is from Ethiopia where he graduated with an Accounting bachelor degree in 2011. Azmach worked at the Ethiopian Postal Service Enterprise as a Financial Business Manager for more than 14 years. He came to the United States of America in 2019, and he works as independent contractor with various delivery companies in the Seattle area.

David is the Director of Marketing and Community Relations at Amerigroup Washington and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Nevada. David has deep roots to the Seattle area. He was born and raised here. He is proud Rainier Beach High School and Western Washington University Alumni. Vikings forever.

He brings over 19 years of experience integrating social determinants of health into healthcare and partnering with community based organizations, faith-based organizations, and community leaders and activists. David looks forward to learning from Neighborhood House communities. David has been married to his beautiful best Friend, Pamela, for 24 years. They have two amazing Teen children, Max and Stella.

Esteban immigrated to Seattle from Mexico in the year 2000. He is a proud Redmond High School and University of Washington graduate where he studied computer science.

In his free time, Esteban loves to spend time with his partner Anna, dog Tucker and 6 loud chickens. He enjoys hiking, fishing, and exploring everything the Pacific Northwest has to offer. He feels privileged to work with and learn from all the wonderful colleagues and clients of Neighborhood House.

Sharon has served Southeast Seattle as the Washington State Representative for the 37^th Legislative District since 1998. Trained as a civil rights and social justice activist, much of Sharon’s work in Olympia focuses on education.

In addition to education, her key policy interests include civil rights, women’s rights, economic and environmental justice, affordable housing, and community preservation.  She strives to level playing fields and to enable every Washingtonian to be safe, productive, and successful.

A graduate of the Evergreen State College and of Northeastern University, Rep. Santos has worked in the banking industry, on staff of local elected officials, and in senior management positions for non-profit organizations.

Cheryl was born in Camas, WA. She attended WSU (2 years), University of WA (BS Nursing), University of Utah (MS Nursing) and OHSU (MPH health disparities
and primary health care).

She has been a longtime supporter of the new refugee community in Seattle. Through her work with NCJW, she has  supported the work of the Jewish community in advocating for immigration (especially
family) and immigrant rights. She was also the Seattle King County Refugee Health Nurse Practitioner for a number of years in the late 1980-1990’s.

Her husband, Ron Berenson, is a physician entrepreneur who works in the biotech and med tech fields. She has 3 children who are all adults, and 2 beautiful grandchildren.

Judge Chess was appointed by the elected judges to her position with the Seattle Municipal Court. She is an experienced judge and attorney in criminal justice; healthcare; housing and education.

Prior to her arrival at the Seattle Municipal Court, she served as a Judge Pro Tempore in King County District Court for over twenty-two years. She was previously the Director of Labor Relations for Group Health Cooperative and Sr. HR Consultant for Providence Health and Services and Swedish Medical Center. For many years, she worked in the public education sector, first as Deputy General Counsel and Interim Executive Director of Human Resources for Seattle Public Schools specializing in employment and labor, special education, and student disability plans and later as the Executive Director of Human Resources and General Counsel for Tukwila School District. After receiving her B.A. from Purdue University and her law degree from University of Cincinnati College of Law, she worked as a staff attorney for The Public Defender Association in Seattle, WA. She also served as Deputy General Counsel and Interim General Counsel for Seattle Housing Authority. She is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, Federal Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, and Loren Miller Bar Association.

Judge Chess is committed to scholarship. She has been an instructor for establishments such as the Lake Washington Human Resources Association, Seattle Disability Management Employer Coalition, Foster Pepper LLC, College Success Foundation, YWCA’s Girls First Program, The Greater Seattle Chapter of Links’ STEAM program, Students of Color Career Conference, and Washington Council of School Attorneys. She participated in the Seattle School District’s Superintendent Leadership Academy. She is a graduate of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.

Judge Chess has engaged in countless years of continued volunteer service with local and national non-profit organizations. She is an active member of the Greater Seattle Chapter of Links, Inc., Seattle Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and Seattle Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations such as Amara formerly known as Medina Children Services, Mediation Services for Victims and Offenders, Park Lake/White Center Boys and Girls’ Club. She was a Northwest Women’s Law Center legislation committee member. For several years, she participated as a judge for Seattle University School of Law’s Video Mentor Program/National and Local Moot Court Competitions and a professional mentor for law students at the University of Washington School of Law School.

Sharon grew up in Omaha, NE, earned a journalism degree from the University of Kansas and worked several years as a newspaper reporter in Omaha before attending Creighton University law school. She moved to Seattle in 1994 and practiced law here for more than 20 years, focusing on communications, business, and insurance litigation.

Over the years, she has volunteered at a number of places. She co-chaired the auction at her children’s school, provided free legal advice at Northwest Justice Project, and worked at the FamilyWorks food bank and community closet. Currently, she and her husband  prepare and serve meals about once a month at the St. Martin de Porres shelter.

Gail E. Joseph, Ph.D. is the Bezos Family Professor of Early Learning at the University of Washington and a nationally recognized leader in early childhood education. She earned her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Washington in 2001 and has dedicated her career to improving the quality of early learning experiences for young children and educators.

With hands-on experience as a Head Start and ECEAP teacher, Dr. Joseph brings a deep understanding of the early learning landscape to her teaching, research, and service. She teaches courses, advises students, and conducts research on topics related to early learning, childcare quality, and early childhood workforce preparation.

As the Founding Executive Director of Cultivate Learning at the University of Washington, Dr. Joseph has led the development of innovative professional learning resources, including Circle Time Magazine and the Meaningful Makeover series. She also served as the Director of the Head Start Center for Inclusion (HeadStartInclusion.org), ensuring that educators have the tools to support children with diverse learning needs. Additionally, she was the Senior Director of Translational Science for the National Center for Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning, where she helped bridge research and practice in early childhood education.

Dr. Joseph is also the Founder of the EarlyEdU Alliance, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at increasing the quality of early learning settings nationwide by making relevant, affordable degrees accessible to the early childhood workforce. Her leadership continues to shape the future of early education by ensuring that early childhood educators have access to high-quality training, resources, and professional pathways.