Join us for panel discussions with recent alumni about putting their Evans School degrees to work from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on April 17 in the Parrington Hall Commons.
All current and newly-admitted Evans School students, as well as alumni, are invited to attend. The panel discussions will include:
There will be four panel discussions divided by policy specialization, and you'll have the opportunity to attend two of them. The event will begin with a half-hour networking reception with food and drink prior to the panels.
Find out more about our confirmed panelists and represented organizations.
Current students, please RSVP on the EvansJobs career calendar.
Newly-admitted students and alumni, please RSVP at evansjobs@u.washington.edu.
Perry Parsons (MPA '05)
Health Policy Analyst
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Parson has worked in his position as a health policy analyst for the U.S. Government Accountability Office since 2005. His work has included looking at state Medicaid financing schemes, the use of foreign physicians to address provider shortages, and geographic disparities in Medicaid and Medicare payments.
While at the Evans School, Parsons served as an intern at the U.S. Government Accountability Office and conducted a degree project for the Community Health Network of Washington evaluating the administration's block-grant proposal for Medicaid. Prior to attending the Evans School, Parsons worked for the Alaska Primary Care Association in Anchorage, and the Northwest Primary Care Association in Seattle.
In addition to his Evans School MPA, Parsons holds a graduate certificate in health policy.
Kim Hall (MPA '04)
Manager of Departmental Programs
UW International Programs & Exchanges / Office of Global Affairs
Hall recently joined the UW International Programs and Exchanges / Office of Global Affairs after studying the role of NGOs in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts in Morocco on a Fulbright grant. Hall has previously worked in Morocco as a small business development volunteer during her studies at the Evans School through the Peace Corps Master's International MPA track.
Kristen Dailey (MPA '01)
Vice President for Programs and Operations
Initiative for Global Development (IGD)
Dailey joined Initiative for Global Development in 2001 and helped them develop from a concept to a strong network of business leaders. Her role as vice president for programs and operations includes member recruitment, stewardship, and overseeing internal operations.
Dailey has been involved with international development issues for the past 15 years and is committed to finding effective, sustainable solutions to world poverty. Her professional background includes fundraising at the United Nations Foundation in Washington D.C., working with low-income refugee and immigrant families in Seattle, and heading a regional advocacy coalition of international relief and development organizations in Washington state. She has also researched microcredit and health programs in the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador.
Michele Finnegan (MPA '97)
Interim Director of Recreation
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Finnegan has worked for Seattle Parks and Recreation since 2000. She is currently the Interim Director of Recreation and responsible for the operation of the city’s recreation facilities, aquatic facilities, environmental learning centers, golf courses and city-wide athletic, teen, senior, and special populations programs.
Marco Milanese (MPA '02)
Community Relations Manager, Community Development Department
Port of Seattle: Sea-Tac Aiport
Milanese has worked in his current department with the Port of Seattle's Seattle-Tacoma International (Sea-Tac) Airport since 2006. His position as a liaison to the airport's surrounding communities helps to engage citizens with issues related to everything from the environment to economic development.
Prior to his work with the Port of Seattle, Milanese spent a number of years at a local public relations firm and worked for six years with a U.S. Congressman from the San Francisco Bay area and one from Washington D.C.
In addition to his Evans School MPA, Milanese holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, San Diego.
Dara Ayres (MPA '04)
Executive Director
Bike Works
Ayres Seattle-based nonprofit Bike Works is focused on building sustainable communities through empowering youth and promoting bicycling as a form of transportation. Her specific areas of interest and expertise include organizational capacity building, strategic planning, and program development and evaluation.
Ayres has worked in the Seattle nonprofit sector for the past 12 years addressing issues related to human rights, community development, environmental protection, and workforce development. She is also the founder of the Sustainable Capitol Hill group that engages neighbors around climate solutions, and is a board member the organization Community Consulting Partnership that connects nonprofits with volunteer consultants.
Sylvia Gil (MPA '06)
Research Analyst
Washington State Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee
Gil started working for the Washington State Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee in August 2006. She previously served as a social studies teacher in Texas as part of the Teach for America program.
Gil's studies at the Evans School focused on K-12 education policy issues, and research projects related to accountability, decentralization, and instructional policy.
Rebecca Frestedt (MPA '05)
Board Coordinator, International Special Review District and Columbia City Review Committee
City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods
Frestedt's work is with the City of Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods Historic Preservation Program where she coordinates two volunteer boards. Frestedt is a volunteer herself with her the Capitol Hill neighborhood association.
Prior to her work with the city, Frestedt served as a consultant for community outreach and information gathering to the three south Seattle neighborhoods of Chinatown, Pioneer Square, and SODO Industrial area. Her worked with the neighborhoods was related to a land use study currently underway with the city's Department of Planning and Development.
Karen Tollenaar Demorest (MPA '06)
Director of Educational Investments
Alliance for Education
Demorest's nonprofit organization Alliance for Education works to strengthen financial support and community engagement to help all students in Seattle Public Schools achieve academic success. Demorest is a first-generation college graduate and has worked in the hospitality industry, computer industry, and in fund raising and development.
Her commitment to addressing the barriers students face in pursuing education beyond high school led Demorest to focus her Evans School studies on education and social policy. In addition to her MPA, Demorest holds a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Washington.
Kari Hanson (MPA '06)
Consultant and Head Grant Writer
MGS Consulting, Inc.
Hanson's work with MGS Consulting, Inc., a firm that works with nonprofits in the Puget Sound region and across the country, deals with program evaluations, strategic plans, needs assessments, and other analysis work. Prior to her work at MGS, Hanson served for six years in the nonprofit and public sectors in Seattle. She has a passion for issues surrounding housing and homeless, which she developed during her time as an AmeriCorps Vista volunteer.
In addition to her Evans School MPA, Hanson holds a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Seattle Pacific University.
Cathy Wallach (MPA '02)
Research Coordinator, Small Schools Project
Coalition of Essential Schools
Wallach has worked for the past seven years evaluating, researching, and writing about high school conversion and district reform in Washington state. Prior to her current work with the Coalition of Essential Schools, Wallach served in the areas of youth leadership and service learning with City Year, the Giraffe Project, and Communities in Schools.
Wallach is currently building on her Evans School MPA through doctoral studies in Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Washington.
Roopa Karia (MPA '02)
Democracy and Governance Officer, Latin America and Caribbean Bureau
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Karia's current work with USAID supports programs in justice sector reform, trafficking in persons, and crime and violence prevention - including work on the Central American gang problem. Karia previously served in the USAID Office of Global Development Alliances, which as designed to extend the reach and impact of foreign assistance through public-private alliances. Her work in the office supported alliance building in the education and environment sectors in Asia and the Middle East.
Prior to her work with USAID, Karia worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency helping cities and tribes assess, cleanup, and redevelop brownfields properties. She has also done international conservation and development work in Thailand and Vietnam.
In addition to her Evans School MPA, Roopa has a Master of Arts in International Studies from the Jackson School, and two bachelors degrees in political science and environmental studies from the University of Oregon.
Sandi Phinney (MPA '06)
Program Officer
Henry M. Jackson Foundation
Phinney is responsible for grantmaking in international affairs education, human rights, public service, and environment and natural resources management for the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.
Prior to her work with the foundation, she served for five years at the German Marshall Fund of the United States working on civil society and democratic development in Central and Eastern Europe. Her work was instrumental in launching the Balkan Trust for Democracy, a public-private initiative aimed at strengthening good governance in Southeast Europe.
After completing her Evans School MPA, Phinney was awarded a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship that allowed her to spend a year working in Germany as part of a distinguished leadership development program. In addition to her MPA, Phinney holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Carleton College.
Laurie Werner (MPA '02)
Director of Programs
Agros International
Werner has worked at Agros International since June 2003, and is a volunteer board member of the Krista Foundation for Global Citizenship. Prior to her work at Agros, Werner worked with Global Partnerships assisting orphaned and abandoned children in Honduras and did consulting for a microcredit program in El Salvador.
Werner's studies at the Evans School focused on nonprofit management and international development. She also holds a bachelors degree in sociology and religion from Whitworth College.
Skip Swenson (MPA '07)
Transfer of Development Rights Project Manager
Cascade Land Conservancy
Swenson works throughout the region to develop and implement programs that transfer development rights to conserve farms, working forests, and ecologically significant lands through a market-based approach that respects property rights and encourages responsible growth. In his job at Cascade Land Conservancy, Swenson is currently working with private and public stakeholders to develop these types of programs in the City of Sammamish and Kittitas County.
Prior to his work at Cascade Land Conservancy, Swenson served as director of analytics and western region testing services manager for the research and consulting company Information Resources, Inc.
In addition to his Evans School MPA, Swenson holds a master's degree with the UW College of Forest Resources. His concurrent studies focused on environmental policy, land planning, and natural resources management. Swenson also holds a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Wisconsin—Madison, where he focused on the nexus between commerce and environmental issues.
Angela Wallis (MPA '07)
Resource Conservation Manager
King County Housing Authority
Wallis is responsible for monitoring the costs of water, electricity, and gas for the King County Housing Authority, a public housing agency serving low-income residents living throughout King County (outside the City of Seattle). She also implements conservation programs that save money and help reduce the use of natural resources. The number of resource conservation manager positions are growing in the Northwest as the work continues to gain popularity among state and local government agencies, school districts, and private companies.
Prior to her work at King County Housing Authority, Walling served as an intern for the King County Solid Waste Division during her studies at the Evans School. Her work there focused on waste prevention programs and policies.
In addition to her Evans School MPA, Wallis holds a bachelors degree in environmental studies.
Carrie Dolwick (MPA '04)
Policy Associate/Lobbyist
NW Energy Coalition
Dolwick’s background includes a variety of experiences with public, private, and non-profit entities including, support for biodiesel infrastructure development, PV development, public sector management, energy policy research, and community organizing around local land issues.
In addition to her work at NW Energy Coalition, Dolwick serves on the board of NW Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (NWSEED) and is the founder of Sustainable South Seattle.
In addition to her Evans School MPA, Dolwick holds a graduate-level certificate in Environmental Management from the University of Washington and a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Louisville.
Kasandra VerBrugghen (MPA '04)
Executive Director
Austin Foundation
VerBrugghen has worked for the Austin Foundation since 2006. The nonprofit foundation provides fitness training, health education, and nutrition awareness programs to youth in the greater Seattle area.
Prior to her work at the Austin Foundation, VerBrugghen taught GED preparation and life skills classes, and worked for another nonprofit in Seattle helping fishermen work safely and understand the laws governing their operations.
In addition to her Evans School MPA, VerBrugghen holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Arizona.
Becca Aue (MPA '05)
Associate Project Manager
Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates
Aue's areas of specialization for Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates includes transportation demand management, congestion pricing, policy analysis, and multimodal transportation systems. She works with nonprofits, governments, and private sector businesses. Her current project involves assisting Washington State Ferries and the Legislature in analyzing strategies to optimize the ferry system and minimize capital investment.
Aue also serves as an associate project manager for the Puget Sound Regional Passenger-Only Ferry Study, and is part of the Urban Mobility Plan team working with the City of Seattle to develop an "surface-transit" alternative for the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement.
Prior to her work at Nelson/Nygaard, Aue served as the senior planner for the Puget Sound Regional Council, where she spearheaded the development of the non-motorized component of the greater Puget Sound region's long-term transportation plan "Destination 2030." She also worked with the Seattle Department of Transportation to develop the city's Climate Action Plan, advancing congestion pricing policies, and serving as the project manager for the Southeast Seattle Transportation Study.