Coalition:

Ben Minicucci
CEO
Alaska Air Group
Gerald E. Johnson II
EVP Health Equity & Chief Diversity Officer
American Heart Association
Dennis Vermillion
President & CEO
Avista
BECU
Erin Kilmer Neel
Executive Director & Chief Impact Officer
Beneficial State Foundation
Mark Suzman
CEO
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Stan Deal
President & CEO
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Steve Mitchelmore
Managing Director & Seattle Office Leader
Boston Consulting Group
Eric Zimpfer
Vice President
bp Cherry Point Refinery
Tony Christensen
President & CEO
Christensen
Craig Jelinek
President & CEO
Costco Wholesale
Elizabeth A. Cowles
Chairman
Cowles Company
Joe Coote
CEO
Darigold, Inc.
Mark Mitchke
President & CEO
Delta Dental of Washington
Peter Kern
CEO & Vice Chairman
Expedia Group
FareStart
Jason Waxman
President
Fluke Corporation
Heather Redman
Co-Founder and Managing Director
Flying Fish Partners
Olumide Soroye
President & CEO, Intelligent Operations Solutions
Fortive Corporation
Thomas J. Lynch, Jr., MD
President & Director
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Earl W. Overstreet II
President
GMI
Kerri Schroeder
Pacific Northwest Region Chair
JPMorgan Chase
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington
Matt Hill
Seattle Market President
KeyBank
Bart D. Ricketts
CEO
Lease Crutcher Lewis
Matt Mcllwain
Managing Director
Madrona Venture Group
Dean Allen
CEO
McKinstry
Brad Smith
President & Vice Chair
Microsoft
Brad Gray
President & CEO
NanoString Technologies
Steve McConnell
Managing Partner
NBBJ
Doug Bowser
President
Nintendo of America
Erik Nordstrom
CEO
Nordstrom
Tobin Booth
CEO
OneEnergy Renewables
Imelda Dacones, MD FACP
Market President
Optum Care Washington
Will Daugherty
President & CEO
Pacific Science Center
Nikolaj Gilbert
President & CEO
PATH
Michael A. Senske
Chairman & CEO
Pearson Packaging Systems
Stan McNaughton
CEO
PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company
Julie Sandler
Managing Director
Pioneer Square Labs
René Ancinas
Chairman & CEO
Port Blakely
Jeffrey Roe
President & CEO
Premera Blue Cross
Mary Kipp
President & CEO
Puget Sound Energy
Mary Pugh
CEO & Chief Investment Officer
Pugh Capital Management, Inc.
Troy Roper
President
R&R Rentals
Eric Artz
President & CEO
REI
Ryan Lawler
Area President Northwest Area
Republic Services
Craig Dawson
President & CEO
Retail Lockbox, Inc.
Zach Buchwald
Chairman and CEO
Russell Investments
Roy F. Heynderickx, Ph.D.
President
Saint Martin's University
H.S. Wright III
CEO & Founder
Seattle Hospitality Group
Tod Leiweke
CEO
Seattle Kraken
John Stanton
Chairman
Seattle Mariners
Chuck Arnold
President
Seattle Seahawks, First & Goal Inc.
Adrian Hanauer
Majority Owner
Seattle Sounders FC
Alisha Valavanis
CEO & General Manager
Seattle Storm and Force 10 Sports Management
Eduardo Peñalver
President
Seattle University
Brad Jackson
CEO
Slalom
Randy Karr
CEO
Spur Reply LLC
Laxman Narasimhan
CEO
Starbucks
Toby Whitmoyer
President, Washington
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates
Margaret Meister
President & CEO
Symetra
Mike Sievert
President & CEO
T-Mobile
John Steach, Ed.D.
CEO
The Center for Educational Effectiveness
Frank Blethen
Publisher & CEO
The Seattle Times
Hilary Laney
Chief Revenue Officer
TPN + Evia
Steve Brooks
President
UMC
Stu Vander Hoek
President
Vander Hoek Corporation
Tonita Webb
CEO
Verity Credit Union
Ketul J. Patel
CEO
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health
Bill Hilf
CEO
Vulcan Inc.
Brent Beardall
President & CEO
WaFd Bank
Peter Stanton
Chairman & CEO
Washington Trust Bank
Kathy Rogers
Executive Vice President
Western States American Heart Association
Devin Stockfish
President & CEO
Weyerhaeuser Company
Geoff Wood
CEO & Co-President
Windermere Services Company
Loria B. Yeadon
President & CEO
YMCA of Greater Seattle
Rich Barton
Co-Founder & CEO
Zillow
Zulily

Founding Sponsors:

  • Challenge Seattle
  • Washington Roundtable

Supporting Sponsors:

  • Bellevue Chamber
  • Economic Alliance Snohomish County
  • Greater Seattle Partners
  • Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
  • Tacoma Pierce County Chamber
  • Washington Hospitality Association

Shirline Wilson
Executive Director
shirline@employers4equity.org

Shirline Wilson joined Washington Employers for Racial Equity (WERE) as executive director in June 2022. In this role, she is focused on supporting coalition members as they work to foster inclusive workplace culture, advance Black talent in their workforces, break down barriers to supplier diversity, and increase investment in Black-owned businesses.

Shirline came to WERE having spent seven years as the state executive director for Education Reform Now Washington. In that role, she served as a project and coalition leader across multiple organizations, managing relationships with state agencies, legislators, community-based organizations, and civil rights groups. She also served as an architect of the Black Joy Consortium, a collective body of stakeholders who champion improved education systems in Washington state by focusing on the experiences of Black students and families.

Earlier in her career, Shirline served in various leadership and management roles at Intellectual Ventures, Cypress Consulting, and Microsoft. She holds a master’s degree in education policy from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree in organizational development from Antioch University.

Shirline Wilson

I am encouraged by the aspirations and goals set out by members of the WERE coalition and their shared desire to realize authentic progress. Collectively, we all must challenge ourselves, and be willing to be uncomfortable, if we are to get to the heart of the work necessary to make progress. It will be challenging work and I am honored to serve this mission at this critical stage.”
– Shirline Wilson

Supplier Diversity Task Force:

Bringing together operations, procurement and supply chain leaders, this task force focuses on removing barriers and identifying opportunities to improve supplier diversity and support investment in Black-owned businesses.

Co-Chairs

Dean Allen
CEO
McKinstry
Sharon Chism
Senior Manager, Global Sourcing & Procurement
Russell Investments

Members

Alicia Gibbs
Director of Shared Services
Avista
Camille Geiger
Global Supplier Diversity Leader
Boeing
Claude Green
Director, Journeys, Diversity & Inclusion
Costco Wholesale
Leanne Bender
Food & Sundries Assistant General Merchandise Manager
Costco Wholesale
Nancy Griese
Senior Vice President, Corporate Foods & Sundries
Costco Wholesale
Sara Lindgren
Market Executive, Executive Director, Middle Market Banking
JP Morgan Chase
Glenda Dengah
Director, Supplier Diversity
Microsoft
Shara Holliday
Senior Director, Procurement
Microsoft
Fernando Martinez
President and CEO
Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council
Andrea Zaman
Chief Operating Officer
Pearson Packaging Systems
David Reardon
Vice President, Supply Chain
Pearson Packaging Systems
Craig Dawson
President & CEO
Retail Lockbox
Carri Roman
Vice President, Global Planning & Sourcing, Solutions & Enablement
Starbucks

Black Talent Development Task Force:

Bringing together human resources and DEI professionals, this task force focuses on supporting WERE member efforts to employ a workforce that reflects Washington’s communities; achieve racial parity in average compensation; and grow and advance Black talent.

Co-Chairs

Holli Martinez
Vice President, Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
T-Mobile
Andy Parks
Professor, DEI Faculty Fellow
CWU

Members

James Thomas
Director, DEI Engagement & Recognition
Alaska Airlines
Laura Vickers
Director of Culture, Diversity & People Services
Avista
Meagan Wells
Senior Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Specialist
Boeing
Karen Aliabadi
Chief Human Resource Strategist
Delta Dental
Darrell Cain, Ph.D.
President
Everett Community College
Denise Banuelos
Director, Equity, Inclusion & Diversity & Workforce Development
Kaiser Permanente Washington
Elizabeth Wan
General Manager, Human Resources
Microsoft
Carolyn Rice
Director, Global HR Operations & Talent Acquisition
NanoString
Tracy Turman
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program Manager
Puget Sound Energy
Karen Wilkins-Mickey
Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Seattle Seahawks
Ollie Garrett
President & CEO
Tabor 100