Accountant
Banchi moved to Seattle three years ago, with a bachelor’s degree in management and accounting and several years of work experience in accounting. Banchi loves art, nature, and engaging with youth and community services, so DNDA is the perfect place to work because she gets to do what she loves. DNDA has passionate and knowledgeable staff, and Banchi feels working with the team is like learning something different every day and she has fun doing it. Outside of DNDA, she loves water and spends time by the ocean and going swimming, and also enjoys cooking and spending time with family.
Restoration Program Manager
Ben (he/him) joined DNDA first as a volunteer and later restoration crew leader. He once worked as a newspaper reporter until deciding to pursue a career in environmental conservation, eventually attending grad school at UW’s College of the Environment where he received a master’s degree in environmental horticulture and professional certificate in restoration ecology. Ben oversees DNDA’s organization’s forest restoration work with the Green Seattle Partnership and continues to use his journalism background to contribute to DNDA’s communications team. He believes DNDA’s environmental work helps to connect people to their environment and build future stewardship. He loves riding his bike, and he thinks the rain is pretty great.
Environmental Programs Director
Caroline was born and raised in Michigan. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Western Michigan University. She went on to obtain a professional certificate in Wetland Science and Management from the University of Washington and is currently working on a graduate certificate in Forests and Climate Change from Oregon State University. She moved to Washington State in 2013 where she has since been involved in the environmental restoration field, initially serving in the Washington Conservation Corps for King County DNRP for two years where she learned about PNW ecology and restoration practices related to riparian, forested, shoreline and wetland environments. At DNDA, Caroline loves getting to work outside in the parks and appreciates working with DNDA’s other staff that provide programming based in the arts and social justice. When Caroline is not working, she likes to hike with her dog and explore new landscapes.
Executive Assistant
Christina (she/her), a Washington native, is passionate about building vibrant communities. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Walla Walla University. When Christina isn’t supporting DNDA executives in their mission to revitalize Delridge, she enjoys baking, running, yoga, and spending time with friends and family.
Art Program Specialist
Claire (she/they), was born in Houston but raised in Poulsbo, Washington, before earning their
bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington in Communication. With a minor in
international studies, they are passionate about cross-cultural communication, mental
health awareness, and harm reduction. Inspired by West Seattle’s commitment to
inclusive, affordable, and environmentally friendly urban development, they are excited to
help DNDA benefit the wider West Seattle area and its vibrant community. When not at
work, they spend their time making or enjoying live music, learning languages, exploring
Seattle, and building their community.
Affordable Housing Director
Danielle (she/her), born and raised in Washington graduated high school a year early and went on to earn an associate’s degree in business administration. After spending a little over one year in Arizona, she returned home to Washington and started her journey into the property management and affordable housing industry with her experience ranging from working in on-site roles to in corporate office positions. Danielle is a Certified Property Manager. She has a strong background knowledge of compliance, has obtained her C3P, COS, plus STAR/515 certifications, allowing her to specialize in Tax Credit, HUD, and Rural Development housing. She has a passion for property management and for helping to make affordable housing more available in all communities. Outside of DNDA, Danielle likes to spend time with her family and her small Havanese/Bichon dog. She also enjoys playing basketball. Danielle especially loves summertime outdoors in the PNW, whether that be going to a concert, going to the lake, on a hike.
Programs Assistant
Grace (she/her) was born and raised in Seattle. She graduated from Seattle University with a degree in environmental studies and an interest in sustainable food systems, environmental education, and environmental justice. She has explored various outdoor experiences, hoping to learn more about her specific passions within the broad field of environmentalism. She has enjoyed being an entomology research assistant in Seattle urban gardens and a farm assistant in Palmer, Alaska. She is excited to work with DNDA to bridge her interests in community building and environmental stewardship. Through DNDA, she hopes to learn as much as she can from the community around her. In her free time, Grace enjoys surfing in warm weather, staying hydrated, sending snail mail, and crocheting/crafting with friends.
Environmental Education Coordinator
Jules (they/them/theirs) is a White Queer environmental educator and artist. They are committed to the ongoing work of teaching and connection with anti-racist and social justice practices. Jules’ passion is building and developing awareness of how we can best care for ourselves, other people, and the place/space/Beings around us to strive for individual and collective learning, healing, and growth. Jules has 12 years experience interweaving nature connection, education, and arts together and has been a Teaching Artist with DNDA since 2019. They are excited to be with DNDA full-time, creating, collaborating, and connecting! In and out of work, you can find Jules outside admiring Beings of Land, making art, telling stories, singing, using silly voices, and asking questions about things!
Jules is a Certified Forest Therapy Guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides, graduate of IslandWood’s Education for Environment and Community Program, and has a Masters in Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Washington.
Forest Restoration Intern
Kara (she/they) was born in Sakhalin, Russia and came to America when they were a baby. They grew up all around Seattle, before earning their bachelors degree at the University of Puget Sound in Natural Sciences Biology, studying plants, animals and the relationships between humans and the land. They are inspired by taking care of nature, helping everyone no matter who they are and cultivating positive and safe environments for everyone. They find themselves at DNDA because after college they promised themselves to only work for companies that want to better the world. Outside of working for DNDA, they spend a lot of their time hiking, backpacking, gardening, and going to local artist shows around Seattle with friends.
Youngstown Facilities
Kim is an American artist who was born in Vietnam. He had the privilege of living in several different areas worldwide, including the Middle East, before his family finally settled in the Puget Sound region of Washington State, where Kim earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the University of Washington. Kim has been a part of the DNDA staff for over a decade and credits DNDA’s values and service to the community as having a very positive influence on his life and his art.
Jules is a Certified Forest Therapy Guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides, graduate of IslandWood’s Education for Environment and Community Program, and has a Masters in Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Washington.
Environmental Engagement Specialist
Louisa (she/her) was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She earned bachelors degrees in environmental studies and political science from American University, where she discovered the importance of climate justice and urban green space restoration. Louisa is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Associate. She is passionate about climate-resilient city planning, and she is dedicated to improving urban environments for better public health outcomes. After working at the Seattle Aquarium, Louisa joined DNDA as the Environmental Engagement Specialist in October 2023 for a 10.5-month service term to continue pursuing her passion for urban climate justice, as well as work to expand access to healthy green spaces for all communities. DNDA asked Louisa to join the Nature team permanently in 2024. When she’s not working, you can find Louisa in her ceramics studio, baking something complicated, or listening to one of her favorite podcasts.
Environmental Education Coordinator
Youngstown Manager & Social Media Coordinator
Morgan (she/her) is a Colorado native, but moved to Seattle in summer 2024 for a new adventure and love of rain. She earned her bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in sociology from the University of Colorado Boulder. Morgan has been working at nonprofits since she was 15, starting with the Boys and Girls Club of Steamboat Springs. She chose DNDA for their mission to bring together the community through art, nature, and neighborhood to create and maintain a positive community. Morgan joined DNDA through the United Way of King County AmeriCorps VISTA program. Outside DNDA, Morgan loves to ski and hike big mountains, try new foods and restaurants with her friends and family, and catch a movie at the local theater.
Forest Restoration Intern
Olivia was born and raised in the foothills of an East Bay Area suburb and has been living in the Pacific Northwest since 2014. She grew up tending her parents’ vegetable garden in the backyard, camping and hiking in the Lake Tahoe Basin, and watching a little too much Animal Planet on cable.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in human physiology and minoring in Spanish, she spent several years working as a medical scribe, receptionist, and patient care coordinator in primary care, pediatric, and behavioral health clinics. While attempting to shake Covid burnout, Olivia found passion and fulfillment in habitat restoration and ethnoecology through volunteering in the Willamette Valley, and hasn’t looked back since.
She is interested in building community through land stewardship, democratizing public spaces, meeting her neighbors, and learning new ways of being. In her free time, she enjoys botanizing, reading, going to museums, mending, and doing the crossword with her husband and two kitties.
Interim Executive Director
Shannon Woodard (she/her) serves as Board President of DNDA and has been an active board member since 2015, bringing extensive expertise in finance, affordable housing, and community development.
Professionally, Shannon is the Vice President and Senior Asset Manager at R4 Capital, LLC, where she oversees financial and operational aspects of affordable housing investments, with a focus on Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). With over 20 years of experience in finance and more than a decade in multifamily housing, she has a deep understanding of asset management, property development, and regulatory compliance.
Shannon’s passion for affordable housing is both professional and personal. As a former single parent, she experienced firsthand the transformative impact of housing stability, which continues to drive her commitment to creating equitable opportunities for others. She is also a founding member of the West Seattle Public Schools Equity Fund, working to address disparities in public school funding.
At DNDA, Shannon plays a key role in strategic planning, financial oversight, and property development initiatives, leveraging her expertise to support the organization’s mission.
Board Member Since: 2015
Current Roles:
Development Manager
Tiana (she/her) was born and raised on Oahu, Hawaii, where her deep-rooted connection to community and true love for nature began on the hiking trails and beaches of the islands at an early age. She has spent the last five years securing affordable housing grants and has three years of experience as a contract grant writer for several nonprofit organizations across Washington, primarily focusing on underserved communities. With a B.S. in Molecular Biology, she continues to combine her scientific background with her passion for advocacy and social impact. Outside of her professional endeavors, Tiana is a proud mother and dog parent who loves spending her free time near the water, hiking, snowboarding, and exploring new destinations.
Art Programs Director
Yeggy is an award-winning visual public artist whose work can be seen throughout the Seattle area. Armed with metal, stone, glass and a green approach to his work, Yeggy often uses mosaic to illustrate unity and diversity. His vision is to provoke questions about natural cycles, provide a sense of place and to reflect on the movement of time. Yeggy believes that public art needs to reflect the community, the culture and the people who live in it, especially in communities that are underserved. It’s not just about beauty – it’s an expression of the moment and the people. Yeggy’s inspiration comes from what has stayed close to his heart. At DNDA, Yeggy creates and leads arts programs for youth in West Seattle and South Seattle communities. He also works as co-director of the Arts in Nature Festival at Camp Long, a unique annual outdoor festival.
Board President
Evelyn’s (she/her) record of service-based activism demonstrates a life dedicated to justice, equity, and community development. She was raised in a Jewish and Irish family from Chicago and Detroit with a deep heritage of civil rights and social justice organizing. A self-described “community service nerd,” she fundraised and built houses with Habitat for Humanity throughout high school, inspiring her next career and eventual involvement with DNDA.
After working on key union organizing campaigns, Evelyn’s travel to Central America, as an international election observer, deepened her understanding of international inequities.
Evelyn’s passion for building led to a near-decade career as a journey level carpenter, contributing to impactful projects such as hospitals, schools, art centers, and sports stadiums. Transitioning to union staff, she led a regional department combating wage theft in construction, producing substantial legal victories and policy reforms particularly benefiting immigrant workers and union members.
Evelyn’s leadership skills were recognized within the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Union, where she made history as the first female principal officer in the United States. Evelyn’s tenure was proudly distinguished by her successes towards improving workers’ wages and benefits, addressing high industry suicide rates, and promoting racial equity.
Currently, Evelyn’s business focuses on strategy, development, and accountability in mission-driven organizations. She’s an advocate for equity in workplace benefits and a proponent of healthy conflict as a means of organizational growth. Evelyn’s collaboration thrives with colleagues that are smart, kind, curious, and humble. DNDA has a knack for attracting exactly this kind of rich experience and humanity.
She admires DNDA’s unique commitment to the arts, environment, and low-income housing, through a lens of racial and social justice. Her connection to the Delridge community is enriched by over two decades of living along the Delridge corridor.
Evelyn’s home life, shared with her partner, two teenagers, and a noisy hound dog, celebrates Pacific Northwest beauty. She frequently invites others to nature-infused “walking meetings” that spark creativity and effective solutions both personally and professionally.
Treasurer
MJ (he/him) is an Indigenous FN Accountant born and raised in the PNW. Coming from a father who served on SPD for 20 years and Filipino mother both retired in the military, Michael knows first-hand the difficulties of living in Seattle with a multicultural background. From a very early age, MJ was interested in Finance and how money works, when it occurred to MJ that he’s never seen Natives, Filipinos or Japanese represented in the finance industry as something that needed changing.
Michael spends his free time with his family, 3 yr. old daughter Catalina and co-parent Christina. When he’s not with his family he can often be seen doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at his local gym or working on language revitalization and cultural restoration within his community. Michael Is Huu-ay-aht FN from Vancouver Island BC.
Army Veteran served 2 tours in Iraq. (2006-2010)
Graduate of St. Martins University with bachelor’s in accounting.
5 years of experience in nonprofit accounting and affordable housing development in the Seattle area for indigenous houseless relatives.
Experience in Rapid Acquisition of Salmon Berry Lofts low-income building in DT Seattle.
Secretary
Sam (he/him) grew up in a small Maine town, regularly exploring nearby woods and tidepools. This early connection to nature was fed by off-grid summers on a mountain in California, where he was also inspired by his grandparents’ love and generosity to always pursue ways to help others. An explorer by nature, Sam has traveled the world and lived in all corners of the US. He’s lived in West Seattle longer than any other place aside from his childhood home and has been inspired to develop the relationships here that are necessary to support everyone who calls this neighborhood home. While he doesn’t consider himself an artist, Sam does enjoy expressing his creativity through making ice cream and playing guitar with friends. Arts, and music in particular, have always provided a source of inspiration and emotional validation for Sam. He’s thrilled that his kids have more artistic ability and aspiration than he does!
Sam has a background in environmental sciences, science education, and non-profit management, as well as construction and property management.
For Sam, DNDA embodies the practice of acting locally while thinking globally. The issues that DNDA addresses through its numerous programs and affordable housing, combined with its emphasis on community building and empowerment is a model for creating more equity, sustainability, and justice.
Amy (she/her) lives in West Seattle with her partner Lisa and two teenage kids. Amy and her family love living in West Seattle because of the easy access to Puget Sound and our amazing parks, bike paths, and of course, Alki Beach! Amy grew up in Minnesota and loves the outdoors and all forms of boating – kayaking, paddleboarding, sailing, and getting out and exploring the beautiful Puget Sound Islands and marinas.
In her work life, Amy is the lead communication and marketing professional at the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center at the University of Washington. The Center is the research hub for all the amazing work being done at the now 35 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers across the country.
Amy has been with DNDA for over 6 years now and loves being a part of the DNDA family and community. DNDA has the ability to pull you in and make you feel like you’re part of something great! Every year, DNDA has grown and expanded its impact on our community, and Amy is proud to be part of an organization that leans into challenges and brings the community together.
Kevin (he/him) grew up in the Rainier Valley, Rainier Beach neighborhood loves the diverse community and local business especially ethnic food! He enjoys walking and relaxing in the Kubota Garden seeing different plant shrub varieties change over the season with a beautiful koi fish pond. Kevin spends a lot of time giving back to community volunteering building relationships in the community.
Kevin is a community outreach & engagement specialist, he has a strong connection with the Vietnamese community bringing resources and support to his community. Such as in language helping with billing, paperwork, sharing information, community feedback on certain projects & looping back, nature walk, environmental education and taking sustainable actions.
Kevin loves the mission of creating and keeping the neighborhood as vibrant and resilient as possible through affordable housing, arts, and protecting/growing green space. He is passionate about making an area resilient and thriving and currently what he feels will do is first keep the community here and support the community healthy. Kevin can contribute ideas, stories, wants/needs that he hears from the community to help DNDA make decisions. Kevin would love to contribute his time to support community outreach & engagement work with DNDA.
Kim (she/they) is a Producer, Filmmaker, Mom, Co-Leader of River City SkatePark, Founder of a youth mentoring program called Across the Bridge, and a long-time neighbor of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center and Longfellow Creek. When Kim isn’t producing films or advocating for skate parks, you can probably find her at her favorite dance fitness class, taking scenic photos, spending time with her family, or walking her GranDog, Sammy, along Longfellow Creek!
After visiting Seattle in the early 90s to snowboard and be closer to her Grandma, Kim fell in love with the amazing parks, arts, and cultural diversity. It felt like home, so she planted roots and started to think of how to give back and contribute in a meaningful way.
Building a healthy community is critical to Kim. She loves connecting with others and thinking deeply about peace and what it takes to have sustainable peace. Her focus has been on creative ways to reduce violence and increase peace in ourselves, families, and schools through economic justice, conflict resolution, and fighting for free and public green spaces. A shared vision makes working with DNDA a natural alliance, and what really seals the deal is DNDA’s commitment to supporting the leadership of young people in all things art and nature!
DNDA’s Summer Youth Program (SYP) is made possible by our paid teen interns, who help run every activity, reach out to families, and coordinate DNDA teaching artists. The internship program gives a cohort of youth living in affordable housing the opportunity to earn income while learning professional skills, including scheduling, collaboration, facilitating, and outreach.
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