Board of Directors

Anne Baunach
Auburn, WA - District 7
Anne is currently serving as the lead associate overseeing Fund Development for Thrive by Five, a public private partnership led by Gov. Christine Gregoire and Bill Gates, Sr. that is working on early learning issues for the state of Washington. Prior to this position, Anne served in a number of marketing and fund development positions at Green River Community College; Comprehensive Health Education Foundation and Auburn’s SuperMall. She has been active with the Auburn School District and served eight years on the Auburn Arts Commission.

Kevin Carl
Seattle, WA - District 4
Kevin is an architect and urban designer with a deep interest in community enhancement. Among his signature projects is the Sleeping Lady Retreat and Conference Center in Leavenworth, WA, for which he served as architectural designer and project manager. A more recent project was the Mercer Slough Environmental Center in Bellevue, WA, which brings children ages 9-12 hands-on experiences of fresh water ecologies, biology and sustainable living systems.

He is a former Board Chair of the Pioneer Square Community Association’s Public Spaces Committee; Vice-Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission; and Chair of the SAC Public Art Committee.

Patricia Cosgrove
Enumclaw, WA - District 9
Patricia is the Director of the White River Valley Museum and the historic Mary Olson Farm, a position she has held since 1990. She has raised $3 million dollars to rebuild and professionalize the Museum and restore the 1880’s farm, which will be used as a living history park and environmental learning center for regional audiences.

Prior to joining the Museum, she worked as Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations for the University of Puget Sound. She managed the state centennial exhibit celebrating and honoring Washington’s Native heritage, “A Time of Gathering.”

Bill Finkbeiner
Kirkland, WA - District 6
Former Senator Bill Finkbeiner held a Republican seat in the 45th Legislative District and is a property manager and small business owner. He has received recognition and awards including, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission Friends of Housing Award for dedication and commitment to affordable housing, 2004; Governor Gary Locke's Digital Education Task Force, 2003; The "Kristine" Award for embracing the mission of the KDK Guild with outstanding dedication & achievement, 2001; Food Allergy Network Marial C. Furlong Award for Making a Difference, 2000; Smart Tools Academy, 1999-2000.

Bill Finkbeiner is a current Board member of Hopelink Multi-Service Center and a former board member of the Cascade Land Conservancy. His Legislative leadership includes: Republican Leader, 2005; Majority Leader, 2004; Deputy Majority Leader, 2003; Assistant Republican Floor Leader, 1999-00. Elective Office experience includes: Senate, 1994, 1998, 2002; House of Representatives, 1992. He is involved in the following Standing and Legislative Committees: Transportation; Financial Institutions, Housing & Consumer Protections; Rules, 2005 NCSL Host Committee; Arts Commission; Council of State Governments - Executive Committee; Department Of Revenue Advisory Group On Simplified Sales And Use Tax Administration; Committee on Energy Supply; Horse Racing Commission; Member, Life Sciences Discovery Fund Board of Trustees.

Brian Flaherty
Member-At-Large - Mercer Island, WA - District 6

Brian Flaherty is the Vice President of Operations for MTM Luxury Lodging, a Kirkland based operator of Luxury Hotels and Resorts.

 Flaherty has almost 30 years of hospitality management and leadership experience including prestigious assignments such as his recent role as opening General Manager of the highly regarded Hotel 1000 in downtown Seattle (an MTM managed property.)  Flaherty also held senior roles with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Maui, Toronto and The Olympic in Seattle. Prior to joining Hotel 1000, Flaherty was COO of ERA CARE Communities (now ERA Living), a Seattle-based owner and operator of senior living communities in the Pacific Northwest. Flaherty began his career in Hospitality in assorted food and beverage director and restaurant management roles with Marquis Hotels & Resorts in Fort Myers, Fla. in the early 80's.  

While residing in the Puget Sound area, Flaherty has been involved in raising funds for several Seattle-area not-for-profit organizations, including PONCHO, The Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center (helping to coordinate the Terry Fox/shore Run for Cancer Research), and other philanthropies. He has also been a board member for the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Seattle Sports Commission and the Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club. Flaherty currently resides in Mercer Island, Wash. with his wife Kitty and their two daughters, Meghan and Clara.

Ricardo Frazer
Tukwila, WA- District 5

Ricardo Frazer resides in Tukwila (King County Council District 5) is VP Business Development/Artist Development at hardroad.com as well as President and Owner of MeMusic, both in Seattle.  Ricardo has served as Manager and President of RCR Records and Subgroup LLC, working with artists Sir Mix-A-Lot and The Presidents of the United States of America, has worked with major recording companies such as Warner Brothers, Sony/Epic, Capitol Records, RCA and others and also founded a computer software consulting company. He has served as Chair and board member of the Seattle Arts Commission and Seattle Theater Group and is a dedicated volunteer, patron and arts advocate.  Ricardo holds an MBA in management and marketing from City University and a BA in communications from Evergreen College

Leonard Garfield
Seattle, WA- District 2
Leonard Garfield is the Executive Director of the Museum of History & Industry in Seattle, where he is responsible for maintaining a collection of over 100,000 rare artifacts, 200,000 archival materials, 2 million vintage photographs, a major research library, a program of permanent and rotating exhibits, and extensive educational programs all related to the history of metropolitan Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

Before joining the museum, Garfield served as Manager of the King County Office of Cultural Resources from 1993-1999, managing the programs of the King County Arts Commission and the King County Landmarks & Heritage Commission. From 1985-1993, Garfield served as Historic Preservation Coordinator for the State of Washington, where he administered the National Register of Historic Places Program in Washington State and the Washington State Arts Stabilization Program.

Garfield previously worked for the State Historical Society of Wisconsin from 1978 to 1985, where he served as the state preservation historian. He is a trustee of the Washington Commission for the Humanities and former president of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, teaches historic preservation in the College of Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Washington, and is a frequent writer and lecturer on architectural history.

Ted Kutscher
Vashon Island, WA- District 2
As both a financial planner and attorney, Ted draws from various disciplines of investment, tax and law. He is a founder and principal of the financial planning and wealth counsel firm, Frederic T. Kutscher Associates, Inc. and the law firm Kutscher Hereford Johnson PLLC, both located in the Hoge Building in downtown Seattle.

Ted is an oil and watercolor painter in the realist and impressionist style and is represented by the Silverwood Gallery on Vashon Island.

Jennifer Meisner
Seattle, WA- District 4
Jennifer is the Executive Director of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, a state-wide preservation advocacy organization.

She is the former Community Development Specialist, Historic Preservation Program, for the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, for which she staffed the Pioneer Square Preservation District and Ballard Avenue Landmark District Boards.

Jennifer currently serves on a number of state and city committees including the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation Maritime Heritage Task force; the Washington State Main Street Advisory Committee; the Scenic Byway Advisory Committee; the Board of Advisors, Pioneer Square Community Association; and the 4Culture Historic Preservation Advisory Committee.

Kenneth Noreen has served as the Band Director of Shoreline Community College Band Director since 1994. Prior to Shoreline Community College, Noreen served as Director of Bands for the Shoreline School District and was a Music Specialist for the Shoreline School District. Business activities include: Music Director for the Seattle Supersonics; Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker Bain; Co-owner of Broad-View Travel and ACFEA Tour Consultants; President of NORHAWK, Inc. and Owner of Triad Properties.

Noreen’s volunteer activities include: Founding Member of Shoreline Arts Council; Charter Member of Shoreline Breakfast Rotary; Member of Shoreline Public School Foundation; past President of Washington Music Educators’ Association; Member of WMEA state board ; and past President of  University of Washington Husky Band Foundation. Noreen holds a BA in Music and a Masters in Secondary Education from the University of Washington. He and his wife, Pearl Noreen have two sons, Kevin and Kirk.

Skip Rowley
Bellevue, WA - District 3
George W. "Skip" Rowley is Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rowley Properties, Inc. a third-generation, family-owned property management and development firm in Issaquah, founded in 1954. Skip's community involvement is unsurpassed. Skip is Chairman of the Board of Performing Arts Center Eastside (PACE), Co-Chair of the Regional Transportation Leadership Group, and is a member of the Eastside YWCA Advisory Committee.

He is a Member of the Board of Directors of First Mutual Bank, Overlake Hospital, ArtsFund, and the Issaquah Historical Society. Previously Skip has served on the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation, was Chairman and Founding Member of the East King County Chambers of Commerce Legislative Coalition, and was President of the Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce. Skip's community service and corporate involvement awards include the 2005 Eastside Business Awards' Corporate Citizenship Award, 2004 Issaquah Schools Foundation Golden Apple Award, 2002 Environmental Excellence Award presented by the Association of Washington Businesses, 1996 Pacific Lutheran University "Best in the Northwest" Family Business Award, and Issaquah Citizen of the Year. Skip received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington.

Ron Sher
Medina, WA - District 6
Ron Sher has been instrumental in creating third places throughout the region, those community hubs outside of work and home offering the public a place to gather, browse, and relax. He is the northwest managing partner of Metrovation, founder of Metrovation Capital, Third Place Books, and Islander's Bank. He has developed and managed commercial real estate including Crossroads Shopping Center in Bellevue and Elliott Bay Book Company. Ron holds an MBA from Columbia University and Ph.D in Economics from Washington State University.

Sher is proud of is his commitment to creating and sustaining community. Crossroads Shopping Center is just one of several local examples of his efforts. He has been invited to speak and participate in the US Congress of Mayors; the American Association of Museums; the Sierra Club; the American Planning Association; Sustainable Seattle; National Endowment for the Arts; and the Urban Land Institute. He has served on the Mayor's Downtown Parks Task Force; the City of Seattle's Civic Center Programming Focus Group; the boards of the Project for Public Spaces; the Cascade Land Conservancy; and Youth Eastside Services. Currently, he is spearheading the formation of the Great Places Forum, an organization that aims to celebrate, inspire, propagate, and enhance community gathering places, big and small.

Dale Smith
Vice President - Kent, WA - District 5

Dale Smith is a South King County resident and community activist on diversity, equity and social justice issues in education, civic and faith institutions and communities. His community activity is influenced by the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) theory of change developed by the institute of the same name at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.  Dale and his family have been part of the increasingly diverse Kent community since 1993, and have benefited greatly from the associated arts, cultural and heritage assets that have come with that diversity.

From 2000-2006, Dale was responsible for corporate community relationships and contributions for The Boeing Company in the greater Puget Sound region for Arts, Culture, Civic and Environment.  In that capacity, he was actively involved on a number of arts and cultural activities that encouraged community and philanthropic collaborations, including: ArtsFund in King and Pierce counties; ArtsUnited in Snohomish County; Standing Ovation in East King County; and the Cultural Council of Greater Tacoma Community Foundation among others.  He is currently an environmental political analyst for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Doug Thatcher
Treasurer -Normandy Park , WA - District 2

Doug Thatcher resides in Normandy Park (King County Council District 8) and is VP, Business Banking Manager – Development & Construction at Venture Bank in Kent.  Doug currently serves on the board at the Highline YMCA and has served as President and Board Chair for The Hi-Liners, a youth performance organization in Burien.  Doug has been involved in the arts since he was a child performing with the Hi-Liners and now as an amateur drummer in two bands and a season subscriber to several arts organizations.  He holds degrees from the University of Washington and California Polytechnic School of Management Banking.