We Staffed Up This Year!
If you’ve been following along with us as we prepare to implement a full slate of new Doors Open programs, you’ve likely seen the onslaught of job postings. Now, as 2024 comes to a close, we’re incredibly thrilled to welcome 15 new staff members and congratulate two of our long-time colleagues on stepping into new roles! If you’re wondering who to contact with questions, concerns, and ideas, our full Staff page is a great place to start. Whether it’s at a grant workshop, site visit, or just over email, we hope you get a chance to say hello. We have more hiring planned for 2025, so make sure to keep an eye our Employment page.
By way of introduction, we’ve asked all of our new colleagues the same question: what excites you most about your new position at 4Culture? Read on for their answers to get to know more about your new 4Culture staff:
Bart J. Cannon, PhD, Science and Technology Director
Science isn’t a bunch of facts to memorize. Science is vital to humanity because it provides a set of tools through which the universe in which we live can be understood. Without the tools and methods science makes available to all, reliable knowledge about this world would be impossible. It’s hard to imagine something more exciting than having a roadmap for exploration at one’s fingertips!
Calandra Childers, Project Director 2024 Doors Open Program
I am ready to see what a better-resourced cultural sector can accomplish. Cultural experiences connect people to one another and build communities – and the cultural sector of King County has done so much already on shoestring budgets. Imagining what’s possible when we significantly invest in the power of culture excites me for what’s to come.
Casey Moser, Doors Open Facilities Program Manager
I’m excited about the opportunity to contribute to this transformative legislation. It’s an exciting time to be able to say “yes” more, and I know this funding is going to have an impact on King County and its cultural spaces for years and years to come.
Liz Reyes, Doors Open Support Specialist
What excites me most when it comes to working at 4Culture is being directly involved in Doors Open. It is such a unique program with so much potential for the non-profit sector as a whole, including Science and Technology. It’s a massive opportunity for us as an organization to develop something completely unique and generative for our area, an opportunity that the vast majority of places in the country just don’t have. I’m happy to be a part of such a significant shift in the organization!
Fundisha Tibebe, Doors Open Operating Support Program Manager
I’m excited to be able to make an impact through my work in the same communities that have lifted me up throughout my life. I’m most excited to be in spaces with folks committed to supporting and uplifting the brilliance, creativity, and beauty of Black and Brown communities across King County.
Mytoan Nguyen-Akbar, PhD, Evaluation Manager
What excites me most about my position at 4Culture is the opportunity to advance our equity work through data, which to me is a rich, colorful woven tapestry of numbers, story, images, and historical context. I bring with me the lived experience being raised in marginalized communities, combined with technical and theoretical tools that I hope will serve our communities well with helping to share back our collective impact as stewards of County resources and with narrative shift both within and beyond our sector.
Jackie Mixon, Communications Support Specialist
As a new member of the communications team, I’m excited to be a part of getting the word out for new Doors Open programs. Especially for people involved in the Science/Technology sector. There’s a whole new branch of funding for us to give and we’re excited to share it!
Sol Dressa, Community Outreach and Engagement Support Specialist
I’m so excited to help relaunch Hello 4Culture and expand access to arts and cultural funding across King County! I will be traveling throughout the region to hear directly from communities—their ideas, questions, and concerns. As an artist, organizer, and staff at 4Culture, I’m thrilled to connect with those who build spaces for communities of color—spaces that celebrate joy and play, honor ancestors through arts and culture, and foster healing and intergenerational learning.
Ana Sneed, Receptionist/Office Operations
Being a part of an organization that makes such a tangible impact on communities I’ve had the privilege of maturing in is motivating and proves my firm belief that there is no problem we cannot solve with diverse teams of intentional, passionate, critical thinkers who aren’t afraid to go the distance. To say I work within such a group is the cherry on top. I’m proud I work in a unique position that helps amplify the voices of my peers and strengthens the overall cultural fabric of King County.
Melissa Huggins, Operations Director
It’s inspiring to serve alongside such smart, dedicated, passionate colleagues, working every day to support individuals and organizations throughout King County. Our operations team does so much behind the scenes to ensure staff have the tools they need and community members have a seamless experience. I enjoy how operations intersects with every area of 4Culture’s work, creating opportunities for me to collaborate with staff, departments and programs across the organization.
Korra Kairos, Human Resources Assistant
Outside of our core mission, I just enjoy the freedom I have in this workplace! It feels like I’m part of a great community who appreciates me and gives a sense of safety for me to be my whole self. I feel very fortunate to be here and am excited to continue my journey at 4Culture!
Jennifer Pritchard, Science and Technology Program Manager
I’m excited to work with such a passionate and dedicated team to connect in with and support our local science and technology organizations in the community.
Cassie Chinn, Cultural Services Liaison
The depth and breadth of work across the county is incredible. I’m grateful for and admire all of the people who bring so much goodness, and I’m looking forward to being in community together.
Elyn Blandon, Finance Contract Specialist
To be in a role that intersects with all programs at 4Culture is exciting; furthermore, to bring value to essential processes for the greater mission! 4Culture represents meaningful work and change that has purpose to me personally and professionally. To contribute to serving my local community and advancing underserved populations collectively with other talented professionals is a privilege I hold with high regard.
Jay Robles, Building For Equity Program Manager
I am most thrilled to be in a position where I can continue to serve our Indigenous communities. 4Culture is doing brilliant work and I’m so grateful to be a part of the team!
Bryan Wilson, Cultural Education Program Manager
At this very moment, all over King County, young people are boldly stepping up to microphones, making art, and encountering the vital stories that speak through historic places and through the land itself. At this moment, King County educators are creating innovative and intersectional partnerships with community organizations and teaching artists, making our schools and out-of-school-time programs some of the most energized and vibrant cultural spaces around. I am SO excited to be working with an incredible team at 4Culture, along with so many amazing community partners, to build new tools for these cultural organizations, public-school educators, and their students to connect and support their shared work, ultimately to increase equitable access for youth throughout our county to the healing, curiosity, and community-building that cultural experiences and expression offer. The year ahead is so full of possibility!
Natasha Varner, Heritage Program Manager
I’m a history nerd and so I’m excited to learn more about this region’s past by working with the people and organizations who know it best. I also really appreciate working for an organization that centers racial equity and uplifting the voices of individuals and communities that have been historically marginalized.