Phil Ohl | President, Executive Committee Chair, Founder

President
VISTA Engineering Technologies, LLC
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Phil Ohl is a founder and principal partner serving as president of Vista Engineering Technologies, L.L.C., a full service engineering design and technology development firm with 90 employees. The company provides engineering, environmental, and technology development services.

Phil is currently serving on the engineering advisory board for the Department of Materials and Mechanical Engineering at Washington State University. He is also on the Blue Mountain Council Board of Directors for the Boy Scouts of America and president of the Washington State STEM Education Foundation.

Phil holds a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering and a M.EM. in Engineering Management from Washington State University. In addition, he is a registered professional mechanical engineer and in the states of Washington and Oregon and a registered Project Management Professional. Phil also holds a Certificate in Management and Leadership from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jack Baker | Director, New Facility Chair, Founder

Energy Northwest
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Jack Baker, Vice President, Energy/Business Services, joined Energy Northwest in 1982. In his current position, he is responsible for the development of new business opportunities and the operation and maintenance of all non-nuclear generation resources.

Prior to assuming his present position, Mr. Baker held the following positions: Training Director, Columbia Nuclear Generating Station Plant Manager, Columbia Generating Station Assistant Plant Manager and WNP-1 Operations Manager.

Before joining Energy Northwest, Mr. Baker worked for Commonwealth Edison in Illinois. He has 39 years experience in the energy business sector. Mr. Baker holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering sciences as well as a Master of Science degree in nuclear engineering from Northwestern University, Illinois. He is a Certified Professional Manager and is a graduate of Harvard University's Advanced Management Program. He currently serves on the Board for the Benton City Senior Housing Project, the Hanford Reach Interpretive Center and STEM Foundation.

Dave Bond | Non-Voting Member, Founder

Asst. Superintendent
Secondary Education
Kennewick School District
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Dave Bond is the superintendent of the Kennewick School District. Bond assumed that position July 1st of this year when Marlis Lindbloom retired from her position as the Kennewick School District superintendent. Mr. Bond served the Richland School District from 1988 to 2001 as a teacher, athletic director, assistant principal, and then Principal at Hanford High from 1996-2001. He has worked in the Kennewick School District since 2001; first as principal at Kamiakin High School (2001-2006), and then as the Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education (2006-2008).

Bond earned his master’s degree in Educational Administration from Seattle Pacific University and then went on to Washington State University to receive his superintendent’s credential.

In both his professional and personal life, Bond looks at his greatest accomplishment as preparing kids for a successful future. “Ultimately it’s about student achievement,” says Bond.

He and his wife of 32 years, Carmen, are proud and anxious for the exciting transitions that await their three children: Josh - a graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy; Jeremy – a graduate of Seattle Pacific University in international business; and Jenny – a sophomore at Washington State University planning to major in nursing.

Jacqueline Fernette | Secretary, Founder

Director
Communications & External Rel
PNNL – Richland
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Matt Hammer | Vice President, Development Committee Chair, Founder

President
Imageworks
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Matt is President and Chief Executive Officer of Vivid Learning Systems, a publicly traded e-learning firm in Washington State. In 1994, Matt co-founded Imageworks, an interactive marketing and training company and was President of the firm until its acquisition by Vivid in 2004. In 2005, he became Vivid’s Chief Operations Officer and was named President and Chief Executive Officer in 2007. Matt is responsible for developing and implementing the strategic vision of the firm with special emphasis on marketing and strategic partnerships. Matt has a BA in Marketing and Business Administration from Washington State University and 15 years of executive leadership experience in technology-based companies. In addition to being the Vice President of the Washington State STEM Education Foundation and a member of its Development Committee, Matt’s community involvement includes Vice-Chairman of the Three Rivers Community Foundation, and Founding Member/Board Director of PLADD (People Learning About Destructive Decisions).

Saundra Hill | Non-Voting Member, Founder

Superintendent
Pasco School District
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Professional Experience

• Pasco School District
  • Superintendent, 2002-present
• Director of Special Programs and Assessment, 1993-96
  • Director of Staff Development and Evaluation, 1990-1993
  • Bilingual Program Administrator, 1986-1990
  • Migrant Summer School Principal, 1984-86
  • Migrant/Bilingual Education Specialist (Instructional Coach), 1985-86
  • Migrant Night School Teacher, Pasco High School, 1985-86
  • Migrant Resource Room Teacher, Longfellow Elementary, 1982-85
• Central Washington University
  • Graduate Assistant/Instructor, 1981-82
• PeEll School District
  • Teacher, Title I Reading Specialist and Primary Classroom, 1979-81
• Bickleton School District
  • Teacher, Grades 1 and 2, 1977-78
• Sumner, Enumclaw, and Dieringer School Districts
  • K-12 Substitute Teacher, 1976-77

Education

• Juris Doctor, University of Washington, 2000
• Principal Credential, Central Washington University, 1984
• Master of Arts in Education, (Reading, Curriculum, Leadership) Central Washington University, 1982
• Bachelor of Arts in Education, Minor Spanish, French, University of Puget Sound, 1976

Other Professional Activities and Recognition

• Member of Washington State Bar Association, 2001-present
• La Voz Amiga Award 2008—Tri-Cities Spanish-language Newspaper Latino Community Leadership Award
• Excellence in Education State Leadership Award 2007 from Delta Sigma Theta—African-American Women’s Educational Sorority sponsoring Delta SEE (Science and Everyday Experiences)
• Outstanding Community Leader of the Year Award 2006—Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber
• ESD 123 Superintendents Advisory Council Chair, 2007-08
• Partner in development of Delta High School—Tri-Cities Public/Private Partnership STEM High School, 2006-present
• Advise State System Performance Accountability process, 2008
• Workers’ Compensation Cooperative Executive Board and Chair, 2004-present
• Unemployment Cooperative Executive Board, 2004-2007
• UW Child Advocacy Clinic Rule 9 Legal Intern, 1998-2000
• Law Clerk for Federal District Court Judge Edward F. Shea, Eastern District of Washington, 1999
• Legal Intern for Northwest Justice Project Farm Worker Division, 1998
• Adjunct University Instructor at Seattle Pacific, Heritage, Eastern, Washington State, 1990s—focused on leadership, instruction, English Language Learners, cultural competency
• Multiple state and regional education committees, 1986-1996
• Conducted extensive professional development sessions locally, regionally, nationally regarding student achievement, leadership, instruction, literacy, poverty, 1984-1996
• CREHST (Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science and Technology) Museum Board of Directors, 2002-2006
• Active in community 2002-2009—Kiwanian, Port of Pasco Citizens Advisory Committee, Pasco Regional Chamber of Commerce Board Member, Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Liaison
• Member—current or previous in ASCD, IRA, PDK, NABE/WABE (National/Washington Association of Bilingual Education), NAME (National Association of Migrant Education), LEAP (Latino Educational Achievement Project), WERA

Patricia Irving | Director, Outreach Chair, Founder

CEO
InnovaTek, Inc.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Patricia M. Irving is the founder and owner of InnovaTek, Inc., an advanced technology company in Richland, WA that develops innovative products for sustainable energy and environmental safety. As President and Chief Executive Officer, she supervises and controls all the assets, business and affairs of the Corporation. The Company, which employs scientists and engineers, has been in business since 1997.

Previously, Dr. Irving held the positions of Director of Technology Research and Integration, and Manager of the Environmental Sciences Department at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory, operated by Battelle. Prior to joining Battelle, she conducted basic and applied research in energy and environmental systems at Argonne National Laboratory, operated by the University of Chicago. She was on special assignment from 1986-1992 in Washington DC to the White House Council on Environmental Quality where she advised the President and Congress on the Clean Air Act. Dr. Irving taught graduate courses in Industrial Ecology as an Adjunct Professor with the Environmental Sciences Department at Washington State University, Tri-Cities, from 1999 to 2007. She has a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Wisconsin.

As a member of the Founding Board of Directors of the WA State STEM Education Foundation, Dr. Irving chairs the Outreach Committee. She is a member of the Board of Directors and was elected to the Executive Committee of the U.S. National Hydrogen Association in 2008. She served on the User Advisory Board for the DOE Environmental and Molecular Sciences Laboratory at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory from 2007-2009. Dr. Irving was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Board of Directors of Washington State’s Economic Development Institute, Sirti, from 1998-2003.

Dr. Irving is the author or co-author of over 75 scientific papers, books, and technical reports, 3 patents, and over 100 invited presentations at scientific and technical meetings. Her passion for nature and desire for sustainable systems is what drives her career and interests.

Jean Lane | Non-Voting Member, Founder

Deputy Superintendent
Richland School District
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Administrative Experience

• Superintendent (2008-Present)
  • Dr. Jean Lane currently serves as the Deputy Superintendent for Richland School District. With over 30 years of experience in the field of education she is leading the district in data-driven decision making. She received her Masters in Curriculum Development from Eastern Washington University and her Ed.D. from Washington State University.
• Deputy Superintendent (2006-2008)
  • System Leader – K-12 principal and administration leadership and evaluation, Powerful Teaching and Learning Coaching, and WSQA management.
• Assistant Superintendent of Instruction (2001-2006)
  • Organizational Leader – coordination of K-12 curriculum and instruction, continuing development of district assessment plan, and evaluation of instructional directors.
• Executive Directory of Elementary Education (1999-2001)
  • Instructional Leader – in charge of organizing K-12 mathematics adoption, developed district assessment plan, instrumental in guiding district-wide reading and writing assessment models.
• Elementary School Principal- Richland School District (1992-1999)
  • Instructional Leader - guided school through development of school based management system, including by-laws and site council. Analyzed test scores over ten-year period and worked with community and staff to create a successful learning improvement plan. Assisted staff in developing a comprehensive reading instructional and assessment process based on Reading Recovery research.
  • District Leadership - facilitated parent -teacher committee examining the use of time resulting in a more consistent use of early release days. Served on a variety of curriculum development teams and the district curriculum coordinating committee. Facilitated an examination of all-day kindergarten programs with parents and kindergarten teachers. Numerous presentations to the school board regarding building and assessment issues.
  • Communications and Community Relations - prepared and presented 'parent test' to heighten awareness of Washington state fourth and seventh grade standards. Guided staff members in creating a variety of parent reference tools for understanding Washington State Standards. Frequent featured speaker at local preschools. Variety of school board presentations on improvement of student learning, assessment, and school based management support systems.
• Director of Curriculum - Computer Networking Specialists (1991-1992)
  • Curriculum Planning and Development - responsible for creating software packages to meet specific student learning needs of students. Analyzed current software, worked with product development to tailor for student needs, integrated a variety of software pieces into a coherent curriculum.
• Administrative Team Superintendent- Dayton School District (1990-1991)
  • Organizational Management - worked with business manager, special education director, elementary and high school principals to manage school district. Cooperated with school board to successfully manage district with integrated team approach.
• Curriculum Director- Dayton School District (1989-1991)
  • Curriculum Planning - assisted district in reading and science adoptions. Coordinated the efforts of staff towards a cohesive, comprehensive K -12 curriculum.

Teaching Experience

• Director/Instructor of Gifted Program - Dayton School District (1986-1989)
• First, Fourth, Gifted Program - Newport School District (1979-1986)
• Title 1, Transition Class - Kennewick School District (1975-1979)
• Second Grade - Newport School District (1973-1975)

Certifications

• Washington State Supt. Certificate - Washington State University (1998)
• Principal's Standard Certificate - Eastern Washington University (1992)
• Teacher Certification - Eastern Washington University (1973)

Publications

• "An Integrative Model for Educating Very Able Students in Rural School Districts", Education Considerations, Kansas State University College of Education, Fall 1989.
• "EXPRO: A Program for Highly Capable Students", WASCD, Spring, 1990.

Awards

• American Association of School Administrators Paul B. Salmon Educational Administration Scholarship Award (1999)
• American Association of School Administrators Institute for Leadership (one of twenty five promising and practicing superintendents invited to attend from across the United States (1999)
• ACRES National Exemplary Program Award, Category: Gifted (1989)
• Honor Roll of Teachers, Association of Science- Technology Centers (1988)

Professional Organization Involvement

• Southeastern Washington Association of School Administrators
• Association of Washington School Principals
• American Association of School Administrators
• Scholarship Senate Member
• American Society for Quality

Steve Anderson | Director, Facility Renovations Chair

President
Meier Architecture and Engineering
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Mr. Steve R. Anderson has been the President of Meier Architecture & Engineering for the past three years and has been with the company for 21 of its 27 year history. Mr. Anderson is responsible for the technical and financial management of the organization. In the first year of his presidency he played a key role in successfully completing a majority ownership transition of the company to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

His community involvements including a STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) foundation Board member, are; as a 10 year member of the Tri-City Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Tri Cities Local Business Association, TCLBA, an active member for the last 18 years with Three Rivers Road Runners, a local nonprofit organization promoting fitness and amateur athletics, and an active volunteer for the Tri City Cannel Cats, the Tri-City swim team, and was past president of MCZA, our local home brewers association.

Kristi Nelson | Director, Finance Committee Chair

CPA, Partner
NW CPA Group, PLLC
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Education

• Bachelor of Arts, Washington State University, emphasis in Accounting
  • Graduated Cum Laude 1988
• CPA license obtained in 1990

Work Experience

• 2004 – present, Member/owner of Northwest CPA Group PLLC
  • Helped establish the business, in charge of the financial statement product process of our office
• 1995 – Member of Tri-Cities Rotary, served as Treasurer several times.
• 1995 – 2004, Sr. Manager at LeMaster Daniels, PLLC
  • Managed staff accounts and managed the Tri Cities office financial statement product process
• 1992 – 1995, Assistant Finance Director at the Federal Way School District
• 1988 – 1992, Senior accountant at Ernst & Young

Doug Ray | Director

Associate Laboratory Director
PNNL
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Dr. Douglas Ray serves as Associate Laboratory Director for the Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a role he has fulfilled since May 2006. The Directorate serves as the primary steward for research supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Science and the National Institutes of Health.

As Associate Laboratory Director, Dr. Ray directs more than 500 staff members in four research divisions: Atmospheric Sciences and Global Climate Change, Biological Sciences, Chemical & Materials Science, and Computational Sciences and Mathematics. Under his leadership, the divisions focus on important scientific problems with national implications as the key to advancing the frontiers of science. He and his staff members seek to

• Achieve a predictive understanding of the behavior of multi-cellular biological systems
• Create new computational capabilities to solve problems using extreme-scale simulation and peta-scale data analytics
• Develop tools and understanding required to control chemical and physical processes in complex multiphase environments
• Develop, integrate and deploy transformational tools in the DOE’s Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory that accelerate scientific discovery and innovation
• Transform the Nation’s ability to predict climate change and its impacts
• Understand energy and materials transfer in the subsurface environment from molecular to ecosystem scales.

Dr. Ray has previously served as the Interim Deputy Director for Science and Technology at PNNL where he was responsible for guiding the Laboratory’s overall capability development strategies, defining and advancing the Laboratory's science and technology portfolio, coordinating its scientific discretionary investments, and integrating the Laboratory’s science and technology base to deliver essential scientific capability and accomplishments to advance the Department of Energy’s missions.

As the former Director of the Laboratory’s Chemical Sciences Division, he managed 125 staff and was responsible for the Laboratory’s Department of Energy research programs in Basic Energy Sciences and Environmental Management Science, initiatives for Nanoscience & Nanotechnology and Interfacial Catalysis, as well as the emerging Institute for Interfacial Catalysis, the University of Washington/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Joint Institute for Nanoscience & Nanotechnology and, jointly with the University of Washington and Simon Fraser University, the Pacific Northwest Consortium Collaborative Access Team at the Advanced Photon Source sited at Argonne National Laboratory.

Dr. Ray holds a Ph. D. in Chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, where his mentor was Richard J. Saykally. He was a postdoctoral research associate with W. Carl Lineberger at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics before joining PNNL. A laser spectroscopist, Dr. Ray’s research interests include the effects of weak intermolecular interactions on chemical phenomena in condensed phases, at interfaces, in clusters and in supramolecular complexes. Dr. Ray is a member of the American Chemical Society, American Physical Society, American Geophysical Union, and American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Academies’ Chemical Sciences Roundtable.

Dave Roach | Director, IT Committee Chair

Vice President, Information Systems, Chief Information Officer

Kadlec Medical Center
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Dave has 30+ years of technical and management experience in healthcare. Dave has worked as an Engineer and a technical director for several companies, including 2 hospitals. At Kadlec Medical Center, Dave directs the activities of nearly 100 staff in 7 functional areas with a combined budget of nearly $15 million. Dave’s areas of responsibility include Information Systems, Clinical Information Systems, Medical Records, Telecommunications, Clinical Engineering, Corporate Compliance and Strategic Planning. Dave has a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois, with a major in Computer Science.

Deanna Smith | Director, Nominating Committee Chair

Director of Public Affairs
Tri-City Development Council
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Deanna Smith is the director of public affairs for the Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC), the lead economic development agency for Benton and Franklin Counties in Washington state. Her responsibilities include developing and implementing the council’s public affairs strategy, managing media relations, state economic development legislative issues and partnerships associated with economic development.

Deanna has 25 years of communications, legislative, public affairs and marketing management experience in government, corporate and non-profit settings ranging in scale from a five-employee business to a 3,000-employee corporate headquarters. Deanna has spent the past six years involved in community projects revolving around education as an economic-engine. She is the co-author of the Building Bridges for Lifelong Learning document that accompanied the Tri-City community’s request for four-year authority for WSU Tri-Cities and served on TRIDEC’s Higher Education Committee. She is a member of the Tri-Cities Educational Advisory Committee (TEAC). Deanna also served on the Tri-Cities’ STEM High School Core Planning Team that recommended the program of study for the new Delta High School opening in fall 2009 and is a member of the Washington State STEM Education Foundation Board of Directors. Other boards she serves on include the Washington State Economic Development Association (WEDA) as its Program Chair; the Pacific Northwest Clean Tech Open Competition’s state advisory committee; and as TRIDEC’s alternate on the Benton Franklin Council of Governments. Deanna is a Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow.

Prior to TRIDEC, Deanna spent 13 years employed overseas as a civilian senior public affairs official for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) European headquarters located in Munich where she oversaw AAFES’ public information programs for its locations in Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Greece, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Belgium. She later transferred to Nuremberg, Germany to work for AAFES-Europe’s Office of Strategic Planning and Policies to assist with the closing of facilities and field offices in Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Deanna received her Public Affairs training from the U.S. Department of Defense Information School and is a native of Texas. She lives in Richland, Wash., with her family that includes three children ages 8, 11 and 13.

Tom Yount | Director, Development Committee Co-Chair

Sr. Vice President Eng & Tech Div
Energy Solutions
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Tom Yount is the President of the EnergySolutions Engineering and Technology Group with executive leadership responsibilities of four profit centers; technology implementation, intellectual property management, and engineering oversight for the company. Tom graduated from Washington State University in 1986 with a BS in Construction Management and a minor in Economics.

The Engineering and Technology Group supports all other business groups in the company and is accountable for budget and delivery of operating income contracts executed in the Federal, Commercial and International markets; he also manages and oversees indirect budgets and directs Bid & Proprosal activities for the group. Tom is responsible for developing key resources for growth and support to other key corporate initiatives.

Tom has over 22 years of project management, and executive management experience in the nuclear waste management industry, principally in the leadership role for large complex waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities in the DOE, Commercial and International markets.

Tom was responsible for the design and build of the first RCRA compliant Mixed Low Level Waste Disposal Facility at Hanford. He also served as Deputy Project Manager on the design, licensing, and construction of the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Plant in Idaho Falls.

Tom is a Board member and on the Advisory Committee for the Washington State STEM Education Foundation.