Board of Directors

Officers

Kate Jackson, President
Kate Jackson is Publicity Director for Sub Pop Records where she creates and executes national print and television publicity campaigns for all label releases including such artists as Fleet Foxes, Flight of the Conchords and Wolf Parade. Prior to that, Kate served as Public Relations Director for the not-for-profit One Reel, producer of Bumbershoot, WaMu Family 4th and Teatro ZinZanni. Before joining One Reel, Kate worked at Vandenberg Communications. From the Vote for Change Tour to Seattle’s YouthCare, Kate has developed a background in strategic communications in the arts and entertainment and not-for-profit sectors. She brings experience from a wide range of public relations efforts as diverse as event planning, youth voter activation campaigns, philanthropic strategy, and national and regional press campaigns for artists. Kate also serves as Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Vera Project, Seattle’s not-for-profit all-ages music and arts venue.

Megan Hirsh, Vice President and Treasurer
Currently pursuing medical education, Megan Hirsh most recently served as Program Director for Seattle SCORES, a not-for-profit youth development program that combines poetry, soccer and service-learning to engage South Seattle elementary students in creative and healthy pursuits within their communities. Prior to SCORES, Megan taught high school English in SeaTac, Washington, and served as Staff Director at a Stanford University–operated wilderness camp for families. She graduated from Stanford University in 2002, has a Master’s of Arts degree in Education, and brings experience and passion for the educational and community-building dimensions of the Mind Series. In addition, Megan has personal experience with Alzheimer’s disease — a form of dementia — on both sides of her family and believes that the arts, physical activity and community can have transformative power on the lives of those affected by dementia. As the baby boomer generation ages, life expectancy increases, and children of boomers find themselves in caretaking roles previously foreign to them, Megan believes that an organization such as the Mind Series assumes increasing relevance in the lives of COYOD (Children of those with Young Onset Dementia).

Geneva Pritchard, Secretary
Geneva Pritchard currently helps coordinate the Hematology-Oncology Fellowship program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. There, she is becoming increasingly involved in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease programs via her coordination of fellows from Uganda. Geneva’s public health experience began in 2003, when she was awarded an internship with CARE International in Nicaragua to participate in potable water education. Upon receiving her degree in International Studies from Seattle University in 2004, Geneva was hired by the John Hussman Foundation as the primary field worker to assess emergency needs among Burmese refugees. Geneva spent over a year on the Thailand-Burma border facilitating the creation of over a dozen sustainable schools and vocational incentive programs for refugees battling HIV/AIDS. Geneva continued consulting with the John Hussman Foundation, as well as with the Slingshot Burma Fund, until she was hired at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in 2008. Geneva continues to pursue education in public health to further her passion for global health and social justice.

Kim Berardi
Kim Berardi is a self-employed accountant and non-profit consultant with twelve years of experience in accounting and business consulting and six years of experience helping non-profits with the development of their organizations. She often takes on behind-the-scenes roles, where she has found that the combination of her professional experience and volunteer/activist background can be useful to organizations looking to have a stable (or flourishing) existence. Kim often serves as a “translator” between business-oriented and creative minds, assisting in the development of internal policies and programs that fit the size of organizations while meeting the demands of their donor bases, government agencies and the public.

Andy Rigsby
A senior account executive at GMMB, Andy Rigsby brings experience working in political outreach, communications and strategy for progressive issue and candidate campaigns in Washington state. Having worked on multiple winning statewide initiatives, including Washington’s clean indoor air and clean energy campaigns, Andy spent 2006 as chief of operations for the Washington State Democratic Coordinated Campaign, managing a multimillion dollar budget and 14 field offices. Before joining GMMB, Andy worked in policy and advocacy at CARE USA, participating on a national team to develop an influential advocacy program in all 50 states. Managing 13 western states, Andy worked directly with constituents and policy-makers to encourage the adoption of better pro-poor policies toward developing nations. Andy currently supports the advocacy component of Alive & Thrive, a new initiative to reduce infant and child mortality caused by malnutrition in developing countries.  Andy also works on the media outreach and advocacy team for the Washington State Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. With an emphasis on issues related to secondhand smoke and adult cessation, Andy helps develop innovative strategies to promote smoke-free environments and heighten public awareness of the dangers of tobacco use. Andy graduated from Wake Forest University in 2003 with a major in psychology and a minor in politics.