Speaker Archives

Jasmine Donovan, granddaughter of the founder and namesake of Dick’s Drive‑In Restaurants, Dick Spady, has worked at the business several times over the years, since she was sixteen years old. She started working full time on the executive team in 2013.

Jasmine graduated from Hillsdale College with a Bachelors’ degree in Mathematics and Chemistry in 2006. She joined the Navy after college and was assigned as an instructor at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Charleston, SC.

Adam Snyder is a Member of the Law Firm Ogden Murphy, Wallace, and is Chair of the Firm’s Business Department. He is the Founder and CEO of Focus Sports Agency, and is an Affiliate Faculty member and part-time lecturer at the University of Washington School of Law.

Adam’s law practice focuses on transactions and litigation related to hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers. He has significant experience representing clients in mergers and acquisitions, asset sales, real estate transactions, corporate compliance matters, and responding to government investigations.

Vincent Bryan III, or “Vince 3,” as he is known to his friends and colleagues, brings to the Whooshh team an in‐depth understanding of agriculture, based on work “in the field” in his family’s extensive Washington State orchards and vineyards, as well as a proven track record in helping innovative start‑up companies grow and prosper by protecting and leveraging their technology and patent portfolios.

This unique combination of hands‐on experience and expertise has helped Whooshh Innovations develop a product portfolio that is uniquely suited to meeting the needs of agribusiness in an increasingly competitive labor market. Today, Bryan leads the legal, strategic, and business efforts of Picker Technologies LLC, a Whooshh Innovations company started in 2007. Bryan has helped raise millions of dollars from both private and public sources to fund the company’s development.

Damon Huard currently serves as the Director of External Relations for Husky Football and Color Analyst on their radio broadcast during the season.

In addition to his work at the University of Washington, Mr. Huard is a co‑owner of “Passing Time,” an award-winning boutique winery in Woodinville. He has also been involved in a number of other local businesses in the Northwest, and serves on the boards of the Bellevue Boys & Girls Club, First Sound Bank, Atavus, and VICIS.

Hatem Zeine is a technology innovator and serial entrepreneur in computer software and hardware. Hatem’s wireless power inventions have established remote wireless power as a viable method of powering devices remotely.

As the Founder and CTO of Ossia, Inc., Hatem is now leading a team of engineers and innovators in bringing true remote wireless power to the market with Cota™, an integrated smart technology that tracks and powers devices in the environment without the need for any user intervention.

Dr. Samuel R. Browd, M.D., Ph.D., FACS, FAANS, FAAP is a Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington (UW) and co‑founder and Chief Medical Officer of VICIS, a UW spin‑out company that has developed the ZERO 1, a highly-engineered revolutionary helmet technology designed to reduce impact forces. It is the culmination of a 3‑year, $40M research and development effort shaped by some of the world’s leading athletes, engineers, and neurosurgeons.

Dr. Browd is also Attending Neurosurgeon at Seattle Children’s Hospital, Medical Director of the Seattle Children’s Sports Concussion Program, Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Neurosurgery, and Adjunct Professor of Bioengineering and affiliate faculty of the Foster School of Business. In addition, he serves as an Unaffiliated Neurologic Consultant to the NFL and as an Independent Neurologic Consultant to the Seattle Seahawks.

As a Rotarian:

• 37-year Rotarian, Past President, Major Donor
  Bequest Society Member

As a Business Person:

• Founded and ran two businesses, sold both to Fortune 500 firms after 20 years.
• Currently manage large portfolio of owned commercial properties.
• Several Boards; profit and not for profit.

Alex Hopkins will be celebrating 20 years in Rotary next year. He started as a member of the Rotary Club of Edmonds and is currently a member of the Woodinville Club.

During his time as a Rotarian, Alex has served as Fireside Chair, Membership Chair, Vocational Chair, President of Edmonds Rotary, Rotary Academy Instructor, Chair of the Rotary Academy, Area #1 Assistant Governor and District 5030 Trainer, and now District Governor.

Professionally, Alex has 20 years of sales experience in the Laboratory Research Market and was the Western Area Sales Manager covering the area from the Mississippi to the West, including western Canada.

What started out as Bellingham Lock & Safe in 1904 became Security Solutions a century later in 2004. The name change reflects the expanded services the Vos Family brought to the business after they took over in 1971.

The family oversaw the growth of the business from a basic locksmith shop to a diversified safety and security business. The company has evolved to offer a full complement of security products and services.

Jamie and his brother Tobey, second generation, joined the business in the mid‑90s. Together, the Vos Family has continued the tradition of providing excellent products and services to the residents and businesses of the Pacific Northwest.

Michael Verchot is the founding director of the University of Washington’s Consulting and Business Development Center and a Lecturer in the Marketing and International Business Department at the Michael G. Foster School of Business.

The Consulting and Business Development Center, founded in 1995, accelerates the growth of minority-owned, women-owned and other diverse companies by engaging undergraduate and MBA students on consulting projects with these firms and by offering executive education courses. The Center focuses its work in south Seattle and south King County, the Yakima Valley, and the Tri‑Cities. Since its inception, the Centers work has created and retained more than 100,000 jobs and increased small business revenues by nearly $150 million.

David Loewe joined Seattle Humane in November 2006. He has held the position of Director of Facilities, Director of Operations, Chief Operations Officer, and has been Chief Executive Officer since 2011. David also acts as the Safety/L&I liaison and leads our Disaster Response and Recovery Program.

Dan Satterberg has served in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for more than three decades, and was first elected to lead the office in November 2007. He served as Chief of Staff to Norm Maleng for 17 years, and was responsible for the management and operation of the PAO. The KCPAO has 236 attorneys, and a total staff of more than 500.

King County has more than 2.1 million residents, making it the 13th largest county in the United States.

Liliana Alberto is President of the Rotary Club of San Justo, Argentina, a retired pediatric pulmonologist, and an international presenter on the topic of improving brain health. Joyce Shaffer is a psychologist, nurse, global bicyclist, speaker, and author of publications on driving neuroplasticity in a positive direction, for the health of it. The two met when Liliana came to our Rotary luncheon, during a visit with her family in Bellevue.

Throughout her life and career, Jessie Woolley‑Wilson has been driven by a singular belief that all children need and deserve high-quality learning opportunities, regardless of who they are or where they live. She believes that by supporting great teaching and learning, everyone wins: kids, families, communities and the world. Jessie has worked in the education technology space for nearly 20 years to support school and district leaders in efforts to improve learning and life outcomes for K‑12 students.

Bob Wallace is CEO of Wallace Properties, Inc., a firm active in the investment, development and management of some 3 million square feet of commercial real estate throughout Washington State.

Bob currently serves on the boards of PREMERA Blue Cross, Puget Sound Bank, Puget Sound Blood Center, and Bellevue Chamber of Commerce.

Ed Nixon grew up in the small Quaker community of Whittier, California, during the Great Depression. He was the youngest of the five Nixon brothers. Richard Nixon, 17 years older than Ed, was like a second father to him, as well as a teacher and mentor.

After receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Duke and North Carolina State, Ed served our country as a Naval Aviator, helicopter flight instructor, and Assistant Professor of Naval Science at the University of Washington. In 1957, he married Gay Lynne Woods, who passed away in 2014.

As Chief Innovation Officer, Steve Heck is responsible for leading Getty Images’ Innovation Group, to spur further growth and new revenue streams for Getty Images, within new and existing markets. In this role, Heck oversees a dedicated research and development team that explores emerging technologies to generate new, or improve existing products in Getty Images’ portfolio.

Marcus Womack is responsible for all software R&D at Axon, where he is dedicated to transforming the enterprise software experience for law enforcement, public safety, and justice professionals. In his role, he leads product management, engineering, design, and security for the Axon software platform. He is also the General Manager for Axon’s Seattle office.

Marcus joined Axon in 2013, after his company Familiar, where he was CEO and co‑founder, was acquired by Axon.