Brent J. Beardall, President & Chief Banking Officer, Washington Federal, “Washington Federal: After 100 Years, What’s Next?”
Brent Beardall is President and Chief Banking Officer of Washington Federal (NASDAQ: WAFD), the largest bank headquartered in the State of Washington. It was recently announced that he will be appointed CEO on April 1, 2017. In March 2014, Beardall became Chief Banking Officer responsible for all client-facing activities, and in July of 2016, he was named President.
Beardall, age 45, joined Washington Federal in 2001, as Controller, after serving as Audit Manager with Deloitte & Touche for three years. In 2003, he was promoted to Chief Financial Officer and joined the executive management committee.
The Rev. Dr. Lucas Mix, Evolutionary Biologist & Episcopal Priest, “Thinking Fairly: How We Reason in Science & Religion”
Lucas Mix studies the meanings of “life” in biology and theology. After receiving a PhD in evolutionary biology from Harvard (2004), he studied divinity and was ordained priest in the Episcopal Church. He has served as an inner city pastor, college chaplain, college professor, and consultant on interdisciplinary communication.
Joseph C. Todd, Chief Information Officer, City of Tukwila, “Cities & Businesses Providing Digital Equity Together”
Joseph Todd was hired by the City of Tukwila in 2016 as its Chief Information Officer. He brings a wealth of knowledge from the private sector, where he spent seventeen years in research and development, corporate audit, and implementing and operationalizing large scale enterprise systems for front and back office users.
Previously, Joseph was a Senior IT Manager, leading Collaboration Services at Alaska Airlines and a Senior Manager at the Boeing Company, where he spent 15 years and held several leadership roles in various organizations, which included: Shared Services Group, Information Technology, Phantom Works, Boeing Research and Tech, Boeing Corporate, BCA Airplane Programs, Boeing Defense and Spaces Systems, and Sales and Marketing.
Drs. Garrett Hyman & Gary Chimes, Lake Washington Sport & Spine, “Why We Started the Health Optimization Movement”
Garrett Hyman, MD, MPH, is the founder of Lake Washington Sports & Spine. Dr. Hyman and his business partner, Gary Chimes, MD, PHD, launched their Health Optimization Program in January 2017, with the intent of helping athletes of all ages live a healthy and optimized lifestyle.
Keeping people active is the mission at Lake Washington Sports & Spine, which Dr. Hyman founded in 2012 to help patients and staff live the best possible versions of themselves. LWSS specializes in sports medicine, plus health and wellness optimization, combining musculoskeletal expertise with vast clinical wisdom and a desire to incorporate happiness-based medicine into their treatment programs.
John V. Rindlaub, Former Executive Vice President/Regional President, Wells Fargo International Group, “Leveling the Playing Field on Trade With Asia, Including China”
John Rindlaub served as an executive vice president and Asia Pacific Regional President for the Wells Fargo International Group until July 2016, when he returned to the Pacific Northwest. Based in Hong Kong for five years, his responsibilities included ensuring enterprise-wide consistency and effectiveness of the bank’s governance framework and Asian platform, and John represented the interests of the company to bank regulators, central banks, financial institutions, Asian multi‑nationals, and U.S. companies with activities in Asia. Previously, John served as CEO for Wells Fargo’s Commercial Banking activities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Western Canada. He joined Wells Fargo in the Pacific Northwest Commercial Banking role in 2002.
Zach Scott, Seattle Sounders, “Reflections on a Long Professional Soccer Career & Bringing an MLS Title to Seattle”
There’s only one nickname appropriate enough to stand the test of time for Zach Scott: Mr. Sounder. Scott started his career with the Sounders in 2002, when the team was in the USL-1 division. He anchored the back line for six years before the team joined MLS in 2009. From 2002‑2008, Scott made 154 appearances for the team and scored eight goals, including the decisive penalty in a 2008 semifinal shootout against Sporting Kansas City that sent Seattle to the semifinals.
Joe Landon, Chairman, Space Angels Network
Space Angels Network is the world’s largest angel investor network focused on space companies. Chairman of the Board Joe Landon is a prominent connector of entrepreneurs and investors in the space industry, and he has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Economist, The Huffington Post, Bloomberg TV and Space News. Joe also serves as CFO of the billionaire-backed asteroid mining venture Planetary Resources, and he previously led Spaceflight Program Development at Space Adventures, Ltd. and worked as an engineer at Boeing Satellite Systems.
Nancy Sanford Hughes, President, StoveTeam International, “Cooking Shouldn’t Kill”
Nancy Hughes is a graduate of Whitman College, the mother of three, and the grandmother of two. Prior to her work establishing StoveTeam International, she was a stay‑at‑home mom.
In 2003 she met Irma, a young woman whose hands had been burned shut after falling into an open cooking fire. Wanting to help, she transformed a small Rotary club project into an effective international charity that has helped develop local factories to produce life-saving, fuel-efficient cookstoves in the developing world.
Dr. Tim Mills, Superintendent, Bellevue School District, “Bellevue School District — Did You Know?”
Dr. Justin (Tim) Mills joined the Bellevue School District as Superintendent in July 2012. Prior to his role in Bellevue, Mills was Superintendent of the North Clackamas School District in Oregon, a district serving more than 17,000 students.
Mills has also served as superintendent in the Mesa Valley County (22,000 students) and Brush Public School Districts, both in Colorado. He was the Colorado Superintendent of the Year in 2009.
Christine L. Martin, Executive Director, Airlift Northwest, “Under Our Wing: The Airlift Northwest Story”
Since 2008, Chris Martin has been leading Airlift Northwest on its mission to improve health and serve the community by saving lives, wherever needed, 24‑7‑365.
By employing some of the most highly trained and experienced nurses and pilots in the country, Airlift Northwest has the ability to handle any patient transport, from advanced cardiac life support to neonatal resuscitation — regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. Airlift Northwest operates out of five bases around Washington State and one in Juneau, Alaska. Chris Martin’s plan to extend Airlift Northwest’s reach and coverage area is motivated by her strong desire to be accessible to as many patients as possible.
Yahn Bernier, Valve Corporation, “Valve’s (Lack of) Structure: How It Actually Works & Empowers Our Employees”
Yahn Bernier is a computer game programmer and corporate director for Valve Corporation in Bellevue. He originally grew up beside the beaches of central Florida, with a brief stint in Ethiopia, where his father’s job took the family.
Yahn attended Harvard, where he received a degree in Chemistry, and then attended the University of Florida, where he received his law degree. He then worked as an attorney for a patent law firm in Atlanta. After writing one too many patents for polyester chemicals, Yahn and his wife Beth McCaw moved to Seattle in 1998, when Yahn retired from the practice of law to pursue his hobby of making video games.
Yahn has worked on the technology that underlies most of Valve’s products, from the game software and tools to Steam. He was one of the original programmers on Valve’s first game Half‑Life, which won over 50 Game of the Year awards.
Young Entrepreneurs: Ben Waters, CEO & Co‑Founder, WiBotic, Inc. & Belle Pan, Primary Innovator, Founder & Student Member, iRummage
Ben Waters co-founded WiBotic, Inc., in 2015 to commercialize the wireless charging solutions he developed at the University of Washington. WiBotic provides wireless power solutions and fleet management systems to charge the rapidly growing ecosystem of aerial, mobile, and aquatic robot fleets.
As a graduate student, Ben developed the FREE-D System — a wireless power system for implanted medical devices called left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) — to eliminate power cables that penetrate through the skin to power these implanted heart pumps.
Belle Pan is the main innovator of iRummage, turning used goods into money for schools. Users buy and sell items on the iRummage mobile platform, and the proceeds go to schools. Buyers gets cheap goods, and sellers have raised money for a school and received a tax deduction from their donation. User studies show 100% interest and support from buyers, sellers, and schools alike, with the strongest interest from schools.
iRummage is also a business education platform for kids. School campaigns will be run entirely by students, structured in the form of a company.
Colin Berg, Eddie Bauer Historian & Curator of Company Archives, “Northwest Born, Adventure Raised”
Colin Berg has been a professional writer for 30 years. He has worked for Eddie Bauer for a total of 19 years over a 29‑year period.
For the last 9 years he Colin has been the brand historian and curator of the company archives. In that role, he has traveled to New York and Munich, Germany, to give presentations to media representatives. He has given interviews to several trade publications, including Inventory, Gear Patrol, Mental Floss, and Outside.
Scott Svenson, Co-Founder & CEO of MOD Pizza, “It’s Not About the Pizza”
Scott Svenson is the co-founder and CEO of MOD Super Fast Pizza, LLC, the pioneer in the fast casual pizza market. MOD, which was the fastest growing restaurant chain in the US in 2015 (according to Technomic), is a culture-centric business inspired by a purpose of making positive social impact. As of October 2016, the company had 172 stores trading across the US (up from 92 at the beginning of 2016). Scott is also the Founder and Managing Partner of The Sienna Group LLC, a long-term orientated Seattle-based investment holding company with a diverse set of holdings.
A Seattle native and a graduate with honors from Harvard University, Scott spent 11 years (1988 to 1999) living and working in London. After six years advising high growth middle-market companies (at Drexel, Burnham Lambert and then Apax Partners), Scott became Deputy CEO of CrestaCare plc, a public company and the third largest long-term healthcare provider in the UK.
Jennifer Tisdel Schorsch, President of Water.org, “Accelerating Impact: Mobilizing Capital to Solve the Global Water Crisis”
Jennifer Tisdel Schorsch serves as President of Water.org, a global nonprofit dedicated to solving the water crisis. Founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, Water.org pioneers innovative, community-driven and market-based initiatives to ensure all people have access to safe water and sanitation, giving women hope, children health, and communities a future.
Armen Stein, President & Founder, J Street Technology, “Way Up North — Consulting Above the Arctic Circle”
Armen Stein is the Founder and President of J Street Technology in Bellevue. J Street is a team of developers that builds custom database applications. When a company can’t find an off‑the‑shelf software package to meet its needs, J Street can design and build it to fit its exact requirements. J Street has designed and built database systems for hundreds of clients around the US over the past 22 years, including Microsoft, IKEA, Fluke, Harborview, Bosch, and K2 Sports.
Michael Nassirian, HoloLens VR, “Imagine the Possibilities — Augmented and Virtual Reality”
Michael Nassirian is a senior executive, quality architect, and leader with over 30 years of experience building and inspiring teams that delight customers with innovative solutions, spanning many emerging and existing technologies in the US and International markets.
After receiving his Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas, Michael started his career at Texas Instruments, where he led various teams in designing and delivering an ASIC chipset used in military applications. Later on, Michael took the leadership in delivering advanced processors used in SPARC stations.
Dr. Lorraine McConaghy, Public Historian, “Boeing’s First Hundred Years in Seattle”
Dr. Lorraine McConaghy is a public historian in Seattle, and worked at the Museum of History & Industry for nearly 20 years. She retired in 2013, but then un‑retired and is now happily working on a number of contract projects, including corporate history, WWI history, editing, exhibit curation, and writing. Her particular area of research interest continues to be the Pacific Squadron of the U.S. Navy, 1850‑1865.
Dr. McConaghy’s most recent book concerns master and slave in Washington Territory. “Free Boy” explores the twin biographies of James Tilton and Charles Mitchell, and is being developed as a musical by Fifth Avenue Theater, for middle school audiences.
Tony Mestres, President & CEO, Seattle Foundation
Tony Mestres is the President and CEO of Seattle Foundation, one of the largest community foundations in the country. Recognized for his leadership and expertise in navigating change and working cross sector with business leaders, elected officials and community and philanthropic partners, Tony has redefined Seattle Foundation’s role as a voice for community needs, developing effective philanthropic strategies to address inequities in the region.
In his role, Tony directs the strategic counsel and support provided to more than 1,200 individual, family and corporate philanthropists and oversees the investment of $100 million in charitable grants annually. With more than $800 million in assets, Seattle Foundation’s mission is to ignite powerful and rewarding philanthropy to make Greater Seattle a stronger, more vibrant community for all.
Debbie & Michael Campbell, Senior Nomads, “Why Wait? Reinventing Retirement”
Debbie and Michael Campbell felt they had one more adventure in them before considering retirement in the traditional sense, so they downsized until almost everything they owned fit in a small storage unit. They filled two rolling duffle bags with life’s essentials (including their own pillows), and hit the road to explore all of Europe and beyond. Three years later, having sold their home in Seattle their “Senior Nomad” lifestyle has no end in sight. They have visited 170 cities in 56 countries, including all of Europe, as well as Morocco, Turkey, Israel, Russia, Mexico, and Cuba.