President and CEO

Jeni has been with Leadership Eastside since the beginning and has served in many different roles over the years, including multiple years as our Board Chair. She is a graduate of LE’s Class of 2008, and the 2013 Executive Insight program.

An enthusiastic student of all forms of leadership, Jeni has been working as a facilitator with Leadership Eastside since 2011. She was also Co-Chair of the committee that developed the first Community focused Adaptive Leadership curriculum, which has continued to be an important part of the development of leaders across the Eastside.

Chief Marketing & Operations Officer

Jennifer is a graduate of Leadership Eastside’s Adaptive Leadership (2014) and Executive Insight (2017) programs. She has served on the Board of Directors, as team coach, in curriculum development and is an all-around Leadership Eastside advocate.

Jennifer has been a communications professional for more than 30 years with expertise in crisis management, public relations, internal communications, community relations, advocacy, public affairs, c-level communications, events management, company spokesperson and is a traffic safety specialist.

Board Chair

Keri Pravitz (she/her) is a manager of Community Engagement for Amazon leading hyperlocal engagements and investments for the Eastside region on the Public Policy Team of Washington. Prior to Amazon, Keri served in community engagement and government relations roles at the Port of Seattle and Puget Sound Energy following two decades in non-profit management leadership positions in East King County. Keri also serves on the boards for OneRedmond and Renton Regional Community Foundation.

Board Secretary

After earning her Adaptive Leadership certificate in Spring 2018, Yvonne Adagala (she/her) stayed engaged with Leadership Eastside through volunteering and serving on the Board. Service is at the core of her “pay it forward” ethos. Yvonne is currently obtaining certifications in coaching and the Emotional Intelligence Profile through Learning in Action. From Kenya to Metro DC to WA state, she is on a life path in answer to the call to be “a good ancestor” in the unique ways that call to her.

Board Member

Helen Banks Routon (she/her) is the director of Development & Community Relations at KidVantage (formerly Eastside Baby Corner) where she has helped lead their growth from a small, all-volunteer organization in Issaquah to five locations across Puget Sound. Helen is also co-chair of the Alliance of Eastside Agencies (AEA), the voice of human service providers in our area. She values the spirit of community, working together to build a stronger and more just community for all.

Board Member

Anne-Marie Diouf (she/her) is senior vice president and chief human resources officer of Symetra Financial Corporation and its insurance subsidiaries. She leads the human resources, workplace services, fraud investigation and corporate security departments, and oversees Symetra’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and initiatives. Prior to Symetra, she held HR roles in retail and manufacturing organizations.

Board Member

Cindy Gross (she/her) partners with Women in Tech to uplevel their leadership and accelerate their career growth. She left a 25-year tech career to start Befriending Dragons when reporting harassment led her down a path of discovery, systems thinking, adaptive leadership and community focus. Cindy’s coaching style is direct, empathetic, supportive, generative and focused.

Board Member

Hayden Harvey (he/him) is the Director of Government Relations for Lime, overseeing strategy in WA, OR, ID, NV, and AK. Prior to Lime, Hayden served on Puget Sound Energy’s local government affairs team. Hayden was recently appointed to the board of directors for the GSBA and serves as the chair of their policy council. He is a graduate of Leadership Eastside’s Adaptive Leadership Program and received a degree in Political Science from Auburn University.

Board Member

Carol Helland (she/her) is the development director of the Planning and Community for the City of Redmond where she is responsible for long-range planning, transportation planning and engineering, economic development, housing, human services and homelessness, and all aspects public and private project permitting and inspection. Prior to joining Redmond, she was the land use director at the City of Bellevue after leaving a private law firm.

Board Member

Director of the UW Resilience Lab, Megan Kennedy (she/her) aims to build healthy and compassionate learning communities. From engaging stakeholders in vision-setting to partnering with students, staff and instructors, her approach to leadership centers on collaborative relationships. Kennedy is developing and evaluating systems-based well-being approaches combining applied research, education, and collaborative programming across three UW campuses.

Board Member

Sarah Langton (she/her) is owner and partner of Langton Spieth, LLC. She has over 25 years experience working on the Eastside in government affairs, community outreach, stakeholder development and engagement, communications and messaging, project and community strategy, fundraising and grassroots coalition building. She has served on many boards in the region including KidsQuest Children’s Museum, Bellevue Rotary, and the Bellevue College Foundation.

Board Member

Eric Murray (he/him), PhD, is the president of Cascadia College in Bothell since 2010. Eric has been the chair of the state's capital committee for Community and Technical Colleges and served as the president of the Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges (WACTC), a group comprised of the 34 college presidents across Washington. He also serves on the boards of the Bothell-Kenmore Chamber of Commerce and One Redmond.

Board Member

Mike Nesteroff (he/him) is a preeminent environmental lawyer at Lane Powell with extensive experience representing clients in environmental litigation, agency negotiations, property acquisition and leasing issues, and counseling clients on risk and compliance in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Prior to joining Lane Powell, Mike was an award-winning reporter with KOMO-TV in Seattle.

Board Member

Angie Nuevacamina (she/her) is a Redmond City Councilmember and has her own practice as a financial services professional supporting individuals, families, and organizations. She has served as a Redmond Planning Commissioner 2023, a Resource Committee Member for Boys & Girls Clubs of King County since 2018, supported small businesses scale for more than a decade, and mentored several young professionals and business owners along the way.

Board Member

Mayor Amy Ockerlander (she/her) serves as both the Mayor of Duvall and the Government Relations Administrator for the Solid Waste Division Director’s Office of King County. Mayor Ockerlander served on the Duvall City Council from 2010-2017 before being elected as Mayor in 2017. From 2005-2013 she held staff positions in the state legislature and county government working on constituent issues, legislative and policy work, emergency public information and strategic advising.

Board Member

Kavya Sarat (she/her) is a development consultant and her passion is to be a connector: connecting people’s values with a nonprofit’s mission, cultivating and maintaining deep, meaningful relationships with donors and supporters. She has a part of the incredible work done by The Sophia Way, Eastside for All, We are Pistachio, Kinder Konnection, Cure Raghav, and Community Centric Fundraising.

Board Member

Adrian Sheppard (he/him) is the fire chief for the City of Redmond overseeing Administration, Operations, Medical, Emergency Management, Fire Prevention, and Training and Support Services. Adrian has over 35 years of professional leadership, beginning with his public sector career in the United States Air Force, where he served as a commissioned officer. Chief Sheppard values programs that improve the lives of all people in the community.

Board Member

Heather Trescases (she/her) is the director of Development for KidsQuest Children’s Museum and is an experienced leader in the nonprofit field, with an emphasis on community engagement and the cultural sector. She served as executive director of Eastside Heritage Center and coordinated the Bellevue Strawberry Festival for 15 years. She also serves on the Bellevue Parks & Community Services Board, the Visit Bellevue Washington Advisory Committee, and the Board of the French Immersion School of Washington.