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Kerstin Harding, President
Kerstin serves as Co-President on the board for Friends of Washington Music. She worked at EES for several years as an employment coordinator. Prior to working at EES, she was a small business owner in the construction industry and employed with WRQ and Maxwell IT in the software industry. She received her BA in American Studies from Union College in Schenectady, New York. She is now a full-time mother to her three children.
Kerstin found that matching people with developmental disabilities with the right employer was making a difference in people's lives. She is excited to continue helping people as a Board member.
Richard Haines, Secretary
Richard, a resident of Seattle, joined the board in 1986 and continues to share his enthusiasm and insight. He received his BA from the University of Puget Sound with a double major in political science and psychology. His Master of Education degree is from the University of Washington with an emphasis in educating students with significant disabilities. As a special education teacher, Richard originally joined the board to learn more about the possibilities for his students after graduation. Transition to employment progressively became the focus of his professional life.
Richard’s vision for EES is that it remains a vibrant, creative and active leader in the area of employment services for people with disabilities, providing quality service for individuals, their families and employers.
Lynn Chittenden
Lynn Chittenden became an EES Board Member in 2009. She received her BA from a private design and architecture school in Madrid, Spain, after completing her major in Spanish at Bowling Green State University. She is currently teaching high school Spanish at the Bear Creek School in Redmond, Washington, after a long career in sales and marketing, and in senior living.
Lynn has been very involved with the disability community in Washington State. She has been active with the King County Parent Coalition, was on the board of the Down Syndrome Community for many years, and for over 10 years led a group called LAUNCH for families of children with Down syndrome. Her son, David, has Down syndrome and Type 1 Diabetes. David is currently a junior at Redmond High School.
Lynn’s interest in serving on the EES board is twofold. She is interested in furthering the vision of EES services on the Eastside/King County area to keep its program relevant and cutting edge well into the future, as well as gaining and sharing knowledge with the DD community about transition and employment services and availability.
Mary Grace Roske
Mary Grace currently oversees The Seattle Foundation’s communications and public relations, including brand strategy, media relations, online media and publications.
Prior to joining the Foundation, she spent four years as vice president/director of marketing and community relations for Seattle Bank and its parent company, Seattle Financial Group. From 1987 to 2005, Mary Grace held a number of communications and public relations positions with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle, including vice president/corporate relations. She holds a bachelor of arts in communications from Washington State University and a master of arts in communication management from Syracuse University. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America.
Susan Schmitz
Susan Schmitz became an EES board member in 1997 and currently serves as its secretary. She received her BA in Social Work from Miami University in Ohio. She did field work in new trends in adoption and worked as a recreation therapist for adolescent boys in a state mental hospital. Today she works in health administration at the Cardiology Clinic at Evergreen Hospital.
Having a son with Down syndrome prompted her interest in becoming a board member, as she had experienced first-hand the positive difference supported employment made in her son’s life. She envisions people with developmental disabilities gaining more choices in the future, including control of their funding and the ability to decide what work/community involvement opportunities are right for them. She is active in the Parent Coalition of the ARC of King County, which advocates politically for the developmentally disabled and their families on the state and local level.
Nancy Young
Nancy Young began her service on the board in 2009 and resides in Kirkland. She received her BA in Economics from the University of California at San Diego and enjoyed a career in finance prior to her move to Washington State in 1988. The move prompted a change in career, and she became a teacher. Nancy received her Masters in Educational Leadership from Seattle Pacific University in 2002 and has served as a school and district office administrator in the Northshore School District since then.
Nancy joined the board to advocate on behalf of all people with disabilities leading full and rich lives as members of the greater community, including the working world. She is inspired by her son, Andrew, who is a developmentally disabled young adult actively seeking a meaningful and productive life.
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