Our Staff
Washington Women’s Foundation is supported by a small, professional staff who work closely with the Board of Directors, member committees, and our wider collective community.
Jeri is the Development Coordinator at WA Women’s Foundation. Jeri is a lifelong Washingtonian, with deep roots in Pierce County where they grew up and attended community college. They have been calling Seattle home since 2019. Before joining the WaWF team, Jeri spent 13 years in logistics, with 7 years in a leadership role as the only Administrator/ Regional Delivery Coordinator at Staples. They were affectionately known as “the glue”, for the pivotal role they had in keeping multiple teams connected and compliant. In their free time, Jeri loves attending local drag shows, hiking/camping, snuggling with their dog and cat, caring for their many plants and sharing meals with chosen family.
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Katherine is the Senior Manager, Community Experience and Culture at the Washington Women’s Foundation. She grew up in Portland, OR and lives full time on Lopez Island. Before joining the WaWF in 2022, Katherine was the Director of the Lopez Food Share, a locally sourced and community-led food bank on Lopez Island. She has a B.A. in Speech Communication from Whitworth University, a M.A. in Theology & Culture from Fuller Theological Seminary and recently completed a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Washington. Katherine is active in the Lopez Island community, sitting on several boards, including as President of the Catherine Washburn Medical Association. In her free time, she enjoys boating around the islands with her husband and Mini Aussie, running long miles with friends, practicing hospitality, and is always trying to improve her pickleball game.
2064072171
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Maria Kolby-Wolfe is President and CEO of Washington Women’s Foundation (WaWF) and a part-time instructor at the University of Washington in Nonprofit Management. Previous to WaWF Maria served in a variety of development and communication roles at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, Seattle Symphony, Path with Art, ACT Theatre, the Museum of Pop Culture, and Swedish Medical Center Foundation. She is also an experience board member, having served on the boards of TeamChild, Rainier Valley Food Bank, Allied Arts Foundation and the Global Leadership Forum. Maria was raised in Bellingham, WA, graduated from the University of Puget Sound, and achieved doctoral candidacy in American History at Northwestern University. Her passions and beliefs align directly with her work: Food, Art, and Justice for All.
(206) 407-2172
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Deborah began her nonprofit career, fresh out of college, as Director of Jubilee Crafts, a women led organization that assisted women artisans throughout the world to market indigenous crafts. Often this was the only revenue stream for their families and communities. Central to Jubilee’s mission was sharing the stories of the artists to heighten awareness regarding the impact of US foreign policy on perpetuating their political and social struggles. Decades, and several nonprofit organizations later, Deborah is thrilled to be working with a women led organization once again, having joined the Washington Women’s Foundation staff as CFO in 2021. In addition to her career in nonprofit management, Deborah is licensed as a Counselor and East Asian Medicine Practitioner. She was CFO of the Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine from its inception until 2006, when she left to simplify life for a bit while nurturing her newly born son, who is the luminescent star at the center of her life. When she returned to her practice in 2007, she focused on supporting other women through conception and birth with acupuncture and herbs. She served the Children’s Alliance as Finance Manager and Conservation Northwest as Finance Director alongside this work. She has danced among her dual passions of healing individuals through private practice and healing the world through nonprofit work through the decades. Deborah first learned accounting in the manufacturing business that her father founded, benefiting from the tutelage of the company accountant. She holds a Bachelor degree with Honors from Bryn Mawr College and a Masters in Acupuncture from the Northwest Institute of Oriental Medicine, and she studied Organizational Development at the Leadership Institute of Seattle.
Aviva is the Grants and Programs Director at Washington Women’s Foundation. In this role Aviva enjoys the opportunity to lead our collective grantmaking and educational work, always looking for ways to deepen our commitment to equity and trust-based philanthropic practices. Born in Portland, Oregon, Aviva joined the staff in 2017 after moving to Seattle from New York City. In NYC, Aviva worked at the Natan Fund, a giving circle that funds Jewish and Israeli social innovation. As part of her work with Natan, she helped build and manage Amplifier, a global network of giving circles inspired by Jewish values. Aviva earned a B.A. in Urban Studies at Barnard College. Locally, she is a member of Social Justice Fund, a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow (class of 2020) and formerly on the steering committee for the Seattle chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP). Aviva loves giggling with her toddler, listening to records with her spouse, spending time in nature and sharing good food with friends and family.
Aviva [at] wawomensfdn [dot] org
206-407-2175
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