PSARA BOARD

Steve has served as an officer of PSARA and is a co-chair of the Education committee

Maureen Bo has served and Administrative Vice President of PSARA and is a retired member of Office Workers Union Local.
 

Retired from Northwest Airlines after 39+ years.Served as Grievance Committee rep 26 years (12+ years as Chair), also as auditor and trustee (IAM LL 1040) and IAM DL 143 Vice President and contract negotiator. Currently on LL 2202 Legislative Committee and retiree rep and delegate to the State Machininsts Council,  MLKCLC and WSLC.  Former(6 years) Chair of the 30th Legislative District Democrats.  With PSARA: 11 year Executive Board Member, former co-chair of the Government Relations Committee.  Elected in December 2017 as Co-President of PSARA and now, in 2020, is the Chair of Government Relations Committee again.

Pamela Crone is a lawyer and PSARA’s former lobbyist. She represented clients in Olympia for 20 years. Her lobbying portfolio included advocating for the legal rights of women, LGBTQ persons, workers, people with disabilities, and people experiencing homelessness. Pamela developed a legislative and policy externship at the Seattle University School of Law where she was a Distinguished Policy Advocate in Residence. Prior to lobbying, Pam was the Attorney Director of the Unemployment Law Project where she mentored many new lawyers and law students.

In retirement, Pam is active with PSARA, does pro bono work representing unemployed workers at the Unemployment Law Project, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Cedar River Clinics. She loves spending time with her family, traveling and reading. 

Originally from Southern California, Carlos has been a member of the Teamsters, Meat Cutters and United Cement, Gypsum & Lime Workers unions. After leaving the blue-collar world, Carlos returned to school and earned an accounting degree from California State University, San Bernardino. Upon graduation and relocation to the beautiful Pacific
Northwest, Carlos worked in the private-sector financial arena spending more than 20 years in the chemical distribution industry. Evolving motivations and changing life perspectives have led Carlos to the non-profit world, where he has worked for an organization that addresses homelessness and now the accounting manager for WSLC. He is proud to be part of an organization that supports the struggle for fair wages and social justice.

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Barb is a successful mosaic artist. Her art focuses on the beauty of the pacific northwest, and the issues facing our country and world. Prior to becoming a full time artist, Barb’s professional experience included over 30 years of community and coalition organizing on social, racial and economic justice. She is also the cartoonist for The Advocate. 

France was born in Canada and attended Reed College in Oregon where she lived for
many years. She was on the board of Portland NOW and helped organize a large
International Women's Day celebration and was a resource for women in
crisis.
She moved to Seattle in 1985 and joined the board of Seattle NOW until she
adopted her daughter as a single parent. While her daughter was growing
up she became active in the local Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) as the
legislative liaison. She also worked with a coalition for years to get single payer health
care in Washington. She also joined the Block Bork coalition and worked to protect the Supreme Court.
France worked as an investigator for public defense. She spent time lobbying in
Olympia for NOW, for the PTSA, for public defense, and more recently for the
Washington Farms to Food Coalition.
She currently serves on the Seattle NOW board and volunteers with Moms Demand Action and Save Shoreline Trees.

Larry Gossett has been a civil rights activist in the Puget Sound region for more than 55 years.  

Larry served on the King County Council from 1994 to 2020.  He was a long time member of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party.  The Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project describes him as having been one of Seattle’s best known black radicals.  Larry served on the King County Council from 1994 to 2020.  He is not only a voice for African Americans he continues to speak for civil rights, social and economic justice for all marginalized communities.   

 

Rhonda is a homemaker, caregiver, artist and a grandmother. She is blessed to be a cancer survivor and she researches cancer fighting foods, diabetic and kidney health nutrition to share useful information with family and friends to encourage good health and wellness. She serves as a medical advocate. For many years she volunteered to help with the local Food Bank and she continues to support the Food Bank. 

Retired business owner. Previous boards: NW Regional VP of American Library Ass. Trustee Assn; King County Library System Trustee; President Washington State Library Trustee Association; Cities in Schools; Washington Women’s Employment and Education (WWEE).

Frank Irigon, born 1947 in the Philippines, emigrated to the U.S. in 1950. Has been continuously active in Asian Pacific American causes since his student years at the U.W. Editor of Asian Family Affairs; a founder of the International District Community Health Center; and a member of the Asian Pacific Directors Coalition, and other groups committed to social change, justice and peace.

President of AFGE Local 3937, representing Social Security Administration employees throughout Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Also active with JWJ, WSLC and MLKCLC.

Susan came to Seattle in 1970 and taught Economics and Labor relations at Shoreline CC for 30 years.  She was an Activist and leader in American Federation of Teachers and the Washington State Labor Movement for20 years. Susan retired in 2000 and has continued her involvement with senior, labor, and other progressive issues.
 

David Loud has been a peace and social justice activist since his first Ban the Bomb vigil in 1960 at age 15. After graduating from Harvard in 1968, he fell quite by accident into a 46-year career in health care in Seattle: Swedish Hospital laundry (1969-71), Yesler Terrace Free Clinic (1971-72), Veterans Administration Hospital ward clerk (1972-77), US Public Health Service Hospital/Pacific Medical Center Patient Advocate (1978-98), SEIU 1199NW organizer (1998-2005), Congressman McDermott’s Community Liaison for health care and Veterans (2005-2015). Since retiring I 2015, David has continued his activism for universal health care and social justice, currently serving as a Co-Chair of Health Care Is a Human Right WA. He is married to Thu-Van Nguyen, 1975 refugee from Vietnam, and has four grown sons.

Mark McDermott is a lifelong activist working for economic, racial, and social justice and peace.  He is a full-time economic justice and labor educator.  Over the past 12 years, he has spoken to 38,000+ attendees during 571 speeches and interactive workshops for affiliates of 27 International Unions, labor councils, and progressive community-based organizations in 30 states and two provinces in Canada.  

He donates all of his speaking fees to progressive organizations and candidates, and people in need.  His work is a labor of love paying forward the many benefits and blessings that organized labor has won for his family, community, and country.

Bobby is a retired community college instructor and is a co-chair of the PSARA Climate and Environmental Justice Committee.  She was a Peace Corps volunteer in the mid 1960's and worked as a teacher and an organizer in the south of the U.S. in the 1970's.  She is a member of AFT retiree chapter in Washington.

Linda is a retired public employee who worked for many years in the fields of housing, community development, and human services in King County.  She chairs PSARA’s Education Committee, and is deeply concerned about the future of our country.  Most particularly, she wants to help ensure that the younger generations—our children and grandchildren—will have a secure future.

Ronnie Shure has been an active member of PSARA since 2012; and he has beeninvolved in the grassroots movement for universal health care since 1972. Heworked as a pharmacist providing care to underserved populations in publichealth, behavioral health, and substance abuse programs for 42 years. Instead of retirement, he has transitioned to become an advocate for social justice in health care. He is President of Health Care for All - Washington, one of the CoChairs of the Steering Committee of the Health Care is a Human Right coalition, and participates in the work of many healthcare advocacy groups across the state and nation. Most importantly, his retirement transition allows him the joy of spending time with his wife and daughters and grandchildren.

Sarajane Siegfriedt is the former King County Democrats Platform Committee Chair. She worked in human services and became a committed low-income housing advocate. As a member of the Washington Low-Income Housing Alliance Public Policy Committee, she shares their legislative priorities with PSARA and helps us advocate in Olympia.

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Sarajane was a lobbyist for nonprofits in Olympia. She served on the boards of Solid Ground, the Unitarian Housing Group and the Lake City Neighborhood Alliance. She helped organize the Seattle Coalition for Affordability, Livability and Equity. She's currently on the boards of Seattle Fair Growth, the Lake City Neighborhood Alliance and Northaven Senior Living.

Robby retired from the staff of the WA State Labor Council in 2008. He has been an active member of PSARA serving as president for nine years. He presently serves as the president of the PSARA Education Fund, Chairs the Social Security Works WA coalition, and is active in PSARA's Fund Raising, RAGE, and Climate Justice Committees.

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I started working for the state in 1967 and in 1968 was singled out for shop steward training. I was a shop steward for the next 25 years, I also spent time as an elected officer in my local and my bargaining team. After I retired, I was asked to be president of the Seattle RPEC Chapter, which I held for 10 years, until I was able to find a successor. I was elected to the board of the Puget Sound Council of Senior Citizens, There I stood and marched with Will and Louise Parry. I helped found the Washington State Alliance for Retired Americans and served as secretary, treasurer, Vice President and President. I spent 30 years as chair of an advocacy organization foe people of disability.

Tim Wheeler served as a reporter and editor for the Worker in New York and later in Washington D.C. He has written more than 10,000 news reports, exposés, and commentaries. He is also an activist and an organizer. He grew up on a dairy farm in Sequim and lives on the family farm near Sequim. His  books News from Rain Shadow Country and News for the 99% are selections of his writings over the last 50 years.

Katie Wilson is a co-founder and the general secretary of the Transit Riders Union, a grassroots democratic membership organization that fights for transit and economic justice in King County. She has been involved in leading local fights for progressive taxation, affordable housing, renter protections, and affordable and accessible public transit.