Feb 16, 2024

StanCorp Financial Group

Turner

StanCorp Financial Group, and its primary operating subsidiary, Standard Insurance Company, have appointed Barbara A. Turner to the board of directors. Turner is the chief executive officer and founder of BT RISE, an organization committed to the economic empowerment and education of women and underserved communities. Prior to that, she was president and CEO of Ohio National Financial Services. Portland-based StanCorp Financial Group, through its subsidiaries, offer group and individual disability insurance, group life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, group dental and group vision insurance, absence management and paid family leave services, retirement plans products and services, individual annuities, origination and servicing of fixed-rate commercial mortgage loans and investment advice.

Seattle Schools Scholarship Fund

The Seattle Schools Scholarship Fund (SSSF) has received a high-impact gift of $5 million from the estate of the late C. David Hughbanks, a Ballard High School alumnus from the class of 1954. The gift is the largest donation to the Seattle Public Schools student post-secondary scholarship fund and the largest private donation of any kind to Seattle Public Schools. Every year, SSSF provides $5,000 scholarships to students from each of Seattle's 17 public high schools to attend any institution of higher learning. In the 2022-23 school year, the fund provided 51 scholarships to Seattle Public Schools scholars. Thanks to this gift, SSSF will be able to increase the number of scholarships awarded to 68 and increase the amount of each scholarship to $7500. The gift along with other donations, will allow SSSF to continue offering half a million dollars in opportunities for the next ten years. The gift will be celebrated at the 50th Anniversary Awards Ceremony of SSSF on May 9, 2024. Hughbanks volunteered his service to over 50 boards in his lifetime. He played a major role in coordinating several Seattle cultural events including the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, the first Bumbershoot, the first NW Folklife Festival, and the 1976 Bicentennial 4th of July celebration.

Opanga Networks

Seattle-based Opanga Networks, a global provider of AI/ML-powered network performance and efficiency technology, named Cole Brodman CEO, following the retirement of founder and CEO Dave Gibbons, who remains on the board of directors. In his position, Brodman will oversee Opanga's expansion with operators in new regions and lead the launch of the company's machine learning and artificial intelligence platform, Opanga RAIN. Brodman brings more than 30 years of experience in the wireless and telecommunications industry, including having previously served as CTO and CMO for T-Mobile USA, where he played a key role in the company's IPO and subsequent growth. Brodman has served as a member on Opanga's Board of Directors for the past eight years.

Feb 15, 2024

Washington State Broadband Office

Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Aaron Wheeler to serve as director of the Washington State Broadband Office within the Department of Commerce. Wheeler is an information technology professional with 18 years of experience working with the Suquamish Tribe's government. Wheeler's first day on the job is March 1. He'll lead the WSBO as it works with other state agencies and private partners to develop and implement a five-year action plan and digital equity plan to create universal, reliable high-speed internet across Washington. Wheeler has a degree in information technology and administrative management from Central Washington University, and an executive master of business administration from Washington State University. Previously, Wheeler led a team deploying 135 free public wireless access locations and a cooperative project with the Kitsap Public Utilities District, and he collaborated with state legislative leaders to pass public retail broadband legislation, which allowed an array of local governments to offer retail and wholesale broadband services to residents in Tribal and rural areas. He also co-authored a National Telecommunications and Information Administration grant application for broadband equity and digital education on behalf of the Suquamish Tribe. The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program is working to get all Americans online by funding partnerships between states or territories, tribal nations, communities, internet providers and other stakeholders to build infrastructure where needed and increase high-speed internet adoption. The federal program provides over $42 billion for infrastructure planning and implementation nationwide. Washington will receive more than $1.2 billion in funding.

Embrace Whidbey and Camano Islands

Loercher

Morascini

Embrace Whidbey and Camano Islands added two new members to its creative team. Inge Morascini will lead marketing efforts in the position of public relations and marketing director, overseeing implementation of the county's new approach to regenerative tourism. She will act as spokesperson for the destination marketing organization, representing tourism in Island County at the county, state, and national level. Krista Loercher was named Embrace program manager, and will engage the community, businesses, non-profits and government in the principles of regenerative tourism. Building on the Regenerative Places program conceptualized in partnership with the Transformational Travel Council, this approach to tourism supports and builds healthy relationships with local communities. It promotes care the islands' environment and culture from visitors. Morascini comes from both corporate and agency marketing backgrounds, having held executive level vice president positions in both marketing and creative direction, and most recently served as executive director at the Langley Chamber of Commerce. Morascini has been on the board of Island County Tourism since 2016. She will take the position previously held by Sherrye Wyatt. Loercher is the owner and operator of Whidbey Island Kayaking. She was recently re-elected to her second term as a South Whidbey Park and Recreation District Commissioner. Other members of the creative team are Laura Hilton, film liaison; Jack and Diane Penland with Computerpix digital marketing, Osborne Northwest Public Relations, media and influencer relations; and Rosencranz Productions, graphic design.

Economic Alliance Snohomish County

Tappana

Economic Alliance Snohomish County named Daniel Tappana as its new business retention and expansion coordinator. His appointment is effective March 4. Tappana was most recently a business development manager within the Aerospace Division at the state of Washington's Department of Commerce. There, he played a role in deploying over $2 million in state grant funding to support economic development, facilitating the creation of more than 3,000 jobs and nearly $1 billion in capital investment across the state. Before his tenure with the state of Washington, Tappana served as a project manager for the Sstate of Missouri's Department of Economic Development. Tappana also served as a Government Affairs Fellow with the Organization for International Investment in Washington, D.C. In his new role, Tappana will lead a coordinated employer outreach process and advocate for solutions to the business climate and regional growth issues in advanced manufacturing and clean energy. Additionally, Tappana will play a role in recruitment, facilitating attraction projects, overseeing proposal processes and participating in trade shows to generate leads. The Economic Alliance Snohomish County is the largest regional economic development organization in Snohomish County, and supports a globally competitive regional economy in which all businesses can thrive and participate equally.

Feb 14, 2024

Bellevue Arts Museum

Casprowiak Scher

Bellevue Arts Museum's Board of Trustees has appointed Kate Casprowiak Scher as executive director of the museum. With a background in art history, Casprowiak Scher has held various academic positions, including faculty roles at Portland State University, Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, and Bellevue College, where she earned tenure and served for 11 years. She also chaired the Art Department at Bellevue College for two years. In addition to her academic career, she has curated several exhibitions, managed a private art collection and founded an art appraisal business. For the last four months, Casprowiak Scher has been serving as the interim executive director at BAM. The mission of Bellevue Arts Museum is to engage people in the power of art, craft and design. This year the museum will celebrate the 78th anniversary of its Arts Fair.

Expedia Group

Expedia Group announced the appointment of Ariane Gorin as CEO, effective May 13. Gorin will succeed Peter Kern, who has served as the company's CEO since 2020. After completing his contract as CEO, Kern will continue to serve as the company's vice chairman and member of the board of directors, working closely with Gorin to ensure a smooth transition. Gorin has also been elected to serve on the board of directors. Gorin has held various executive roles at Expedia Group since 2013, most recently as president of Expedia for Business, where she led the company's global supply partner group, advertising business, and B2B partner network. Expedia Group powers travel through its global platform. Expedia Group's three flagship consumer brands are Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo.

Oregon Wind Farm

Avangrid Inc., a sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, announced the signing of a new power purchase agreement with Amazon to source renewable energy from an Avangrid wind farm located in Gilliam County, Oregon. Amazon Wind Farm Oregon – Leaning Juniper IIA is a repowering project that will significantly extend the life of the existing wind farm and make it work more efficiently. Consisting of 40 turbines, the wind farm will produce enough energy to power 22,800 homes every year. During construction, the project will support about 200 jobs. Additionally, Avangrid has executed contracts to recycle all turbine blades that will be decommissioned with this project, which is estimated to divert more than 1,000 tons of mass from landfill. Through the Avangrid Community Sponsorship Program, the wind farm has contributed to local libraries, preschools, and firefighters. Repowering the project through Amazon's investment ensures this work can continue. Avangrid is headquartered in Orange, Connecticut, and has operations in 24 U.S. states.