Board of Directors

Co-Chair

Cathy joined the YWCA Board in May 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as she was moving back to Bellingham after a few years based in Seattle. She has over 20 years of experience working with nonprofits and the social sector, and is currently Senior Program Officer for a private family foundation that supports conservation and biodiversity in the Pacific Northwest. Cathy deeply enjoys being active in her community and helping address community challenges, and has served on dozens of boards and commissions over the years – including Bellingham City Council. She has a BA in Communications from WWU, a Master’s Degree in Social Entrepreneurship and Change from Pepperdine University, and a Certificate in Sustainable Business from Pinchot University. She lives on a shy acre just outside of Bellingham with her husband, David, their black labs Cash and June, and their wise old kitty, Knowing. In her free time she plays soccer, works in her yard, rides her bike, and takes long walks pondering the world and her place in it.

Co-Chair

Throughout her career, Becky has worked in non-profits and at all levels of government, including as a grants coordinator for a Wisconsin conservation foundation, as an analyst for the United States Government Accountability Office, and as a policy analyst for the King County Executive Office. She received a bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University and earned master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay and the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Becky has a passion for and volunteered as a board member with nonprofits that serve economically disadvantaged people, including Real Change Homeless Empowerment Project (Seattle-based nonprofit that provides low-obstacle employment to people facing housing insecurity), Unity Care NW (community health center), and the YWCA Bellingham. In 2017, she spearheaded efforts to establish Real Change in Whatcom County. Becky works for the City of Bellingham as a Senior Water Quality Operator and serves on the Y’s Fundraising Committee.

Member

Taryn joined the YWCA Bellingham board of directors in October 2019. Born and raised in Whatcom County, Taryn has a keen interest in her community and believes strongly in helping others. Taryn is a paralegal at Carmichael Clark with experience in municipal, land use, and water law. Previously, she assisted domestic violence survivors as the paralegal for the Law Advocates Self-Help Parenting Plan Clinic. She earned a BA at Washington State University in Political Science and Public Administration with a minor in Criminal Justice. She has held numerous positions on committees and boards in the private, public, and non-profit sectors in sponsorship, fundraising, public relations, and advocating for and connecting individuals with necessary resources within the community.

Secretary

Samantha Roeder is a full-time Real Estate Agent and a mom who joined the YWCA Bellingham board in 2022. A Washington native, she came to Bellingham in 1998 to attend Western Washington University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with a focus on photography and art history. She has a background in art gallery operations, non-profit event planning, filmmaking, and graphic design. Additionally, she is a licensed postpartum doula with Childbirth International and holds a beginning yoga teacher certification from Red Mountain School of Yoga. Samatha served on the board for House to Home, a non-profit furniture bank, from 2017 until it dissolved at the onset of the 2020 pandemic. She recently purchased her first home in Bellingham with her daughter, cat, and four chickens, and she is grateful to have her roots in this beautiful community that she loves!

Treasurer

Amelia joined the Board of Directors in 2023. She is a Bellingham native, full time Real Estate Broker, and mother of 4. Prior to Real Estate, Amelia was a Physical Therapy Assistant and specialized in Pediatrics. Amelia has been an active supporter of several other non-profit groups throughout Whatcom county that support community members and youth who are experiencing housing insecurity and developmental disability and is excited to be able to continue this support with the YWCA in a more hands-on role. In her spare time, Amelia can be found spending time with her family and dog, attending various Trivia Night events with friends, and working in her garden.

Member

Carrie Danielsen was born in San Diego, CA, and moved to WA at the age of 12. After living in the PNW for over 30 years, she considers herself a true Washingtonian. Carrie is an LPN who has worked in senior living for over 3 decades in a multitude of roles from being a floor nurse to an Executive Director running an Assisted Living Community. Her current role is as an Assisted Living Regional Manager for Nightingale Healthcare which locally owns and manages Mount Baker Care Center and Summit Place in Fairhaven, WA. Advocating for seniors and women has always been at the forefront of her mission and values, so joining the YWCA board was a very natural decision. Carrie learned at a very young age that helping others brought meaning and purpose to her life. She joined the YWCA Board in 2022 and serves on the Fundraising Committee.

Member

Kristina Michele Martens, originally hailing from San Diego, CA, relocated to Bellingham in September 2016 with the objective of immersing herself in a closely-knit community dedicated to fostering positive change across various spheres, ranging from addressing climate change to advancing racial equity. During the summer of 2020, Kristina collaborated with communities throughout the city, leading rallies for racial justice that garnered the participation of over 5,000 individuals. Motivated by the momentum of protests and policy reforms observed nationwide, Kristina embarked on co-founding the development of the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission.

In a historic achievement in November 2021, Kristina became the first Black woman ever elected to the Bellingham City Council. She embraced this honor as an opportunity to introduce a new voice and a unique perspective to conversations aimed at enhancing our community. Presently, Kristina operates her own private consulting firm, eagerly anticipating collaborations with entities and businesses to transform their aspirations into reality.

Member

Trinn comes to the PNW via travels from her birthplace of Brooklyn, New York, through California and Hawaii-where her three children were born and raised and where her great-granddaughter resides on Oahu. Trinn also regularly visits British Columbia, Canada, where she has extended family.

Trinn holds a Master of Education with an emphasis on Special Education from Chaminade University of Honolulu and completed the Education Administration program at Western Washington University (Western) prior to serving as a public school administrator in Hawaii and then Seattle Public Schools. Trinn is currently serving in an education role in Blaine School District. In addition to active membership as a Western alumni and lifetime member of Phi Kappa Phi, Western Chapter, Trinn is the Vice President elect of the Washington-Alaska branch council of Forester’s Financial, an international financial services provider whose fraternal mission emphasizes family wellbeing with the motto “Helping is Who We Are.”

Trinn was inspired to become a part of the YWCA Board because of the precedent set by the Bellingham YWCA leadership, dedication and efforts by current Bellingham YWCA Board Members and recent developments toward the mission of the Bellingham YWCA, dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

Trinn’s stated intent is to contribute to further realizing the YWCA mission during her time on the board. Her leadership stance is adopted from the concepts of the Seventh Generation Principle dated back to the writing of The Great Law of Haudenosaunee Confederacy which recognizes and honors the measure of our impact seven generations into the future.

Member

Elizabeth Boyle brings over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, non-profit support, and advocacy to the YWCA Board. Through her current consulting practice, she is honored to partner with numerous community organizations to support action on meaningful, complex social issues. Elizabeth has a strong belief that we all want to do good in this world, but we need to keep opening doors and removing barriers to allow everyone to be part of the conversation.

At home, she is mom to two amazing sons in college, Jackson and Thomas, and two spirited dogs, Rizzy and Baker. Elizabeth and her husband, Jim, moved from the East Coast in 2000 and are incredibly grateful to call Bellingham home. She loves spending time with friends and family on the trails or adventuring deep into the mountains.

Elizabeth joined the YWCA Board in December 2023 and is excited to join such a wonderful team of community members working to eliminate racism and empower women.

Member

Liz is the General Manager at Aqua Terr Systems Inc (ATSI), an environmental science and land use consulting company. Liz was born and raised in Whatcom County by a family of educators and social service providers. She has her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Whitworth University (Spokane, WA, 2012), her Masters in Divinity and a Master of Arts in Christian Education and Formation from Princeton Theological Seminary (Princeton, NJ, 2018) and her Masters in Business Administration from the University of St Thomas (St Paul, MN, 2020). Liz has worked as a minister in churches in New Jersey and Washington. She also worked for a private family foundation in the Twin Cities providing grant funding for various organizations targeting poverty, homelessness, education, and mental health issues. Liz moved back to Bellingham in 2021 and joined the board in October 2023.