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.

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

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 two of her granddaughters and her great granddaughter reside on Oahu. Trinn also regularly visits British Columbia, Canada, where she has extended family and whenever possible: Tampa, Florida where her other two granddaughters live.

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 for a decade. Trinn currently holds the role of Assistant Direction of Gabriel’s Art Kids and Robert Williams School of Arts and Sciences in Bellingham.

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 former and 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.

Member

Vanessa is a communications professional and former journalist with more than 20 years experience in writing, editing, teaching, and public relations. She joined SPIE as a book editor in 2024, and before that, she taught writing, editing, and public relations courses in the journalism department at Western Washington University. She also served as the communications director for the City of Bellingham for five years and as publisher and editor-in-chief of the Bellingham Business Journal. Vanessa has been a community activist, artist, and political consultant at various times over the years, and she has a bachelor's degree in journalism from WWU and a master's in communication and leadership from Gonzaga University. She joined the YWCA Board in 2024 and lives with her family in a 100-year-old home in the Lettered Streets.

Member

Gabriela Cardona is a community advocate and professional from Bellingham, WA, where she was raised as the daughter of immigrant parents. Growing up with challenges like food scarcity, displacement, and being part of an underrepresented community, Gabriela developed a passion for advocating for marginalized individuals. 

Gabriela studied Business Management at Whatcom Community College. Her personal struggles, including a young marriage, divorce, and raising a child as a single mother, led her into community health work. By God’s grace, she has overcome these hardships and is grateful for the resilience that brought her to where she is today.

With experience as a homeless case manager, integration specialist, and care coordination specialist, Gabriela currently serves as the DEI and Outreach Specialist at the Whatcom Center for Early Learning. She is committed to uplifting those who are oppressed and believes in bringing those in shame into honor.

 Gabriela’s journey is rooted in faith, perseverance, and a deep commitment to creating a more inclusive society. She is driven by a desire to empower individuals and positively impact her community.