Executive Director
A longtime Vashon resident, Allison Reid brings more than 25-years of career experience in the non-profit sector to her role as VCA’s Executive Director. An avid supporter of the arts and education, Reid began her career as Founder and Director of Seattle’s award-winning performing arts organization, AHA! Theatre. On Vashon, she has served as VCA’s Interim Executive Director, as both Director of Development & Marketing and Director of Advancement at Harbor School, as Principal of the event planning and fundraising consulting group, FortunaLux, and as a board member for several island non-profits. Her talents in development, event management, marketing and communications, and volunteer engagement are outmatched only by her dedication to the arts, education and the community of Vashon Island. She is a graduate of The Evergreen State College where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree.
Administrator
Emily grew up attending dance and art classes at the Blue Heron and joins VCA after almost a decade in business strategy and operations consulting, working with clients across industries in Latin America and the US. She spent most of her 20s in Buenos Aires, where, after her corporate day job, she volunteered with the Open House Buenos Aires architectural organization and enjoyed tango, rock nacional, and folklore music. She has a BA in International Relations and Economics from Brown University and an MBA from UC Berkeley. In her free time on the island, she enjoys being with family and friends, reading, walking in the woods, volunteering in support of civil rights, jigsaw puzzles, and biking.
Programming & Communications Manager
Crissy attended both the University of Washington and Central Washington University, graduating with degrees in Psychology and Human Resources. She brings with her the experience and benefits from leading teams at large corporations such as Microsoft and Starbucks headquarters. After some time in the corporate world, Crissy was ultimately drawn to the fantastic arts environment at Vashon Center for the Arts. Coupling Crissy’s passion for the arts, with being one of the most tenured staff members at VCA, she seemingly has had engagement in many of the program areas that VCA offers- class registrations and dance instruction, event production and management, and program director. She provides a great look into the past, present, and future of Vashon Center for the Arts. If you see her around town and want to know more about VCA, she welcomes the opportunity to discuss classes, programs, events and more.
Technical Director
Jesse returned to Vashon Center for the Arts in 2021, after a temporary relocation to the Gulf Coast to focus on family; while working as Director of Events for Encore Global in the Tampa Bay region. Prior to that he worked as Technical Director at VCA from 2016- to mid 2018, coming aboard towards the end of construction of the Katherine L. White Hall. Jesse has worked in the live events industry for 18 years; including concerts, theatrical and corporate events. Prior to moving to Vashon in 2016, Jesse spent 9 years working as a Director in the corporate events industry for Encore Global, primarily in the Seattle area and Florida. While finishing college in Orlando, FL he worked freelance in local venues, theaters, concerts and show productions, always open to any gig in the field; doing everything from stage rigging to pyrotechnics, spot op, stagehand, venue runner, and as an audio engineer. Working in these diverse settings helped build his wide range of technical skills. Jesse holds a Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communication from the University of Central Florida and a Bachelors of Science in Recording Arts. Jesse has been drawn to the arts since a young age and feels strongly about accessibility of the arts to all people and the positive benefits that creative outlets have on individuals and the community.
Finance Director
Tami Brown joined VCA in early 2021. With over 20 years of accounting experience, she has broad knowledge across multiple industries including construction, restaurant, television production, and the arts. Having lived most of her life on Vashon, her family has deep rooted history all the way back to 1877. She is excited to be contributing to the arts in our community.
Box Office Supervisor
Sarah Edwards brings her love of the arts to VCA after more than a decade’s worth of experience she had with Twelfth Night Productions (TNP), a non-profit West Seattle community theater group. At TNP, Sarah painted sets, created props, worked the box office and was the production manager for several events. Her devotion to Twelfth Night led her to become a board member serving multiple terms. Now, Sarah finds herself to be an almost-empty nester after raising three boys here on Vashon. She is an artist, maker, and enjoys dabbling in arts and crafts which vary from fiber art to paint and everything in between. She is thrilled to be immersed in our community of performing arts once again.
Blue Heron Education Center Director
Wendy joined VCA in 2010, after working in the field of education for over 15 years. Wendy worked in student services for University of Cincinnati, Western Washington University and the Art Institute of Seattle and spent a decade at Antioch University Seattle as an academic advisor and part-time adjunct faculty. In addition to being an accomplished photographer and running a portrait photography business, Wendy likes to explore different art mediums; her current favorites are felting, mosaic and encaustics.
Grantwriter & Marketing Support
Cyra Jane moved out to Vashon in 2014 to build a studio at the Beall Greenhouses and joined VCA as grant writer and marketing design support in April of 2020. She has a Master’s degree in Professional and Technical writing and has worked in book design, editing and grant writing for art collectives for nearly 15 years. An artist in her own right, she is a stone carver, sculptor, painter, and installation artist. Before starting work at VCA, she was featured in the gallery in a 3-woman show in 2019.
Executive Assistant & Communications Specialist
Maura joins VCA after a long stint as a board member and leader at Breitenbush, a renowned retreat center and worker-owned cooperative. She played an essential role in the organization’s resurrection following the challenges of the pandemic and wildfires. With her experience and a degree in Graphic Communications Management, Maura brings a unique blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and diplomatic leadership to her role as Executive Assistant. Maura is grateful to call Vashon home and carries with her a Midwestern work ethic, Canadian friendliness, and the rosy-cheeked warmth of her Irish heritage. She is excited to support VCA’s mission and contribute to a thriving, inclusive arts community on the island.
Fundraising & Special Events Manager
Allie is a Vashon Island native who has spent the past 20 years working in the arts, with the last 15 in arts non-profits. Allie grew up attending classes at the Blue Heron and working with island artists in classroom residencies and values these interactions with the arts in her early childhood as being the cornerstones to her future education and work life. After graduating from Vashon High School, Allie went on to study Art History in college, which took her all over Europe studying drawing, painting and sculpture. Since then, she has worked in art galleries and photography studios, but has found her true love in the non-profit arts sector, where she has found her greatest passion of all: working to ensure everyone has access to the arts in their schools and communities. Allie spent the past 16 years in Portland working for arts non-profits focused on arts education, and brings that knowledge and excitement to Vashon, where she moved back with her husband and two children in 2022.
Patron Services Associate
Daniel comes to VCA after twenty-three years as Gallery Director for Glasshouse Studio, Seattle’s oldest glassblowing studio. Raised in Wisconsin by a five-time Polka Music Hall of Fame recipient and an art teacher, he grew up surrounded by music, art and culture. After continuing his education in Graphic Design and Fine Art, he moved to Seattle where he embraced the vibrant arts scene. He brings with him years of experience in customer service and corporate relations. Daniel has been a Vashon resident since 2007.
VAIS Program Manager
Elizabeth Mendana Shaw, Vashon Artists In Schools (VAIS) Program Manager, is a teaching artist with 30 years of experience working in the arts. Elizabeth has taught theater and dance, worked as a choreographer, an arts administrator, and in production. Elizabeth comes to VCA after having been the manager of public programs at the Sooke Region Museum in British Columbia, Canada (while also coordinating their busy summer farmer’s market)! She and her family are delighted to have returned to Vashon to reestablish their roots and be a part of VCA, dreaming up possible artist partnerships in the classroom.
Poster Liason
Registrar/Office Manager of Blue Heron Education Center<
Belle joins VCA with over a decade of experience working with individuals, families, and communities, focusing on improving health outcomes and well-being through natural medicine, public health nonprofits, education, the arts, and community cultivation and stewardship. She is deeply passionate about nature as medicine, art as medicine, movement as medicine, and community as medicine. Belle spent much of her childhood outdoors, exploring the flora and fauna (literally with a magnifying glass and a microscope), and on her family’s farm. She credits these experiences as the foundation of her lifelong curiosity and passion for exploring both the natural world and the human condition. In addition to her work, Belle is a writer, photographer, and lover of textiles. Her insatiable curiosity has taken her all over the world. One thing she finds both moving and grounding is that, no matter how far or how long she has been away, the Pacific Northwest is the only place that truly feels like home.
Gallery Director
Lynann Politte has been a promoter, director, producer, CoHousing community member, business coach, mother, grandmother, sister, activist, feminist, and marketing strategist. She produced and directed The Vagina Monologues on Vashon in 2002 and 2003 to sold-out audiences. Lynann has an MBA and her work experience includes launching a women’s jewelry line, working in the fashion industry, being a international corporate planner, producing a syndicated radio show, managing internationally tours, and leading conference workshops. She’s lived on and loved Vashon since 2000.
Chair
Long time islander, Bruce Morser is an award-winning freelance illustrator and frequent teaching artist for Vashon Artists in Schools.
Vice Chair
Sean Waldron's role on VCA's board of trustees is a natural extension of his lifelong dedication to the arts and his commitment to supporting local talent. With degrees in architecture from Washington State University and the University of Oregon, he honed his craft over a decade designing diverse commercial projects, from healthcare campuses to Seattle's iconic Pike Place MarketFront. In 2021, Sean transitioned to become a partner at Waldron Designs, channeling his expertise into shaping residential and commercial spaces across Vashon Island and the broader Puget Sound region.
Treasurer
Pat Call retired in 2023 after a 40-year career in a variety of technology related positions. With B.A. and D. Phil degrees in Physics from Reed College and Oxford University, Pat first worked as a bench scientist at an industrial lab (RCA Labs in Princeton, New Jersey) and the Solar Energy Research Institute where he was one of the first 10 employees of a new National Laboratory for Renewable Energy (now relabeled as NREL). As an undergraduate Pat was the nation’s youngest licensed senior nuclear reactor operator and was selected in 1971 for the Rhodes Scholarship. In addition to his work as a scientist, Pat has had senior roles in a venture backed startup and managed a data publishing business in the New Ventures portion of US West before moving into educational software. For the last 22 years of his career Pat was a Vice President for education technology publisher Cengage Learning (previously Thomson Learning) where he managed groups up to 500 employees. He has served on the boards of the Harbor School, the Vashon Island Rowing Club, the Westside Water Association and Pacific Research, all on Vashon Island.
Secretary
Annie Brulé is a nature illustrator for books, museums, and ecology projects. She co-founded the Seattle publishing and arts company Chatwin Books in 2014, and serves as the Creative Director there, as well as Director of their imprint for Indigenous ecology education. Annie taught illustration at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle for several summers, and now lives with her husband and two young kids on Vashon island, where she delights in kayaking, outdoor sketching, and teaching art to kids of all ages. Annie was a Blue Heron art and theater kid in the 1990’s, and traces a life in the arts directly back to those eye-opening experiences as a child and teen.
