Staff & Board of Directors

I bring to my role as Executive Director 35+ years of combined experiences in social enterprise and non-profit, high-tech, education, theater, film, restaurant and food service, event production, fundraising events, human resources, recruitment, and retention in various sectors. I have helped various nonprofit organizations raise over $5 million in the last 15 years using my ability to manage multiple projects and large staff simultaneously, my gift of listening and distilling information to inspire and motivate people!

 I have a weird, wide and convoluted professional background, from forestry to law to higher ed to nonprofits. I have 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, having served in just about every role there is: volunteer, staff, board member, and executive director, mostly at organizations involving empowering women. I moved to Washington sight unseen in 2013, with my husband, John -- a brave leap of faith that has worked out beautifully. We found Vashon in 2014 and have lived here ever since. I have two adult sons, both self-avowed mama's boys and staunch feminists, who followed me to Vashon. While on Vashon, I have served on the boards of directors for Hestia and the Vashon Rotary Club, and I was the executive director of the Vashon Senior Center from 2018 until I retired in late 2022. My secret talent is amateur carpenter. John and I bought a fixer-upper when we moved to Vashon, so I've been fixer-uppering it ever since. (Ladies Day at Island Lumber is my favorite local holiday.) Women Hold the Key has changed my life, drawing me out of a difficult year to join a supportive, loving, and wildly imaginative community. I would love nothing better than to do the same for every woman on Vashon.

Originating from Istanbul, Turkey, I relocated to the USA after completing high school. It was in the United States that I discovered my voice and identity as a woman. Pursuing my education at the University of Arizona in Tucson, I later moved to Seattle over a decade ago to further my career in healthcare administration. Settling on Vashon Island five years ago, my family and I found our home, and I commute to Seattle daily via the Water Taxi. I am happily married to my best friend and am the proud parent of two wonderful teenagers. Currently serving as the Operations Manager of the Radiation Oncology clinics at Providence Swedish Medical Center, I am dedicated to my professional role. 

Having grown up in Turkey, I witnessed women selflessly sacrificing their lives for others, my own "babane" (grandmother) included. It took her seven decades to realize she could take a moment for herself—to stroll along the beach, relish the view, indulge in fried fish in bread for lunch, and simply find solace. In my thirties, it dawned on me that I, too, was neglecting to nurture my soul. This realization prompted a shift in my perspective, as I recognized the importance of setting a different example for my daughter and son. I wanted them to understand that women should not just survive but thrive, within a community that fosters mutual empowerment, leading to happiness and fulfillment. Such communities, I believe, cultivate healthier relationships and contribute to the well-being of future generations. 

Hence, my involvement with Women Hold the Key is driven by a shared commitment to creating communities, one at a time, where women connect, enjoy, share, support resilience, discover the goddess within them, and ultimately thrive. 

In Loving Memory of our Friend
We’ve all had that person in our life who lit up the world and made us all the better for knowing them. Sarah Pierre-Louis will always be that person for us. We were honored to have her on our board of directors, and she’ll always be a part of Women Hold the Key. Thank you for gracing us with your light, Sarah.