Meet our Board of Directors

Richard Lind, President of the Board

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Richard comes to the Board with the experience of having led a 200-member nonprofit organization in Seattle where he served as the Dean and President of a 12-member Board of Directors.

 

Richard serves as the Chair of Activities for St. David’s Church in Friday Harbor, and is the Handler of PADs dog Rudi, who he handles along with his partner, William Moore.

 

Richard Lind holds a Master of Music Education from Indiana University.

Sherry Bell, Vice President of the Board

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Sherry brings many years of experience in leading nonprofit organizations with the vision and knowledge of Best Practices to the PADs Board of Directors.

 

Sherry has served as President for the California Society of Printmakers, The Berkeley Art Center, and Board Director and Advisor for the Printmaking Council of New Jersey.

 

In addition to endowing and establishing management practices with ethical and accountable responsibility for nonprofit organizations, Sherry volunteers at The San Juan Islands Museum of Art and actively mentors art students in her studio on San Juan Island.

 

BFA, Art and Education, Ohio Wesleyan University

MS, MFA Art, University of Wisconsin

Katy Barsamian, Secretary of the Board

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Katy Barsamian brings 16 years of professional experience as a paralegal to the Board.  She worked primarily for insurance defense law firms, specializing in all phases of case management of personal injury and product liability cases, including investigation and discovery. 

 

Additionally, over a span of 14 years, Katy managed the payroll, invoicing, time-recording and all other related bookkeeping services for a construction company. Katy has 13 years of volunteering in the San Juan Island schools and served on the elementary and middle school boards. Additionally, Katy served 4 years as a den leader for the Cub Scouts.

Barbara Wright, Treasurer of the Board

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Barbara’s many accomplishments include twenty-plus years in public service. Barbara served as part of the team at the San Juan County Public Works department from 1988 until her retirement in 2011. Barbara provided administrative support services for the Sheriff Department, the Fire District, the Juvenile Court Services, Senior Services and the County Insurance Department.

 

As a long-time San Juan Island resident, Barbara has contributed her time and expertise to domestic violence support services and the 4-H youth organization. Barbara’s many roles in public administration and service make her uniquely qualified to serve as Treasurer of the Board. Barbara believes that dogs can make a difference in the lives of people with Parkinson’s and has two amazing standard poodles, Mia and Sasha, working as PADs to detect Parkinson’s Disease.

Jack Bell, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of the Board

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Jack is an analytical biochemist with deep experience in the pharmaceutical and laboratory instrumentation industries. Jack holds a doctorate in organic chemistry/biochemistry and has conducted extensive postdoctoral work in cancer research pharmacology. He is currently a staff scientist at Friday Harbor Labs, a University of Washington environmental laboratory station where he oversees graduate and undergraduate research studies.

 

Jack is leading PADs science research efforts for discovery of a biomarker in Parkinson’s Disease through chemical analysis of the volatilome (scent signature) associated with PADs canine detection of Parkinson’s Disease.

 

For more on Jack’s extensive background and credentials, please see his NIH Biosketch.

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B.S., Chemistry/Biochemistry, University of Washington Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Ph.D., Organic Chemistry/Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin

PostDoctoral, Cancer Research Pharmacology, Stanford Research Institute

Carolyn Haugen, Ed.D., Member, Advisory Council to the Board

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Carolyn brings forty years of educational administrations leadership to the Board.  Her career spanned elementary school teacher, district coordinator of professional development, site leadership and district leadership.  While serving as Principal of Quail Summit Elementary School (a school she opened) in the Walnut Valley Unified School District, the school was named a California Distinguished School.  Since moving to San Juan Island to accept the principalship of Friday Harbor Elementary, she also became the Superintendent/Principal of the Shaw Island School District.

 

Carolyn has been recognized as a school leader – Carolyn Haugen Day on Wednesday, June 9, 2004 and as a contributor to community service and community leadership – Grand Marshall of Friday Harbor’s July 4, 2017 Parade, and she also received the prestigious Joyce Sobel Memorial Award.

 

Currently, Carolyn, in addition to her role as PADs Member, Advisory Council to the Board, serves as Board President for the Animal Protection Society of Friday Board and is active on the Advancement Board for University of Washington – Friday Harbor Labs focusing on the K – 12 Student Outreach Program between the San Juan Unified School District and Friday Harbor Labs.

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AB and AM, Stanford University. 

Ed.D. in Education Planning and Policy Administration, University of Southern California

Nancy Jones, Member, Advisory Council to the Board

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Nancy brings more than 30 years of experience in financial services to the Board. Her professional experience includes 20 years as president of Harvey Jones, a registered investment advisory firm and 15 years as a partner in a Tacoma-based registered investment firm.

 

As a long-time resident of San Juan Island, Nancy has held numerous positions of leadership in foundations for the arts and historic land conservation councils, including chair of the San Juan County Land Bank.

 

Currently, in addition to PADs, Nancy serves on the Board of Directors for the Bayview Foundation in Seattle. Nancy is a Certified Financial Planner and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Connecticut College.

Leslie Bressler, Board Member and Fun-Raiser

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Leslie comes to the Board with more than 40 years of experience in business management. Leslie has owned, operated and directed numerous successful small businesses throughout the West Coast, and though now retired, she continues to provide consultation services for small business owners.

 

Throughout her career, Leslie has served on several business-growth and management Boards and has a keen sense of how to inspire and motivate teams for greater success. As Fun-Raiser to the Board, Leslie’s role is to help the many volunteers for PADs to continue working towards the mission of PADs with a joyful sense of purpose, worth and meaning. Leslie’s dog, Joey, joined PADs in 2019 and Leslie is excited to combine her love of dogs with a great cause.

Lori Stokes, Board Member and Sample Donor Coordinator

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Lori Stokes joined the board of PADs in April 2019.  Lori’s professional background was in the field of human resources, including 20 years at Harvard University. Since moving to San Juan Island, Lori has dedicated much of her time and expertise to a variety of nonprofit organizations. In addition to several years helping at PADs, Lori played a key role in creating the island’s first dog park, an island-wide anti-litter initiative, the annual Great Islands Clean-Up, and the Books for Kids program at Peace Island Hospital. 

 

She was one of the first people appointed to the Friday Harbor Arts Commission and volunteered for many years at San Juan Community Theatre, where she was recognized as Volunteer of the Year in 2015.  Lori is excited to be a part of the ground-breaking work at PADs and holds a deeply personal connection to the PADs mission, having witnessed the progressive suffering inflicted by Parkinson’s Disease as her own mother battled the disease for 30 years prior to her death.