Board Members

Stewarding the Corps movement.

John Boylan

John is a writer, editor, and activist in Seattle. He runs an ongoing series of roundtable conversations about art, politics, science and technology. These monthly conversations take place at the Capitol Hill Arts Center and have been happening at various locations around Seattle since the mid-1990s. He was an editor of Reflex Magazine, the Northwest's major visual arts publication for many years. He has also been active in a number of community arts organizations, including the Fremont Arts Council and Art of Resistance. He works at Microsoft.

Jeff Davis, Treasurer

Jeff brings extensive finance and public sector experience and background, most recently as the City of Seattle's fiscal manager responsible for balancing the city's $700 million budget.

Dee Dickinson

Dee is the retired CEO and founder of New Horizons for Learning, a nonprofit education network based in Seattle, Washington and on the Internet at www.newhorizons.org. She has been a school administrator and has taught on all levels from elementary school through university, has produced several series for educational television, and has produced nine international conferences on education.

Michael Fink

Michael serves as vice president and assistant general counsel (head of International Legal) at Starbucks Coffee Company. Prior to joining the Arts Corps board, Mike was on the board of the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington for a number of years and several other community boards. Mike lives on Mercer Island with his wife, Melanie, and their daughters Morgan and Katelyn.

Vivian Phillips

Vivian is an independent arts consultant and producer, currently on assignment as manager of the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center. She is also co-founder and managing director of The Hansberry Project at ACT Theatre, a professional African American theatre program. Vivian has worked extensively for local TV and radio production outlets, in addition to hosting and moderating events and conferences. She has served on numerous boards and as a Seattle Arts Commissioner.

Shannon Rankin

Shannon is a principal at SkB Architects, Inc. She and her two founding partners created SkB Architects in February of 1999. Shannon is also known as an expert in workplace design and strategy. She has engaged clients such as Microsoft, Eddie Bauer, Omnicom and Philips in innovative pilot projects focused on key learning concepts to promote more teamwork and collaboration. Her work has been published in Interior Design, Residential Architect, Metropolitan Home and Sunset Magazine.

Bryan Syrdal

Bryan has been a resident of Seattle for over 35 years, the last 20 of which as an advisor and developer of commercial real estate, focusing primarily on urban redevelopment. He has actively served on the board of directors or advisors for various not-for-profit organizations including the Seattle Symphony, the University of Washington Alumni Organization, the Henry Art Gallery and currently serves as board chair for Red Feather Development Group, a Native American housing initiative based in Bozeman, MT. Bryan and his wife Kristen live in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle.

Welling Savo Justin

Welling is journalist and project manager at Pyramid Communications, directing the Active Living Network for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a national campaign to tackle childhood obesity by promoting healthier, more walkable communities. She also recently helped to create and launch a college and career readiness campaign with the College Success Foundation. Her other clients include the Wildlands Project, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and PAWS, among others.

Liza Sheehan

Since 2000, Liza has been operating as an independent organizational development and strategic planning consultant, working with a wide range of clients, including MeyerWells and Bodycenter studios, as well as Bold Hat Productions, Silverstein-Thomas and Associates and Arts Corps, among others. Before then, she was on staff at Starbucks Coffee Company and PCC Natural Markets. Avid yoga practitioner, and mother of two young children, Liza describes herself as a "humble student of life."

John Vadino, President

John is president and co-founder of The Production Network, a Seattle-based company that designs and produces events and exhibits for businesses and museums throughout the world. John concentrates on the global elements of the company, working on current client relationships and building new business.

Ruth White

Ruth has an unusually diverse background of skills and experience including acting as a coordinator in cancer research, caring for and handling exotic animals, and more than eight years in various senior-level technical and business positions ranging from advertising to mobile industry product development. Additionally, she served for three years on the board of directors of Home Alive, a Seattle nonprofit. Ruth's goal has always been to align the world of business more closely with the non-profit world, while remaining firmly committed to positive change in environmental, social, and political causes.

Jeff Young

Jeff recently graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle with a degree in animation. A graduate of Garfield High School, Jeff started taking spoken word classes through Arts Corps in its very first quarter, fall 2000. In the nearly seven years of Arts Corps' lifespan, he has been involved every quarter as a student or classroom assistant, making him the first person who has progressed from a student through every tier of the assistants program to a co-teacher. He also went to Brazil with members of Rice Baker Yeboah's hip-hop class, sponsored in 2002 to attend the World Social Forum.