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Read about the Cancer Lifeline team
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Jan Gray Jan leads the organization's management team and is responsible to the Board of Directors for day-to-day operations, staffing, planning and financial performance. She came to Cancer Lifeline after 25 years in broadcast marketing and more than 15 years consulting with community organization boards. Jan earned her M.S. in Management at Antioch University, Seattle. She has served on the boards of Seattle/King County Senior Services and Sound Experience. Jan lives with her husband in Seattle. |
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Peter Boyle Patient Financial Navigator After six months as a community volunteer, Peter joined the Cancer Lifeline staff at full speed, locating resources and providing information to help people in treatment survive cancer financially. Prior to Cancer Lifeline, he spent 20 years in food service as inventor, consultant and executive chef. During the winter, you’ll find Peter on a snowboard; in warmer weather, he’s on his motorcycle. |
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Basha Brownstein Basha came to Cancer Lifeline in 1998 to develop the Healing Arts Program that is so successful today. She continues to inspire the artist in all of us as she manages Cancer Lifeline programs at the Dorothy S. O'Brien Center and Northwest Hospital. Before Cancer Lifeline, Basha worked with public housing tenants, the homeless and senior citizens and was the Director of the Street Life Gallery. Basha lives in Seattle with her feline friends Sebastian and McCavity. |
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Bobbi Christensen-Meins Bobbi is the impetus behind Cancer Lifeline’s patient financial navigation program intended to help cancer patients pay their bills while in treatment and she manages the Komen Patient Assistance Fund and Cancer Lifeline's Patient Assistance programs. Bobbi also oversees Cancer Lifeline’s community-based programs, conducting outreach to diverse communities around Western Washingtion. She and her husband Mike make time to volunteer for programs supporting developmental disabilities. |
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Karyn Kubo Fleming Karyn’s fundraising duties include direct mail appeals, grants, donor recognition and events, with additional projects in communications and public relations. She brings her background in fundraising, public relations and broadcast journalism. Karyn enjoys creating handcrafted greeting cards that reflect her Japanese American heritage, and spending time with her husband and their rescued Rat Terrier, Chauncey. |
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Lisa Gardner Lisa provides support for Cancer Lifeline hospital programs at Evergreen Hospital Medical Center and Valley Medical Center. She makes sure class participants are reminded of and made to feel welcome at our programs, and that rooms are set up and available. She actively promotes future programming at each site through direct outreach. Lisa’s past experiences include work with Horn of Africa Services as a Volunteer Coordinator, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeast Alaska as a School Program Coordinator. New to Seattle, Lisa is still exploring this urban oasis. |
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Michelle Hewitt Michelle wears two hats at Cancer Lifeline. In the Finance office, she assists the Controller with accounting duties ranging from payroll to budgets. As a Program Operations Coordinator, she contributes to the creation of the class catalog, collects feedback about our programs, maintains our program’s database and helps to ensure smooth day-to-day operations of the Dorothy O’Brien Center. Michelle previously worked as an accountant in a Port Townsend office with both for profit and non-profit clients. A fan of Sci Fi/Fantasy books and an avid World of Warcraft gamer, Michelle lives in Edmonds with her husband and daughter. |
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Suad Ibrahim Suad has two roles at Cancer Lifeine. As the Administrative Coordinator she greets clients on the phone and visitors to the Dorothy O'Brien Center and helps connect them with staff and interns. She also provides daily support to the program staff to ensures the smooth, continuous operation of the various programs offered at Cancer Lifeline. Before Cancer Lifeline, Suad acted as a translator/interpreter at the University of Washington Parenting Clinic. She enjoys art, movies and spending time with her family; different languages and cultures are of particular interest. Suad recently finished a graduate program in Health Administration at the University of Washington. |
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Andrea Johnson Andrea comes to Cancer Lifeline with over 13 years of experience at all levels of fundraising, events, public relations, and communications management. As Development Director, Andrea is responsible for stewardship, cultivation and solicitation of donors, oversight of grant activities and the annual luncheon. Andrea has worked with non-profits in both arts and human services and most recently was the Director of Development of Jubilee Women's Center, transitional housing for homeless women. Andrea is an alumna of the WSU Edward R. Murrow College of Communications and sits on the King County Women's Advisory Board.
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Patty Moe Patty’s responsibilities are related to the finances of Cancer Lifeline. She is a Certified Public Accountant who has focused on the non-profit accounting field throughout her career as an accountant. Patty is a graduate of the University of Washington. |
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Terrie Nixdorff Terrie has dual responsibilities for supporting the CEO and Board of Directors, as well as managing human resources functions. Terrie handles special projects and manages meetings and events related to the Board. Her HR responsibilities support the overall effectiveness of staff through the evaluation, planning and performance appraisal process, hiring and staff retention efforts, and administering benefits programs. Singing is her passion. With the Seattle Choral Company, she has appeared at the 5th Avenue Theatre, Benaroya Hall, with the Symphony and Ballet, and has recorded film trailers. |
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Kim Schaaf Kim works throughout Western Washington to provide educational presentations for both clients and professionals on cancer related topics such as lyphedema and life after cancer. She also works with our Patient Financial Navigators to assist women diagnosed with breast cancer. Kim has been a breast health educator since 1991. She lives in Bothell with her husband, daughter, two dogs and two cats. |
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Mary Ellen Shands, RN, MN Mary Ellen coordinates the support group program, and facilitates Family and Share the Care Meetings. In addition to her work at Cancer Lifeline, Mary Ellen is a member of the Family Functioning Research Program at the University of Washington School of Nursing since 1987 studying the impact of cancer on families. Mary Ellen and her husband live with their two children in Lake Forest Park. |
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Samantha Slaughter, PsyD Upon completing her internship with Cancer Lifeline, Samantha joined the team as an employee and now helps run the operational aspects of the student internship and practicum program. As an intern, she answered the Lifeline and assisted in programmatic evaluations. Previous experience includes working with teens with substance abuse issues and providing psychological services to inmates in two Washington state prisons. |
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David Sugarman, PhD David is a clinical psychologist responsible for supervising the Practicum Students and the Pre-doctoral Interns at Cancer Lifeline. These students play a vital part in providing emotional support for our clients who utilize our lifeline, our support groups and the other services we offer. David states, “My mission is to teach the students to listen carefully, and to be comfortable bringing the full range of their humanity to their work with clients at Cancer Lifeline. If I help them become better psychologists, then that is particularly rewarding.” David and his wife live on Bainbridge Island with their two dachshunds, Bodhi and Sattva. |
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Joseph Yurgevich Joseph has primary responsibility for Cancer Lifeline’s hospital and other site-based programs as well as oversight of Program Operations including registration, data-tracking and outreach/marketing/pr. His responsibilities also include programming classes and acting as site manager for Cancer Lifeline at Evergreen Hospital Medical Center and Cancer Lifeline at Valley Medical Center. Joseph previously worked managing programs at Bastyr University's Natural Health Clinic for nine years and as a volunteer for Lifelong AIDS Alliance. He is a licensed massage therapist, loves music, movies and his dogs Buddy and Lulu. |
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Ellen Zahlis, MN Ellen is responsible for the Family Support Programs which include: the 24 hour Lifeline, Workplace Consultation, Family Meetings, and Share the Care Program. She also manages the Therapist Referral Program. Ellen has been with Cancer Lifeline since responding to a PSA for volunteers for the Lifeline in 1983. In addition to her position at Cancer Lifeline, Ellen is a member of the Family Functioning Research Program at the University of Washington School of Nursing studying the impact of cancer on the family since 1987. |
