Meet the Cabinet!

The overall purpose of the Capital Campaign Cabinet is to provide Sahar with the ability to deliver a best in class first ever public boarding school for rural Afghan girls. The Campaign Cabinet works closely with Miller Hull Partnership LLC, Sahar's Executive Director, Campaign Manager, Afghan fellow, and Board of Directors to launch and carry out a 3-year fundraising campaign, ensuring that the campaign stays on schedule and progresses towards our $1.5 million dollar fundraising goal with a high level of visibility and momentum.Miller Hull Partnerships LLC architects Dave Miller and Margaret Sprug are providing pro-bono design creation and oversight to the boarding school project. The University of Washington School of Architecture design studio also contributed design input.Without further ado, here are our cabinet members:Patti MeyersAfter a career in higher education at Claremont McKenna College in California, Patti returned to Washington with her family. She has always had an interest in education and at-risk youth. She is past Board President of The Overlake School, Northwest Children’s Fund and the Girl Scouts of Western Washington. Currently, Patti is on the board of the Washington Women’s Foundation. Patti received her MA in Government from Claremont Graduate University and her BA in Political Science from Scripps College.   Jim MooreJim Moore’s international development interest began with 3 years of Peace Corps service in Nepal. Subsequently, he led multi-cultural project teams in 20 different countries in Europe, Asia and Africa, focusing on water, agriculture and infrastructure development. Jim has served on the Board of Trustees of the Seattle Rotary Service Foundation, as Rotary District International Service Chair, and Rotary's District Global Grants Coordinator. In private business, he has helped startup enterprises grow, raise capital, and build boards of advisors/directors. He is a former CFO and COO of small and medium scale manufacturing and service companies as well as serving on the board of 2 private companies. Jim earned BA, MBA, and MRP degrees from Harvard University.  Catherine GelbandCatherine’s interest in education and empowering girls has defined her career and volunteer involvement. Catherine has been the President of Sahar's Board of Directors since 2009. She also served as Board President of Girl Scouts of Western Washington and recently retired from over 25 years of service to Pacific Crest School, a Seattle Montessori School, including serving as Board chair and Admissions Director. She began her legal career as a corporate lawyer at a large Seattle law firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions. After the arrival of her two children, she began a private practice. Catherine attended Yale College and Northwestern University School of Law. She retired from the practice of law in 2006.  Leslie Lackey Leslie Lackey has a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of people through education, the arts and movement. She is currently working in the non­profit arena as a fund raiser, board member and volunteer for various local and international organizations. Her background includes 26 years as a senior manager in the Boeing Commercial Airplane group in a wide range of positions including contracts, sales and marketing, public relations and quality improvement. She received her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Pacific Lutheran University and also was a candidate for a Masters in Organizational Psychology from Bastyr University. Leslie is a lifelong student of Spanish, French, and Classical Piano.  Tom GrantTom Grant was a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Afghanistan, in Kabul in 1967 – 69 and Heart in 1972 – 73. Mr. Grant’s career also includes working as an attorney at the California Public Utilities Commission, serving as a legislative assistant to a Seattle City Council member, and working at the Battelle Seattle Research Center on environmental, nuclear safety, and nuclear security issues as a consultant and project manager. He currently works on environmental projects for a Washington, D.C. consulting firm, is a volunteer naturalist at Seattle’s Discovery Park, and serves on the board of a nonprofit organization. Mr. Grant lives in Seattle with his wife, Julie, and dog, Mingus.  Carla CorkernCarla Corkern has over 20 years of experience in high-tech and supply chain management. She has helped build a number of highly-successful technology companies. Carla is also active in a number of charitable organizations, and serves on the Girl Scouts of Western Washington’s Board of Directors. She was named one of the Top 100 Women in Seattle Technology and is a strong advocate for women seeking technology careers. Carla graduated from Louisiana Tech University and did graduate work at Southern Methodist University.