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Posted February 28, 2006


Contact:
Amanda Kay Erekson, Operations Manager


MAVIN FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTS NEW OFFICERS

(Seattle) The MAVIN Foundation Board of Directors has elected its slate of officers for 2006. Mariya Rubbelke, MBA PHR was elected Board President, Joseph A. G. Sakay, Esq. and Kelly Bates, Esq. were both elected Vice President, and Sashya Clark was voted in as Secretary. The Treasurer position will temporarily remain open.




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Mariya Rubbelke, MBA PHR supports Corporate Learning and Development projects at Nordstrom, including diversity education. As a human resource and diversity professional, she has experience developing education programs that promote the importance of equality and diversity within the workplace. Her extensive knowledge areas include cross-cultural theories/issues, people and strategy development, execution and integration, marketing, U.S. employment law and community development. A Korean adoptee, she has volunteered with youth and young adult mentorship programs at the University of Washington, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of King and Snohomish County, and as a current Board member of the Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation (ACLF). Mariya lives in Seattle.  
Kelly Bates, Esq., a biracial woman of African-American and Irish/English ancestry, is an attorney who owns Bates Consulting, a diversity and organizational development consulting and training firm located in Boston. Kelly is a motivational speaker on the mixed race experience, diversity, leadership and change. A former faculty for Northeastern University Law School, she is writing a chapter on the mixed race experience. Kelly is a member of the Massachusetts Bar and recipient of the Eureka-Boston Fellowship for Nonprofit Leaders. She is the recipient of the Rising Star of the Year Award by the UMASS Program for Women in Politics and Government. In 1999, Kelly received a proclamation from the MA House of Representatives in recognition of her efforts to improve health care, low-income families, and public housing. Kelly, her husband, and child reside in Boston.  
Joseph A. G. Sakay, Esq. is a partner at the Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson, P.S. law firm in Seattle. His practice focuses on the litigation and trial of complex civil matters in state and federal courts. Joe is a member of state and federal bar associations and has volunteered for pro bono and mentorship projects. He is published on topics including Filipino Amerasians and the struggle for Black equality in Seattle. A mixed heritage person and the father of two young children, Joe became acquainted with MAVIN when he registered as a bone marrow donor at a 2002 MatchMaker drive. Joe lives with his wife Lisa and their children in Seattle.
 
Sashya Tanaka Clark, MSW earned her Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Washington with an emphasis in contextual practice and community building. She has worked with MAVIN Foundation in several capacities, most recently as Project Manager for the Community MAP (Mixed race Action Plan) initiative as well as Development Associate and all-purpose volunteer. Her main areas of academic interest are in identity development and borderland theory. In practice, her work focuses on engaging youth in issues of social justice, youth leadership development, and dialoguing across differences. She has created and led workshops and trainings on many topics, including stereotyping and discrimination, anti-racist principles, and building resources around mixed heritage awareness. Other passions include curriculum development, any kind of community involved event, and samba dancing. Sashya lives in Seattle..  
"The new slate of officers provides MAVIN Foundation with the expertise and leadership the organization needs to shape its future," says Matt Kelley, MAVIN Foundation's founder and president, who stepped down as President today. He adds, "MAVIN Foundation's Board of Directors will no doubt face many important issues in the coming year, and I am confident that this group will effectively meet each challenge."

MAVIN Foundation builds healthy communities that celebrate and empower mixed heritage people and families. Since 1998, MAVIN has invested millions of dollars into innovative and award-winning projects focused on mixed heritage people, transracial adoptees, and multiracial families. For more information, visit www.mavinfoundation.org.
 
For more information, contact Amanda or call 206 622 7101.