Our Board and Staff

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SASG BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Michael Kann, Board President

Mike Kann, a Seattle native and graduate of Seattle University Albers School of Business, is a 29 year finance professional for a large corporation. Professional experience includes accounting, financial systems, budgeting as well as parametric forecast modeling.

Earlier in his life, Mike was involved with Seattle Area Support Group’s service both as a client and peer group member. He returned as a peer group member to SASG in 2008, became a peer group facilitator (via SASG facilitator training) and has been serving as board president since January 2013.

Peer support has been a valuable asset in Mike’s life and he works to promote this model to others in the LGBTQ community who are in need of support.

 

Adrienne Miller, Board Vice President

Adrienne first visited SASG in 1990, as her mother sought support for herself and her children during her HIV/AIDS journey. (Adrienne's mother, L. Whitney Miller, was lost to the epidemic in 1996. Her photo can be found on the Passages pages of the SASG website). Adrienne returned to SASG in 2009, seeking support for her own recovery from chemical dependency. Here, she finally came to understand the power of peer support for healing, growth, working through personal challenges, and building a sense of community and interconnectedness. Adrienne has shared her talents with SASG in numerous ways including speaking on behalf of the organization at fundraisers, volunteering as a front desk clerk, working at the annual Holiday Tree Sale, and facilitating two weekly groups, Healing Words and Women For Sobriety. Adrienne also serves as a Peer Recovery Coach through the SHIFT program. and recently graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Psychology. She plans to continue her work with peers in recovery by seeking her Chemical Dependency Specialist certification.

 

Mark Whitford, Board Treasurer

Mark Whitford has been a member of the SASG Board of Directors since April 2011. He has a Bachelors of Science Degree in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology. He has worked as a social worker for many years with adults who have severe mental illness, individuals with developmental disabilities and the elderly. Mark currently adjudicates disability claims. Prior to joining the Board of Directors, Mark was involved with SASG as a Support Group Facilitator. Mark's goal is to ensure that members of the LGBTQ community continues to have a venue in which they can receive both initial and on-going support for any urgent issues they may be facing as well as a place where they can develop coping skills, modeled by their peers, which will ensure their personal growth and self-improvement.

 

 

Tom S Reck, Board Secretary

Tom received a B.A. degree in Journalism from the University of Texas, Houston, and a Ph.D. degree in American Literature from the University of Texas, Austin. He taught American Literature and Cinema Studies at the University of California, Chico, and became Professor Emeritus in 2003. He began his association with SASG in 2006 as a Front Desk volunteer, and joined the Board of Directors in 2008. His concerns with social justice are particularly focused on HIV issues, addition recovery, and animal rights.

 

Bobby Hollowell, Board Member

A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Bobby moved to the Seattle area in 2009. For the past five years he has worked as a retail pharmacy technician with various companies. His background includes retail and hotel management, sound engineering, media productions, and information technology. He is currently attending school at North Seattle Community College for his clinical pharmacy technician training and associates degree in applied science. Bobby has been involved with SASG since December 2009 starting out by attending a support group and then going on to become a group co-facilitator. He joined the SASG Board of Directors in December 2012. His goal is to ensure the LGBTQ community has a safe environment where they can come together in mutual cause and personal growth no matter what path in life they are on.

 

Carol Burton, Board Member

Carol Burton started out her life as a Southerner, primarily living in Arkansas. Eventually she transplanted herself to the West Coast, ultimately settling in Seattle where she has remained a long-time resident. She graduated from Seattle University School of Law in 1993. Carol is employed by a local health insurance company doing insurance defense work.

Carol was a peer group facility at SASG for 5 years, running Daring Divorced Divas, a support group for women who had ended a same-sex relationship. These women, as well as the LBGTQ community at large, face many challenges when ending their relationships, particularly in the legal arena where issues of child custody, child support, financial division of assets and debts are very different for us than for divorcing heterosexual couples. She is an avid supporter of gay legal marriage, so that same-sex couples may also have gay legal divorce and be entitled to the same rights and benefits as the rest of society. Her work facilitating this group led to her continued involvement and commitment to SASG, becoming a board member in May 2013.

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SASG STAFF

Joshua Wallace, Executive Director

Josh was born in Lubbock, TX and grew up throughout Texas and California. After a stint at Texas Tech University majoring in Zoology with a minor in Psychology, Josh received his licensing as an Emergency Medical Technician and began a career in Health & Welfare benefits providing company sponsored plans for businesses in the private sector. Currently, Josh is working on a Bachelors of Science in Accounting with an emphasis on non-profit work and hopes to go on to a Masters in Business Administration following graduation.

A series of life changing experiences brought Josh to the services of SASG in 2005. He became a peer group facilitator, facilitator trainer and took on leadership roles with the SHIFT program before becoming an employee of SASG in 2009. He has a strong passion to promote the power of healing that can only occur when people with shared experiences come together to support one another. Josh is a champion of the miracle in community advocacy and healing that he bears witness to every day at SASG.

 

Loretta Donnelly, Volunteer Coordinator

Loretta is a true Seattleite. She was born at Group Health Hospital on 15th Ave E and grew up in North Seattle, and Edmonds. She came out at 19, in 1977. Her first job was on a Dude Ranch, in Gallatin Gateway, Montana. From there she worked for the City of Bellevue, and then did a stint in the U.S. Navy. After the Navy, she worked at Boeing for 7 years. Became a Massage Therapist in 1995, and then worked at the Starbucks Roasting Plant in Seattle and Kent. After Starbucks, Loretta was the Office Manager at Lambert House. She volunteered on the SASG tree lot in 2009, and then became a Front Desk Volunteer in March of 2010. She was The Volunteer Coordinator (Voluntarily) from July of 2010 to February 2011, where she became an official paid staff member at Seattle Area Support Groups (SASG). She is still The Volunteer Coordinator along with many more titles to her name. Loretta is a firm believer in community. Bringing people together for the “Greater Good” is her passion. She’s been known for supplying people with a smile, kind ear for listening, and strong shoulders to cry on.