Bob Patterson (Chair) has been in the field of Health and Prevention Education for over 30 years. He has done extensive work with high risk and incarcerated youth. He has just finished his tenure at Discovery Communications Inc. (Discovery Channel) and now provides consults and trainings for various youth organizations around Washington State. Bob was raised in a family that had a high priority for community service. Because of these values, he was attracted to The Giraffe Heroes Project, and was instantly impressed with the values and the efficiency of the Project.

Ann Medlock (Vice Chair) is Founder and Creative Director of the Giraffe Heroes Project. Her background includes editing Viet Nam Presse in Saigon; chairing the Children’s Cultural Foundation in New York; freelance writing for magazines and corporations, and media consulting for Western Union, AT&T and the US Maritime Administration. She has been editor-in-chief of Children’s Express, a curriculum developer at Macmillan and Science Research Associates, and speechwriter to the Aga Khan. She earned a BA magna cum laude from the University of Maryland, and recently published her first book of poetry.

 Ruth Brinton (Secretary/treasurer) has a varied background in theatre, writing, teaching, accounting and corporate management. With her husband, Mac Perkins, she owns Pacific Studio in Seattle, a company that designs, fabricates and installs museum-quality exhibits. As VP of Pacific Studio, she oversees strategic planning, finance and human resources. She has taught college classes in creative writing and composition and has herself earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Washington. Drawn to the Giraffe Heroes Project by its vision of “enCouraging” citizens, she began her involvement by volunteering to write heroes’ stories.

Natalie Martin is co-founder of Blissport.com, a new online honeymoon-planning service for grooms. She has a B.A. in literature from Saint Joseph’s University and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. She also serves as the online insurance expert for AllBusiness.com and works as a coach for the Social Investors Forum in Seattle, Washington. She is an avid runner and has completed many Olympic distance triathlons.

Fred Mednick holds the “Giraffe” seat on the Board. Named a Giraffe Hero in 2004 for founding Teachers Without Borders, a nonprofit that marshalls the world’s teachers as a force for community development. The former Head of the Bush School in Seattle, Mednick is working with the Giraffe Heroes Project to move all the Project’s materials for fostering civic engagement to the members of Teachers Without Borders.

Staff

Diana Drake is the Project’s Office Manager. She thrives on structure, organization, and attention to detail. Moving to Whidbey Island with her family after 17 years in corporate and public accounting, she was thrilled to merge her office skills with a passion for helping children become productive and responsible members of society. A graduate of the University of Kansas (BS Accounting) she is active in her children’s schools and several civic organizations.

Staff (continued)

John Graham is the Project's President and principal speaker/workshop leader. He was a US diplomat for 15 years, where his assignments included revolutionary Libya, Viet Nam, NATO, the US Mission to the UN and a stint as foreign policy advisor to Senator John Glenn. Since leaving the Foreign Service in 1980, he has lectured and led seminars worldwide, helping individuals, organizations and communities successfully tackle the challenges of risk and change (more). He joined the Giraffe Heroes Project staff in 1983. His degrees are from Harvard and Stanford, and his mountain climbing credits include the first ascent of the north wall of Mt. McKinley, a climb that’s never been repeated. He is the author of Outdoor Leadership, It’s Up to Us and Stick your Neck Out.   graham@giraffe.org

Donna Humphreys became the Project’s Operations Manager after years of managing accounts, contracts and invoicing for other nonprofit organizations, for-profit retail, oil & gas, and construction businesses, and for an author/lecturer. She’s been a field executive for a regional Girl Scout Council, education director for several churches and has written a coming-of-age guide for young girls. After earning a cum laude in history at the University of Washington, she did post grad work in diversity training, management, team-building and mentoring. She also skippered a 52-foot twin-engine MV when female ship captains were a great oddity. Time living in Anchorage, New Orleans and Casablanca has given her a special interest in the Project’s work in faraway places and with different cultures.

Mary Ella Keblusek is Associate Director. She entered this nonprofit world after 25 years in business, mainly in systems analysis, marketing, human resources, and management, most recently as VP/GM of ADP's Seattle office. She took on direction of the Project's 2003 celebration of courage and compassion, doing such an outstandingly calm and efficient job that she was recruited to join the staff. A graduate of Vanderbilt in Nashville (though with no remaining drawl) she teaches classical guitar and has a killer volleyball serve. keblusek@giraffe.org

Ann Medlock
see Board amedlock@giraffe.org

Patty Toombs is the Project's Director of Education. A 30-year veteran educator, both as a classroom teacher and school administrator, she contributes a wealth of experiential knowledge about the teaching and learning process to the Project's educational outreach programs. She is passionate about children, and believes to her core that they represent all that is good in the world. She holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of California, a Teaching Credential from the University of San Francisco and a Master in Educational Administration from Western Washington University. As the child of an expatriate, she grew up living all around the world, and continues to love frequent traveling as well as spending quality time with family and friends on beautiful Whidbey Island and in nearby Seattle. toombs@giraffe.org

Karyn Watkins is the Project's production manager, managing editor, webmistress and computer techie. She's a free-thinker and an innovative problem-solver. She has raised two sons and a daughter, and is a longstanding advocate for young people with nontraditional learning styles. She was instrumental in the creation and management of Partridge Point Academy, a K-5 private school where parents took part in teaching the students. She’s been actively involved in the home-school movement. A self-taught computer nerd, she plans to continue her education over the Internet. office@giraffe.org

Other Giraffe Heroes Project tasks are handled by interns, contractors and volunteers.