Casey Family Programs’ Board of Trustees elects three new members
Casey Family Programs has announced the selection of three new members of the Board of Trustees to provide guidance and oversight of the foundation as it works to Build Communities of Hope and achieve the organization’s mission to provide and improve – and ultimately prevent the need for – foster care.
The selection of these three leaders represents the culmination of a comprehensive recruitment process. The three new board members add to the diversity of professional, community service and personal experience on Casey Family Programs’ Board of Trustees. The new members will join the Board on November 1.
Dr. Benjamin Danielson is a pediatrician and clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He previously worked as the medical director of the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Dr. Danielson is known throughout Seattle as an advocate for underserved children and families, working to increase access to health care and fighting against racial inequities. Dr. Danielson’s service to the community includes chairing the Governor’s Interagency Council on Health Disparities, co-chairing the Governor’s Task Force on creating an Office of Equity, serving on the boards of Amara Adoption and Foster Care Services and the Center for Children and Youth Justice, and directing Allies in Healthier Systems for Health & Abundance in Youth (AHSHAY) to help address and prevent youth incarceration.
Karen Jones retired in 2014 from Microsoft, where she held the role of vice president, deputy general counsel of HR Legal, and then briefly served as the interim legal director for the ACLU of Washington in 2015. Before working at Microsoft, Jones worked as a managing principal at the law firm Riddell Williams P.S., where she worked for 26 years. Jones’ community engagement includes serving on the board of directors for YouthCare in Seattle since 2006 and as its board chair. She has also served on the board for Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), has represented unaccompanied minors in immigration proceedings and is a “big sister” with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Jones is also a leader on the Grantee Engagement Committee for the Washington Women’s Foundation, where she has been involved since 2006.
Eric Pettigrew’s diverse experience includes various levels of government, the private sector and the nonprofit sector. In addition to the 18 years he served in the Washington House of Representatives, he has worked for Gallagher Consulting and Regence BlueShield of Washington. He currently serves as vice president of government relations and outreach for the National Hockey League’s Seattle Kraken. Pettigrew previously served as deputy chief of staff for public safety to former Seattle Mayor Norman Rice. Pettigrew, who has a master’s degree in social work, also worked as a recruiter to increase diversity in the University of Washington School of Social Work and served as the former director of the Minority Youth Health Project. An adoptive father himself, Pettigrew has three adult children.
Casey Family Programs is the nation’s largest operating foundation focused on safely reducing the need for foster care in the United States. Our mission is to provide and improve — and ultimately prevent the need for — foster care. Founded in 1966, Casey Family Programs works in all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and with tribal nations across North America to influence long-lasting improvements to the well-being of children, families and the communities where they live.