Read about the members of our board and staff that help make things possible.
Executive Board
Aaron Alonso grew up in the Mukilteo School District and attended Mukilteo schools for his entire public education. A 2010 graduate of Kamiak High School, he attended Western Washington University, receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in stage management and technical theatre in spring 2014. A theatre practitioners and ultimate theatre geek, he has worked at many theatrical companies here in the region and across the country, including: Village Theatre, The 5th Avenue Theatre, The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center in Connecticut, and The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Aaron is currently the Production Manager at Village Theatre KIDSTAGE in Everett, managing and supervising the production programs in that location. KIDSTAGE, as part of Village Theatre, is one of the leading theatrical youth education departments in the Pacific Northwest, serving over 26,000 students over the course of the year between their locations in Issaquah and Everett. Aaron still lives in the district in South Everett.
Vikki Strand has 25 years of experience in the financial services industry including management positions in lending, community and business development. Her board experience includes Housing Hope for nine years, serving as President one year and also on the Executive committee, HR committee, Resource Development committee
and Capitol Campaign committee. Vikki has also served on the Everett Community College Foundation for nine
years, the Mukilteo Boys and Girls Club Luau committee for three years and several years volunteering in Mukilteo schools and sports organizations. Vikki and her husband Scott have lived in Mukilteo for 18 years and have three children with their youngest currently at Kamiak High School.
Karl Hausmann is a lawyer with the Mill Creek Law firm. Karl attended Mariner High School, the University of Notre Dame, and Seattle University School of Law. Karl’s law practice includes civil and commercial litigation, including construction, probate litigation, and real estate law. Karl is the former president of the Snohomish County Bar Association and a member of the Everett Port Gardner Rotary Club. He is a former coach with the Mukilteo Youth Soccer Club.
Kathy Pickus is a Realtor® with Windermere Real Estate and has a Business Economics degree from UCLA. She and her husband Glen moved to Mukilteo in 1990 and happily shepherded their three children through Mukilteo public schools. Kathy was an active volunteer with the Harbour Pointe and Kamiak Performing Arts Boosters and spent many an hour volunteering at Seattle Mariner’s games to raise money for orchestra trips. Kathy also owns and operates Dot Girl Products, an internet retail company.
Ex-Officio
Ashleigh Cruze was born and raised in the PNW where she still resides with her husband, two kids, and two fur babies. When Ashleigh is not engaged at Mukilteo Schools Foundation she can be found enjoying the outdoors with her family or reading a good book with a cup of tea. At a young age Ashleigh realized a desire and passion to help her community flourish. Her studies and career have been wholly focused around this concept. In 2006 she completed her B.A. in International Relations with a minor in Human Rights at the University of Washington. Immediately following she continued her path at Northwest University where she received her Masters in Community Development with her thesis focusing on mental health systems. Since graduating she has worked for several local nonprofits spearheading events and fundraising efforts. She then pursued her own grant writing and nonprofit development company where she was successful in helping local nonprofits fund essential programs and sustain their invaluable presence in the community. Ashleigh is passionate about education and equity and is excited to be apart of Mukilteo Schools Foundation’s efforts in this area.
Dr. Alison Brynelson began serving as the Mukilteo School District Superintendent on January 1, 2020. Dr. Brynelson’s work in the District spans 22 years and several different positions including including Explorer Middle School Assistant Principal, Voyager Middle School Principal, Director of Student Services, Executive Director of Secondary Education, Assistant Superintendent, and Deputy Superintendent from 2016 to 2019. She began her career in education as a middle school social studies and English teacher in the Bethel School District.
Dr. Brynelson earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University, a master’s degree from University of Puget Sound, completed her superintendent’s certificate in 2005 and earned a doctorate degree in Executive Leadership from Seattle Pacific University in 2014. She has been a steady, guiding force in the District’s equity work. Dr. Brynelson was raised on a small island in Southeast Alaska. She moved to Washington to attend Western and has remained a resident ever since.
Board
Andre Graham is the Director for the South Everett/Mukilteo Boys & Girls Club. He is originally from Chicago and has resided in the Pacific Northwest for the last 20 years. He really enjoys the mentoring aspects of his job as well as motivating children to succeed academically. Andre currently serves on the Everett Police Department Chief Advisory Board and is very excited to serve Mukilteo School District youth on the Mukilteo Schools Foundation Board.
Boris Zaretsky is a retired Boeing Sales Director and Engineer with interests in volunteering,
public service and history.
Boris was born in Minsk, Belarus and in 1978 he came to Chicago with his parents and
grandmother as a political refugee from the Soviet Union. In 1980 Boris dropped out of
high school to attend the University of Chicago, where in 1983 he obtained his B.S. in
Applied Mathematics. In 1985 Boris received M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics
from MIT.
Boris joined McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach, California in 1985. His family and he
moved to Mukilteo, WA in 1998 shortly after the Boeing – McDonnell Douglas merger.
The first 15 years of his career Boris spent in several engineering assignments in
aerodynamic research and technology, certification, aircraft performance and customer
engineering. In 2000 Boris transitioned from Engineering to Commercial Sales and
spent 19 years as a Sales Program Manager and, then, a Sales Director for aircraft and
aviation services.
Since his retirement in 2019, Boris has been involved in several volunteer endeavors,
mostly to help new immigrants become productive members of the American society.
He has also participated in several local civic organizations. Boris is considering going
back to school to obtain a degree in history.
Boris is married and has three adult daughters. In his free time, he enjoys reading,
history, physical fitness, spectator sports, family activities and trave
Ron Johnson is a Technical Program Manager at Resources Online and he has worked and served throughout his community for many years. In the past he has served on the Mukilteo School Board for four years and currently he is a member of both Kiwanis and The Mountaineers. He is excited to join the Mukilteo Schools Foundation Board and to help with the good work they are doing for the students in his community.
Pat Hegarty joined the Mukilteo School District in July of 2015, after 32 years of service to Shoreline Public Schools. Pat began his career in 1983 as an English teacher at Shoreline High School. Mr. Hegarty then moved to Shorewood High School where he served for 14 years as English teacher, librarian, Yearbook advisor, department leader, Assistant Principal, and Athletic Director. In 2006 Pat became the principal of Syre Elementary School in Shoreline, and six years later returned to high school to lead Shorecrest High School, where he served as principal for nine years. Pat holds a BA in English from the University of Washington, an MAT in English from the UW, the Washington State Principal certificate from Seattle Pacific University, and he is currently working on his Superintendent’s certificate through Western Washington University.
Kim Gaffney accepted the position as Unit Director of the Mukilteo Boys and Girls Club in October 2019. Prior to that, she co-owned a law practice and also was an organizer and operation manager for Seattle Human Services Coalition, a non-human service non-profit that organized and advocated for gender equality, racial equality, immigration reform, fair and equal funding for the homeless and food insecure, support for victims of sexual and domestic assault. Kim began volunteer teaching art at her daughter’s school and decided to make a
change in careers. She made the jump and worked for Kamiak High School in their Life Skills department. She also worked two school year terms in the autism classrooms . Kim welcomes this opportunity to do the work of both of her passions in life; working with children and working to shape the community around us to create a brighter stronger future.
Alex Zitnik is the current Business Development Director at IRG Physical & Hand Therapy. She has worked at IRG since 2010 and currently leads the Marketing, Outreach, and Performance Service Departments which currently serves several schools in the Mukilteo School District. Alex grew up in Snohomish County and is a proud graduate of Washington State University. Alex volunteers for several community organizations including the Economic Alliance of Snohomish County, Imagine Children’s Museum, and the Snohomish County Sports Commission Board of Directors.
Laurie Franklin is the Dean of Enrollment and Student Financial Services at Everett Community College. In addition to serving as a member of the Mukilteo Schools Foundation, she serves on advisory boards for Everett Public Schools and Snohomish County Sports Commission. Born and raised in Hawaii, Laurie enjoys spending time near water with her family and friends.
Staff
Kristin Kimmerling has been in the PNW for 35 years, in Mukilteo for the last 21 with her husband and two children. Kristin’s two children went through the Mukilteo School District from Kindergarten at Serene Lake Elementary to graduating from Kamiak High School. During those years Kristin volunteered with the Serene Lake PTA, OV PTO, Kamiak PTO, as well as being the KPAB Wreath Sales Chair, KPAB Patron of the Arts Chair, and the 2016 Kamiak Grad Knight Treasurer. Kristin graduated from UNR with a degree in Anthropology, but went to work in the accounting field, and worked as a bookkeeper in the Civil Engineering world for 28 years. She “semi-retired” in 2019, and is a partner with her husband in their own firm. Outside of work she likes to snow ski and garden.
