Past Speaker

Linda Hoffner, Wright Runstad & Company (Oct. 29th) – A Passion for Service and Placemaking; When personal and professional goals align

Linda's Bio Linda Hoffner is a General Manager at Wright Runstad & Company overseeing The Spring District development in the Bel-Red corridor of Bellevue. She oversees the operations of over 1.5M SF of completed office and retail space leased to Meta, the Global Innovation Exchange, Deloitte, Catalyst, and Bellevue [...]

By |2025-10-10T16:27:46-07:00October 29, 2024|Past Speaker, Speaker|Comments Off on Linda Hoffner, Wright Runstad & Company (Oct. 29th) – A Passion for Service and Placemaking; When personal and professional goals align

Jim Barnhart, Sr Director of Agriculture, JE Austin (Oct 22nd) – Perspectives on the Middle East Conflicts

Jim's Bio Jim Barnhart is currently the Senior Director for Agriculture with JE Austin, an international consulting firm. He also serves as an External Advisor to McKinsey and Company. Jim has nearly 40 years of international and domestic development experience. He spent over two decades at USAID, living and [...]

By |2025-10-10T16:26:16-07:00October 22, 2024|Past Speaker, Speaker|Comments Off on Jim Barnhart, Sr Director of Agriculture, JE Austin (Oct 22nd) – Perspectives on the Middle East Conflicts

Bryce Phillips, Founder/CEO, evo (Oct. 15th) – Blending Commerce, Cause, Culture & Community

Bryce Phillips studied finance, juggling school while living in Whistler BC, skiing professionally for companies including Patagonia and K2, and chasing winters around the world. In 2001 Bryce started evo, an action sports and outdoor lifestyle retail business, and in 2005 opened a flagship store in Seattle, Washington. Originally [...]

By |2025-10-10T16:24:10-07:00October 15, 2024|Past Speaker, Speaker|Comments Off on Bryce Phillips, Founder/CEO, evo (Oct. 15th) – Blending Commerce, Cause, Culture & Community

Patrick Chun, Athletic Director, University of Washington (Oct. 1st)

Pat's Bio The University of Washington appointed Pat Chun as its 17th Director of Athletics on March 26, 2024.  Prior to that, Mr. Chun served in the same role at Washington State University in 2018 and earned the distinction of Under Armor Athletic Director of the Year in 2020. He has served [...]

By |2025-10-10T16:16:26-07:00October 1, 2024|Past Speaker, Speaker|Comments Off on Patrick Chun, Athletic Director, University of Washington (Oct. 1st)

Matt Samwick, Founder and CEO of Innovation Realty Partners LLC (Sep. 24th) – Smart Growth on the Eastside/ Creating a Downtown in Sammamish

Matthew Samwick is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Innovation Realty Partners, LLC, a commercial real estate development company based in Bellevue, WA. Its mission is to help communities achieve their development goals by creating 360 degree, one-stop living centers, that honor people, prosperity, and the earth. Innovation Realty [...]

By |2024-09-25T09:08:19-07:00September 24, 2024|Past Speaker, Speaker|Comments Off on Matt Samwick, Founder and CEO of Innovation Realty Partners LLC (Sep. 24th) – Smart Growth on the Eastside/ Creating a Downtown in Sammamish

Michael Greer, CEO of ArtsFund (Sep. 17th) – Arts and Culture Trends & Reflections

As a relationship builder, thought leader, and strategic planner, Michael brings three decades of experience in nonprofit and for-profit leadership to ArtsFund, supporting the mission to support the arts through leadership, advocacy, and grantmaking in order to build a healthy, equitable, and creative Washington. With degrees in economics, education, [...]

By |2024-09-18T06:33:46-07:00September 17, 2024|Past Speaker, Speaker|Comments Off on Michael Greer, CEO of ArtsFund (Sep. 17th) – Arts and Culture Trends & Reflections

Jody Elsom, Founder/Owner, Elsom Cellars Winery (Sept. 10th)

Jody's Bio After graduating from the UW with a degree in construction management, Jody began a career in the construction industry, focused primarily on healthcare and biotechnology. She started with DPR Construction, then founded her own firm, Elsom Construction LLC before moving to the development side of the business [...]

By |2025-10-10T16:18:07-07:00September 10, 2024|Past Speaker, Speaker|Comments Off on Jody Elsom, Founder/Owner, Elsom Cellars Winery (Sept. 10th)

Mike Preiner, Founder, The Math Agency (Sept. 3rd) – Closing educational gaps in Bellevue Public Schools

Mike Preiner is the founder of The Math Agency; their mission is to close educational gaps in public schools. He has a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Stanford University and has founded and sold two software and analytics companies. Mike grew up in a low-income family in rural Minnesota, [...]

By |2024-09-04T06:41:12-07:00September 3, 2024|Past Speaker, Speaker|Comments Off on Mike Preiner, Founder, The Math Agency (Sept. 3rd) – Closing educational gaps in Bellevue Public Schools

Mari Horita, The Seattle Kraken, One Roof Foundation (Aug. 27th) – Our Commitment to the Community

Mari's Bio As Senior Vice President, Social Impact & Government Relations for the Seattle Kraken and Executive Director of One Roof Foundation, Mari Horita sits on the team’s Executive Committee and leads the development and implementation of the social impact, community engagement, philanthropic, and DE&I vision and strategy for [...]

By |2025-10-10T16:18:57-07:00August 27, 2024|Past Speaker, Speaker|Comments Off on Mari Horita, The Seattle Kraken, One Roof Foundation (Aug. 27th) – Our Commitment to the Community

Dave Walsh, Consultant of Dave Walsh Consulting (Aug. 20th) – From Carbon Curious to Concrete Reductions: Reducing Building Material Emissions

Dave Walsh is a Green Construction Consultant and Registered Architect at Dave Walsh Consulting and has over 34 years of experience working with architects, developers, contractors, and public agencies to measure and reduce embodied carbon in their projects. His project experience includes leading the Zero Carbon, LEED, and Salmon [...]

By |2024-09-04T06:41:56-07:00August 20, 2024|Past Speaker, Speaker|Comments Off on Dave Walsh, Consultant of Dave Walsh Consulting (Aug. 20th) – From Carbon Curious to Concrete Reductions: Reducing Building Material Emissions
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