Board of Directors

Kris Tucker, Secretary

Kris served as Executive Director of the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) 1999-2014. At ArtsWA, Kris led a professional staff an appointed board of commissioners, overseeing programs and services including Art in Public places, Arts in Education, grants to organizations, and community partnerships. She is board secretary for Olympia Artspace Alliance, and serves on Olympia’s Cultural Access Advisory Board, the Design Committee for the Olympia Downtown Alliance, and the Executive Committee for Whipsmart, a statewide nonprofit serving creative industries.

Laurie Mott, treasurer

Laurie currently serves as Development Director and manages the ALL Foundation of Washington with the Secretary of State's Office, which promotes history, community and preservation in the Washington State Archives, Library Archives, Washington Talking Book & Braille Library and Legacy Washington divisions. She is passionate about the arts and the public sector and received a BFA from the University of Washington and an MNA from the University of Notre Dame. She lives in Olympia with her husband and two children, is an avid photographer, digital artist and enjoys traveling and spending as much time outdoors as possible.

Karen Fraser

Karen served 24 years in the Washington State Senate, representing the 22nd Legislative District which includes Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, and northern Thurston County. . She also served four years as State Representative, and 15 years as local elected official for 15 years, mayor of Lacey, Thurston County Commissioner, and President of the Washington State Association of Counties. Fraser graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in sociology and a Masters of Public Administration from the university’s Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs.

Dwayne Harkness 

Dwayne is an architect who retired after 23 years in public service for the State of Washington, following 18 years of private architectural practice in Olympia. He served as project manager for the $120 million Washington State Capitol Building Rehabilitation project, completed in 2004. Through that experience, Dwayne gained a passion for historic preservation and cultural heritage, which he applied to his 14 years as a member of the Olympia Heritage Commission (2005-19). He is a 1976 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts. Dwayne lives in Olympia with his wife, enjoying time with friends, travel, and outdoor recreation.

Tom Henderson

Tom retired from state government as the Assistant Director of State Facilities. Tom managed several divisions within the Department of Enterprise Services including, Engineering and Architectural Services, Leasing, and renovation and maintenance of state-owned facilities, including the Capitol Campus. HIs state service also included Capital Budgeting with the Office of Financial Management and Facilities Director for Community and Technical Colleges. Prior to state employment he worked in the private sector with Bechtel Power Corporation, Ebasco Construction Services, and a claims consulting firm, Nielsen-Wuster. 

Tom continues to be involved in community service with West Olympia Rotary, South Puget Sound Community College Foundation Board, and Olympia Educational Foundation.

Lonnie Johns-Brown 

Lonnie was born and raised in Kalama, Washington. She began lobbying in Olympia in 1985 and, before joining the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC), served twenty clients, including the National Organization for Women, Dispute Resolution Centers, Washington Sexual Assault Coalition, League of Women Voters and the  Pierce County Human Services Coalition. She specializes in health and human services and women’s issues.  

In 2014, she was asked to serve as the Legislative Director of OIC and served in that capacity for 6 years.  Now semi-retired, she continues to lobby and represents Washington Against Sexual Exploitation, Health Care For All Washington and Full Life Care.

She has lived in Tumwater since 2013 and has a deep and long-standing interest in the arts and historic preservation. She is a member of both the Washington State and National Trust for Historic Preservation, as well as the Olympia Historical Society. In addition, she has been a season ticket holder with both Harlequin and the Washington Center for the Performing Arts and the Seattle Art Museum.  In her spare time, she volunteers with the Olympia Chapter of the Retired Public Employees Council and enjoys exploring Washington’s many small, historical towns.

Megan Ockerman

Megan is an historian, author and humanities specialist. Currently an Architectural Historian for an Alaska-based engineering firm, she previously served as Assistant Director and Assistant Curator for the Olympia Tumwater Foundation. She earned. Her Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in History at Washington State University.

Sam Reed

Sam served as Washington’s Secretary of State from 2001-2013. His accomplishments in this role include creating Legacy Washington that documents extraordinary stories in Washington history, creating the nation’s first digital state archives, saving the Washington State Library, and championing civility, moderation and bipartisanship in government. In 2006-2007, he served as the president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. He previously served as Thurston County Auditor for five terms, as the Assistant Secretary of State and as executive director of two gubernatorial commissions.
 
In retirement, Sam chaired the boards of directors for TVW, the YMCA Youth & Government, and the Mainstream Republicans of Washington.  He chairs the advisory committee for the Sam Reed Distinguished Professorship in Civic Education and Public Civility at WSU.  He serves on the advisory board for the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy & Public Service.

Sam was raised in Wenatchee, graduated from Lewis & Clark High School in Spokane and attended Washington State University where he received a BA in Social Studies and an MA in Political Science. Sam currently lives in Olympia with his wife Margie.

Shanna Stevenson

Shanna is a long-time local historian in Olympia, and formerly served as Historic Preservation Officer for Olympia, Thurston County and Tumwater. From 2006 to 2014  she served  as the Coordinator of the Women’s History Consortium project, responsible for the commemoration of the Washington Suffrage Centennial.

Shanna has a BA in History and Education from Gonzaga University and a Masters in Public Administration from The Evergreen State College. Her most recent publication,  Women’s Votes, Women’s Voices: The Campaign for Equal Rights In Washington is available from WSU Press.

Susan Ritter

Susan is a longtime resident and businesswoman. She and her husband Scott run Ritter Holding Co, Inc. managing and developing real estate. After graduating from the University of Washington, she and her husband raised four children, while running a successful local casework manufacturing company.

Susan has always been active in her community serving on various boards and clubs and involved with the schools. She has been a contributor to The Olympian, is an advocate for the arts and supporting the community of Olympia. 

Her hobbies include freelance writing, walking, line dancing, boating in the San Juans, and her great joy is that of being a grandmother.

Staff

Ruth Kodish-Eskind

Exhibitions and Programs Manager

Ruth transitioned into public history after a diverse career in music, community arts, and carpentry. She studied History and Native Studies at The Evergreen State College. Ruth has worked with the Jefferson County Historical Society as an exhibition researcher and with the Washington State Jewish Historical Society as an Oral Historian. She believes that curating art and history together holds immense power to help us, as a community, explore both time and place. A lifelong learner, Ruth brings an abundance of curiosity and enthusiasm to her work.