Board of Directors

Susan Corning
Senior Program Manager, Amazon

DeAnne Dodson
IT Operations Manager, Symetra Financial

Judy Gowdy
President Elect | President, J.C. Interiors, Inc.

Cynthia Hwang
Vice President, Client Advisor, JP Morgan

Diane Kuslich
Treasurer | HR Manager, Microsoft

Nora E. Pardo
Secretary | Systems Analyst, UW Medicine

Karen Ridlon
ED Emeritus / Founder, KidVantage

Whitney Reparuk
Finance Manager, Amazon

Kerry Robinson
Of Counsel, Davis Wright Tremaine- Retired

Diann Strom
Senior Business Program Manager, Microsoft

Alexandra Chasin
Senior International Strategic Consultant, SAP Concur

Andrew Symons
President | Attorney/Shareholder, Inslee, Best- Retired
Staff Leadership

Jack Edgerton
Executive Director

Helen Banks Routon
Director of Development & Community Relations

Carolina Liendo
Senior Manager of Progams
Meet Our Founder
Karen Ridlon founded our organization in 1990. A certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (University of California, San Francisco, 1972), Karen worked as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in California and Washington, working in well-child care, newborn care, and newborn ICU support for a number of medical groups and doctors. Karen’s intent was to fill an unmet need for parents with newborns who lacked basic supplies for their children.
She is Executive Director Emeritus and a lifetime member of the Board of Directors. Karen has been recognized for her efforts with many volunteer awards, including receiving the Leadership Eastside LENi Community Choice Leadership Award in 2013, Distinguished Member Award for the Washington State Chapter of NAPNAP (National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners) in 2013, Issaquah Schools Foundation Golden Apple Award (2009), and chosen as a UCSF Distinguished Alumni. Karen is the mother of three children and a proud resident of Issaquah, where she lives with her husband.
Photo Credit
Melanie Smith, www.melaniesmithstudios.com