Staff & Board of Directors

I bring to my role as Executive Director 35+ years of combined experiences in social enterprise and non-profit, high-tech, education, theater, film, restaurant and food service, event production, fundraising events, human resources, recruitment, and retention in various sectors.

As a woman and single mother, I know how supporting those who need and depend on us makes us wholly human. It transcends religion, politics and race. I know that we are all more alike than we are different, and that supporting and empowering those who are underserved creates equity that makes our world more just. I created Women Hold the Key to turn these philosophical tenants into my life’s work. It’s not just an organization; it’s an extension of my beliefs.

My life’s mission and work, like most of us, centers around our own gifts – which are directly connected to the places where we are the most wounded. This work allows me to come full circle, from being a child that felt alone without a mother, unseen and unvalued, to being able to create places where women are seen, heard and know they matter. This work creates embedded community and deep and lasting relationships in which women can support one another, their families, and their community as a whole. I feel very connected to my community, and feel a personal responsibility to improve the lives of those with whom I live. I also get to watch my daughter (and sons) observe women who support women. As young people, they are exposed to how mean people can be to each other, especially young women, through social media. Modeling supportive relationships between women has given them a more nurturing viewpoint of how women and all people can be in community. It also shows that our natural inclination is to be supportive of one another, more understanding of each other and more powerful together than alone. I am proud to be a positive example to my daughter, my sons and to my community

 I have a weird, wide, and convoluted professional background, from forestry to law to higher ed to nonprofits. I have 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, having served in just about every role there is: volunteer, staff, board member, and executive director, mostly at organizations involving empowering women. I moved to Washington sight unseen in 2013, with my husband, John -- a brave leap of faith that has worked out beautifully. We found Vashon in 2014 and have lived here ever since. I have two adult sons, both self-avowed mama's boys and staunch feminists, who followed me to Vashon. While on Vashon, I have served on the boards of directors for Hestia and the Vashon Rotary Club, and I was the executive director of the Vashon Senior Center from 2018 until I retired in late 2022. My secret talent is amateur carpenter. John and I bought a fixer-upper when we moved to Vashon, so I've been fixer-uppering it ever since. (Ladies Day at Island Lumber is my favorite local holiday.) Women Hold the Key has changed my life, drawing me out of a difficult year to join a supportive, loving, and wildly imaginative community. I would love nothing better than to do the same for every woman on Vashon.

Originating from Istanbul, Turkey, I relocated to the USA after completing high school. It was in the United States that I discovered my voice and identity as a woman. Pursuing my education at the University of Arizona in Tucson, I later moved to Seattle over a decade ago to further my career in healthcare administration. Settling on Vashon Island five years ago, my family and I found our home, and I commute to Seattle daily via the Water Taxi. I am happily married to my best friend and am the proud parent of two wonderful teenagers. Currently serving as the Operations Manager of the Radiation Oncology clinics at Providence Swedish Medical Center, I am dedicated to my professional role. 

Having grown up in Turkey, I witnessed women selflessly sacrificing their lives for others, my own "babane" (grandmother) included. It took her seven decades to realize she could take a moment for herself—to stroll along the beach, relish the view, indulge in fried fish in bread for lunch, and simply find solace. In my thirties, it dawned on me that I, too, was neglecting to nurture my soul. This realization prompted a shift in my perspective, as I recognized the importance of setting a different example for my daughter and son. I wanted them to understand that women should not just survive but thrive, within a community that fosters mutual empowerment, leading to happiness and fulfillment. Such communities, I believe, cultivate healthier relationships and contribute to the well-being of future generations. 

Hence, my involvement with Women Hold the Key is driven by a shared commitment to creating communities, one at a time, where women connect, enjoy, share, support resilience, discover the goddess within them, and ultimately thrive. 

I have watched how Women Hold the Key has become a dynamic force in the community for several years. I joined the board to offer my experience and perspective to help us grow. My background includes teaching adults at the community college, historic preservation, community history, tribal cultural activities, serving on local non-profit and community boards, and grant writing to support those activities.

I have benefited from the guidance and mentorship of women, professionally and personally. My experience of women gathering together has granted me wisdom to see myself in new and robust ways. I have also witnessed how it transforms communities when women thrive. I hope that my participation offers that to others.

I joined the board of Women Hold the Key because I have been directly impacted by the beneficial power of women in community, and I wanted to be a part of extending the joy, camaraderie, and support to women everywhere. 

My experience as a teacher, writer, editor, marketing communications manager, flight attendant, event planner, caterer, chef, yoga instructor, project manager, and now as a fundraising and communications manager have given me such a broad range of experience. I’m grateful for all the hats I’ve been able to wear and the relationships I’ve built. So much of what I’ve done well involves relating to people, being able to create meaning in the work and quite simply being able to figure out how to do that thing that I don’t know how to do – and then doing it!

I’m delighted to get to work from home now, and that affords me time to engage in the community that I love. Living on Vashon for 21 years, I'm astounded at the connections I've made and what a difference it makes to the feeling of belonging and purpose. I'm proud to be a part of the Vashon community, and I’m honored to serve Women Hold the Key.

Bio coming soon!

In Loving Memory of our Friend
We’ve all had that person in our life who lit up the world and made us all the better for knowing them. Sarah Pierre-Louis will always be that person for us. We were honored to have her on our board of directors, and she’ll always be a part of Women Hold the Key. Thank you for gracing us with your light, Sarah.