The People Behind SWYFS

Jeanne Arvidson

Jeanne Arvidson joined the board in 2000 and serves as board representative to the cultural competency committee at SWYFS and is the current board secretary. Jeanne is a retired Community College administrator with long experience arranging contract training between schools and businesses. She managed a satellite campus for apprenticeship training and was Dean of Continuing Education at South Seattle Community College for over 20 years. She is also an active volunteer with Rotary International and Rotary’s Ambassadorial Scholarship Program.

Len Burton-Hardin

A native Oklahoman, Len R. Burton-Hardin has been a licensed funeral director for over 25 years and is affiliated with Howden-Kennedy Funeral Home of West Seattle.   An active member of the Rotary Club of West Seattle, he serves as Vice-President and is on the club’s Board of Directors. He is a Rotary International Paul Harris receiptant.  Len volunteers with Lifelong Aids Alliance’s Meals on Wheels and Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County. Len and his life-partner make their home in West Seattle and they have a daughter, Sara. In his spare time, Len enjoys traveling, reading, theatre and is a Sacramento River Cats fan.  His personal mantra is one from the teachings of Amma,  “It is everyone’s responsibility to ease the suffering of others”.

Len Henzke

Len Henzke is a West-Seattle resident living near the Admiral Junction with his wife Nicole, son Jack and daughter Clara. Len is a principal with ECG Management Consultants, where he consults for not-for-profit hospitals on business issues, including financial and strategic planning. In his free time, Len enjoys spending time with his family as well as cycling, skiing, and hiking. Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, he appreciates all the unique things that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. In particular, he loves living in West Seattle and is proud to help an organization that improves the lives of people who live in this community.

Susan Lantz-Dey

Susan Lantz-Dey joined the Board of the Southwest Youth and Family Services in 2011.    Susan has worked in non-profit human services across the country for 25 years.  She has undergraduate degrees in Human Services and Education, and a Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology.  Susan specialized in treating communication disorders of children and adults with developmental disabilities, and their families and caregivers.  She brings to SWYFS a strong knowledge of child development, and the relationships between effective communication, education, and success in life. From experience, Susan understands the challenges of tight financial constraints on a non-profit organization in the human services sector. She has worked effectively with clients, families, organizations, and funding agencies to develop and deliver culturally relevant services to improve individuals’ and families’ lives. Susan believes that real progress comes from working as a team with a common objective.

Ann Martin

Ann Martin has lived in West Seattle since early 1976. In 2006, she began her tenure on the board and currently serves its treasurer. She and her husband raised two children in West Seattle, both of whom attended High Point Elementary School, where she was co-president of the PTSA. In this role, she witnessed the challenges faced by students, families, and teachers because of ethnic, economic, and behavioral problems. Although her education and work dealt more directly with environmental issues, upon retirement she decided to work at building a bridge between social justice and environmental issues, and looked for opportunities to put herself more directly in touch with both social and environmental work. SWYFS became a piece of that strategy and an increasingly important part of her interests.

Heena Khatri

Eileen Norton

Eileen Norton, Board President, rejoined the board in 2005 after serving for six years from 1990 to 1996. She has held several positions in the public sector legal community including the City of Seattle and the Seattle Monorail Project. She also served as an Assistant City Auditor for the City of Seattle, and is currently the Director of Project Management for Pacific Coast Canola.

Pat Pavey

Pat Pavey served as President of the Board from 2004 through 2008 and has been with the board since 1986. His long service on the board has given SWYFS invaluable institutional memory and historical perspective. His work with the Fire Department training division prior to retirement was helpful in creating current strategic plans, and in the agency’s work toward becoming a more culturally competent organization. Pat retired from the Seattle Fire Department in 2007 and has gone on to provide consulting services to the fire service in Washington.

Mark Wirschem

Carolyn Duncan

Steve Daschle, Executive Director

Steve Daschle has been with Southwest Youth and Family Services since 1988 and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He has served as co-chair of the Seattle Human Services Coalition, and is actively involved in promoting effective, family supportive policy at the state, county and city levels. Under his leadership, SWYFS has grown from a small neighborhood organization to being recognized as one of the area’s leading human services organizations.

Nanette Westerman, Development Director

Nanette Westerman first joined SWYFS as Family Center Coordinator in 1991 to organize one of Seattle’s first three Family Centers. After working to significantly expand that program’s funding base, in 2003 she moved on to the larger challenge of doing the same for the agency as a whole. Nanette has worked in community and human services for over 30 years and has a B.A. in Liberal Arts from The Evergreen State College. Nanette’s great-grandparents first moved to the Delridge area in the early 1900s. Her grandparents, mother, aunts and uncle were raised and lived within blocks of Southwest Youth and Family Services until the mid-80s and much of her childhood was spent in the neighborhood.

Leslie Galloway, Administrative Director

Leslie Galloway has been with Southwest Youth and Family Services in various capacities since January 1993. She has held her current position as Administrative Director since 2006. Leslie has a B.S. in Forestry from the University of Washington.

Robert Gant, Counseling Center Director

Robert Gant joined SWYFS in 1998 as a Seattle Team For Youth Case Manager, then Child & Family Therapist in the Counseling Center. In 2009, Robert was promoted and served as the coordinator for the Southwest Network of the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative (SYVPI). He was responsible for developing and maintaining ongoing partnerships and communication between community-based agencies, schools, law enforcement, and community members. Robert was again promoted to Counseling Center Director in 2012. Robert has a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Argosy University and earned a specialty certification in Children’s Mental Health from University of Washington Extension program. He is well known in the Southwest community having attended school and worked for many years serving youth & families. .

Bryan Hayes, Education and Family Center Director

Bryan Hayes joined SWYFS in 1999 as the parent education coordinator for the Family Center. He was promoted in 2003 to the position of Education Center director, where he manages the High School Re-entry program for high school students who have fallen behind in their school credits, been suspended, expelled or have dropped out; and Teen Parent GED program. Bryan has a Masters degree in Educational Leadership and earned a Program Administration Certification at City University. He is well known in the southwest Seattle youth community, having worked for many years in the Seattle Parks and Recreation Late Night Program, coordinating and supervising recreation, education and cultural programs for teens and young adults at risk of disruptive behavior

SWYFS Staff

Donna Chapman, Administrative Assistant
Leslie Galloway, Administrative Director
Be Ho, Evening Receptionist
Frances Rivera, Accounting Coordinator
Nanette Westerman, Development Director