Board of Directors

WestSide Baby Board of Directors

WestSide Baby is governed and supported by an incredible group of dedicated volunteer Directors.

Megan Simmons - Chair

Megan was born and raised in Montana.  She studied fine art at the University of Montana before graduating in Visual Communication in 1993 from the Art Institute in Seattle. Then she earned a second degree in cabinet-making at the Seattle Wood Construction Center.  Her career began with Sun Sportswear where she was an art director and design liaison with Disney.  She also designed software and online billing for Microsoft and did web design for FreeRange Media.  In 2006 Megan opened her studio, M. C. Simmons Design, located in West Seattle.  Megan was first introduced to WestSide Baby in 2004 and joined the board in 2006 as secretary.  In addition to her work as board chair, Megan donates her time to designing WestSide Baby's invitations, newsletters, and other marketing materials.  "Before our children were born, I never thought about volunteering.  Now, I can't imagine not being involved in my community's non-profit efforts."  Megan and her husband Christopher, a fourth grade teacher, have two daughters in elementary school. 

Rick Grimes - Vice Chair

Rick Grimes is Vice President of Global Direct Marketing for Yahoo!, Inc.  He grew up in Pittsburgh and has lived in Seattle for 12 years.  Rick earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and an M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University.  He has held leadership positions over the past 18 years in Printing, Internet Advertising, and Operations Management.  Rick’s passion for volunteerism started in high school and has continued since, having served on the Public Relations Committee for Habitat for Humanity of Indianapolis, on the Board of Make-A-Wish of Washington, and on the Board of Seattle Works.  He has always had a heart for children, but that became even more real in 2008 when Rick and his wife became parents of twin boys.  Rick saw an opportunity to help children via involvement with WestSide Baby and became involved as a donor, diaper drive leader, and chairman of the Marketing Committee.  He joined the board in May, 2010.  He was elected Vice-Chair in April, 2011 and will become Board Chair in April, 2012. 

Ryan Bartlett - Treasurer

Ryan Bartlett is born and raised in Seattle and currently lives in Burien with his wife and daughters (2yrs and brand new!).  Ryan is a CPA and has been working at Bader Martin as a senior auditor for the past three years, where his focus is on not for profit organizations and employee benefit plans.  Prior to joining Bader Martin, he worked as Controller and Director of Finance for a local Customs brokerage for over six years.  Ryan also currently serves as a member of the Professional Conduct Committee for the Washington State Society of CPA’s.  Ryan is truly proud to be a member of WestSide Baby’s board of directors, where he feels he gets more than he gives.  “The impact WestSide Baby has on the local community is remarkable.  It’s really rewarding to be part of an organization that provides essentials to children and families in need and where every dollar contributed is put to good use”.

Beth Mortimer - Secretary

Beth is a pediatric physical therapist, and has worked at Boyer Children’s Clinic since 2000, providing early intervention services to children from birth to age 3. She graduated from the University of Washington with B.S. degrees in Physical Therapy and Psychology, and later earned a Master of Science in Neurobiology and Behavior. She has lived in Seattle since 1983, and moved to West Seattle in 1992. Beth has been involved in education about child development for 15 years, teaching courses to physical and occupational therapists, physical therapy students, and elementary and preschool teachers. She also works with Yokyworks, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding technological solutions for people dealing with limitations to their daily activities due to disability. Beth was introduced to Westside Baby through yearly diaper drives at her son’s elementary school starting in about in 2002, and was happy to find she could donate his outgrown clothes and toys as well. She was also quite gratified when “The Babe” grew large enough that the Family Resource Coordinators at Boyer Children’s Clinic could obtain diapers and other needed baby supplies for their clients. “The pronounced relief I see on my clients faces when I can bring them the diapers, clothes, and baby equipment from Westside Baby is topped only by the joy that follows,  as they realize how much easier it will be to  keep their baby healthy and happy for the next few weeks or months.” She joined the board in July, 2010, and looks forward to helping Westside Baby grow.  

Amy Daly-Donovan

Amy Daly-Donovan is principal and owner of Daly-Donovan Consulting, a firm specializing in helping individuals, teams, and organizations achieve their goals through focused development and increased capability.  She provides training, facilitation, and consulting services to organizations of all types; with over 20 years experience in the Organization Development field, she has developed expertise in the areas of team and organizational effectiveness, strategic and implementation planning, process improvement, and change management.  Amy received her M.S. in Organization Development from The American University and her B.A. in Management from Moravian College.  Amy values the importance of volunteerism and community building and has actively supported many local organizations included PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support), Northwest Hope & Healing, and her children’s school PTSAs.  She joined the WestSide Baby board in 2009, although she has been connected to “The Babe” almost since the beginning.  Amy was drawn to WestSide Baby because “it makes sense – WestSide Baby puts the values of support, efficiency, and recycling to work every day and makes an incredible impact on local families’ lives.  People feel good about being part of an organization that helps out their own neighbors in their own community.”  Originally from the East Coast, Amy and her husband Jim moved to Seattle in 1989; they and their two children Connor & Shea have called West Seattle home for over 12 years.

Anne Higuera

Anne is co-owner of Ventana Construction LLC, an award-winning residential remodeling and custom home builder in the Seattle metro area.  She was recently recognized with the Certified Graduate Remodeler designation from the National Association of Home Builders. Before forming Ventana Construction with her husband, Anne was a stay-at-home mom for 4 years.  She worked as a journalist for 10 years for a variety of media outlets, including Fox News Channel in Seattle and San Francisco as a national field producer, KNTV San Jose, KTXL Sacramento and KCBA Salinas as a news line producer, and weekly newspapers Sacramento News & Review and Monterey Coast Weekly as a news editor. Anne has a BA in Journalism with a concentration in Women’s Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she was managing editor of the school newspaper, and received the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Award. Anne enjoys hiking, snowshoeing and exploring the Seattle area with her husband and three children.  She volunteers in her children’s elementary school and is active in the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. Anne was particularly drawn to Westside Baby because of the efficiency with which it utilizes donations, and the widespread impact those donations have in communities that desperately need them.  She says, “It is very fulfilling to know that our efforts are making a tangible difference for hundreds of families in our area.”

Rachelle Nesta

Rachelle Nesta moved to Seattle in 2005 after completing her BA in Women’s Studies and Sociology from the University of Wyoming. After growing up in Wyoming and Colorado, she was ready for a change, took a leap of faith and ended up in Seattle. She began her career at a residential center for youth who have been removed from their home due to abuse and neglect and found her passion. After a short eight months working directly with the youth as a counselor, Rachelle knew that was not the best way she could make a difference. After accepting a position as the grant writer at that organization, she has continued to work in the development field for nonprofits. Currently, Rachelle is the Development Director for the Center for Children & Youth Justice – an organization that is working to reform the juvenile justice and child welfare systems so they achieve positive outcomes for the children who are in those systems. Rachelle has always been a giver – in kindergarten, she asked her mom if she could give some of her dresses to a girl who was in her class who only wore her brothers hand-me-downs. So started her path to helping those in need. WestSide Baby fits directly into her passion to give back to children because “they truly deserve the best we as a society can give them.”

Susan Viscon

Working as the Director of Merchandising Management for REI, Susan directs a team of REI merchants who create product strategy and purchase product for REI stores and online.  Susan graduated from Northern Arizona University, with a B.S. in Business Administration. After school, she lived Phoenix and worked as a buyer for Dillard department stores. Susan relocated to Seattle for her role with REI 13 years ago. She and her family were drawn to West Seattle because of the feeling of community and wonderful local flavor. She has been a Westside School parent and supporter. Her family supports West Seattle food bank where her husband is a board member. Susan is a Leadership Tomorrow 2009 graduate.  She and husband and their two young girls enjoy travel, swimming, and skiing. Susan believes in and supports the mission of WestSide baby. She considers providing basic needs for our local families as an impactful contribution to the health of our community and an opportunity to enable West Seattle and White Center families. As a WestSide Baby board member, she works to increase awareness and access to WestSide Baby services, and help the organization increase operational efficiency and resources to support this growth. 

Welcome to our new Board Members Sept. 2011  (bios coming soon...)

Chip Hellar

Phyllis Nomura

Margaret Peyton

Jodi Ryznar