Board of Directors

WestSide Baby Board of Directors

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

Megan Simmons - President

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. 

Laurel Glidewell - Vice President

Laurel arrived in Seattle 15 years ago by way of Canada, Wisconsin, and Georgia, but she considers herself a native. “Coming to Seattle was like coming home for the first time.” She started her career with a M.A. from Auburn University - teaching university students how to write persuasively. She has worked in Europe, the US and Canada for Cambridge Consulting Services helping companies to implement and use IT systems. Since the birth of her daughter in 2005, Laurel has worked as a freelance marketing writer for several NW agencies. Her commitment to WestSide Baby began 5 years ago when she attended her first tea. She joined the board in 2007 because, “I believe that our community can be a safety net for local families and children that live on the edge of poverty. What WestSide Baby does makes perfect sense to me. Children have a way of succeeding - finding their place, contributing their energy and enthusiasm to our community and our world. But they do need a few essentials first. They need a dry bottom, a warm bed, a safe car seat, and a caring community. They need WestSide Baby and they need us.”

Michele Andrus - Treasurer

Michele Andrus is Director of Fixed Income Sales with Wells Fargo Securities, LLC.  She brings over 25 years of investment experience to her clients in the Pacific Northwest.  Michele works with corporations, municipalities, financial institutions, and high-net worth individuals, aiding in the management of their liquidity and fixed income portfolios.  She is registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) as a general securities representative and a registered investment advisor.  Michele earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Washington and is accredited by the Association of Financial Professionals as a Certified Treasury Professional.  She has been actively involved with the Northwest Association of Financial Professionals, having previously served on its board in the roles of Program Director, Treasurer and President.  Other non-profit experience includes volunteering as an Associate with ArtsFund in Seattle, raising funds from corporate and individual donors for five years.  Michele was first introduced to WestSide Baby when she was invited to attend the annual Tea in 2006. She joined the WestSide Baby board in 2007 in the role of Treasurer and in 2009 organized the Finance Committee to provide guidance and recommendations on various strategic initiatives of our growing organization.  Michele says “Prior to attending the Annual Tea, I had little understanding of the challenges faced by so many in providing essentials as simple as diapers for their children.  It was immediately clear to me how vital the services of WestSide Baby are in helping the community meet the needs of local children and their families.  I was compelled to become involved with providing solutions and making a positive difference in my community.”

Sandra Merkin - Secretary

Sandra works as a Coldwell Banker real estate agent in the Seattle area with a specialized focus on Seattle's West-side neighborhoods where she resides. As a parent of school aged children, she is actively involved in local schools and activities. A former director of public relations for a Fortune 500 company, Sandra knows about delivering a higher standard of service and doing it more consistently. She is passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of her clients and community and believes in constant communication, complete accessibility and un-compromising honesty. Sandra is a former corporate director of public relations for Westin Hotels & Resorts with more than a decade of public relations and marketing expertise. She is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Journalism Degree in Public Relations. She is consistently recognized as a 5-Star Best in Client Satisfaction real estate agent by Seattle Magazine, a distinction awarded to the top 7% of agents in the Seattle area. A member of the elite Coldwell Banker International Sterling Society, awarded to the top 10% of Coldwell Banker real estate agents worldwide for exceptional sales performance. Sandra has been a board member for WestSide Baby since 2007 but has been an avid supporter since its inception in 2001.  “I felt the call to action after attending my first WestSide Baby tea and hearing a survival story of a desperate mother and her 3-day old child who lived in her car just blocks from where I live.  The fact that she had to wrap toilet paper around her newborn because she was not able to purchase diapers with food stamps or through the WIC program was heart-wrenching.   Every child deserves to have their basic needs met.  WestSide Baby provides us all with the wonderful opportunity to help make a difference in our neighbors’ lives by helping provide for some of these basic essentials like clothes, toys/supplies, and diapers. I am thankful for the support WestSide Baby provides to our community! “

Ann Easton -  Past President

Ann and her husband David have two children, Madeline and William. After moving to Seattle from Montana, Ann worked for Puget Sound Energy both as a trainer and in marketing for 14 years.  Currently, Ann’s days are filled with kid’s activities, part-time consulting and as a board member for WestSide Baby and Gatewood PTA.  Ann says, “I got involved with WSB when my friend Nancy invited me to my first Tea.  She pulled me in by relating that the children WSB serves are our children’s peers; I’ve been hooked ever since. What I love about WSB is it provides an efficient, simple, common sense way to facilitate all the local, community support that we have here in our neighborhood.   We know that the first few years of a child’s life are critical to healthy development.  Necessities like, diapers, warm coats, books and car seats are the beginning to a great start.  It is important for families to know that the greater community cares and will help in times of need.  With neighbors helping neighbors, it all comes back to us in a safer, friendlier, healthier community.”

Melanie Canto

Melanie Canto has been Starbucks’ Director of Treasury Capital Markets for the past 3 years.  In this role, she is responsible for the development of enterprise risk control strategies which reduce market based risks including currency, commodity, and interest rate risk.  She also directs various capital market and corporate finance activities on a global basis including, investment of surplus cash, debt management, parent and subsidiary funding and defining capital allocation hurdle rates. Prior to joining Starbucks, Melanie was Treasury and Investor Relations Director for Captaris, Inc. where she was responsible for cash management, short-term investments, foreign exchange risk management, investor relations, and corporate insurance.  She was also a Senior Manager in the Corporate Finance/Treasury Group for Microsoft where her responsibilities included pricing and structuring strategic investments, equity derivatives and portfolio management, and security valuation.  Melanie spent three years with Visio Corporation as Treasury Manager and ten years with Wells Fargo Bank as a Foreign Exchange Trader and in various other international and commercial lending positions.  Melanie has a BA in French/Business from the University of Idaho and a Master of International Business from Seattle University. She brings invaluable expertise to her board role and as an acting member of the WestSide Baby’s finance committee. According to Melanie, ” I was drawn to WSB because it allows me to make significant impact on the future of my community.  It is important for every family to meet the basic needs of their children and we help fill in the gaps.”

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.”

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.