State Board Member Profiles

Martin joins the State Board continuing his service to education and community. Martin works as the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Heritage University in Toppenish, Wash. Prior to Heritage, he worked in different roles for Columbia Basin College in Pasco, including as a professor of history and intercultural studies, vice president for diversity and outreach and chief executive officer of the CBC Foundation.

Martin is also active in the Tri-Cities business community, serving as the interim executive director of the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and as a board member for the Tri-Cities Economic Development Council (TRIDEC) and Gesa Credit Union.

Martin’s past volunteer affiliations include Visit Tri-Cities, Communities in Schools of Benton-Franklin, United Way, American Red Cross, Mid-Columbia Symphony, LEAP (Latino/a Educational Achievement Project), CREHST Museum, The Children’s Reading Foundation, Columbia Basin Badger Club and the Downtown Pasco Development Authority.

A graduate of UCLA and Stanford University, Martin is a PhD candidate at Stanford. He has also earned certificates from the Mendoza School of Business at the University of Notre Dame, the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Kady Titus is Koyukon Athabascan and a citizen of the Native Village of Ruby, Alaska. She started her career working in social and behavioral health services with a Tribal health organization in Alaska. After moving to Eastern Washington in 2013, Kady began working with workforce development organizations providing services and on-the-job training opportunities in rural communities. Most recently, she worked with Tribes on a national level to identify, develop, and implement solar power projects that meet community needs, including education, hands-on training, and energy cost reductions for tribal members. She is an alumnus of the Native Action Network's Legacy of Leadership Cohort. Kady is also an artist, and her creativity and love for color can be seen in her indigenous beadwork.

Dr. Bernal Baca is currently the Executive Director of Mi Centro in Tacoma a multi-million-dollar non-profit providing social, cultural, and educational services to the greater Pierce County Latino Community. He is a 30-year retired Professor Emeritus at Yakima Valley College and former Past President of the American Federation of Teachers Yakima faculty. He also served as the Government Relations Specialist and Chief Lobbyist of the American Federation of Teachers Washington for 10 years. He was appointed on the Washington State Board of Education by Gov. Gregoire and is Past President of Association of Multi-Cultural Counseling and Development, an affiliate of ACA. He is the current vice chair of the Washington State Hispanic Affairs Commission. He also serves as the chair of the Racial Equity Team and a co-founder and board member of the Equity in Education, a trustee of the Tacoma Art Museum and a board member of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce. He is well known and respected in the state, county and city for his work on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Dr. Baca was born and raised in Trinidad, Colorado to a pioneer family who founded the city he was born in. This was part of Mexico prior to 1846. His father was the first Latino Mayor pro tem for the city of Trinidad. Dr. Baca attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, Washington State University in Pullman and Seattle University in Seattle.

He has two daughters and 6 grandchildren and is an avid fan and season ticket holder since 1970 of the Denver Broncos.

Ben is Vice President of Site Services and Government Affairs at SEH America. He has been with SEH for 34 years and has managed many aspect of the operations, including maintenance, facilities, IS, quality, engineering, and production.

Ben received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Portland, Ore.

Ben is active in the support of education and economic development in Southwest Washington. He is a board member of the Workforce Southwest Washington, the Columbia River Economic Development Council, the SW Washington STEM Network, Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, and the Advisory Board of the Historic Trust. He also is on the Governor’s Career Connected Learning team.

Crystal has been a professional civil engineer for nearly three decades, she is currently president and CEO of Perteet, Inc. an employee-owned infrastructure consulting firm focused on transportation design and planning, transit and utility design, construction management, environmental projects and emergency preparedness.

Crystal is active in the business and education community regarding issues affecting the region — including business competitiveness, infrastructure and higher education — and regularly provides testimony in the Puget Sound region and Olympia, advocating on  behalf of transportation and education issues.

Crystal leads four Perteet offices, providing oversight for 80 project managers, engineers, surveyors, construction managers, technicians, interns, and support staff in Washington state.  Prior to being named president in 2009, she served as Perteet's executive vice president, business line director and senior project manager.

Crystal earned her bachelor of science in civil engineering from Washington State University and graduated from American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Senior Executive Institute. She holds current Professional Civil Engineer licensure and certification.

Mack Hogans combines his many years of serving in senior leadership roles with his experience as a mentor and trusted adviser to numerous individuals, companies and organizations throughout the country. His unparalleled wisdom and business sense are the result of real life experiences in the corporate, not-for-profit and government sectors.

Mack retired as Senior Vice President after 25 years with Weyerhaeuser Company, where he held several critical roles. Among his many positions, he was responsible for; Corporate Communications; Environment, Health and Safety; Government Affairs; Law; E-Business; Procurement and Supply Chain Management. He also served as Chair of the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation.

Mack has served on numerous national, state and local boards and commissions.

Chelsea Mason-Placek, Workforce Development Director, Washington State Labor Council. Former Legislative Director, for the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), IFPTE 2001, and has worked in the public policy and workforce development industry for over 17 years.  Prior she served many roles in the office of United States Congressman Adam Smith. Chelsea is a member of Governor Jay Inslee's Choose Washington NMA Executive Council, is the co-chair for the NMA's Workforce Development Workgroup, a member of the Aerospace and Advanced Materials Manufacturing Pipeline Advisory Committee, an Advisory Member for the Center of Excellence for Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing, and a National Labor Representative for the U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Information Advisory Council. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from George Washington University and a Master of Science degree in nonprofit management from Northeastern University.

Jay joined Pacifica Law Group in 2011, after two years as Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Commerce under Secretary Gary Locke. During the preceding 28 years, Jay’s private law practice in Seattle focused on affordable housing, education, nonprofit and government finance, as well as public/private partnerships and general municipal law. He served as a White House Fellow in the office of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He also was a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and became Assistant Chief Criminal Deputy in charge of the juvenile division. Jay was also a member of the Student  Achievement Council until spring 2013.

Jay was a member of the Central Washington University Board of Trustees from 1999 through 2005 and has been a visiting lecturer in the University of Washington School of Law. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Amherst College and Juris Doctorate at Harvard Law School.

Emily Yim is the President & CEO of Washington Alliance for Better Schools (WABS), a collaboration of school districts across WA State, whose mission is to lead a partnership of school districts, industry, and community dedicated to ensuring students furthest from opportunity can pursue a future that embraces their strengths, passions, and dreams. Emily works with the Board of Directors, comprised of K12 Superintendents and Industry leaders to support equity in every school and opportunity for every student. 

She has served as a Board of Trustee at Edmonds College for 13 years overseeing two successful Presidential transitions. She also served as the Chair for the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) in Washington, D.C., providing leadership in governance and policy advocacy, which serves over 520 governing boards and 6,500 trustees. She served as the Chair of the ACCT Public Policy Committee and is the former Chair of the Asian Pacific Islander and Native American Caucus. She also served on the national board of The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in Washington, D.C, an advocacy organization for the nation’s community colleges, representing more than 1,000 2-year, associate degree-granting institutions and nearly 12 million students.

Ms. Yim is a guest speaker and consultant for Community College Boards across the country and internationally. And also serves as faculty at The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) preparing future Community College Presidents. 

Ms. Yim was also the founding Director of the Department of Neighborhoods and Community Affairs for the City of Lynnwood; Vice President of Community and External Affairs at Chase, helping to oversee and invest a $29 million annual philanthropic budget; and is a current board of the Providence Regional Board. She completed her B.A. in International Studies and Political Science at the University of Washington. 

She likes to spend time with her husband and son who was a Running Start student at Edmonds College and currently attending the University of Washington in Seattle, WA.