State Board Member Profiles

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.

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.

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.

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.

Phyllis formerly served in the state House of Representatives for 16 years, including seven years as chair of the House Higher Education Committee. She championed laws to make college accessible and affordable to students of all economic backgrounds. These included laws to grant undocumented students in-state tuition and the ability to apply for state financial aid, and to create Opportunity Grants for low-income adults to train for high-demand careers.

She also promoted Basic Education for Adult programs, including the community and technical college system’s nationally recognized I-BEST program. With I-BEST, basic math, reading, writing and English language skills are taught alongside job-training skills or academic content so students learn and apply their knowledge quickly.

Prior to serving in the Legislature, Phyllis was a trustee at the Seattle College District and president of the state trustees association.

Her parents came to America in 1919 from Mexico, and she worked in the fields with her seven brothers and sisters to help support her family. She went on to found the Washington Migrant Council and the Farm Workers Health Clinics.

She has been a community relations consultant, a small business owner, and has served on local, state and national boards and commissions regarding education, economic development and national and global health.

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.

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.

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.

Fred, a long-time Tacoma resident, is an attorney with law offices in Tacoma and Seattle. He is a U.S. Air Force retiree who served in Vietnam, Korea and other Asian nations.

Fred is a former two-term member of the Tacoma Community College board of trustees and a past national board member of the American Association of Community College Trustees, based in Washington, D.C. He also served in leadership roles and as a member of several ethnic and Asian-Pacific Islander organizations, including the Ethnic Minority Commission, Asian-Pacific Islander Coalition, and the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs in Tacoma.

He graduated from Waipahu High School in Hawaii. Fred earned his bachelor's degree in political science and international affairs from Florida State University. He earned his master's degree in Korean/Asian regional studies from the University of Washington and his law degree at the University of Puget Sound.